Lay your cards on the table

The girls and I enjoyed a night out to dinner and a movie with my best friend Buffy.  We were enjoying the bread sticks at Olive Garden when Riley reached over and stuck her breadstick in Buffy's marinara sauce.  I told her not to do that, to put the sauce on her plate and she said that Buffy had let her, so...  "Look at her, playing the 'But Buffy let me do it' card," Buffy laughed.  Riley giggled and said "I like playing that card."

Happy New Year

Riley and I have watched Pushing Daisies over the course of the Christmas holidays on Netflix.  It's quite an enjoyable show and I wish it had lasted longer than the two short seasons it was on.  There's this one episode where a man turns up dead in a big vat of taffy.  Right when the body was found, we had to stop watching for some reason I can't remember.  The next day she says "Mom, we have to finish watching that episode of Pushing Daisies.  The suspense is killing me!"  "Riley, it was the health inspector.  He did it."  "No, mom.  The guy in the taffy.  I have to find out if he was pushed or if he was pulled."  Oh, but she's so punny.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and happy and safe New Years.  There's been so many good lines that I've forgotten over the last month of neglecting the blog.  That's the point of the blog, to not forget them.  But I'm sure I don't need to tell you how busy it is during the holidays, especially with all the kids out of school.  New Year's Resolution?  Keeping up with what I've set out to do here.

Mess Monsters

I have the messiest kids ever.  Seriously.  They can just look at a room and make it messy.  I had spent all day cleaning house the day before so when there were quite a few things in the living room floor, I said to all of them in general "pick up your stuff and clean up the living room."  Riley said "it is clean" and then me "No, it isn't clean."  Chloe comes up to me and gives me a big hug and says "but it could be mommy, in your iMAGinAAAAAtion." 

It's been so long!

It's been awhile since I've had time to post, I do apologize to the handful of people who like to read this thing.  Between finishing up the last semester of nursing school (sweet!) and all the things going on with the kids, there's not been a lot of extra time.  And we've had snow!  I love snow days.  But now the costumes for the elementary Christmas play are still sitting here in my living room and the play was supposed to be tomorrow!  They'll pull it off, no doubt.

Our elementary school also does a "Christmas Store."  This is where the PTO sets up a store full of items the kids can buy for $1.50, and on the last day the kids who didn't get to shop have the opportunity to select items.  I spent my tour of duty at the wrapping table.   One little boy, a 3rd grader, brings this big box of things up to the table to be wrapped.  He very enthusiastically handed me each present telling me who the present was for so it could be labeled correctly.  Some of the gifts are items like "#1 Grandpa" tire gauges or "Worlds Greatest Mom" mugs.  He handed me a present and said "This is for my grandpa."  Then picks up a bright blue hat that reads "#1 Dad" and says "and this is for, well, that should be obvious."  Too funny!

Thanksgiving Cheese

Thanksgiving is one of those times my entire family gets together.  So many people you can barely find a place to sit down.  But this year a lot of people were sick and only about half the people were there.  It just didn't feel the same.

As I was taking pictures of everyone and it was Topher's turn, I tried to get him to stand in one spot by himself long enough to get a good shot of him in his little sports coat.  But he was having none of it and screamed and ran away and fought Rob when he tried to put him back, both of us telling him we just wanted to take a picture.  He runs off through my mom's house.  About a minute later, he comes back with a little folding chair (pink, leftover from the when the girls were smaller) and sits it down where I had tried to get him to stand for the picture.  He unfolds it, sits down and gets himself settled, then gives me this amazing smile and says "Cheese!"

I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving full of family, friends, and good food.  I know what I'm thankful for this and every year and continue to feel truly blessed.

It's the little things in life...

"There's a few things I want in life mom, and this is one of them."  Riley, in the check-out line, talking about a Lindor Truffle.

How Politicians are Born

He hits me, I hit him.  It's a process. 

All kids fight, don't they?  When I was little, my sister and I fought all the time and I was constantly left out when my cousins came over because I was the youngest.  Today, our own children are much the same and they like to leave out Chloe, which we all try out best to discourage.  Don't want the poor thing to end up warped like me, now do we?

  Riley and my nephew Taylor love each other to pieces.  But they're just like any other 7 year old duo and when it comes down to who started their scuffles, it's always a matter of he said she said.  

Pictured: Riley and Taylor at their
1st grade basketball game last year.

The kids were playing outside today at my mom's when Riley came in crying, holding her stomach, showing me how red it was and saying my nephew had kicked her.  "He just attacked me!" she whined.  Knowing that wouldn't be the whole story, I didn't baby her too much.  A few minutes later, he comes in and shows me his lip, which had been bleeding.  According to him "She started it."  They were both fine at that point so no need to hash it out.  At dinner, I asked Riley "so what happened first?  You busted his lip or he kicked you in the stomach?"  Her very vague and political reply?  "I hit him, he hits me; he hits me, I hit him.  It's a process."