Shopping At Target (With My Boys)

It's 1 am and I'm WIDE awake because my toe hurts! Why might my toe hurt? Because I took my boys shopping at Target. Now for many Mom's with boys I could most likely end the story here. Took boys shopping.... toe hurts... makes perfect sense to me! End of story. But, for those who have those "love to shop" little girls I feel I must share. Today I took my boys shopping. Both of them needed shoes, but seeing as there are only 20 days left in the school year (ie. before we enter full-time flip-flop season) I decided to take them to Target for shoes. We got to the store, found shoes that suited each personality and went directly to the gift wrap. The gift wrap was a needed item for my Mother's Mother's Day gift. Well, apparently Target's shoes were laced with speed, because instead of simply walking to the gift wrap section, the boys: took turns swinging each other around while holding onto one anther's collars, took GIANT slow motion running leaps, and bumped into, or cut off, the cart at least a dozen times. Seriously boys! We just had to walk one section over and to the front of the store. NOT FAR! Well as we were rolling through the gift wrap isle I made a jerking motion to prevent my kids from bumping into a passing cart. That's were the toe comes in. As I lunged at the boys I felt a sharp, stinging pain in my left pinkie toe. I look down to find my toenail hanging on by only a wee tiny sliver. I quickly exit the isle and enter the next one. By now a small puddle of blood has begun to form on my flip-flop and I'm hung over the cart blinking back tears. I am oblivious to anything around me as I wait for the initial pain to subside. Then I hear........"We're getting new paints! Can we get the BIG paper too? Oh, I want more sidewalk chalk! Can I get this too?" We were in the Crayola isle! Can no one notice their woozy pale faced mother bleeding from one of her appendages?! I quickly clean myself up and make my way to the registers while allowing the nail to flap off the side of my toe for fear that removal would require vomiting on Target's floor. We check out and briskly walk to the car. Mama says nothing, apparently the boys KNEW not to say ANYTHING. I turn on the car. God knew it was a bad moment......Bobby McGee was one the radio. (In my little world, many things are made better by listening to Janis Joplin sing Bobby McGee.) We make it into the house, I grab the tweezers, painfully pluck my nail from my toe and reminisce on the lessons I've learned today. 1. Don't take the boys shopping. 2. When your toe nail is ripped from your body, DON'T turn into the Crayola isle! Well that being said....Happy Mother's Day!

Update On Hayden

Hayden had another check-up at Hershey Medical Center today. The steroid injection worked and their is no evidence of swelling in his right knee. The steroid is to last 6-12 months; however, it is possible the fluid will not return for months or even years. We're going to keep praying that the fluid never returns to his knee, and for none of his other joints to be affected. He will return to Hershey in September, so we'll wait and see what we find out then. Thank you all for keeping him in your prayers.

An Odd Evening With My Sister

Tonight my sister and her girls came over for dinner. The kids were full of energy and the weather was warm so we decided to eat outside. As usual, the kids finished and ran off to play. My sister and I stayed at the table and attempted to hold a conversation. Key word is attempt. The "conversation" actually went something like this: "Yeah, Hayden's pretty bummed since William won't be around anymore. No, that's broccoli not a little tree. I'm not asking you to eat a tree. I'm asking you to eat your vegetables. She changed his bus stop and expects her Dad to run over to her place every afternoon! What! What! Stop yelling in my ear! What on God's green earth could you possibly need. No, you do not need the car keys. NO! Your football isn't in the car. I don't' know where it is, but I just cleaned out the car and your football wasn't in it. No, your not looking for it. IT ISN'T IN THE CAR. I know, the woman is crazy. And why does her Dad agree to do it?! She as no idea what her actions are doing to her kids. WHY ARE YOU ALL IN THE CAR?! Get out! Now! Well I guess it's only on her nights but she did it without telling Josh and William first! Can you imagine how William must have felt..... Why is the hose on? Who turned it on? Turn it off. Now! Why are her new shoes soaked. Ok, up on your bed now!" How is that considered a conversation?! I suppose it's more like a "momsversation". Ya have a child and all the sudden you're immediately able to talk about 3 or more things a once! Amazing! To make the evening even more entertaining, Reid found an intact robins egg. It only had a few small cracks where it may have hit the ground. "Can I keep it?" he asks. "Sure, but it stays outside" I responded. Reid walks away lovingly holding his robin's egg. Moments later he returns...."Mama, I put my egg in the back of my dump truck and Rosa sat in my dump truck and now she has egg juice on her butt." Sure enough, Rosa has "egg juice" on her butt. Oh, and let's not forget, during tonight's events the children also taught my sister and I that...... (a)6 year olds cannot hang from the top bar of a swing set by plastic handcuffs (b) 2 year olds feel the need to soak their socks in a watering can before balling them up and placing them in their dry shoes (c) rocks should not be thrown at the van and (d) "I'm bored" actually translates into..."You won't let me do everything I want to do, whenever I want to do it!"

