"Boys are found everywhere—on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair
and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket."
Author: Alan Beck


Monday, January 24, 2011

Time will tell...

Has it really been two weeks since I've had the time to collect and review my thoughts? 

It has.

As always, my brain is so full of things I'd like to share, it makes my fingers freeze with fear.

Should I write about my insatiable spring fever and how I long for fresh new colors on the walls within this home?  Have you seen the 'farm palette' from Benjamin Moore?  If I am ever lucky enough to be surrounded by walls like those, I'd forever be in an apron, whipping up apple pie and hollerin' at the boys to bring mama more eggs from the coop.  Someday, someday.

Maybe I should tell you about the 'little things' that have happened since our last talk.....

-Like the boy who was playing hide and seek and got stuck inside our entertainment unit.  Instead of asking me to rescue him, his 4 brothers kindly brought him a pillow so he'd be comfortable during his captivity.  I think they were disappointed when he was finally set free. 

-Or how about the boy who shoved both sides of his cute little nose full of chocolate chips?  I approached him ever so slowly as to not make him panic.  Just as I got within arms reach, he did the inevitable and sniffed.  Now the 20+ chocolate chips were jam-packed.  I carefully plucked the few that I could and prepared the entire brood for a field trip to the ER.  But wait a minute.....we all know what happens to chocolate when it gets warm.  What am I panicking for?  This isn't like the boy who stuck Lego's up his nose.  That was an emergency.  Surely the chocolate will melt, right?  15 minutes (and a lot of crying) later, the boy's nose was running a chocolate waterfall that would have made Willy Wonka jealous.

His brothers just stared with envy.  And then one chimed in-

"Now those are boogies you can eat!"

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Perfection

Take a Colorado snowstorm-

Mix it with 5 snow-deprived boys-

Throw in the best dad those 5 boys could ever ask for-

And you've got yourself one perfect Sunday.


 Our plan for tomorrow? To replay today.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Keeping Up.

I will not fall behind.  I will not fall behind.  I will not fall behind.

If it means my house won't be clean and my homework won't be finished, I will not fall behind.

Especially when I'm only on day 9.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Slipper Sadness.

Yesterday I discovered something tragic...

Two ginormous holes in the bottom of my left slipper.  I shutter to think it will only be a matter of days before the right one suffers the same.

If you know me well, you know that I LIVE in my slippers.  I put them on at 7:00 AM and don't take them off until I go to bed.  If I'm tired enough, I may even sleep in them.  I used to take them off whenever I would venture out front with my boys.  Even that changed last summer.  I proudly wore them with jeans (and even skirts) while my boys rode their bikes through the cul-de-sac.  It's clear I'm not out to impress.

(another photo I found on the computer - taken by my kids, no doubt - displaying my slipperish attire)

I really am depressed about the recent death of what have been my favorite pair of slippers.  Did I mention they were hand-made just for me?  Sigh....It's going to be a rough day.

(A few years ago I did the following post.  I just thought I'd add it.  In case you don't believe how serious I take my slippers.)

Dear Vera Wang,

For Christmas my husband bought me a lovely pair of slippers designed by you. He found them at Kohl's and paid the designer sticker price of $14.99 for them. A definite splurge for us.

Imagine my surprise when I opened my gift and saw these darling Mary Jane's-

It's been roughly 10 weeks since Christmas, and I've happily worn them every day since. That's where I went wrong. Here's a picture of my beloved slippers today-
Apparently, your shoes are made for moms like this-

Or for moms who sit on the couch all day eating these-


(Don't get me wrong, I love bon bons, but don't have time to eat them.)

I'm not that type of mom. I use my feet to walk. I also use my feet to chase, sprint, leap, and dance with my boys. My day is filled with constant motion.

I wish I could be more like her-

I wish I wore aprons and high heals on a daily basis. I wish my house was always perfectly clean, and dinner was hot and ready when my darling arrived home from work. However, I'd quickly forgo all the above wishes to have my boys listen attentively to me like Wally and The Beav.

This picture best reflects my offspring-



Are you catching my drift? I think your slippers should come equipped with a sticker on the box that looks like this-

Then 'real' moms like moi wouldn't have to resort to duct taping their soles.
Please accept this invitation Vera Wang, to spend one day at my house.

I have a pair of your slippers waiting for you.

I'll even provide the duct tape.

Sincerely,






A Real Mom.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Keeping my promise.

This 'blog-a-day' thing is going to be harder than I thought.

You'd think with a life as crazy as ours, I'd have thousands of stories in the archives.

I do (have lots of stories) I'm just lacking the steam and creativity it takes to retell them.  I need a vacation.  Or a pedicure.  Or an ice cream sundae.  Or a shopping trip with my mom.  I need a jump start.

