Common Mom

It’s spring, which means another fox family has claimed the den under our neighbor’s driveway. These little guys are the reason I still feel the need to wash my hands every five minutes! Mama brings back squirrels while the babies keep the rodents in check. It’s not easy for these little guys to stay alive when there are mountain lions running around!

 

Today I get to chaperone Dude’s class field trip. We’re going to the money museum “and we get a real piece of old money when we leave!!!” It’s just too exciting for words, really.

What I’m happy about is that when I told him last week that I was going to chaperone, he hugged me and said “Oh yay! I’m so glad you get to come with! I like having you go on the field trips with us!”

Then we stopped at the bus stop to drop him off at the bus. When I went for a hug and a kiss, just like every other day, he rolled his eyes at me and half-heartedly gave me a hug. I can only assume it’s because Cameron, the pretty little blonde from his class, was already at the bus stop.

At least he still wants me around some of the time! I’ll take what I can get while I can still get it

Finally - summer weather. After snow a couple days last week, in typical front range fashion we’ve rebounded with 80 degree temps the past couple days. Looking forward to a couple more 80 degree days - woo hoo!

We actually got to wear shorts for the last soccer game - what a concept!

 

And we found the PERFECT spot for lunch on our hike in the canyon.

We are SOOOO looking forward to summer fun outside! Look out summer - here we come!

FINALLY! Whew . . . I can’t believe I made it . . .

Last Saturday was another “beautiful” day for spring soccer in the Rockies. Dude is wearing a rain jacket under his jersey; however, it could have been a t-shirt or parka at any time . . . we had snow, rain, sunshine so warm that everyone took off their jackets, and then hail, all in the course of a one-hour game. Here’s dude playing in the hail

After the soccer game, the kids and I cruised to a birthday party with Queen Taunya. Then we headed back home to set up for Hubby’s birthday party - about 20 people came over to grill out and celebrate with us. A good time was had by all!

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Mother’s Day was great! Jason just couldn’t wait for me to wake up. The minute my eyes opened, he ran out to the living room and came back with a handwritten menu from his restaurant - Chef’s Choice. I’ve eaten there before - it’s very good! All kinds of good things were on his menu - eggs, waffuls, blueberry muffens, pancaks, milk, oringe juce, white grap juce, sasage, bakun - and of course all of it was free for Mother’s Day He even brought in a little ordering pad on a tray so he could take my order in bed. Here he is making my muffins:

Keira came to help out later. She was still sleeping after a late night partying at Dad’s party - and you do NOT want to wake that sleeping giant! Anyway - I love that he’s wearing his apron, and you can see his ordering tray right in front there - yes, he’s conveniently covered up the princess on it

We had a great breakfast! Hubby had to go to work (boo hoo), so the kids played outside all day while I tried to get some work done. Jason informed me that he and Keira were taking me out to dinner, so we cleaned up a bit and headed to BW3 . . . one of my favorite places, and surprisingly (um, not!) not full of Mothers on Mother’s Day We had a wonderful meal and Jason and Keira even paid with the money Hubby had slipped them. Jason realized we had enough left over for ice cream, so off to Maggie Moo’s we went - yummy! A great Mother’s Day!

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Then Monday came - and back to work. The sleeping giant was N-A-S-T-Y! But we got out the door. Right after school we took Duma on a quick walk, packed some lunches for dinner, and headed off to my volleyball match. It was the last match of the season - we won!!! Yeah!!! But, alas, volleyball is over until next fall.

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Tuesday came and was another wonderful day getting Princess out the door. I have no idea what her problem is this week, but if she doesn’t fix it, she’s gonna be grounded for the rest of summer - sheesh! Miserable to live with that one is right now! I had a haircut after work, so again, rushed home, grabbed the kids, and ran to the haircut. Dinner, playing with dog, and rushing to bed ensued.