Letter To The Monster In Our House

Dear Mr. Monster,
This my final warning! I have given you softly spoken warnings. I have given you "screaming like a mad woman" threats. Still you have not complied. Therefore you have left me no other choice. This is my written warning. A warning for all the world to see! You must leave our house NOW! I'm not sure when you arrived, perhaps you've always been here, but lately you have been causing many problems in our otherwise calm household. First it was the constant, unexplained messes in the living room. Then the gross, science project like smears and spills in the kitchen. Now you have started picking on the children and leaving the seat up in the bathroom. I can not take such behavior any longer. You MUST LEAVE NOW! In your defence, I'm sure it isn't all your fault, but I can not believe my quiet,honest, loving, well behaved children could do such horrible things. Not only do you do them, but you walk away from them like you expect ME to clean them up. Well as you may know, the final straw broke last evening. In my sprint to the bathroom for my chance at a "private pee" my butt went over the rim of the potty and directly into the bowl. I screamed and interrogated each male in the house. Each one of them adamantly denied leaving the seat up. Yes, that's right, they all pointed the finger at you. Honestly, who else could it be! Who else would push my daughter and then deny it? Who else would draw on my sons' homework or stick half eaten lollipops into their book bags? My children, acting harshly toward one another? How dare you even suggest such actions! That's it Mr. Monster! No more toothpaste dollops laying on the bathroom sink, no more half eaten Go-gurt tubes leaking on the floor, no more unexplained broken coffee cups and NO MORE RAISED TOILET SEATS! Good-bye Mr. Monster! It has been decided my angelic children would do best without the likes of you! Good-Bye!

Books

Hayden's vision therapist gave him a web site for a book swap. Last evening we checked it out, it looks like a great idea! Both Hayden and I LOVE to read. As a result we are often left with books that we've read but don't know what to do with. Often we just pass them along, but now we can trade them for free books. All that is required is postage on the book you are sending. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, check out the site at www.paperbackswap.com It is not just for paperbacks. It is for all books! We just listed our books, so I'll let you know how it goes. I also have a link to the site on my blogs sidebar. If this post gets shuffled off the page, you can still easily get the site on the sidebar. Hope this helps all the avid readers out there!

Football Game and H.D. Update!

Today was Reid's football game. He did very well. Most of his playing time was spent "smack talking" and making faces at the other players. That boy is too funny! I love it. His one chance at holding the ball was during the snap to the Q.B. He snapped it and the ball went rolling down the field. James and I both decided that the snap was perfect, the Q.B. must be farsighted. When things fail on the field, ALWAYS secretly blame another persons kid! Ha-ha! He was also given a pin and certificate for his participation in football camp. All first year campers got a pin and certificate. Second year campers were awarded medals, and third year campers were given trophies. Reid was quite happy with his pin and certificate. We'll now have to turn our soccer trophy wall into a soccer/ football combo wall! Hayden has four more games and three more academy practices before his spring season is over. Then we'll have a summer sports break until the fall soccer season starts in August. Ok, now.... since I've written about it in the past, I must mention the following info as an update. Last evening James was watching the Tonight Show. According to Jay Leno's monologue, Home Depot is closing 15 stores! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Yeah, I'm sure if one was to contact H.D. they would give some B.S response about restructuring during an economic recession. Whatever! Face it H.D. Americans love their Lowe's! Oh, and truck drivers too! For all those who don't know James' H.D. story.... call me. I'm not putting that story into cyberspace for all to read, because (wink, wink) it never happened....during a delivery.....in Boston. Ok, that's all I can say! Shhhhh! Call me. So, Truckers AND Americans love Lowe's! Not to say truckers aren't' Americans, well actually the way James talks less and less of them actually are! Which way to Mexico?!

Must......Sleep!

Up this morning until 2:15am. I went to bed and woke James up. Stayed awake long enough to make sure James STAYED awake. Quickly fell asleep. 2:45am Hayden yells, "Mom, MOM! I need a tissue." I hear him, but I continue to stay in bed hoping James (who is still getting ready for work) will get a tissue for him. No tissue from James. Stumble out of bed and into the boy's room. Hand Hayden a tissue.....and fall unconscious into my bed. 5:00am I wake to Ella staring at me. "I wan you!" she yells. "Shhhhh! Don't wake the boys!" I snap back. "Climb up into bed" "No me wanna see my shows" "It's too early for your shows" "Me wanna see my shows now!" In an effort to keep the boys sleeping, I drag myself out of bed to prove to Ella that her shows aren't on yet. We get to the TV, search the channels....no interesting shows for Ella. Hooray, back to bed I think....nope. Boys hear TV....boys wake. Ella is at this point searching for breakfast. So much for 8 hours of sleep! Ha! Ha! Ha! 8 hours! Yeah, right!