Friday, March 20, 2009

Bedtime at My House

Here is a little taste of bedtime at my house.

me: "Okay kids it's time to start getting ready for bed."

Kids: "I don't wanna go to bed"

This is followed by all this kids pretending I didn't say anything while screaming and chasing each other around the house. I finally am able to get them to put on their pajamas and brush their teeth.

After story time the kids are finally in bed. Sort of....

This is what ensues after the kids are "in bed."

"I'm thirsty!" x30,000,000

"I'm hungry!"

"I have to go potty!"

"Isabella is hitting me!"

"Roxanne was teasing me first!"

Me: "STOP HITTING AND TEASING EACH OTHER AND GO TO SLEEP!!"

"Elijah is on my bed"

"Dabrel id mean!"

This is when I go put Elijah in his own bed and tell Gabriel to cover up and stay still and not to talk so Elijah doesn't think it's time to play. Then it's on to:

"Roxanne be quiet!"

"I am being quiet!"

Me: "NEITHER OF YOU ARE BEING QUIET! GO TO SLEEP."

After about two hours sometimes more if my husband is being overly indulgent with the youngest ones. They are asleep. Sweet, sweet silence! Now it's time to watch some TV. Only there is nothing on anymore since I spent prime time getting the kids in bed.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

A Birthday

So yesterday was Roxanne's birthday. It was mainly uneventful. She enjoyed the special attention. Although she did think she could get away with more just because it was her birthday. Every time it was made clear she could still get in trouble she would start in on the crying. She tends to do that anyway. The difference was that yesterday she tacked on a, "But it's my birthday!" to the beginning of the you-broke-my-pea-pickin'-heart type hysterics. She didn't have too bad a day though. It was a normal day, really. Roxanne does have such a sweet temperament that she thinks she can get away with more. Instead of outright defiance she just ignores me. It drives me crazy.

Anyway, we went ahead and got her a small cake and a little present. If a birthday is in the middle of the week we go ahead and do a small thing on the actual birthday. On the weekend we make it a bigger deal and have a party. Plus, we give a better present. I'm not sure what it will be yet. It's always the last minute with us. We have a good idea of what she wants, and we have to see how much that cost before deciding if we are getting her anything else. We'll see.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Wind and Rocks

I guess I have to start out by saying that I live in Southern AZ. I have 5 children ages 8, 7, 4, 2, and a newborn. My two daughters are the oldest and my three sons are the youngest. That's enough to be going on with for now.

Today I made the kids go out back to play. I'm so sick of all the technologies keeping them in. All I hear is, "Can I watch TV? Can I play a video game?" It's non-stop, and on a day like today I was not going to put up with it. So, I kicked them out of the house. This is when my four year old, Gabe informs me that he is afraid of the wind. WHAT? Afraid of the wind? Come now, let's not be ridiculous. So, I ask him why he's afraid of the wind. He then tells me it's because he's afraid of the dust devils. For those who don't know, a dust devil is swirling wind that comes through and throws things around a bit. They're not usually dangerous, but I guess the other day when one went sweeping through the neighborhood it rattled his nerves. So, now he won't step foot outside on a breezy day. Try rationalizing with a timid and nervous 4 year old, and see how far you get. He wouldn't go outside for any amount of bribery or threats. He would rather take a nap. That's what he ended up doing. He NEVER takes a nap. Today , however, it was preferable to going outside with the lovely breeze.

Bell and Roxy didn't have a problem playing outside after the fight to get them out there was won. After a while, Roxy starts bringing me rocks. She's 7 and rocks never lost their appeal after the age of two. I don't tell her how uninteresting rocks are to me. I just politely tell her thank you and toss them outside later when she isn't paying attention. So, today she brought me a very unextraordinary rock. "Here, Mommy." she says. "It looks purple when you bring it into the light."

It never ceases to amaze me. She can look at the roughest most uninteresting rock in the world and find something she thinks is fascinating about it. Wouldn't it be nice if we all could see the beauty in things that seem ordinary at first glance? if instead of dismissing something as not worthy of our notice we took the time too see the beauty in it? Wouldn't the world be just a little bit better?