Crafty and Creative

I'm beginning to see a theme emerge in my life. Whenever I get frustrated, moody, or depressed even, I know there is one thing that will bring me joy; food! Wait, no, I meant to type, CRAFTS! Yes, give me a some paint brushes, a piece of wood, fabric or paper and I can transport myself to a much happier place. Finding my creative spirit always improves my mood- if not exactly setting the world on fire by my artistry. I suppose that's why I enjoy writing as well. I have a deep urge to create something, something meaningful and lasting. Well, meaningful to me, not profound but always personal. While visiting my grandparents, nearly 20 years ago I saw a sculpture in Palm Desert gallery that read, The Best Art Thrills the Heart Around my house the best art consists of crayon drawings and lego pieces made into Bionicles.

Time Flies

The saying is true. Time does indeed fly when "yer havin' fun". I've discovered that time flies no matter what is keeping you busy, whether there's any fun happening or not. I've realized a few other things in the past week. Bed sheets aren't meant to last 8 years, they will eventually become threadbare. On the bright side, the holes make good places to hide your toes when they are cold! Also, when one member of your family shows signs of poison ivy on their skin, it's only a matter of time before everyone else in the house gets it too. Good idea to get extra medicine instead of visiting the pediatrician twice and your PCP. Save your time and money on co-pays and everyone start on the steroids and cream asap. Let's see, what else? Fish really do need to get fed more than once a week. Dogs will eat anything that falls on the floor, whether edible or not and my children really do get brown from the sun. I told Emily she looks like a coffee bean. Truly, she does!

What are you doing awake?

Again, its after 1:00 am and I think I should view this time with more possibilities. After all, I could get a lot of laundry done. I could watch all of those episodes of Nip/Tuck I've borrowed. I could wash the floors, walls, dishes, etc.. but lets not get crazy with the idea of cleaning. I could take up a hobby, say, needle point! Wait! No, that could be dangerous. Instead of all of that, I'm trying in vain to sleep with my sore neck and tingly fingers. I've also done a great service in killing the worlds largest 20 legged bug I've ever seen. ICK! A cup of hot tea, a nice story and somewhere around 5 am ( just like last night) my body and brain will give in and I will be fast asleep. I've decided not to fight it. There are plenty of other battles on the horizon for me.

Who are you willing to fail in front of?

I don't mind exposing my flaws and laughing about them. I may seem like an open book, but I'm more like a teenagers obsolete diary. Stories hidden behind lock and key of a pretty flower print journal. I'm unwilling to share those things which hurt to admit. I recently confided in a good friend. There aren't many people I'm willing to fail in front of. At least not so openly as I did today. Its 1:00 am and I have insomnia ~ surprise ~ again for the millionth time in my life. I have forgotten phone calls to return, laundry to wash, appointments to keep. But those tasks will have to wait 'til morning. They aren't responsible for this alert agitation I feel. What will tomorrow bring? If I had a crystal ball I wouldn't worry so much. But then again, that never seems to help those who live in fairy tales.

Swimming on a Saturday night

I had the enjoyable experience of a midnight swim with old friends on Saturday night. It was quiet and warm and we were lounging around in the water when it began to rain. The raindrops felt cold on my neck and gave me goose bumps. It was beautiful and serene and fun all in the same moment.

Overheard

Around my house - depending on the time of day - you can hear many different sounds. If someone even passes by with another dog you can be sure Chauncy will announce the intrusion to the world until threatened with death. The phone rings and unless a name I recognize appears on the caller ID you can be sure my answering machine will pick up. The recorded message is typically from an electronic voice asking to speak with Kam "N. G.". DELETE! Today Geoffery from Toys R Us ( the ugly stuffed giraffe) called to wish Noah a happy birthday and to encourage him to drag his parents over and spend all of their money - ahem, I mean - to buy him a much deserved gift in the form of some useless plastic toy. DELETE! The baby monitor in Emily's room has, for three years now, amplified daily tantrums,arguments and defiance. DISCONNECT! However, it's makes great spy equipment! Will definitely keep for future eavesdropping. The attic fan clunks, clocks tick, the dishwasher hums ( thanks to a brand new model, unlike our old one from 1978 which sounded more like a airplane before takeoff), and the dryer beeps. Kam belches, Puddin snores, and Emily lets em rip without modesty or embarressment. In fact, the only thing that doesnt make a sound is the fish. Now there's a pet I can really appreciate.

