pickin' up chicks

My forever gracious husband had an opportunity today to go to a gathering of grown ups without the responsibility of children. (Meaning, we were too tired to go, so he went solo.) Before he left the house he was trying to figure out what to wear. I vetoed a shirt/shorts combo, and it raised questions with Li'l Bit. I'm not exactly sure what she asked, but B.daddy replied, "Mommy's just tryin' to help me pick up chics." Of course, my innocent daughter asks, "Will there be lots of yellow ones there?"

So, B.daddy gets home a few hours later, and shortly after that Li'l Bit wakes up. She emerges from our room and curls her sleepy self up in her daddy's lap and says, "Did you pick up any--were there any chicks there?"

That crazy Li'l Bit; always good for a laugh!

Make Fun All You Want...

But I'm just about as happy as a girl can be right now!!

My mom and I piled the kids in the van and led Stac, Kelly, and Madeliene up to Massachusetts' first ever Sonic Drive-In. We were more excited, more jovial, more ridiculously giddy than anybody else in the entire state for two solid hours. Yes, I said two hours. Apparently the miracle of Sonic is not totally lost on these Bostonians--the line quickly backed up as far as the eye could see. But, you know, how long would you wait for perfection?

That first, perfect tater tot.

Mmmm...

I'm seriously thinking about reviving my car-hop days! Hey, flexible hours. :)

(Which reminds me: don't forget to tip your car-hop.)

Tomorrow My Life is Renewed!

Yep, yep, yep!!

Sonic opens tomorrow!!!!!

And how perfect is this: my mom gets here tonight, and tomorrow is Li'l Bit's birthday!!

Happy 5th, Baby Girl!!

You Will Pay. You Will All Pay.

I'm not a fan of giving parenting advice.
Well, maybe just every now and then. Only when it's asked for, of course.
But outside of that, no, never. I would never impose my opinions on childcare, discipline, nutrition, etc. on anyone. Not me.
Okay, maybe sometimes I like it.

So, here is my only piece of unsolicited advice for the day:

Throw It Away!! (Or you will pay!)

When your child outgrows a piece of clothing don't throw it back into the wash! ("Just so it will be clean when I donate it.") No. You will never donate it. You will wash, dry, and fold it. And then you will put it right back in the drawer where your fashionista daughter will find it and adorn herself with it during her 6 a.m. wardrobe expedition. By 8 a.m. it will litter her floor along with the ten other garments that have absolutely no right to even be in your house anymore. And they're cluttering up your happy place!! The nerve! This WILL repeat until finally you are drowning in outgrown clothes, and then you will spend days sorting through it all.

So, what you need to do is this: somewhere--don't ask me where--in your filled-to-the-brim home find a corner. (A corner the fashionista will not find.) In that corner, place a bag. A trash bag. The Force Flex kind. And when you come across a piece of clothing that will most likely--yes, there's still a chance, there's always a chance--never be worn again, you prance your little behind to that bag and put it in. I know, I know. I've never heard of such a cold, heartless thing to do. To just throw it out without even a second thought? No, my dear, because this is where second thoughts get you:

Before you know it you're spending an eeennnnnttttiiiiiirrreeee weekend sorting through clothes. Just clothes. 80% of it was worn only a handful of times, and what a burden it all turns out to be.
You know, you feel like you're being wiser for keeping this shirt or those pants around "just in case." But in the end they just clutter up the place and drain the livin' daylights out of the Blessed Housekeeper who works day and night to make sure that her happy place is indeed her happy place!

The FlyLady exclaims that you cannot organize clutter. I claim that exclamation right now! You cannot organize unnecessary clothing. It makes absolutely no sense, and so you just toss it in the drawer and pray it will disintegrate. (And it doesn't by the way. It spawns!)

So, yeah, I'm sorting this week.

Everyday is Opposite Day. Awesome.

Sweet, sweet Gizmo. We love him. He is contrary, obstinate, stubborn, bull-headed... But he's also extremely sensitive and sweet. You just have to peel away the precariously thin outer layer--like an onion--to get to the sweet stuff. (Not like an onion.)

Every night at bedtime we sing his songs and say our I Love You's. Lately, he's returning our I Love You's with a smirk and a, "No, I don't!" Just to be contradictory. For no other reason whatsoever. (For the loooongest time, every single one of his verbal responses started with "No" even if it was followed by, let's say, "Yes, I would love ice cream and cookies instead of bedtime!" Always "No.")

And so, the other day I wanted to try out my little theory that his dislike for his own parents is just an exercise in obstinacy and not a result of our great and immense failings as parents. It went something like this:

Me: I love you so much.
Him: No, I don't!
Me: So, you don't love me.
Him: Yes, I do!
Me: So, you do love me.
Him: No, I don't.
Me: Are you funny?
Him: No, I'm not!
Me: Are you sweet?
Him: No, I'm not!
Me: Does Mommy love you?
Him: No, you don't!
Me: So, I don't love you.
Him: Yes, you do!
And so on and so on... (And, yes, he could go on all day.)

In other news, sweet Ladybug is fussy. Either she's teething or in the shuffle of recent busyness she's not getting fed. Only kidding, Mom. (sort of) No, really, I think she's getting some big ones back there. The girl is growing!! She's finally gettin' some thighs worth squeezing. Love me some baby fat.

Li'l Bit is on cloud 9! Today we had a play date with "Lauren & Sophia & all their brothers" (they have two.) She has been requesting this play date for weeks. And tomorrow--and I haven't told her yet--we're playing with Vanessa, with whom she has also been requesting an audience.

here, she is anxiously awaiting the cutting of Ladybug's birthday cake


this is Jill. our favorite midwife-friend in the whole entire world. she delivered Gizmo and Ladybug and has changed our lives.

the loot from digging in the backyard

Keep Your Remarks To The Weather

It's been a rough couple of days. Not my brightest moments, but not my darkest either. Just trying to keep it together.
So...
The weather has been gorgeous, finally! After constant rain for weeks, we are glad to welcome sunshine for longer than one day stretches. Our backyard is littered with our good times, as is our house at the moment. I look around and I keep reminding myself, "This is what a loving home looks like. The mess only bothers you, so stop being so peevish about!" But, oh, how I would love for it to actually stay clean.

Here's Gizmo pulling our wagon at our favorite farm:

And, here, Ladybug is--as usual--wowing us with her adventurous nature and physical agility. (She's quite agile mentally, as well. Just a proud mama side note.)

And Li'l Bit loved picking the raspberries. Well, I should say she loved eating them. They were the hardest to pick, and, true to princess form, we were to pick them so she could eat them.

And here, I am dreaming of getaways and vacations. Sometimes you really need a break, and it seems that when you have small children that "sometime" is, like, all the time. This is the luxury suite B.daddy and I will be enjoying in December!!