Bubba, You Crack Me Up!

Henry is in the zone these days!  I don't know when he decided to unleash this little facet of his personality, but I am glad he did.  Sometime early this morning he climbed into bed with me. While I am trying to discourage this behavior in theory, I don't mind so much if he does it after 5 am.  He sleeps longer that way and I am typically awake for the day by then anyway.  At some point after he came in I realized I was incredibly cold despite being under the blankets and surrounded by three boys (Did I mention that Benjamin was in there too?)  So I said to Ken, "Is the heater blowing cold air?"  Which, sure enough, it was!  Because our furnace breaks annually. It is awesome like that.  Anyway, Ken went to investigate and I went out to the couch with Benjamin and several blankets.  After a little bit Henry stumbled out of bed and over to me on the couch.  Defying all precedence, the first words out of his mouth were not "Mommy, I hunkry."  Instead, he got a big proud grin on his face, said "Mommy I slept on your bed!" and held out his hand for a high five.  Not sure why that warrants a high five buddy!
Last night we were sitting on the couch together and Frances said "Hey Henry! What's my whole name?" and he very quickly replied, "MONKEY!"  And then for some reason he got upset because we laughed.  It might be because he was still stinging from when we laughed at how he cleaned his plate off the table.  He was being very responsible and he took his plate and fork to the kitchen just like mommy said. Then he went and sat on the couch to wait for his gummy snacks.  When I went to clean off my plate, I discovered that he had put his plate and silverware in the trash can.  I giggled, showed Ken and then called to Henry.  "Henry, where do the plates go?"  "In the sink." he proudly replied.  "Are you sure?" I said.  "Mmm-hmm." he said.  So I pointed to the trash can and he laughed...until everyone else laughed and then he got mad.
In other news, he has started saying "I love you, Mommy (or Daddy)!" spontaneously throughout the day.  So cute!

Meal Plan Monday

ACK! I am so behind again! We finally got the tree up and the kids decorated the bottom half, but after that I was SPENT and went to bed without doing any planning for the week. :(

I do have some ideas, so I will quickly jot them down. If I can't be on top of things, maybe I can be next to them!

Monday--leftover Hamburger Helper (Henry LOVES this stuff)

Tuesday--I am off work, so I will make something nice.

Wednesday--I have a stir fry kit that looks good. We'll try that.

Thursday--Ken's day to cook.

Friday--left overs as usual

I don't normally plan for the weekends just because it gives me a chance to be a bit more spontaneous. I promise that I do feed my children on the weekends!

But he's not...

Henry has a funny habit of saying something and then saying, "But it's not." or some variation of that phrase. For example, some mornings he will say, "Mommy, I want cereal...but I don't." I think he does it when he speaks too quickly without considering his options.

Tonight, though, the phrase reached new levels of hilarity.

We were reading a story before bed and there was a page with a picture of crickets. Frances says, "Like Ick!" because they reminded her of her pet cricket she got from school that only lasted about 10 days. When Ick died, I thought she would be upset, but she took it rather well and we disposed of him with very little fanfare. Anyway, back to the story. When Frances yelled, "Like Ick!" Henry responded with, "Ick died, Mommy. He's in heaven." "But he's not. He's in the trash."

OK, maybe you had to be there, but I had trouble finishing the story after that!

