Moving on from pumpkin cookies...

The pumpkin cookies were a success!  They turned out really well and tasted even better.  Mayhem loved them and will shovel them in with both hands.  However, Mischief refuses to try them.  It may have something to do with her tasting the spoon with the pumpkin puree.  She hated the puree and rejected our cookies.

So, we are moving on from pumpkin cookies and on to eclairs.  This week is "E" week for school, and it is Mischief's snack week.  So, we are making snacks that start with the letter "E."  Today, we had English muffins with strawberry preserves.  For tomorrow, I made eclairs.  I am struggling coming up with snacks that start with the letter "E."  She had better like the eclairs.

What I don't do for my kids...

Things I Say to my Children, cont...

Only in my house, would a mother have to say to her children, "Stop hatching your brother!"

In response to this comment, I hear, "No, it's not going to hatch.  It's rotten."

Before the shell is complete

Sitting on her egg

He and his kangaroo have now hatched!

Pumpkin cookies

Today, we made our first round of pumpkin deserts.  The first pumpkin that met its death was used for pumpkin cookies.  Mischief assured me that she would let me make something out of her pumpkins that she got, and she chose the cookies.  I have never made anything from real pumpkins before, so this was a first for me.  The extra two sets of hands really helped me out!

To start with, we had to butcher the pumpkin.  Mischief picked the pumpkin to be used for the cookies, and said, "Here you go.  Use this one, but be really gentle because I'm gonna miss him."  Then, she turned to her pumpkin and said, "I'm sorry, but you're gonna taste really good in those cookies!  But, boy am I gonna miss you!"  And, she gave it a little pat as she was handing it over.  So, I cut the pumpkin and had a lot of help cleaning it out.

He really just wanted to play in the goop.

 

 

 Then, we put the pumpkin on the cookie sheet to bake.

After the pumpkin was baked, I peeled the skin off and put it in the blender.  When the blender makes noise, the kids go running and screaming into the other room to be goofy about the noise.  Then, I asked the kids if they wanted to push the button on the blender, and that only brought a few tears when they got scared!

yummy pureed pumpkin goo

Then we made counting lessons out of adding all the ingredients together.  When we finally got everything blended, the kids got to mix it all together.

And they only made a slight mess of stuff flying out of the bowl!

 At last, we got all of the stuff mixed together, and it was time to make the cookies.  When the cookies came out of the oven, I heard, "oh pumpkin!  How I missed you!  But you sure are tasty!"  I believe she has a weird way of mourning...

yum yum

I think we should call it a success!  They sure are tasty!

Things I Say to my Children

Today added a few phrases to my new book:

"Stop licking the bark of the tree!  You are not a brontosaurus!"

When Mayhem did not want to lay down for bed, my response was, "Down, Doggy, down."  When he popped up, "Stay!"  So he laid down and stayed down, after he barked at me.

All in a day's work...

Sealed with a Kiss

And so it begins...

Mischief has been having issues with a friend in her class who is not always nice to her.  Well, on the other hand, she tells me she has these other little boys who follow her around helping her when her other friend is not nice.  There is one little boy who told his mother and grandmother he always tries to sit next to Mischief, and is unhappy because all the other little boys sit next to her.  He also told them that he likes to make sure Mischief is, "ok."

He must really think that Mischief is something special, because, today, when her friend stepped on her lady bugs and smashed them, this little boy gave her a kiss so she would not be sad about her lady bugs.

He was bragging about it when they left school today, but Mischief will not say anything about it.

I guess she is not one to kiss and tell.

Godzilla

Considering that my children are four and two years old, I should not have to explain and listen to stories about Godzilla.  But, alas, I do.  Mischief was allowed to watch a two minute youtube video about Godzilla after she found her father's Godzilla doll when we were cleaning out the garage.  She has decided that Godzilla is a nice monster who likes to stomp on mean monsters.

Hm... Some of her Godzilla stories are a bit skewed, like Godzilla fighting with the good soldiers to knock down the America flag.  But, none the less, we have daily Godzilla shows put on for us!  And all of this started because of Daddy and his toy.

Steam Vac

I am becoming obsessed with keeping my carpets clean.  I have too many pets and kids (and the husband) that get the carpet dirty.  I have been using a Bissell steam cleaner that is not actually a steam cleaner, but uses hot tap water and a lot of chemicals.  I am having issues with the chemicals, so I am looking for a real steam cleaner.  Please, suggest away and help me out!