Party Planning

Some people are super organized.
Some people use palm pilots, iphones, organizers ( Kam, Mollie and others, you know who you are you freakish task masters)
Some people like to have things neat and orderly.
And then there are people like me.



I plan parties w/paper plates!
Ta Da!

Continuing Adventures in Babysitting

Madison and McKenzie's dad has lost his job. So, for now, my career as a professional babysitter is over. Since the girls live only 2 houses down, I doubt we will go more than 24 hours without having one of them at my door and vis versa. I feel badly at feeling so relieved I wont be seeing them tomarrow at 7 am.

Bummed, Burned, and Banged Up

Let's just say it's been a bad day.

I try to work hard around the house:inside, outside, upside down. And in my professional opinion I do my job well;especially considering the compensation sucks! Kam actually took his finger and swiped the top of the hutch here at the computer desk this morning and said, "we have to dust". We? I almost spit out. We? Really? Translation "McGee, when was the last time you cleaned?" I spent the morning in the back yard trimming shrubs and trees, until something flew at me and stuck in my arm, pulling it out made it bleed but only enough that the little girls were fascinated with my "Boo-Boo". Noah yelled at me and raised his fists when I wouldn't give him something he demanded.That was after picking him up 10 minutes late from his art class and for that indefensible crime I "owed" him. Madison burst into tears when I scolded her for riding her bike in the middle of the road, later swearing she would never ride her bike with us again. McKenzie rolled her eyes at me when I tried to explain that I couldn't allow her to play in the "big" pool at the club because I had 4 kids to keep my eyes on and 3 don't know how to swim. She stubbornly refused to see my point of view and said if she couldn't go in the big pool she didn't want to go at all. This started a lot of whining and "c'mon mom"'s. Emily woke up from her afternoon nap yelling and crying out of control. No matter what I tried to do to comfort her she raged that she wanted her daddy as she threw herself to the floor, kicking and screaming. At this point I knew that I would have been better off had I not got out of bed this morning. Ever had one of those days? I've had a few recently. I'm trying to see the glass 1/2 full. But what I see is instead are the demands of those who don't notice me. They notice what I don't give them or do for them, but I don't think they see me. If they did they might notice that I haven't brushed my hair in a while. Or that I wear my uniform of t-shirts and shorts and tennies each day. They might see the circles under my eyes. How do people with more than 2 children do this job? I suck at this! Big Time!

Two of a Kind

We are so tired around here even the stuffed animals need a nap apparently!
As if life weren't busy enough, we now have Chauncy to take care of while Mollie and her family are in San Jose. He's a good dog - he just takes up a lot of space. In case you cant tell, Emily is the one with the insect bitten swollen eye.

Ready, Set, No!

I'm doing so much "running around" with the kids this summer, Im contemplating getting my chauffer's license. Well, not really. Today I dropped off the two older kids to school, took the little girls to the salon with me for my appointment, back to school to pick up Noah after art class, then to the library for story time, then to McD's to play, and back to school once more to pick up McKenzie, before bringing all four home to have lunch. After lunch it was time to play with the two dogs outside while I grabbed a bite for myself and cleaned up,and back inside where they all finger painted...everything, including the table, chairs, floor, bathroom fictures and themselves.

Finally the time has arrived - my favorite time of day - QUIET TIME!

And while this may come as a surprise, the only part of the day I would have changed was the storyteller at the library. Dressed in her overalls and pig tails, she spoke with a saccharine tone, repeating the phrase, "Okay boys and girls..." after each sentence. As in, "Who would like to have a dinosaur for a pet boys and girls?" And, " Okay boys and girls, who would like to dance with a dinosaur?" ACK!!!

Opposite Day

Dinner time was noisy and fun, as usual, with some unique ideas presented to us by Noah. What if, he wondered out loud, we had opposites day! He could be Emily and call her "brother" and she could refer to him as "sister". This idea was so well liked by our son that he said Kam and I could switch roles for one day. " Mom would be dad and get to yell all day, and dad would garden all day, put on lip gloss and go to the video store".

It's amazing what we learn about ourselves as seen through children's eyes.

Happy 4th of July

Today is the most beautiful, perfect day! I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as we are.