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Wednesday rolled around a bit too early as always. Dude missed the bus - partly because he was messing around and partly because Princess was being a nightmare and wouldn’t let him brush his teeth. So we take Dude to school, drop Duma off at doggy daycare, and take Keira to school. At approximately 12:00 noon, a sigh of relief was heard from my cube - the house cleaners had arrived at my house and I could feel it from 15 miles away! My wonderful MIL has gotten me a house cleaner once a month for the rest of the year - am I the luckiest person or what?! That’s why I took Duma to doggy daycare - so the ladies could have their way with my house. Soooo nice to come home to a clean house! At lunch I ran to the grocery store and got ingredients to make 8 chicken pot pies with. Dine in Divas is this weekend and Wednesday was my only “free” night to make them. So I stuffed the groceries in the fridge at work (sorry everyone!). Picked up Princess, went home and started making chicken pot pies, picked up Duma, ran through McD’s for dinner, and finished making pot pies around 8:30 p.m. Whew!

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Thursday finally rolled around and it was back to work! Nothing new there - lunch with some ex coworkers was a lot of fun! Pick up Princess, head home, kids head out to play while I box up books and posters to ship for Hubby. The kids thought it would be fun to make a water park in our back yard - a waterpark for lego men that is. We have no grass. So water and our yard makes - mud - and lots of it. Duma, who had just had a bath at doggy daycare Wednesday and was squeaky clean, decided to play with them. The result?

Um ya - you can tell how deep the mud was by the line on her nose If she didn’t look so friggin’ funny I woulda been mad! She was hilarious - it’s like she’s never seen mud before, and actually - maybe she hasn’t! She would dig in the puddle and dig and dig and dig - then she’d stick her nose in it - then she’d stand there and stare with her head cocked to the side, wondering why she couldn’t dig a hole like in other places of the yard - this hole kept mysteriously filling up with water! Thankfully, she’s a lab and water-resistent - so I made her stay out there to dry off so the dirt would just flake off of her fur.

Off to soccer practice after dinner and back home by 7:30 p.m. for jammies, homework, an bed.

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Friday is finally upon us . . . work, soccer practice, and RELAXING after that. Our last week of soccer is tomorrow - kind of a bummer - we’re having so much fun with it this season! But, after that do you know what we have going? N-O-T-H-I-N-G! Really, volleyball and soccer are over, we’re taking a break from gymnastics, and baseball doesn’t start until June 11. So until June 11th, we have not one single solitary weekly commitment on our calendar - a first in, well, ever - I’ve always played volleyball or softball and the kids have had gymnastics and stuff. But nothing until June 11th. We are all SO excited.

So - the week in a nutshell. Next week I get to chaperone Dude’s field trip and pack for our trip to The Black Hills over Memorial Day Weekend. Fun times ahead!!!

Happy weekend to everyone!

Seriously. WTH?

On Wednesday morning at 7:45 a.m. when the kids and I left the house, there were NO shoes on this rug. None. Nada. Zilch. Goose Egg.

Now, on Thursday night at 10:21 p.m., there are, count them, ELEVEN pair of shoes on this rug! What POSSIBLY could the 3 of us have done in the past 39 hours to require the use of ELEVEN pair of shoes? And flip flops - there has been snow on the ground the past two mornings people!

Ho Hum. After a freakishly busy day yesterday, I woke up this morning, very excited to make a yummy smoothie, using the best kitchen gadget ever invented . . . my beloved Magic Bullet.

 

Do you have one of these? If you don’t, you should get one. I’m totally serious! It’s the best kitchen gadget EVER! I can make a smoothie in about 2 minutes from start to cleanup . . . and I can make everyone in the house their very own flavor of malt, in about 5 minutes flat . . . and I can chop things . . . it slices, it dices, it juliennes! Oh wait - that’s a different kitchen gadget. But still, the Magic Bullet ROCKS!

Anyhoo, I get out the ingredients to make me and Princess each a smoothie, of our very own flavor of course. I put in her ingredients, and blend her up a beautiful strawberry smoothie in 30 seconds flat. She’s happily sipping away on her smoothie when half way through blending my smoothie, I hear a “crackle.” Then another crackle. So I stop blending. I pet the Magic Bullet, I carress it and comb its hair - it just HAS to be all right! Come on - you can pull through! I press down on the cup one more time to make it blend and - NOTHING. Nothing happens. Silence.

I’d like to say that I took the death of my Magic Bullet gracefully, but alas, I cannot lie. Much swearing and complaining ensued. I mean, I want my smoothie! I NEED my smoothie!

RIP Magic Bullet.