New Teacher

Mischief has a new teacher this year for preschool, and this is a big deal to her because she had the same teacher for the last two years.  We have been gearing her up all summer for her new teacher, and she seemed excited.  She seemed excited when she got to go to school on "Meet the Teacher" day.  She seemed thrilled to be a "Fantastic Fish," as this is the name of her new class this year.  She was also very excited to have some of the same classmates this year that she had last year.  Even the first two days of school this week, she was inquisitive and somewhat excited about her new teacher and new class, until the last day of the week...

Mischief asked me to put her hair in a ponytail to go to school, and she quickly changed her mind, sobbing that she did not want her new teacher to see it!  I have no idea what the problem was, but all she could say was that she wanted to go to her old teacher's class and show her the ponytail.  And, while she was there, she would just stay there for the day!  Finally, I gave in and took the ponytail out, and everything was fine...

This is gearing up to be an interesting year!

Baby Elephant

Today we had a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Through connections at work, Aunt Laura had the chance to take her family to the Indianapolis Children's Zoo for a chance to pet the new baby elephant, named Kenali, who was born in July and is seven weeks old.  Aunt Laura asked if I would bring the kids to her so she could share this unique opportunity with them.  Of course, the kids are always to see Aunt Laura every time they can - even though Mayhem now calls her "Bug Laura."

When we went to the elephant building, we were shown a mold of the elephant's molar and a real tusk off one of their elephants.  We were also shown a hair off the tail of the elephant that I would have believed if they had told me was a piece of wire.  After a little bit of an informative session, we got taken straight into the elephant barn where the baby is very, very playful and quite the joy to watch.  Mischief was in awe and kept petting her.  Mayhem, however, had to be held and kept pointing to the mother saying, "Big Elephant!"

All in all, it was an awesome and unique opportunity they will never have again, so we thank Aunt Laura for this chance.

Kenali liked Mischief, too!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday, Daddy celebrated his 30th birthday, even though he does not want to admit it.  The kids are always excited about birthdays because they get to make and eat cake.  They also love giving presents, which is good because they do not get mad when other people get presents.  They do, however, have to help people open the presents they have given them.

When Mischief and Mayhem gave Daddy their gifts, they each carried a gift bag out into the kitchen and said, "Happy Birthday, Daddy."  Although, Mayhem pretty well summed it up when his phrasing and pronunciation comes out, "Happy Poopy, Daddy!"

Hard at Work

When the kids are let loose outside, it is amazing to see what can happen and how deaf they go.  Obviously, they must be deaf, since they neither one listen to a word I am saying, since they run as fast as they can, squealing, and completely ignore me!

A couple of days ago, we went to Jackson's house and they played outside and went nuts!  Since Jackson lives in the country, they did not have to be told to stay out of the street, etc.  All of the annoying 'city' rules are out the window, and they can just run.  I believe we need to move to the country...

Tackle Dummy

Have you ever played with a tackle dummy before?  I have not, but my kids certainly do!  Mischief and Mayhem have a current favorite past time of tackling each other.  That is it, just tackling and laying on top of each other.  They take turns and seem to love it!  Oh dear, I hope this is just a phase...

Late Spring Cleaning

I decided, today, that it was necessary to clean the garage out, so I can park my car in there this fall.  I am rather tired of hickory nuts denting my car every autumn, so it is time to park it in the garage!  However, on this expansive project, I had two little helpers!  Of course, you cannot breathe without help from the kids!

Let me just say that after several hours of the kids finding toys (or bicycle pumps they think are toys), me breaking up fights over said toys, and Mayhem lining up a case of water bottles individually to make a barrier from me getting out of the garage, our day ended with Mischief saying, "it's ok if I get dirty and touch dirty stuff!  Touch, touch, touch, touch, oh, look at me, I'm GETTIN' dirty!"

It has been a long (yet productive) day...

Pokes

Today was vaccination day!  Oh, what a joyous day in my house!  I had not mentioned anything to Mischief about her shots, and she was talking about the ones she got last fall last night!  So, this morning, when I asked her if she would go along to get Mayhem's shots and keep him brave, she started crying!

