Chores!

I didn't know when exactly to turn the boys on to a chore chart and/or allowance but Luke and I magically decided it was time to start two weeks ago.

(Some of you are going to think we are crazy for either taking this long to do it OR for turning these two poor little boys into our slaves at the tender ages of 5 and 7.)

I am thinking we should have started sooner.

So, 2 weeks ago Luke fired up the computer and began composing a list things the boys needed to work on as well as a few things we thought they were capable of learning/doing.

We came up with 8 chores each.

Yes---making the list is: "Get dressed by yourself."

Amazingly its my 7 year old who has the problem with this task. He is easily distracted and seems to find anything in his path from the shower to the clothes on the couch to play with before completing this task. It doesn't bother him though, because even if I threatened to leave the house without him getting dressed, he would be more than happy to leave the house naked.

Luke and I agreed that the boys could earn up to $5 a week if they completed all their tasks everyday. Also on the list is a bonus chore (vacuuming the living room or bedroom) that is worth an additional 50 cents.

Payday is on Saturdays!

Last weekend was their first payday. We took down the charts from the boys' chalkboard and Luke tallied up the totals. Bubba earned $2.80 and Tubbs earned $4.20. Bubba almost had a meltdown, but that's the way life is. After he settled down a bit I brought up the topic of tithing and reminded them that they needed to put 10 percent of their allowance in their piggy bank. Tubbs was OK with that and Bubba gave me this baffled, angry expression. Then he said loudly, "This money isn't for tithing!...Its for fun!"

At that moment I didn't know if I should chuckle or try to continue on with my serious diatribe on "everything we have is from Heavenly Father."

I smiled....and after a brief conversation (and silence) he seemed okay with it.

We printed out a new chore chart and the second week of chores began!

After only one week Tubbs learned that he could avoid making his bed every morning if he slept in Bubba's bed with him. He also learned that if he dripped dry after getting out of the tub or just rubbed up against the towel on the rack, he didn't have to hang a towel up when he was done. He also learned that if he didn't play with the bath toys, he didn't have to worry about putting them all back up on the side of the tub when he is done.

I had to hand it to him....he had everything figured out for a five year old.

When I reminded Bubba that he needed to put a liner in the trash can he told me, "I don't want to get paid for that so I am not going to do it." As he started to trot away I was torn between forcing him to do it anyways or just let him not get paid for it come payday. I decided to be mean mommy and said, "put the liner in anyways, but now you're not going to get paid for it." He gave me his baffled look again and then seemed sure that there was no way daddy would let me get away with it.

Over the past week Luke and I have made a point of telling the boys we paid for something with our allowance when we buy something for them. For example, we took the boys out for a cookie after lunch yesterday and Luke said "thanks mama for buying us cookies with your allowance." The boys are starting to learn that everyone who works (ummm..except stay at home moms) get an "allowance." AND if you REALLY want something you have to save your money. What a concept....saving money. Its not a concept I am fond of, but I am forced to comply with sometimes! :) Bubba couldn't wait to spend his "fun money." On payday we made a trip to Sports Chalet. He talked daddy into fronting him $1.20 from his piggy bank so he could buy a (lame) "Tech Deck" skateboard toy. Tubbs showed a little more restraint and waited 3 days before deciding he wanted to spend his money. I think he is going to be my "saver." (Doesn't every family have one of those?)

Chores, chores, chores!

It all sounds great and dandy for the kids. Trying to teach your kids responsibility, accountability and yada yada yada! But so far it seems like more work for me because I have to remind them (NAG) about a chore or I have to wait for them to do it the first time, so I can come back afterwards and re-do it myself. I am so used to picking up their messes, hanging up their bath towels, setting the table, clearing the table, etc....that sometimes I think about just doing the chore myself. I am not really good at sitting back and delegating tasks (excluding watching my husband make dinner! LOL ). Its really, really hard for me. I found this out 2 years ago when I had my quad accident. I would walk around my house with my walker, trying to pick stuff up, even though I was in excruciating pain.

Nevertheless---I am determined to whip these boys into shape over the summer. Or I should say, Luke is going to whip them into shape this summer (wink-wink).

I am hoping to come home everyday from work to a clean house and a chore chart that is all checked off! :)

Wishful thinking?..... Probably.

But I am hoping that we can keep the chore chart going and not get lazy enforcing it. We shall see.

Hula Hoop Bubba

Bubba's end of year celebration at school was yesterday.
When I got to there to help out his group was making lai's and hula-hooping outside. I was really surprised that he was participating, so I had to capture the hip action on film. Check out the video---Makes me giggle everytime I watch it.

I'm Better Than That!

