My mama told me there would be days like these...

BLAH....

I can't believe I am saying it: but I miss when the kids were younger.

I know I have been living for these days.
My kids can all get their own seatbelts on. 2 of the 3 can read, all 3 can do their own bathroom business. Yes, I do sleep more now. (when the sleep pee er isn't in action. )

But I honestly miss the: "Mama, play trains with me?"
Today it is fighting, fighting, fighting.

I think:"geez, this unkindness is unnerving to me." Am I going to regret staying home to invest in these kids? Because they are acting just like all the others, and it isn't just today. It is like I never spend any time telling them the things of the Lord. There are words that stir up anger, selfish, selfish, and more selfishness and laziness too. Usually my daily reading in Proverbs in an encouragement to me. Lately, it has been a mirror of all the things my kids are doing to discourage me. Perhaps I am expecting a return on my investment too soon? Maybe. Today I can honestly say I am beginning to think that a paycheck might just have been a better thing.

Top it off by music lessons - nothing spells fun like an untuned instrument, horribly played. Insert Eyeroll.

I stepped in dog doo too. Because I was cleaning it up! Not the children who promised me over and over that they would care for this dog! GRRRRRRR.

Probably it has more to do with the fact that I had to throw out my skinny jeans yesterday. (I was in denial. ) Maybe it is winter? The hot water heater giving us a warning of : "Hey I am not going to help you anymore?" Or just maybe it is because I feel and look old.

Nope, pretty sure it is them.

I know we all have days like these. If you don't and I am mislead - don't tell me.
I am going to have my own temper tantrum, put myself in time out and get over it.

Call Scooby doo - we have a mystery to solve

I think it is funny how 3 boys who look alike, and come from the same parents, can be so radically different.

David is cerebral. A real thinker. A natural leader. A talker and lover of the spotlight. Not a very good independent problem solver.

Caleb is an independent problem solver to the core. Don't tell me, don't show me just go away. I'll figure it out if you stop yapping in my ear! He is happy to play alone. He is much more physical and he speaks very little. We often have to ask him to use words. He is a slob at eating! (no wonder why Maddie sits by him under the table - manna from heaven!)

Nathan is my organised son. What a great one to end on! He puts away the laundry - where it belongs. He sorts things in an orderly fashion. He knows where everything belongs. He hates when anything is wet or stained or spilled, etc.

Well here is the mystery. Nathan and I head upstairs to retrieve clothes for the day. We open the drawer of underware and socks that belong to him. Inside the drawer is a pair of underware that are sopping wet. Not just damp, oh no we are talking ringing wet. Drip drip. Oh Gross! What in the world? We are both taken by surprise by this. Upon further investigation we discover that the ENTIRE drawer is wet. No it wasn't a leaky roof. This wetness had a distinct smell of urine. Old urine.

Nathan is quick to tell me that this was not something that he did! Clearly not, yesterday he put away all the clean underware for all the kids. So it wasn't this way before bed last night?!? Hmmmmmmmm.

Now I look a little to my left and I see it. Evidence. Evidence that a middle of the night visitor came to the dresser. This visitor was the infamous sleepwalker/sleep pee er. This kind of visitor has come before. But, it has been some time since it's/his/hers last visit.

So we take the entire drawer and dump it into the wash machine. Add soap and bleach. We clean out the entire drawer itself. Then we go back to investigate the crime scene.

The dresser is pretty close to the same location as the bathroom in our house.
Just 1 floor above. So it would be safe to assume that if you were sleeping and needed to relieve yourself, that you may indeed walk to this spot. Forgetting of course that you are upstairs and not downstairs. Then take care of business and return to your comfy warm bed.

So it seems that just maybe we have a dresser sleep peeing mystery to solve. I have my suspicions. Do you?

Caleb and his amazing memory

Caleb is one of those kids who remembers things easily.
I am often surprised by his ability in this area.
I say "You remember that?" Then I think - wow, I need to be careful what I say - Very careful!
Often it is Caleb who finds the latest missing object in the house. He just remembers where he saw it last. That must be nice. It should serve him well in the future.


Capitalizing on this fact, here is a clip of Caleb reciting Psalm 23. The whole Psalm. He knows the meaning too. Ask him next time you see him, what it means.

After getting this on film it was time to get ready for bed. Caleb was brushing his teeth and says: "Mom, look my cup overflows" It was so funny.

Hooked on phonics take 3

Here is Nathan reading his first Hooked on Phonics story.
He is 4 years and 1 month - smart as a whip. (not that I'm partial)


He really just wants to be included in the big boy club. He notices that he is the only kid who can't read in this house and he is very determined to remedy that as soon as possible.

Dad shares his new toy

John bought a Honda scooter. Nathan is hooked on the rides. He and John are having some special times together on this new toy.