So, when the time came, she was not happy at all!  Mayhem never flinched, and I gave him a sucker so he would sit through her shots.  He never fussed at all!  Mischief, on the other hand, cried before, during, and after her "pokes."  She calls them pokes, and has talked non-stop about them today. 


Mainly, nurse Mommy was not supposed to let her get pokes, and now she needs a better nurse to take care of her pokes!  I feel appreciated...

The Land Before Time

It was a dark time, in the land before time.  With plant eaters and sharp tooth dinosaurs.  Or really, just two little kids running around roaring and growling at each other because somebody had the brilliant idea to let them watch the entire series of Land Before Time movies. 

For several days now, Mayhem chases Mischief with his mouth wide open (in his most menacing sharp tooth face), roars, and yells, "Bite!"  Of course, this is loads of fun, because Mischief runs screaming, "Would somebody out there please save me?  He's going to bite me!"

This is what my neighbors hear as they pass my house...

My New Book

I have decided to start a memoirs type book project entitled, "Things I never thought I would have to say to my children."  I will start a list on here via posts, so stay tuned for all the good stuff!

Example number one:

"Stop licking the television!"

Good Nurse

Mischief woke me up at 4:30 this morning asking me to bring her paper towels because she had made a mess like the cats do.  Now, in my hazy eyes, I was not sure what this meant, until I got into her room.... She had gotten sick to her stomach and made a mess, so she was asking for paper towels to clean it up.  She was comparing herself to the cats that throw up on the floor!

On our way to the couch that I covered with towels to finish the rest of the night in the living room (because I was bleaching her sheets), she asks me, "Mommy, I'm really sick, so I cannot be my own nurse.  I need a good nurse to take care of me.  Who in the world is going to take care of me?"

I responded, "I will sweetie.  I'll take care of you and be your nurse."  Mischief questions,"well, I was a good nurse for Daddy, so I need a good nurse.  Are you really a good nurse, Mommy, or do I need to find a good one?"

Really?  I think my nursing degree from a prestigious school qualifies me as a good nurse with a kid who has the flu....  But only if she deems me a good nurse!

P90X Update

As an update to my weight loss adventures, it is going slowly.  Very... slowly...  The kids enjoy helping me do my exercise, as well as wearing me out so I have no energy to do my workout every night.  I have just started week eight of my 13 weeks of P90X, so bring it on! 


So, next stop is my eating habits.  I refuse to diet because I enjoy food, and I enjoy eating.  Therefore, I am going to change my habits and my lifestyle.  However, the things I eat still have to taste good and be satisfying.  Please offer suggestions on lifestyle changes that have worked for you!  I need all the advice I can get!

Buggy Bite

This is a very busy time of year for me, so Daddy has been trying to keep the kids occupied for me.  A couple of days ago, he took Mischief and Mayhem on a walk in a woodsy area near us.  However, he forgot the mosquito repellent, and Mayhem pretty much got eaten alive. 

Mischief refers to any group of trees as "The Forest of Darkness," as she learned that term on a PBS show she likes to watch.  Therefore, "Daddy made me go into the Forest of Darkness, where I didn't want to go."

Back to poor Mayhem, he got eight mosquito bites, which have all swollen.  One of these is on his throat, right at his adam's apple.  Unfortunately, he reacts very badly to mosquito bites, and they are very swollen, red, and itchy for him.  He points to his bites, and says, "Buggy bite, ow," as he asks for creme.

This brings Mischief's story to, "Daddy made us go into the Forest of Darkness, where I didn't want to go, and he fed us to the mosquitoes."

First Zoo Day of the Season

I braved the day, and I took Mischief and Mayhem to the zoo today - by myself.  This is the first day we have gone this season because I have not been looking forward to taking on that task by myself.  However, the kids both behaved really well and had a lot of fun.

However, when we got home, Daddy asked how her trip to the zoo went, and Mischief said, "I don't want to tell you about it."  Still, several hours later, Mischief will not talk to her father about her day at the zoo.  Mischief talked to Grandpa tonight, and he asked her about her day at the zoo, and her response was, "I don't want to talk to you about it.  Goodbye."

Enough said...