Ron, a 9-year-old boy, was being raised by his mother who didn’t know how to cope with his uncontrollable temper. She knew he was angry that his father had abandoned him and she tried professional counseling, but nothing seemed to work. So she sent Ron to spend the summer on his grandparents’ farm.
When he came home, he was a changed boy. His mom asked him what happened.
Ron told her that every time he got mad or said anything unkind, Grandpa made him go outside and hammer a big two-inch nail into a two-by-four. It was really hard, and he wasn’t allowed back until the nail was all the way in. After about 20 trips to the shed, he decided it was easier to control his temper than hammer in those long nails.
“Did you change because you hated the consequence so much?” she asked.
“Well, that was part of it,” he said. “After I’d nailed in all the nails and was behaving better, Grandma took me outside and made me pull them all out. That was even harder. When I was done, she gave me this note.”
He showed it to her, and this is what she read:
Pulling out nails is like saying you’re sorry – the holes still remain in the board. You can’t fix things by being sorry, but you can stop making new holes. Remember, every time you do something mean and nasty, you’re making a hole somewhere in someone. That’s what your Dad did to you. Please don’t do it to anyone else. You’re better than that.
“You know what, Mom?” Ron said. “Grandma was right. I am better than that.”

By Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

I Had to Share!

Cannot Wait.....

1) For School to be out! My boys are lucky ducks because they don't have to stay home with their stinky mom over summer break....they get to stay home with their cool dad. Yes---I am sure their summer memories are going to be very interesting since they get to do guy stuff all day for 8 weeks as opposed to run around with mom to Target, the grocery store, etc. But I have to tell you I am really looking forward to the boys getting to stay up until whenever and sleeping in! I also get out of making lunches! Oh how I despise that task every morning. I don't know what it is. My son actually told me one time that I make him a "long lunch." I guess that means I pack too much and it takes him a long time to get out to lunch recess. I guess I like variety since I am such a picky eater.

2) For the Oreo addiction to end. For some odd reason I think its perfectly reasonable for me to pour myself some milk and stuff 6-7 Oreos down my throat every day when I come home for lunch. For some reason if I wasn't pregnant I think I would show a little more restraint. (Probably not)

3) To be able to lick the beater when I make cookies. I guess the raw egg would do something to the baby. (How do people figure these things out?!) But I have been making cookies about once a week these days and my will power has almost run out. (I think I can, I think I can....)

4) For my body parts to stop growing larger. I can't elaborate anymore than that! Fortunately for me, my sweet husband likes to find those things too---and then reminds me "You are pregnant."
Like I could forget. :)
I'm sorry--but I am not one of those women who will look back with fond memories of pregnancy or thinks my body is amazing during this "magical" time. Its just not going to happen. I do the best I can....and if you want to get on my good side, tell me how small I look for being 6 months. You will be my new best friend. I don't know what 6 months pregnant should really look like, but just tell me how amazing I look. If you need some tips, I think my husband has it down.

5) To figure out what to do in the baby's nursery. Our guest room will be the baby's room now. We took the first step this week and sold the queen bed. I still don't know what color to paint it or how to decorate it...but at least I have the crib bedding picked out. I should say Luke finally made me make a decision a few weeks ago and ordered it for me. If it wasn't for him I probably would still be baffled at all the choices for girls. I am just stumped.

The bedding!

6) For maternity leave to start. As to when the actual date is, thats the million dollar question (along with "Do you have a name picked out?") .
Its not that I dislike work (don't quote me on that) I just despise maternity dress clothes. The bigger factor though is being able to spend time at home with the boys before school starts. I am really doubting I will be looking forward to floating in the pool (in all my skinniness) in a beautiful maternity swimsuit. But thankfully Luke will be back to work and only my boys will be forced to look at me for a few weeks.

7) To see baby Scout's face. Curls or no curls? Blond hair, dark hair... no hair? Blue eyes, dark eyes? Chubby cheeks, little cheeks? I just wish I could get a sneak peek nooooooow! (Call me Veruka Salt)

8) To watch Luke try and fix Scout's hair for the first time. There is a "famous" picture of me on my parent's wall from when I was a little kid. In the picture my hair is literally an Afro. Apparently my mom was gone that morning and it was my dad's job to get me ready to go. He took it upon himself to brush out my curls and send me out the door looking like I belonged in the Jackson 5. I can laugh about it now, but I can remember growing up, my mom had that picture of me in the hallway close to the front door. Lovely. Of course if our baby girl has curls too it will be an entirely new world for Luke since he'll really have no idea how the heck to tame it, much less comb it.

9) To get back to the gym.
Just kidding. This one was a joke. Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!

Yay for Mommy!

I had to give this post something more creative then "Mother's Day." :)

Like any other wonderful mother I love this day because its an excuse to guilt tripping my kids into behaving, getting them to do more....and to get almost anything else I want. (My husband would say that last part is just like any other day).

