Don't Do This

By sharing this story I am going to inevitably make myself look like an absolute moron, so in my own defense let me start with a quick disclaimer: I have been sick with the world's worst stomach flu for the past 6 days and have been functioning in a severely dehydrated and malnourished state, which is obviously affecting my decision making. At least, I hope it is, because I am fearful of our future if this is me at peak mental performance.

Tonight while getting the kids ready for bed my husband opened up the window in my daughter's room. When I walked in I could smell construction waste burning. (Remember, we have been under construction for almost 13 years, so it is a very familiar scent.) Considering that we have two new houses being built nearby, this didn't concern me too much.

I read the kids their story, tucked in the baby, snuggled with my little boy, and then walked back into my oldest daughter's room to turn off her lights and kiss her goodnight. She complained that her nightlight was too bright so I reached down to move it but had to pull my hand away.

The wall was scorching hot! Not just behind the bulb, but for a good 8 inches to either side and above it. The paint had already begun to bubble away from the sheetrock and a frightening charr-black circle told of near disaster!

Oh my! That construction waste scent - that was my daughter's bedroom slowly igniting. Thank goodness she mentioned something or we would have been frantically dealing with a house fire in the middle of the night. Not just a house fire, but one that would have started in my precious daughter's bedroom, at night, right beside her bed!

So here is the embarrassing confession that I warned you about:

Earlier this evening while the kids were brushing their teeth, my oldest asked me to replace the bulb in her nightlight. We didn't have any new nightlight bulbs, but we did have some other small base bulbs and I grabbed one without checking its wattage, popped it in, and sent her on her way.

It was a 40 watt bulb.

I am officially an idiot.

Thankfully, God's provision covers idiots.

Happy Easter!

Our family is home sick this Easter. Not exactly the way I intended to celebrate the resurrection, but obviously this is where we need to be today. Resting, relaxing and healing.

Hmm... didn't we do this "sick during the holidays" thing recently? Oh yeah, it was this past Christmas, and the Christmas before too. Blah!
Regardless of our circumstances, the Lord is Risen and we are celebrating today - just a bit more quietly than usual.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...

1 Peter 1:3

Art is Messy

It is. In fact, sometimes it is very messy, and it is easy to use that messy-ness as an excuse to avoid playing with art supplies.

First you have to drag out all the supplies, then you spend time doing the project, and then, just when you think you are done, the adorable little artists lift their finished masterpiece off of the table and reveal this:

"Gah!!!" Oops, I mean, "Nice work honey. Now would you please hang up your project and then bring me the box for the pastels, and the broom, and a hot soapy rag, and ... oh, no, your shirt is a mess, could you get a new one ... no, wait, please don't touch the walls, quick run to the bathroom and wash up and then and then help your sister ... then come back here and hopefully we can get all of this cleaned up before Daddy gets home from work."

When my kids were tiny I used to tape their art paper directly to the wall of our shower, strip them down and let them make all of their messes right there. Then I could wash them and the tub all at the same time. Unfortunately, they have grown out of that stage, but I still want them to have the freedom to create messes, despite my general loathing of the clean-up process.

So I created a group. This is my new solution to everything. If I can't be accountable to do it alone, I drag other unsuspecting parents into my plight with me. We meet every month, study an artist, create a mess (that isn't in my house) and they all stay to help me clean it up before we leave. Sketch has been a God-send this year.

Ha, take that messy art projects!

Learning to see

Vision is something I take for granted. I can see. I don't think about it, I just do it.

Things aren't quite as easy for my daughter. We found out a few months ago that she has several vision problems, none of which involve poor eyesight. Her eyesight itself is actually rather good, as is her comprehension of what she reads, but the process of making her eyes work together is what she struggles with. She crosses her eyes a tiny bit (just like her Grandpa), has trouble tracking (following from one letter to the next), struggles with quickly discerning one shape from another, and a bunch of other issues to a lesser degree. The good news is that she is getting better, much better.

When we started vision therapy I didn't expect much, but I was desperate to find a way to make reading easier for her. Her frustration at "simple" tasks was obvious, and painful to watch.
But now look at this little lady! She is voluntarily picking up tasks that require those vision skills we have been working so hard to help her develop.

I'm a proud momma!

A photo to make Grandpa smile

The best toys I never bought

Banging on pots & pans.

It's fun! It's cheap! It's already in the house!

Most importantly, it holds my little girl's attention long enough to keep her from climbing into the oven while Momma tries to cook dinner, grade math, and prevent world war 3 from igniting between siblings.

It is so important to have those super easy/super distracting activities ready for the crazy moments, especially if your house is anything like mine. Around here all those crazy moments seem to happen on top of each other at exactly 5:00, making me one loopy and frustrated lady by the time dinner gets on the table.

A coffee-can & clothespins, scissors & junkmail, chalk markers & a low window - these simple things can save your life, or at least your sanity as a mom.

I recently coordinated a great swap among a few FIAR moms and received a dozen new insta-distraction kits to keep Little-Miss-Into-Everything occupied. Don't they look like fun! I had the hardest time convincing my big kids not to pounce on the mailman each time he walked up to deliver a new box.

The ideas all came from Preschool Activities In A Bag. They are super simple projects (along the lines of pots & pans, but with a bit more style), but the not-so-secret key to success that they share is to work with other moms and plan for the crazy times. We all know that those moments are coming, so take a few minutes and put JUST ONE activity together, but create multiples of that activity and then swap with other moms for their one activity. When the crazy chaos begins you can whip out your stash of pre-made distractions and peace quickly returns to your house.

Plan ahead - genius!

Maybe I should apply this to the rest of my life

. . . hmmm

. . . interesting thought.

HotRod Birthday Party

Boys and cars are a perfect combination. Our family's collection of cars, toy and not so toy, is extensive. We stack the non-toy version two high in the garage if that gives you any idea of how much we love our cars.

Yeah, we had a good time putting this party together for our little guy.

We set the stage for a fun party with official letters from the "State of Chaos" signed by the birthday boy himself. He was very proud of the envelopes which he made tire-tracks on by running his matchbox cars through an ink pad and then across the envelope.
Attached to each letter was a laminated drivers license printed with his photograph and the party details.

LIC #: 6th-Bday

DOP: Sun. 2-00-2011

Issued: 3:30 Expires: 7:30

The kids were greeted with lots of fun 50s music and an impromptu target game made out of an old tire from the garage. It was a lot more difficult than I expected.

The major activity of the day was hot rod fabrication. We made our own cars using die-cast blanks from Oriental Trading. The kids colored them with Sharpie markers, which gave us the ability to create lots of fun details. (Plastic gloves protected little fingers and a black plastic drop-cloth taped to look like a road protected my table.)

After all of the cars were made we needed to race our custom creations. My amazing husband whipped up this great track overnight using some flexible plywood and a couple of leftover boards. SO MUCH FUN!!!

Ready, Set, Go!

Hot rods and customization go hand-in-hand, so the birthday menu was full of do-it-yourself projects including fruit cars and mini pizzas.
A very sweet 7 year old cousin made this great birthday cake. The donut wheels were a huge hit with the kids.

I have finally gotten smart about the whole birthday cake part of our parties. No more running around searching for matches at the last minute. This is my cake basket - filled with extra candles, ice-cream scoops, a cake knife and the no-longer-missing matches. Awesomely effective systems make me smile.

The kids were all sent home with lollipops and car shaped boxes of M&Ms. You can find the FREE (I love free stuff!) template at PaperBoxWorld. In the spirit of hot rods, I tweaked mine to make them a bit more custom.
Okay world, watch out! He has been licensed by the State of Chaos ... and he is ready to roll!