Practice Egg

Mischief and I went to the farm today for a visit.  As we are walking around the farm, we see all sorts of animals, like horses, llamas, steers, peacocks, sheep, and many other birds.  The lady who owns the farm went into the aviary to collect eggs, and brought out an egg she has been getting that is very little and filled with only egg whites.

She gave this egg to Mischief and told her she could take it home.  Of course, Mischief is extremely excited to sit on her egg and hatch it.  So, I explained to her that this egg is one that hens lay to practice for when they lay real eggs.

We had to call Grandma on the way home to tell her about our practice egg, and Mischief held it for a long time.  When we got home, she had to surprise Daddy with her practice egg, that her brother immediately grabbed.

Pool Party

Mischief and Mayhem enjoy playing in their wading pool in the front yard.  It is a good bribe for hurrying through lunch - they are allowed to go outside and play in the pool.  I have decided that we need a bigger pool, as they can sit side by side, and that is all the movement they can do while both in the pool.  Mayhem is a large fan of holding the hose, while he fills the water.  He is also a huge fan of spraying his sister with the hose, because she runs away screaming that she does not like that.  He laughs maniacally. 

Today, Daddy came outside to take over at the pool because I had to leave, and Mischief says, "Well, hello, Daddy.  What brings you to the pool this fine day?"

Really?  Who taught the four year old to talk like a fifty year old?

Visit from Grandparents

Mischief and Mayhem had a fun visit with their grandparents on Sunday for Father's Day.  Mischief was very excited that her grandmother and father were coming, so she had been yelling at Sunday to hurry up and get here for four or five days.  When Sunday finally arrived, and her grandparents walked in the door, Mischief announces that her grandmother had rough skin.  She explained to her that Mischief had soft and smooth skin, and her grandmother had old, bumpy, wrinkly skin.

Leave it to a kid to point out the obvious!

Cat Scratch Fever!!!!!!!!

Yes, cat scratch fever is, in fact, a real disease.  Who knew?  We found out that cat scratch disease is not only a real disease, but is quite easy for young children to get when they do not know how to get out of the way of cats!

Poor Mayhem, at least he is not currently infected anymore!

Peer Pressure

I have been trying to talk Mayhem into doing stuff on his own, rather than going and picking him up to make him do something.  For example, I am trying to tell him to come here and lay down for a diaper change, rather than going, getting him, laying him down, and forcing him to lay still for a couple minutes.  This is not going well.  Today, my theory is to have Mischief go get him, ask him to hold hands, and she tells him to lay down.  Then, she puts her hands on his shoulders, gently lays him on the ground, and tells him to "Down, Stay."  He does everything she tells him to do!

Things are always easier for me when peer pressure is involved.

Mischief's New Best Friend

We had an open livestock show this weekend, and I had a gal come to watch Mischief and keep her occupied at the show.  I have officially been replaced.  When I told Mischief her plans for tomorrow, she says, "ok, if Konny can come!"  Then she informed me that I could leave her new home - the motor home in which she was sitting in. 

Who needs Mommy these days when they have Konny?

E Collar

Our family dog had surgery today on a tumor he has had for a month or so.  Needless to say, the dog is not very happy about being drugged, having surgery, and being wobbly.  Not to mention, he HATES his E Collar.  For obvious reasons, he has to wear his new head gear, as he is not allowed to bite or lick his incision.

The kids are quite curious as to why he has his ecollar on his neck.  Mischief keeps asking about it and announcing he is still wearing it.  Mayhem, however, is extremely curious, and keeps trying to get inside it with the dog!  The poor dog is so confused as to why anybody would want to get inside this thing with him.  Rather, he is trying to figure out how to make the two year old wear it and not him!

Jumping Jacks

We all know we need to get into better shape.  I have started out on my endeavor to reinvent myself.  Part of the new, healthier me is my exercise routine.  Mischief has taken up doing some of my exercising with me.  In particular, she loves jumping jacks.  Also, I love watching her do them!

Have you ever seen an uncoordinated four year old try to do jumping jacks?

Nurse Mayhem?

Nurse Mayhem?  Yes, Nurse Mayhem.  The very helpful two year old likes to call himself a nurse, as he is tickling Daddy's sore knee.  For those of you who do not know, Daddy fell a week ago and broke his knee cap.  Daddy's version is, he was in a fight with mobsters, who broke his knee cap.