I’ll be purchasing a replacement as soon as I get a 20% off coupon to Bed Bath and Beyond in the mail

As Princess and I pull into the driveway yesterday, Dude is out front with Duma on the leash, just like every other day. I get out of the Jeep and he says “Hi Mom! Duma has a bone in her mouth and it has meat on it and I can’t get it out of her mouth.”

So I get out of the Jeep and command Duma to drop it . . . blank stare . . . whatever it is that she has must be good, because 99% of the time she listens to me. So I reach into her mouth to get it out - I grab a hold and almost have it out, but she gets it away from me. Usually she’ll just let it go, but not this time, she kept trying to keep it in her mouth. So I went in the house to put down my stuff so I could grab her mouth with both hands . . . and when I came out I saw “it” hanging half way out of her mouth. What did I see?

Whiskers, two tiny buck teeth, one teeny tiny black nose, and two beedy black eyes!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH ICK YUCK EWWWWW ACK GROOSSSSSSS OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!

So I go in the house and get an old towel that I obviously have no plans of ever using again and reach into her mouth with it to pull out “the head” - and attached to the head was about half the body bone . . . the rest, gone. One can only assume momma fox was out hunting for the babies that live under the neighbor’s driveway and decided that decapitating this wonderful little rodent was a good idea.

Dude and I washed our hands a gazillion times with hot boiling water, soap, and a scrub brush. And now, I think I need to go wash my hands again . . . YUCK!

A while back, I wrote this post about modest prom.

Today, I received this comment on that post . . .

“As a parent of an 11 yr. old boy not from this country, I would say you need to see clothing from different perspectives. In many countries/societies, the body is not seen sexually as we see it in America. Yes, it is not right for a child to dress provocatively. However, if we continue to teach our children ‘body shame’ instead of ‘body confidence’, how can we ever hope (as a society) to move beyond body image disturbance and shame-based behaviors. Naturist families have it right: look beyond the surface at the beauty lying within.”

I agree with the comment . The “problem”, however, is that we DO live in America. The body IS seen sexually. Children DO dress provacatively, and it’s not because they are confident with their bodies. It’s because the clothes are out there available for sale. Most of the kids I see dressed inappropriately have no concept of body type. They’re wearing the clothes because their friends are wearing them.

There are clothes out there for everyone, and not everyone should wear all the clothes. Just because they make something in your size does not mean you should wear it.

I don’t believe I’m teaching my daughter shame-based behavior just because I want her to dress appropriately. I believe I’m teaching her about her body . . . how to take care of it . . . how to be proud of it . . . how to not feel like she HAS to flaunt it to get attention . . . how to dress tastefully.

She can wear shorts, dresses, tank tops, whatever . . . but she also can do it tastefully. She doesn’t need the word “PINK” or any word for that matter, scrawled across the butt of her pants. She doesn’t need to wear halter tops that show off her stomach at school. She does not need to wear shirts that show her bra . . . bras are not accessories, they are undergarments. When they are worn as accessories, I believe the wrong message is sent. She doesn’t need to wear pants that show off her panties.

The list goes on and on. As a society, and especially as parents, it’s our responsibility to teach our children about modesty, to respect their bodies, and to think about the message they are sending just by their clothing choices. Modesty does not mean wearing turtleneck sweaters and jeans year round. It means wearing clothes that fit properly and wearing them for the right reasons at the appropriate time. There are tons of kids out there who look wonderful and are happy and are not dressed in skimpy and provocative clothing. It can be done, and it should be done.

Well, not ALL about me because really, where’s the mystery in that? Here it is for post #325 . . .

Did you always want only 2 children - Originally, I wanted 3. I don’t know why, but I always thought I wanted 3, and Hubby was on board with that as well. I also wanted to be finished having babies by the time I was 30. We had some trouble getting Dude, but after a couple years he joined our family. I was SOOO glad to have a boy first. I’m so NOT  a girly girl and I knew that if I had a girl she would be a Princess, and I thought having 3 princesses would be the death of me We wanted our kids about 2 years apart, and with the trouble we had getting Dude to join the family, we decided to get a move on. BAM! Pregnant . . . due in December, 3 days shy of another famous birthday. Princess joined our family 3 months and 1 day after my 30th birthday. We weren’t sure we were finished yet . . . so I didn’t get anything “taken care of” during my c-section. Eventually, about 2 years later, neither one of us had made the move to suggest child #3. We kind of realized that we were content with our 2 1/2 kids. We were out of diapers, out of sippy cups, out of strollers . . . we were happy. So, we decided not to have #3. Princess, however, would love nothing more than to have a new baby in the house (not happening!).

