He's Growing Up?

When I arrived home from work the other day Husband told me that he let a neighborhood boy mow our lawn and he paid him! In my head I am thinking, "Where did my husband go?" First, he is too cheap to part with his money and secondly he loves to mow the lawn. It's his therapy like laundry is mine. But before I could say anything he told me to watch a video he took. It was of Safety Boy mowing our backyard. I couldn't believe it. He's only 5, soon to be six, and he's a small five as in he's in the 10th percentile (if he's lucky). But he mowed the whole lawn by himself and loved it. It amazed me because there are so many days that I think to myself, when is this kid going to grow up a little. Maybe I need to let go to let him grow up and give him more responsibilities. He does some chores around the house. Being a control freak that I am I'm not sure what to give up. I guess I need to think about this one and if anyone has any suggestions, I would be happy to hear them. Regardless, I was so proud of him and obviously he was very proud of himself.


Here is a picture of Safety Boy with a
friend on her tractor that was
taken last year.











Here are some other things going on in our home.

Here is angry rocker girl with her new guitar.

"No, we are not going to have a party in the potty!" Yes, I had to say these words to my darling children when I heard Safety Boy exclaim from his seat on the throne, "it's a party in here." After they evacuated the site, this is what was left.

It's A Conspiracy

I worked yesterday and Husband stayed home with the kids. He took them to his Mom's pool and they went for a walk. I think he's crazy to be doing anything physical in the heat but what do I know. The thought of sweating on a walk just grosses me out. If I am going to sweat it is going to be after a hard long hour at the gym sans kids. I digress. When I walked thru the door after a long hard day at work (not really hard but it sounds better when I say it that way), the kids started. I guess they had been a little grumpy all day but who wouldn't be in this heat. Can you tell I am not a fan of this oppressive weather, unless I am on a float in a pool with a nice cold drink in my hand of the alcoholic kind. So I come in and they start crying and yelling. Just what I want to come home to. Why didn't I work a 12 hour shift and come home right a bedtime. Anyway, Husband and I were hanging out and talking after the kids went to bed last night. His quote, "they wait to get all wound up until it's the end of the day and they know WE are exhausted." Men crack me up. It's always about them. So I looked at him with a look of confusion and replied, "Oh, you mean it's all a conspiracy?" To which he answered, "yeah." Well that clears it all up then. That goodness we have that problem solved. So what do we do now? Since it is obvious he is the expert on child development I will let him figure that one out. Until then I will just accept the fact the kids were exhausted and leave it at that.

This is what I would love to come home to. You may not be able to see them, but the kids are there too. They are playing in the water.

A Job Change

I finally switched roles, at least on a part time basis. Last week was the start of my new job at the hospital with a weeks worth of "training". I had to sit for 40 hours and listen to people and learn the computer system the hospital uses. I went from being a stay-at-home mom and part-time student to 40 hour work week woman and mom. Kuddos to all the women out there who do it all the time. I got thru it just fine because I knew it was temporary, I was extremely organized and I have an amazing husband who took the first three days off from work to be with the kids. Oh and of course my BFF Amy took the kids the other two days. Have I mentioned that she is amazing and my kids love her like a second mother. That being said I wouldn't want to do it permanently. It was lot of planning, prepping and worrying about it all working out.

I never understood all the hype about stay-at-home moms vs. working moms. Probably just the media making it up anyway. I'll be honest and just lay it on the line. I love to work outside of the home. I did it occasionally before I started this job and I enjoyed it. I think it makes me a better mom. It gives me the break I need, intellectual stimulation and adult interaction all of which does not revolve around my kids. As you can tell from my previous posts I think my kids are great and I love them so it's not that I am running from them, though there are days I wish I could. It just seems to me a good thing for them to see me work. Most women I know of that work say they think they are better mom for working for all the reasons stated above. I am glad I have the option to do it part-time since it just seems like the perfect balance for me.

Nonna

In my kids' life they have a Nonna. Just like my Nani was, the kids' Nonna is everything you could want in a grandmother. She's loud just like everyone else in my house (not that she lives with us). Although, Husband would disagree that he is loud. He refers to the kids and I as "the Louds". Okay, so I have always been a little on the boisterous side and that must be where the kids get it but being loud isn't so bad. However, if you tend to be a quiet person or one not accustomed to loud children then you would find my house a bit deafening and would quickly find the nearest escape exit. Fortunately none of our guests have done so. As a matter of fact I think we are a fun bunch. Anyways back to Nonna, because it is always about her. Like I said she is loud, fun, affectionate, compassionate and in absolute love with all of her grandchildren. Even though I have never mentioned him, I do have a brother. He is the quieter one but still fun nonetheless. Between the two of us we have procreated (separately of course!) six children and Nonna has so much love for all six of them. So I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and say THANKS. Nonna does it all and does it with tons of enthusiasm.

Here are the kiddos and Nonna having fun with Crazy Girl's new bubble wand. They had lots of fun chasing the bubbles.

We're Back

So did you miss the kids? I bet. Well, the weather was beautiful and we made the most of it. The kids had lots of fun swimming in the pool, riding bikes, playing at the playground, running around the beach and just plain hanging out. Truth be told, we couldn't keep them out of the water so there was a lot of time spent at the pool and beach.

The floaties didn't last long on Climber. They were off in less than five minutes. He just wanted to swim without them in Daddy's arms. There was plenty of SPF applied to that body. Don't you don't just love a toddler's round belly.

Climber and a friend enjoying a snack.

Crazy Girl and Daddy on the way down to the beach.

Safety Boy loving every minute of the sand and surf. Honestly he looks so old in the this picture, to me anyway. I can't believe how grown up he looks.

The Fun Just Never Ends

We are leaving for our place in Maine tonight and the time can't come soon enough. At least up there it is so small that the kids have nowhere to go but outside and there is much less to destroy. Oh and it's a lot of fun.

Color is a wonderful thing. Sure when you're talking about paint, flowers in a garden, matching clothes. You get the picture but it is not a wonderful thing when your 17 month old colors his face everyday during craft time.
A squirrel, who shall remain nameless, ate thru my wicker table on the patio just to get to the birdseed that Husband left in there. I love this set.
And finally we have a hole and torn piece of wallpaper. Safety Boy pointed this out but pleaded innocence. In his defense, "you didn't even see me Mom, so it wasn't me." I really have no idea who did it and no one is confessing, not even the 17 month old. The thing is I can't stand this wallpaper so maybe we need to use this as an excuse to replace it. What do you think, Hon? I am guessing since he'd be the one doing the work I am going to get a big NO.

Just more items to add to the list of things to do/replace. Happy home ownership!