The kids have been taking care of Daddy, but now, Mayhem has decided he needs to help.  He yells, "nurse," sneaks up, and tickles Daddy's leg.  Ever so helpful.

A Spoon Full of Sugar

Mayhem has been on antibiotics for an ear infection and is, actually, quite good at taking his  medicine - if he deems is necessary.  

The past couple of days, when you say the word medicine, he gets a giant grin on his face, yells, "Hide!" and runs to the couch and buries himself in pillows.  When I catch him, he laughs maniacally and begins rapidly shaking his head back and forth.  He loves this game!  However, I do not find this game amusing.  His sister thinks Mayhem is the funniest thing in the world.  This is not really helpful, as it eggs him on.

Maybe I should try a spoonful of sugar.  That will certainly help calm him down! 

Shopaholic

A couple of weeks ago, I checked Mischief's shoes to see if they still fit, and she had growing room.  I checked last week, and they are too little!  These kids sure do grow fast!  So we were off to the shoe store!

I took Mischief into the shoe store, which she was VERY excited to go because she loves shopping for anything, especially shoes!  First, she sat on the floor to take off her sandals and put on her socks, and she showed the whole world her bright green panties because her skirt was way above her waist.  Then, we tried on five pairs of shoes, and before each one, she had to put her foot on the sizing chart to make sure her feet were not growing.

As she was so excited, I said, "Are you a shoe monster?"  Her response is, "NO!  I just LOVE shoes!  Especially buying new ones...!"  She was pretty sure she needed many pairs of shoes.

I do not believe we will be able to afford her shoe fetish as a teenager!

R.I.C.E.

Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation


This is the universal treatment for any injury, especially for an injured limb.  My four year old daughter, who is taking care of Daddy, informs him of this all day long.  Today, Mischief says, "Daddy, are you getting up? (his response is that he is not getting up)  Well, where is your ice pack?  If you're not getting up, get your leg propped up and keep the ice pack on it."  She went, got the ice pack, put it on his knee, and said, "There, now, unless you're standing, keep your ice pack on!"


Yes, this little dictator is only four...

Nurse Mischief

We currently have a gimp sitting around the living room.  My husband has fallen and broken his knee cap.  Yes, his knee cap.  Do not ask me how, as it has something to do with a smooth, flat parking lot and his inability to walk.  

However, Mischief has taken it upon herself to take care of Daddy.  She gets things for him, helps him with his work, and instructs him on how to walk.  She straightens her leg, sticks it out in front of her, and says, "See Daddy?  If you don't straighten your leg when you walk, you'll hurt your muscles.  See Daddy?  Just like I'm doing now, bend and straight, bend and straight.  Straighten your leg when you walk!"

I believe we have a nurse in the making!

Ottoman Empire

I am quite addicted on finding good sales, and I found an ottoman on sale at the furniture store.  So, I bought it and brought it home.  This certain ottoman has a top that lifts off, the top makes a tray, and there is a small ottoman inside.  This has turned into a home for Mischief and Mayhem!  They have figured out they can fit into the ottoman, and they set up the top, the small ottoman, and the big ottoman as a "stairs to their new home" type of set-up.

Who knew I was starting an ottoman empire in my living room?

Exercise Ball

As you know, I have started efforts to get my post baby body back into shape.  The kids are loving this!  I have a five pound weighted ball because this is easier than for my hands and wrists to use rather than the dumbbell.  Mischief runs around holding the ball and explaining to me she is doing her exercises, and she is going to have big strong muscles. 

Mayhem, on the other hand, picks up the ball, makes pretend grunting noises and hands me the ball.  Now, does this tell you that I may look like I struggle when I am working out?  It makes me laugh a little because the kids always tell you exactly what you look like!

Happy Birthday Mayhem!

Mayhem had his birthday last Friday - even though his party was celebrated with his sister's party a couple of weeks ago.  Now, after his little celebration we had, Mischief is completely convinced he is three years old, instead of two.  He turned two at his big party, and now he is three.  The only number Mayhem can say is "two," so when he counts it sounds like, "Two, two, two, two."  


Therefore, when Mischief tells him he is three, he yells, "Two!"  It sounds like he knows what he is talking about!

Flushed Away

Flushed Away - Need I say more?  I am pretty sure what I have to say, when you know that I am potty training an almost two year old boy!