Confessions of a Cranky Mommy

I didn't sleep well last night.  I got home late from a staff Christmas party and didn't get the kids into bed until 10:15.  I went to bed with aspirations that they would sleep late in the morning and we could have a lazy day.  NOPE!!  Frances woke up in the middle of the night (3:45) and threw up.  Apparently she knew it was coming because she told me she tried to hold her mouth closed, but she couldn't.  She threw up all over herself in the middle of the bed.  On the top bunk.  Yuck! She also yelled my name three or fours times and woke up both of her brothers.
I got both boys out of bed and out them in bed with Ken.  Then I got her out of bed and into the shower.  She sat in the bath while I collected her sheets and got them into the washing machine. Thankfully, I had two sets of sheets (separated by a vinyl mattress cover) on her bed, so I didn't have to re-make her bed.
I cleaned Frances up in the tub and got her dressed in new pajamas.  She got back into bed and went back to sleep.  Then I changed my clothes and got Benjamin. He usually wakes up around 4:30 anyway, so I went ahead and nursed him and put him back in the crib.  Then I went back to sleep on the couch (since Henry was in my spot).
Henry woke up at about 5 and came out to me on the couch.  So I slept with him there until he woke up at 7. His first words, as always, were, "Mommy, I hunkry."  So I got up and got him some yogurt and turned on Curious George. I laid back down on the couch for about 30 minutes before the rest of the household was up.
These are the thoughts that went through my mind in all of this ordeal last night:

• If you knew you were going to throw up, why couldn't you make it to the bathroom?
• Why do you have to yell and wake up both brothers?
• Why is Henry such a bed hopper?
• Which is worse: Giving in and letting him sleep where he wants so he doesn't scream and wake up his siblings? or Insisting that he sleep in his bed and risk waking up everyone else?
• When will Henry be old enough to get his own breakfast in the morning so I can stay in bed longer?
• Should I teach him how to use the tv so I don't have to do it or would he abuse this knowledge?

I didn't say any of these things out loud. I am only venting them here. Writing them down actually helps give me the perspective I need to not be so annoyed.  I am thankful that Frances is most likely not sick and is merely reacting to her antibiotic.  I know that Henry will grow up all too soon and I will regret wishing away his neediness.  Benjamin has been sleeping SO much better lately, that it only took a second to get him back to sleep after nursing.

Over.

Done.

Enough about that.

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

...Not Henry!!  Of course not! That would make sense!  What is Henry afraid of, you ask??  The night light in his room.

I slept upside down, mashed up into a corner of my own bed last night because he is afraid of his night light! Who ever heard of such ridiculousness???  He has gotten out of bed the past three nights to tell us he is scared of his night light. I just figured it was a stalling technique.  That night light has been in his room since before he was born! (Which is why it is a princess light.)  He won't sleep if it is dark. Honestly, if he had his way, he would sleep with all the lights on, but since he shares his room and ours is right across the hall, that is not a possibility.  Something has got to give, though. Tonight I am taking back my own pillow!

In other news, Benjamin and Frances both have ear infections and are on the same antibiotics. How cute!  Benjamin's fever seems to be gone as of 4:30 this morning when I nursed him. The couch was freezing cold and I was kinda hoping he would keep me warm! Oh well, that's what blankets are for.  Henry seems to be healthy other than his aversion to Princess night lights.

Friday Fill-Ins #203

1. I wish I could stay home and spend more time with my kids.

2. Sleep would be nice too...that's what I'm thinking.

3. Please bring your children a warm coat today.

4. Motherhood is so amazing.

5. One of my fondest hopes is that my children grow up happy and healthy.

6. My hubby cooked a nice dinner last night and I just wanted to say thank you.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to our staff Christmas party, tomorrow my plans include going to Lowe's to build a train and finally getting our tree up, and Sunday, I want to rest and recover!


Play along here:  

Wordless Wednesday: Snowman Edition

Would you like some soup with your pepper?

