Lessons in Mommyhood #79

What do you do when your toddler insists on going outside and you instruct him to put on his shoes (they're CROCS - he's not like tying gym shoes or anything) and he reappears with one shoe on (ready to go, of course)...while the other shoe is completely lost...for days....and he has not yet acquired the verbal skills to explain or remember what he did with the other one? Try this - CHECK THE FRIDGE - preferably the bottom two shelves.

Lessons in Mommyhood #44

When your toddler wanders in to the bathroom with an EMPTY cup and emerges mere seconds later with that SAME cup, but its FULL of water and your child is happily drinking it, don't immediately ASSUME that the little bugger actually reached up turned on the faucet and filled it up in that short amount of time. GO BUY TOILET LOCKS and then try your best to teach him to say..."I'M THIRSTY!"

(I swear I thought I was going to BARF - well, hey, the dog is still alive after all these years, it must not be THAT bad)

The Parrot and The Potty Mouth

I've been thinking about alternative words to swear words since, according to my parents, I was born with a dirty mouth and I now have a toddler who repeats EVERYTHING these days. He especially repeats the swears with fervor and exuberance. Suggestions are welcome. Breaking bad habits are hard to do.


These are the ones I've come up with so far:

Mother Fletcher (I love Shrek), Darnit, Gosh Darnit, Dangit, Shute, Dag Nabit (Was that Foghorn Leghorn?), SNAP (my favorite the older kids use it), Flippin, Crikey, and blasted.

Can you help me damnit?

Lessons in Mommyhood #92

Never let your child sit on your lap when he or she is eating watermelon and you're wearing white shorts...brand new white shorts.....that you got for your birthday and they really look cute on you......and your husband says, "oh, just go buy another pair."

But you don't want to...because you really really liked the ones you got for your birthday....they look cute on you....and your kid just ruined them. Then, your kid just laughs their little laugh and keeps eating their watermelon while they laugh at you and your white shorts...that you got for your birthday....that are... I mean were really really cute on you.

DJ - Happy Birthday. We are so lucky to be spending your day with you. You have become more and more of a smart, funny, creative, and most importantly kind-hearted young man as you've been getting older.
We love you...enjoy the Girl Scount Thin Mint Ice Cream Cake tonight!!!!!!! :-)

Love,
Dad, Erin, Lizzy, Massimo & Ozzy

Another Helping of Summer

I forgot to mention how much fun my summer has been with these three ladies:

swimming, going to the park, making smoothies, tossing water balloons at each other, making crafts, and kidnapping, fuzzy, yellow catepillars. My son is getting in touch with his feminie side as well.

Thank you for bringing so much laughter in to my day!

Serve me up some more summer

I just checked all the numerous awesome comments on my blog and I realized I haven't posted in over a month. Is it just that i don't have anything important to say? Probably...maybe. Does anyone read this? Maybe hundreds and no one even comments. Still, it might be easier to comment on someone's blog if you didn't have to type that silly 'word verification' and then your e-mail address and your password and so on and so on.

What I will post to the world is that my summer is going very well. I am very much enjoying myself after a rough end to spring and beginning to realize that what I try so very hard to control and the path I carve out for my life, isn't mine to decide. I'm learning to let go a little...and just...see....what....happens. I don't feel like talking so much, just to talk. Maybe I will listen more, and not just half-ass listen, but I will really listen with my whole heart.

My summer is going a little like this:
I'm reading an incredibly wonderful book for leisure (you have to comment if you want to know the name of the book), I'm taking an educational research course online and I'm not THAT scared of statistics this time around, I have strawberry stains on my fingers and I'm walking around barefoot in tank tops. My shoulders are tinged like the color of my hair, and I get to spend every beautiful day with 25 lb extension of my heart that is outside of my body, constantly on the move, curious, thoughtful, and absolutely gorgeous. He makes me cry in a good way. I finally purchased that coveted fire pit and we gathered around it last Sunday and made s'mores.

Everything really is okay. You just have to pause and take a few deep breaths.
P.S. Dominic, I love you very very very much - thank you.......