What is the one thing that Hubby does that drives you CRAZY? - Just one, huh? Hmmmm . . . it’ll take some time to narrow it down. Just kidding Honey! I must admit that Hubby is wonderful and we’ve taken measures to ensure the “crazy” things are in check. We don’t share a bathroom, so he can “not” screw the cap on the toothpaste if he doesn’t want to. He can leave the seat up if he wants (but he doesn’t). We clean our own bathrooms, so the men of the house can aim and miss as much as they want. He’s great at laundry, even pretty good at the folding part. He’s wonderful with our kids. He scrubs the kitchen floor while I’m at work. So what does he do that drives me crazy? He walks REALLY loudly up the steps, late, when we’re all TRYING to sleep. He’s the loudest walker ever . . . walks on his heels, and “hops” up and down steps. When I get up early to go to work when he’s home, I walk softly and avoid any squeaks and creaks that exist. I close doors quietly so as to not wake the sleeping beasts. When Hubby comes home late from work, he jumps up the steps on his heels, knocking pictures of the walls and making all the dogs in the neighborhood bark. When he leaves early for work, it’s even worse. There is much pounding and hammering on the steps as he leaves. So there . . . that’s the one stupid thing that he does that drives me crazy

Give me the talk that you are going to give the first boy that shows up on your doorstep to pick up your daughter. - “Hi “guy”. I assume you know my daughter, but just in case you don’t . . . Do NOT give her whatever she wants just because she blinks those huge blue eyes at you. She’s strong-willed and independent - do NOT let her walk all over you.” Oh, not what you had in mind? I remember my mom saying that to Hubby . . . “You stand up for yourself and don’t let her walk all over you!” Um, thanks Mom For real, Princess is not the one I’m worried about. She so independent and can take care of herself. She already knows our expectations. I hope that we will have raised her right so she can make the best decisions for herself. The talk will be simple and with both of them. “Be careful. Have fun. Don’t get into trouble. Call if you need anything. Be home by 10:00. I love you.”

What was your worst and best post about? - Hmmmm, worst and best. I don’t know if I can pick a worst. I mean, would you post something if you thought it was “worst”? So I’m going with worst for me as far as feelings. It has to be this one. This was such a sad day for us. I still cry when I think about her (like right now I’m tearing up) - ya, that’s sad, she’s a dog. But she was part of our family, and we all loved her dearly. For best I’m going with “funniest” - cuz I still shake my head every time I think of this day and have even come to a point where I can laugh about how ridiculous it was - 3 years later

What would your kids’ names have been if they were born the opposite sex? - This one’s pretty easy since we only had one boy and one girl name picked out - Jason and Keira. I guess we’re lucky we had one of each However, had we ended up with two of the same sex, the boys would have been Jason and Ayden, and the girls probably would have been Keira and Rebekka (Bekka).

What do you love most about Hubby and the kids? - Hubby, it’s so tough to pick what I love MOST about him - there are so many things I love about him. I have to say that I love that he puts up with me. I’m independent, I share my feelings (good and bad), and can be moody. He takes it all in stride and balances me out. He makes me feel special every single day. He’s my best friend - we have so much in common. He is a wonderful father - I have yet to see another father out there who is so involved and in tune with his kids, what they want, what they like, and what they need. Kids - I love my  kids dearly for so many reasons! Dude - he’s sensitive like his father. He’s happy. He’s funny. He’s smart. He’s outgoing. He’s a wonderful brother to his little sister. He’s a great friend. He’s helpful around the house. He’s got the best giggle you’ve ever heard - I’ll tickle him just to hear his wonderful giggle! He loves outside as much as I do. He loves sports. Princess - she’s strong-willed and independent like her mother. She challenges me every day, and I love her for it. She’s sensitive - she cried for hours for Queen Taunya the other night when QT called to tell us she had to put her dog down. She’s an athlete. She’s a girly girl, but not a “pink” girl. She’ll wear that princess dress, but she’ll kick your ass while wearing it if necessary. She’s got a great sense of humor. She teases her big brother. She is wonderful to her “babies.” She is loyal to her friends. She’s got the most infectious laugh you’ve ever heard. You can’t help but smile when you hear it. There are so many things about all 3 of them . . . I could go on and on and on.

