"Not me!" Monday

This brings us to yet another installment of "Not me!" Monday, as per MckMama at My Charming Kids.

This past week, I did not agree to having the house shown at least six times (I may have lost count). That would be madness! I mean, we've just begun homeschooling, I have three small children, and...certainly I would be able to set boundaries and stick by then. Definitely. So I certainly wouldn't have done that...

And then I most definitely didn't commence to run around like a headless chicken, cleaning and tidying, sweeping crumbs and other debris, doing "spot mopping," followed by more sweeping, cleaning the counters, and even more sweeping. No. Way.

Certainly didn't hide Owen's little stash of toys (which he plays with while I get ready in the morning) in my dirty laundry hamper, a few times over. Nope, not me!

Speaking of dirty laundry, I was not horrified to discover that my elderly cat had peed on my bed, the day before one of the realtor showings. And after the sheets were washed, but not the quilt, I certainly didn't put the original quilt back onto the bed, because the colors looked so lovely with the room, and the lady was coming to take interior pictures of the house. Certainly not. Ew. Ew!

And if any of that was true, I for sure would have washed the quilt by now. It wouldn't still be in a soiled heap, surrounded by other dirty laundry. I definitely wouldn't have been hindered by the fact that it's line-dry only, and while I usually dry it in the family room, that would not be suitable when everyone and their Uncle Charlie are traipsing through the house nearly every day. Nope, definitely not me! I would have figured out some place to dry it. Moms like me have to be resourceful, you know.

On another note, I certainly don't have a child ill with the croup, again. Man, that poor boy gets hit hard by it, too. I mean, I think truly Owen had it in December too, but his illness? Doesn't even come close to what it's like when Kyle has the croup. That stuff is wicked.

Finally, I am not absolutely obsessed with making treats. Nope, definitely not. I do not bake cookies at least twice a week (regardless of what my Facebook statuses may report). Nor did Jeff & I make chocolate coconut ice cream on Saturday afternoon, and I did not make fudge a few days earlier in the week. Nope, not me! Because kicking a sugar habit is exactly the same as shedding my love for sweets...right?

a sling giveaway

Kristin over at Bits and Pieces From My Life is giving away a sling! So all you babywearers, or would-be-babywearers, just hop on over to her site to see what's going on. She's got a lot of great posts on family life and other topics. I think you'll enjoy it!

it's possible

So, we've been thinking about it...

...and we guess it's possible

that Owen may be in need of a haircut, after all.

I mean, we aren't going for a mullet, here.

All the same, I'm determined to hold out at least two more weeks. I am not quite ready to trim my baby's baby-fine locks! At least not until he's a bit closer to his birthday. Just two more weeks...or maybe four...

overheard

1) Kyle: "Do moles live under the ground?"
Dad: "Yes, they do."
Kyle: "What about bulls? Do bulls live under the ground?"
Ben, laughing: "No, bulls don't live under the ground! Bulls are like... giant cows. They wouldn't even fit underground!"

2) "Mom, please don't eat all of the cookies!"

3) Kyle: "Can we please go and buy our house now?"

4) "When am I going to get married?"

spring teaser

We have been enjoying really beautiful weather this week! What a gift during an Oregon winter.

Yesterday we needed to leave home for a while during a visit from a potential buyer. Eager to enjoy the lovely day to the fullest, we ventured out to a nearby park.

Owen thought the sunshine was wonderful!

He was fascinated watching his brothers swing.

An oldie but a goodie: tornado slides.

And here is one of my little monkeys, just hanging around.

We were so thankful for the nice day. And it has really whet our appetites for spring!

"Not me!" Monday

Another Monday, another chance to bare my soul in MckMama's fun and cathartic blog carnival. Please check out her blog at My Charming Kids. She's magnificent, and so much fun.

Yesterday morning while getting the family ready for church, I did not discover that my older son had inadvertently doused the baby with maple syrup. Real maple syrup, which is a lot more runny than the high fructose corn syrup stuff. And I did not thank my lucky stars that I had left Owen's pants off-- because bare leg cleans up a whole lot easier than khakis when you're in a pinch. And then I was not aghast to realize that it wasn't only Owen's leg that was sticky...it was the entire left side of his head. Consequently, Jeff and I did not proceed to laugh our butts off.

I am certainly not limping my way through a two-hour movie in 10- and 20-minute increments. Because what mother with a baby (not to mention two older kids) has the memory available to remember the plotline twists from one viewing to the next? That's just crazy-making.

While watching the Christian Youth Theater's stage production of "Narnia" over the weekend, I did not observe the difference in voices between a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy, and begin to cry at the thought of my own sweet boys' voices changing some day. Because I am still in complete denial that they will one day sound like big men when they speak. It is never going to happen. Period.

And while driving to church on Sunday morning, I did not finally make a meager attempt to wipe that spit-up stain off of my good peacoat. Because it's been...what? Nearly two weeks since Owen nailed me? I mean, that's just gross. So that couldn't have been me. And my coat doesn't smell like spoiled milk, either.

Nope, not me!

my amazing man

In the wake of my Martha post, I thought I would share a few things about the wonderful man that I married. I hope I didn't imply that my husband doesn't pull his weight around the house. He most definitely does. My point was that, regardless of the situation, it's easy to us as individuals to start feeling put-upon, to view ourselves in a martyr-type of role.

But I wander from my topic. And that is this fellow I know, named Jeff. He is an amazing husband, provider, father, and friend. I could not ask for a better guy.


I am blessed with a husband who takes a very active role in parenting our children. After our first baby was born, it was a good week before I ever had to change a diaper. He is the bath-giver in our family, always has been. I have given my children, maybe...a dozen baths in the 6+ years since I began mothering. He is consistent but loving, playful but firm. He wrestles with the boys, and they love it. They positively beg for more!

Jeff has been such a gift to me. He is so much fun to be with-- he's my favorite person to hang out with. He can watch a chick flick with the best of them, but he also loves action movies. I appreciate so much the fact that he has such a tender heart. He's not afraid to cry, and always gets choked up when he reads about the birth of Christ aloud on Christmas morning.

He is such a hard worker, both at home and at his job. I appreciate that so much about him. I feel secure with him because I know he's safe for me to be real with, and that I can count on him.

No, he's not perfect. Of course he's not. But he's the perfect one for me.