Or perhaps, a baby chihuahua.  Really.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Why Boys Are SO Easy...

Each night, as I kiss my boys and tuck them in, I tell each of them one thing that we will do the following day.This could be something super exciting, like a trip to see the mummies at the museum (their all-time fav), or it could be something not-so-exciting, like undie shopping or toy organizing.  Having this little ritual is something they look forward to.  In fact, they now demand it.  Heaven forbid I forget to give them a glimpse of the day ahead.  As soon as they take note of my negligence, I am summoned back upstairs by a loud "MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

I'm molding my children into little planners.  It's actually quite thrilling.

Last Sunday was a solemn night at our house.  The two weeks for Christmas break had come to an end.  Knowing they were far from excited about attending school the next day, I gave them something extra special to look forward to.  "We'll have Star Wars pancakes with chocolate chip eyes, cherry noses, and whipped cream smiles!" I boasted.  Satisfied, they went to sleep.

Who would know that the ONE TIME little Wes sleeps past 5:45 AM would be the first day back to school?  Not having our usual 'alarm clock' wake us up, the entire gang slept til 8:00 AM.  (Have you seen the movie Home Alone, where the mom and dad oversleep and jump out of bed in a panic?  Picture that scene....Derek and I were those parents.  Okay, you got me.  I was panicked.  Derek was a little more nonchalant.  Just a little)

Waking up at 8:00 AM gave me exactly 40 minutes to shower, get dressed, get 5 kids dressed (okay, 4.  Jack stays in his undies all day long), pack 2 lunches, stock 2 backpacks with overdue library books, water bottles & snacks, and make breakfast.

Oh $h!t, breakfast!  By now it was 8:15 and I remembered how I promised them Star Wars pancakes the night before.  Tossing my guilt aside, I placed 5 different boxes of cereal on the kitchen counter and told them to choose.  I turned my back to grab the bowls and that's when I heard the sound of faint whispering behind my back.  The boys had huddled together and were asking one another what mommy had promised the night before.

Red handed.  They caught me.

"But you promised!" They whined.  5 disappointed faces staring me right in the eyes immediately made me weak in the knees.  The next thing I know, I'm clearing the counter of cereal boxes and making room for the griddle, as the boys rejoice with high-fives.  I pull out my Williams Sonoma Star Wars pancake molds (thanks to Lynne and Kristin), and whip up a batch of GF pancakes.  Thinking only an idiot would have to actually read a set of directions that accompanies pancake molds (and knowing I don't have time to waste), I fling the instruction sheet aside.

Now it's 8:30, 10 minutes until they head out the door for the bus, and the pancakes are taking
F O R E V E V E R.  For starters, they seem WAY too thick, and they're not detaching themselves from the insides of the molds like I think they should.

Why?  Because this idiot poured twice the amount of batter into the molds than what is required, AND I placed the molds on the griddle upside down.  Nice, Amy.  Real nice.  Although I did what I could to keep the pancakes looking like Darth Vader, Yoda, and a Storm Trooper, I wasn't even remotely successful.

Here's the part I love-

My boys sat silent as I placed the disfigured pancakes in front of them.  I told them to place their trust in me.  These were indeed the characters they requested, they just happened to battle it out as I tried to put them on the plates.  Silence.  They needed time to process.

Having no girls myself, I can only imagine the responses she may have when it comes to mangled pancakes.  (I'm thinking tears.)  No tears here!  My failed efforts were rewarded by hoots and hollers.  Oh happy day!!!  They even argued over who's pancake won the battle.  Amazing.

Just ONE example of why I'm perfectly content having a house bursting with boys.

And yes, I have thoroughly read through the pancake mold directions and am eagerly awaiting a second chance.  What my pancakes will look like next time (picture courtesy of Williams Sonoma)-


Tuesday, January 4, 2011

This little blog of mine....

Remember me?

(Random pic I found on my iPhone.  Taken, of course, by my darling children.  They always take the most flattering shots.)

My name is Amy and I've successfully neglected my blog for far too long.

The neglect stops here.

One of my resolutions for 2011 (aside form the usual become more organized, exercise more, floss daily, stop buying animals, etc., etc.) is to blog daily.  That's right.  DAILY.  The truth is, I'm happier when I write.  And anyone who's anyone knows what happens when momma ain't happy.

Who knows what posts I have in store for you.  I do know they may include the following:

-A gluten free recipe?  (I'm a bit like Frankenstein in the kitchen lately.  Mixing my own flours and creating my own GF recipes. If only I could get lightning to strike with every masterpiece...how awesome that would be.)
-A rant?
-A review?
-A picture of the day?
-And any other suggestions you may have.

Bottom line is, I'm Back.  With a vengeance.  And it feels good.

PS-Yes, I am fully aware that I am starting this little project roughly 4 days late.  Try your best not to judge.