Just one of those days

All taken today, this very afternoon in fact. And, no they weren't faking.



'Nuff said.

Small Triumphs and Tasty Sausages

A funny thing happened when I took my children to the grocery store. Yes, ALL my children and no that wasn't the funny thing.
It's track break; it's summer; it's crazy time for DH at work and we are having the end of season soccer bash at our house this afternoon, so I needed to get drinks and ice and a few family incidentals like milk and graham crackers. So, I had no choice but to brave the halls of retail food with all five of my somewhat reasonably well-behaved children (how's that for a qualifying/waffling statement?). We were doing okay. Em was in the front baby basket, CE was walking alongside and Bam and CW were catching rides on either side of the cart as is their habit. Z decided he wanted a ride too but neither boy would "share his side". So, of course, he got mad and began to spew the anger-filled invective of a 6.5 year old boy. Small but important-to-the-story aside: We have been doing battle with the potty mouth for a while now. This is yet another aspect of the Y chromosome and testosterone-in-training that I had no idea about as I grew up in my estrogen rich home of 5 girls and no boys. So, I take this shopping- trip power struggle as a moment of triumph when Z's choice of epithet is: "You, you are such a CHEDDAR WURST!" And CW began to cry. And I began to laugh and try to explain why this was so funny to CW who didn't very much like being called a cheddar wurst. But really, of all the things that he could have been called right there in the dairy section, cheddar wurst seems to me to be a pretty mellow choice. And it shows me that the battle against the potty mouth is slowly being won, at least with Z. And any small victory deserves to be relished, or perhaps mustarded, however you like to eat your cheddar wurst!

Finishers Wanted

Have you ever seen a sign like this near a construction site? Well, at times I feel like we should post one outside our home. I never knew that when DH and I got together and began our family it would create within us a pathological inability to finish home-ish tasks. Some things we're good at finishing: We both finished law school, despite CE's arrival. We both passed the bar on our first try. We both are known in our respective spheres as dependable and regularly able to complete tasks, show up when promised and do what is required. But, when it comes to matters of our home, particularly decorating kinds of things, we have been largely unable to finish a single task. We had great ambitions, when we moved into our first little home, to paint the walls in a variety of lovely accent colors, warming our space and making it our own. We started well and had great plans to finish it before I had the baby I was carrying at the time: Z. And yet, upon moving out of that home 5+ years later, not one single room was "done". Some were never started, so that helped appearances, but nevertheless, none of our painting projects were ever completed. I marvel when I go to friends' homes and see that they have started and completed a painting project. Wow. I have no other words. Sadly, our unfinishing tendencies are not limited to painting. We have purchased rooms of furniture all except for accent tables and never ever purchased the necessary tables. We have purchased scanners and document storage software to organize the files from my now defunct practice and never successfully installed the software and the scanners to work together. The list, sadly, goes on.

Similarly, shortly after CW graduated from the crib, we decided to purchase a twin over double bunk bed for the boys' room. We put up the double part quite quickly, but decided to wait on the twin/ bunk part. We moved it and all its hardware with us when we moved into our current home and I am proud to report that this weekend, we finished something.



Some 3+ years after purchase, we have successfully assembled the full piece of furniture as originally purchased. Are you impressed? You should be!
Now, in our defense, when we originally purchased the set, Z wasn't yet old enough to be on the top bunk. It even says directly on the head/footboards of the twin bunk. "No one under the age of 6 should be up here" or something like that. As we were preparing to assemble the bed, we told the younger boys that this bed, despite its eminent coolness, was only to be used by Z. That he was the ONLY boy old enough to be up there. I think they thought I was delusional or, at the very least, a mean mom (well, I am a mean mom). So imagine their surprise, when I pointed out the head/footboard warning! Immediately, Bam rose to the occasion, responding: "I six. I six!" Right. Gotta love the eternal optimism of that kid.

Five is ALIVE

CW graduated from preschool recently. He has loved every minute of his time at Miss Karen's school. But he is most looking forward to, in his words, going to the "same school as CE and Z," when he enters kindergarten in a few short months.

Yesterday was his birthday. Miss Karen said the thing she most loves about CW is his smile. This picture almost does it justice. He was sooooo excited for his birthday to come. He had been planning and scheming the activities, the cake, everything, for months.

As I was frosting this speed racer cake after the "friend party" (swimming party with speed racer cupcakes, at his request), he began to tell me all new plans for his cake and party. Um, dude, party's over and this cake can no longer be changed. He was so disappointed. I have never had a kid for whom the anticipation was more important than the actual event. Like other children of mine, he was somewhat fried from anticipation during the party, but when having the cake conversation, he didn't perk up until I told him we could plan all his new ideas for next year. And then, his face lit up in his characteristic CW smile and he was off and running. We only have 364 days to plan the next birthday!