Video Games II

On Second Thought,

Maybe yesterday's rant was a bit extreme.

Its not as if I believe that by playing violent video games, my son will become an axe murderer or grow up without a conscience. I do think that those types of games send a mixed signal. I do think that if played too much ( what is too much? I guess each parent decides what that is) that there can be negative consequences. Even if just means that kids aren't getting enough exercise because they prefer to get lost in the gaming. Or that kids forget how to speak in clear sentences or are short tempered if interrupted...this happens all the time here. What scares me, is the intensity with which the kids play and focus on the game, the winning, the points, the action. I never see that sort of focus on anything else.

Even Noah's friend who was over yesterday( one of the nicest boys I've ever met) shoved Emily pretty hard, knocking her over, while they were playing. She wanted to play too. She was in the way. I understand that. This is a boy who picks her up and carries her around. He usually holds her hand and loves her in the sweetest innocent way that I swear if I could arrange a future marriage between them, I probably would. After seeing him do that I just walked over, turned the TV off and said, "You're Done!" And Noah was mortified. He pleaded with me, he gave me intense, angry looks that told me I was the worst mother alive. And I was fine with that. I had seen enough, heard enough and more than that, I was confused. I didnt know whether I was angry with his friend for shoving Emily, angry with myself for not finding another activity for them, angry with the game, or that I have to monitor all of it.

Life would be so much easier if I could just throw it in the garbage.

Video Games

This is not a impartial point of view. In fact I cant overstate how much I abhor video games. I hate them! I hate that Noah, like nearly every American child, loves to play video games. And he isn't particular. It can be a DS, Wii, playstation of xbox.....if it has color graphics, a controller and he can stare at the screen, he's one happy camper. So his friend is over right now and with him he brought his new wii game called Links Crossbow Training. In the directions on how to play there is section titled "Advice" Attack Quickly and Accurately;Use Exploding Arrows...(you can) take out a lot of enemies in a single shot. When you have many enemies gathered in one area, take aim and blast the bunch of them.Shoot Lots of Things. Enemies...aren't the only things you can shoot. See what else you can shoot for points.

This is what is printed, a page away from the warning that video games cause seizures or blackouts in 1 out of every 4000 people,and with the added information that you should play in a well lit room, with a small screen, not tired and take 10 minutes breaks for every hour of play. Parents are advised to watch their children while they play and look for signs of fatigue, numbness in limbs, eye strain, eye or muscle twitching, loss of awareness and convulsions.

I am so horrified by a game rated E for everyone where you hit a rabbit with a carrot until he "falls asleep" with the prompts of a slowly heartbeat, and the words on the screen that read, "Hit Harder" after each swipe you take. I cant beleive I am the only parent who finds this troubling. Am I crazy or are we teaching our kids its okay to be violent? That there are no repercussions ( but bonus points for good aim)? I am angry. I am sick to my stomach. I dont like this one bit.

What Do you Know?

written by kadi prescott @ kadiprescott.blogspot.com

You know you're in serious trouble when you go looking for your missing child and he is out front, trying to buy a popsicle from the ice cream man, with your credit card.

You know you're screwed when your kids can team up to distract you, while one kid steals the good snacks from the pantry.

You know you've got problems when your daughter calls the wine "coffee" because you put both in a to go mug and carry it around wherever you go.

You know you need to work out when your kids nickname you "jiggly butt."

You know you're a bad parent when your 2 year old learns to diaper himself because he's so sick of waiting an hour to be changed.

You know you're addicted when your daughter tells her teacher that mommy loves her blog more than her kids.

You know you're doomed when the kids figure out that Santa isn't real and that they can be bad and still get presents because you can't keep track of who's been naughty and nice.

You know you're a mom when you go out in public, alone, and guys stare at you. Not because you're hot, but because you're wearing Barbie hair clips that you let the girls put in while playing beauty shop. Cute.

You know you're destined for the parenting hall of shame when you give your kids a death threat and they laugh hysterically.

You know you're a sorry excuse for a mom when your kids remember each other's names, birthdays and food allergies, but you cannot even recognize their faces in the school pick up line.

You know you need help when you end every day thinking, "Maybe tomorrow I'll figure out this whole parenting thing.

You know you're psycho when you write about all of the above in a blog for the world to read and expect them to laugh with you, not call CPS.