We had Nadia over for dinner last night. The kids LOVE  her and she is so great with them. We are blessed to have her around and will be sad next semester when she leaves for her internship and then graduates.
Last week I bragged on Facebook about having homemade turkey soup and homemade biscuits for dinner. Nadia made a comment about it, so we invited her over for the same meal this week. I had made and frozen a ton of soup, so it was easy to do.
We sat down to dinner and Nadia added a little bit of salt and pepper to her soup.  Henry saw her do it and wanted some also.  Usually when he wants salt and pepper we just turn the lid so nothing comes out and then shake away.  Nadia has either seen us do it, or she it just that smart (or both!) so she turned the lid on the salt and "gave" him some.  Well, then he wanted to do the pepper himself. So she turned the lid and gave it to him. He turned it upside down and SHOOK!  He ended up with about 3 tablespoons of pepper in his soup!  I wished I had my camera out, but figured it would be kinda rude to jump up and get it.
Then Henry got mad because Ken traded soup bowls with him! Not sure if that is the reason, but he never ended up eating any of his soup.  Just part of a biscuit and then he went to play.  I am expecting him at any time now (it's 5:30 am) to wake up and come tell me he's "hunkry and persy."
By the way, I also made brownies to go with dinner. I figured that if my house was a mess it should at least smell like chocolate!  I made the regular mix and poured it in the pan. Then I took about 10 fun sized Snickers bars and put them in the Ninja and pulsed them a few times. I poured that over the top of the brownies and then baked them as usual. YUM!!

Tuesday To Do

Last week I started a to do list for Tuesday.  So now I need to take a look at it and see how I did:
* do 5 loads of laundry-that means, wash, dry, fold, and PUT AWAY!--I washed 6, folded 5 and put away four...need to get back on track with that!
* move around the dining room to find a place for the Christmas tree--NOPE  :(  I am determined to get that done this week!
* make some more ******** for Christmas presents--Not that I can tell you what the asterisks stand for, but I finished one and am most of the way through two more
* pick out a Christmas card and get a picture taken--YEAH! This one got done!  The cards should be arriving early next week and then I will have to address and mail them all!
* get rid of two bags/boxes of useless stuff--I think I took out the equivalent of two bags of trash, so I am calling this a success
* donate two bags/boxes of stuff I don't need anymore--I took three boxes of stuff to Frances' school to donate and have one more that I forgot to send to school with her today.


Now for this week:
* do 5 loads of laundry-that means, wash, dry, fold, and PUT AWAY!
* move around the dining room to find a place for the Christmas tree
* make some more ******** for Christmas presents
* make my list of recipients for our Christmas cards
* get to the grocery store
* finish gift, side A and start gift, side B
* get rid of two bags/boxes of useless stuff
* donate two bags/boxes of stuff I don't need anymore

Meal Plan Monday

Monday--Meatballs and egg noodles
Tuesday--Nadia is coming over and has requested turkey soup with dumplings and homemade biscuits.
Wednesday--crock pot chicken and rice
Thursday--Ken's turn again!
Friday--left overs

Elf Yourself again!

Friday Fill-Ins #202

1. The best thing about a birthday celebration is eating cake and watching the birthday boy/girl open presents.

2. Sometimes I wish I could slow down the passage of time.

3. I went shopping recently and the most interesting thing I bought was umm...that new kind of flat sandwich bread (Sorry that's lame, but I can't remember the last time I went to a store other than the grocery store!).

4. Frances and Henry's favorite child's game is "Old Maid".

5. The reason is they have just learned to play it and Henry loves to get the Old Maid, so they both win.

6. I HATE snow and cold.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching a movie on the couch, tomorrow my plans include cleaning house and getting some Christmas presents finished and Sunday, I want to get my kiddos back from Grandma and Grandpa!


 

Christmas 2010

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Thankful Thursdays

We just celebrated Thanksgiving last week, so I have been thinking about things I am thankful for.  And since I am trying to get back into some old habits (like blogging), I want to go back to Thankful Thursdays.
This week I am especially thankful for family. The kids enjoyed spending time with their cousin over Thanksgiving. I grew up seeing my cousins once a year, but I hope my kids will see Abby more often than that!

I am thankful for my sewing machine.  I am having such a good time creating new things with it. I wish I had more time to spend sewing, but maybe after the holidays I will.

I am also thankful for my new Ninja blender. I seriously LOVE this thing! I have made Benjamin all kinds of baby food-that he loves!  I make smoothies in it in the mornings and I even made some bread crumbs last week from some leftover bread.

Wordless Wednesday: Cousin Edition