Mayhem has taken to going into the bathroom, sitting fully clothed on the potty, and filling his pants.  Then, he comes out to me and tells me he needs his diaper changed.  I heard him go into the bathroom - like normal, wait a minute, then the toilet flushed.  Nice.  Just what I wanted to hear.  When I went into the bathroom to fish out of the toilet whatever it was he was flushing, I saw a scene much worse than I imagined.  No, the bathroom was not flooded, but Mayhem was.  Yes, Mayhem was soaked.  His entire shirt and arm was soaked.  Mayhem was definitely sticking his arm in the toilet and flushing.

I immediately gagged and washed his arms and body about a hundred times in antibacterial soap.  Believe me when I say it took me a while before I would let him touch me with those hands!

Dandelion Field

When you drive through our neighborhood, there are a lot of very beautiful yards, with flowers blooming and green grass growing.  Then, you get to our yard!  We have no less than a dandelion field.  There are dandelions of all sizes (including some enormous ones) and at all stages.  You can certainly tell which of the yards has children in it who like to blow dandelion seeds all over the yard!

Then, you walk inside the house... you can see Mayhem has blown dandelions all over the house.  Where has he been stashing dandelions?  I am not sure.  However, he evidently had a couple stashed someplace and decided to blow them all over the couch.

Therefore, I need tips on getting rid of dandelions.  Any suggestions?

Happy Mother's Day

Everybody believes that Mother's Day is a huge holiday to celebrate the mother's in our lives.  And it is, but some men need help in this.  I did some grocery shopping Friday night, ran errands Saturday, and stopped at Walgreens Sunday, and every place I went, they were all filled with men and their kids!  Some of them had control of their kids, most of them did not.  Some were complaining the store was out of cards on the afternoon of Mother's Day.  All in all, good attempt, guys, but start a little bit earlier.  


I got a friend a card for today that stated my new theme for Mother's Day:


Mother's put their pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else, only three hours earlier.

Dog Catcher

In our effort to turn the television off and play/move more, we have had to use our imaginations for play.  Now, if you know Mischief, her imagination always runs wild anyway.  I often turn a movie on, so she will sit still.

Today, when we were playing between morning lunch and nap time, Mischief decided to play dog catcher.  She had her "book" of the dogs that needed to be caught and put into cages.  Her poor brother... Mayhem had no idea why his sister kept throwing the dog leash at him and making "grunting while pulling" noises.  Of course, she had to yell at him to quit struggling and get in his cage.  The poor kid is quite confused.  One day he is a horse stuck in the mud, then he is a bank robber, now he is a stray dog, and he is never told his role!  He just lives in a state of confusion...

Kick the - Dog?

In my new effort to reshape my shape, I have decided to do a workout video after the kids go to bed.  In effort to do this, I have to workout and sweat in silence.  Otherwise, I will wake the kids up.  Have you any idea how difficult it is to workout in complete silence?


In my efforts to follow the video, which has me kicking front, behind, and sideways, I focus quite hard on the video.  I believe I have given the dog a complex.  I may or may not have kicked him a couple of times, so when I work out, he now twitches as I move.  Strangely, he only does this when the video is playing!


Who knew that me working out could be dangerous for the dog?  Wait until Mischief and Mayhem see it!

Baby Belly

As many of you know, when you have children, you often gain weight.  Whether you never lose it after having the baby, or you gain it while taking care of the children, a lot of people gain weight post children.  I, sadly, am one of these people.  


As of today, I am saying, "Goodbye" to my baby body!  I will do this in spite of spending the day with children who beg for treats all day long.  Join me on this journey, as I return to the shape of the person I used to be BEFORE I had children.  I will post different activities, involving children or dogs, that helps me shed these pounds and inches.

Mama, Cheese!

A couple of weeks ago, I had pictures taken of Mischief and Mayhem.  They loved the attention and posing for the camera.  Then, we had their birthday party, and there were a lot of pictures taken there.  The kids have decided they cannot do anything, without me taking pictures.  And, Mayhem loves having his picture taken.  He started out walking around, stopping, and yelling, "Cheese!"