Where is your dream vacation? - Camping in the mountains. I LOVE camping. I grew up camping at the lake. Every summer my family moved out of our house into our little camper that we parked at a lake. Every summer the same other families camped there, in the same spots. We got to know them well and were great friends. The weird thing? There were 4 families of Millers that met there! And even weirder? Two of the families had kids with the same names . . . Tammy/Tami, Tracy/Traci, Terry/Teri, Todd/Todd. The one family also had a Tom and a Tim. But WEIRD man! We would get up at 5:00 a.m. when my cousin came to get us in the pickup. We’d pile in the back, ride to the field, and walk beans until noon. Then we’d head back to the campground and play all day - skiing, swimming, cruising around in the boats, playing volleyball, playing softball - all without a parent in sight (they were working) and all without a cell phone. Every  night we had a bonfire, roasted hot dogs and hamburgers, ate s’mores, and talked and laughed until after midnight. We’re all alive, we got tons of exercise, and we had so much fun. I think that’s why I love camping. It’s one of my fondest childhood memories. I love being outside and in nature . . . my kids love it as well. Hubby likes it, and probably does it more because I like it than anything. I love the campfires, the s’mores, the quiet family time, the family hikes, the adventures, the fishing, the swimming, the lack of TV, the lack of phones, the lack of computers. I love all of it. A week camping with my family and going with the flow is my dream vacation

If you could have a super power, what would it be? - Patience. That would be my super power. I have NONE. I admire anyone with patience, especially parents. It’s so difficult for me and is DEFINITELY a super power I’d like to possess. I think I’m a wonderful mommy, but every day I regret something I said to my children because of my lack of patience. It’s not patience as far as waiting for them to do stuff, but patience in not flying off the handle for the little things. Most days, they probably don’t even care, but I have a guilty conscience (which I hope to pass on to them - a little guilt is a good thing!) and will think about something I said or did for days - all because I didn’t have patience and think before I said or did something. I REALLY want patience.

What’s on your iPod? - A little bit of a lot of stuff I listen to pretty much everything, except rap and really hard stuff. A sampling of artists in my top rated . . . Alabama, Barenaked Ladies, Billy Joel, Blue October, Collective Soul, Daughtry, Crash Test Dummies, Dixie Chicks, The Eagles, Elvis, Fastball, Finger Eleven, Five Times August, Gear Daddies, Goo Goo Dolls, Garth Brooks, Grateful Dead, Green Day, Jack Johnson, Jim Brickman, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, Natasha Bedingfield, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Norah Jones, Paul Simon, Plain White T’s, Santana, Sister Hazel, Steve Miller Band, Super Tramp, Third Eye Blind, Train, The Verve, The Wallflowers, .38 Special . . . to name a few Lots of pictures of my kids and hubby, and a couple movies that the kids watched on the plane last weekend.

What’s your favorite food? - Favorite food . . . depends on my mood and what “day” it is Lately I’m really in to fish. I’ve always loved fish, but lately that’s what I’m craving. If I had to pick an all-time favorite that I could eat every day, it would be Hubby’s guacamole. I don’t like guacamole . . . except his . . . it’s AWESOME!

How did you and Hubby meet? - It’s so very romantic - we met at the Holiday Inn in college. Oh clear your dirty mind! Not like that! He worked at the front desk and I was a waitress in the dining room My aunt was the food and beverage manager and introduced us. Hubby’s roommate was a waiter - I didn’t know they were roommates - so I was babbling on how cute I thought Hubby was. So Hubby called to ask me out - thing is, I was still dating someone else. So I turned him down. BUT, I was actually on the phone breaking up with the other dude when Hubby called. So I called him back later and the rest is history

How many siblings do you have? - 5. 1 biological brother and 4 step-sisters - 2 each from my Mom and Dad’s current marriages.