Mayhem's new game is to walk around with an old cell phone in front of his face, and talk to Grandma.  He says, "Mama, Cheese!" telling Grandma to say, "Cheese."  If she does not say, "Cheese," he follows her around repeating himself, until she plays his game.  Well, he has started the same thing with his sister, saying, "Sister, Cheese!"


Her response is, "Buddy!  I don't want to say cheese!  You don't know the power of that thing!"  Oh, the ideas her mind comes up with...

Wiggledancing!

"Hi!  We're the Wiggles!"  This phrase starts every movie made by The Wiggles, which is a children's singing group from Australia.  A lot of their songs have to do with animals, and the movies are very colorful and fun for the kids.  

The Wiggles are a hit in my household.  In fact, we watch one of their videos every other day, if not every day.  The kids get up and dance around for almost fifty minutes to great music.  Mischief and Mayhem dancing is hysterical to watch.  They dance, twirl, and swing their hips, all the while waving their hands.  It is a great way for them to get off the couch while watching a movie.  

Tonight, when the kids were dancing to The Wiggles, they were dancing to the "Wags the Dog" song.  In the song, the dog chases his tail, so Mischief and Mayhem were on their knees chasing their tails.  Then, they smacked into each other!  Enter mental picture here...

 

Hair Cuts

In an effort to save money, I have picked up the art of cutting hair.  To me, it seems like a giant waste of money to pay $24 for a man's haircut and who knows how much for a boy's haircut.  And, as I am cutting hair, Mayhem had decided the clippers tickle his neck, so he puts his hands around his neck and giggles.  So, when he gets his hair cut, he only gets his hair cut from the top of his hands up!  

Mischief sees me cutting Mayhem and Daddy's hair and has now decided that she would like to have her hair cut like them!  She wants me to use the clippers, but not cut all her hair off.  

This will be quite the hair cut...

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The weather is ok today, not great, but ok.  The wind is blowing quite hard, but at least it is not raining.  When I picked Mischief up from school, she informs me that they are going to play in the mud on Thursday when she goes to school.

As we pulled into our driveway, Mischief asks me, "Can I stay outside and play?  It's a beautiful day!  It's a really beautiful day!"  When I told her she had to go inside and take a nap, her response was, "Look around, Mommy!  It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!"  As far as I know, she has never even seen Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  

We are looking forward to many more beautiful days.

Potty Training: Day Number 1

I was told that potty training the first time around was going to "Make a new woman out of you."  We went through the potty training, without too many mistakes, and all is well.  I believe I have found out what this wise person meant when she warned me about the perils of potty training.

Who knew a little boy could go potty in the potty, in the bathtub, then on the floor and blame the cat for the mess on the floor?  Oh well, it was day number one.  Stay tuned to watch my sanity come and go.

Happy Easter!

We have had a very eventful couple of days since we had two birthday parties on Saturday and Easter festivities today.  I believe Mischief and Mayhem will be on a sugar high for the next week and a half.  


For their birthdays, Mischief had a Dora theme for her birthday and Mayhem had a Diego theme for his birthday. 

Dora the Explorer cake

Go Diego Go! cake - It is the map of where Diego has to go to rescue the goat stuck in the mud!

We had some friends over for the party, and they are THRILLED with all their toys they got for their birthdays.  However, they were given some Hoppers (giant balls with handles on them made for hopping on) that are rather annoying and getting on my nerves.  The toy themselves are not annoying, it is that Mayhem is still a little too small, and he repeatedly tries, crashes, and yells for me to come and bounce him on his ball.

On to Easter!  The kids had a blast looking for easter eggs!  Mischief's theory is to find the egg, open the egg, and eat everything inside before her brother can come over and eat her eggs.  Mayhem's theory is to eat his and run over to his sister's eggs and fight her for the candy.  

Mischief got a special Easter dress from one Grandma and a bonnet from the other.

As I said, I believe we will have children on a sugar high for some time now...

Master Carpenter

We have recently been doing some house renovations.  I do most of the work after the kids have gone to bed, so they do not offer their help.  So, when Mischief gets up in the morning, she lets me know what she thinks of my work.  Yesterday morning, she gets up and looks at the tile in the kitchen and got mad that I did not let her do the work!  So, last night, as Daddy was trying to finish up the last spot of the tile, our little Master Carpenter had to help.  She is sooo proud of her craftsmanship!

I guess we have a little Master Carpenter!