My Mother's Day got a jump start earlier in the week when Tubbs brought home the gift he made at school. It was absolutely adorable because attached to the "cookie recipe in a jar" there was a picture of him putting it together. We made sure to make these Sunday morning before church. Yum.

Its one thing I will miss about pre-school---is the effort the time and effort they put into homemade gifts like this for the kids.

But thankfully Bubba's teacher assembled a Mother's Day card for the kids in her class, complete with a photograph. It was very cute and I was thankful!

I made sure to hang both of my boys' pictures up at my desk at work. After 8 years of celebrating Mother's Day my desk looks more like a shrine to my boys than a work area...but I like it that way.

My Mother's Day breakfast was delicious! My husband peeled himself out of bed as soon as the boys woke up. I think they were trying to beat me out of bed but the baby was kicking so EARLY in the morning I snuck out of bed, laid on the couch in the office and read.

Luke made all my favorites---(which by the picture probably looks like too much food...but I ate it all)

Hash browns with cheese, bacon, fried eggs and buttermilk pancakes with strawberries. MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm!

No Mother's Day would be complete without a soak in the bath tub! It was a great way to end my special day and a wonderful weekend.

A special Mother's Day memory I have took place in 2001. I wasn't pregnant with Bubba yet so I took it upon myself to drive to my parent' house (450 miles north) and surprise my mom for Mother's Day. I can still remember calling my mom when I was 30 miles from their house. She asked me what I was doing and told me to come visit (like she always tells me to do). When I got to the house the garage door was open so I just walked right in the house. I wish I had a camera to capture my mom's face. It was a great weekend. I really hope my kids so that one day for me! Heck--they don't even have to surprise me. I just want them to want to come home and see their mama!

I would like to tell my mother and mother-in-law what wonderful mothers they are. I love you and I am sorry I didn't get to spend the day with you. XOXO

And to all the wonderful women among my family and friends--- Happy Mother's Day to you! I hope you got hand picked flowers from the yard, homemade cards, pictures and good food!

My New Yard Sign

In Honor of Mother's Day

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"
God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."
The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.."
God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."
Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"
God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."
"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"
God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."
"Who will protect me?"
God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."
"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."
God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."
God said, You will simply call her, " Mom ."

Muffins with Bubba

Bubba's school had "muffins with mom" this morning at school.

I love having the opportunity to be at the boys' schools...and I thought this was a great idea. I don't know if this is something they do every year, but I think they should. They served packaged muffins and orange juice for 30 minutes before the school bell rang. It was funny to watch some of the kids around me eat quickly and shoo their moms away. I tried to engage Bubba in conversation as we ate and thankfully he didn't eat too quickly. I was hoping he wasn't going to tell me he was ready for me to leave. When I asked if I could take a picture of us together he didn't hesitate, even though he probably thinks his mama is lame. (Maybe he has just gotten used to me taking pictures of everything)

What I REALLY loved was Bubba holding my hand all the way from the car to the muffin line inside the cafeteria. I know this isn't going to last much longer and still sometimes I can see him hesitate when I ask him to hold my hand. But today he held my hand for a long time.

After muffins I walked Bubba to his classroom and he still had 10-15 minutes until the bell rang. I like to watch him interact with the girls and play with his buddies. He waited patiently for some of his friends to get there and I left a few minutes before the bell rang. Even though he is in 1st grade and he is such a big boy (literally) I still get sad when I have to leave him at school. Some of you are thinking I am crazy right now, but even when I drop him off at school in the morning I watch him walk up to the gate in my rear view mirror and miss the days he was home with me. I am definitely not one of those mothers who longed for the day for him to be in school.

Anyways---since Bubba got muffins with mama today, Tubbs got donuts with daddy. Luke had to go to traffic court this morning before work so he took Tubbs with him and stopped for donuts on their way back. Thank you Luke for making sure Tubbs had a special morning too.

When the Sun Comes Out....

The clothes come off!

Not for me (thankfully for anyone around)....but for the boys.

The weather was so nice yesterday and the boys were able to swim in the pool. I am trying to get Tubbs motivated and ready for swim practice which starts in a week. He needs to be able to swim 25 yards by himself, and I am a little concerned. He just learned to swim last summer and when he races his brother in the pool he tends to cheat a little. I tried explaining he can't do that at swim practice. We'll see.

The boys also purchased the coveted "3-D shark slip-n-slide" on Friday night...so they were excited to try it out later in the afternoon. It came with a set of goggles which were supposed to turn the shark tunnel into 3-D. Tubbs was digging the goggles and soon the boys were fighting over them. (Big surprise)

Unfortunately, these little water capers usually end the same way---someone is crying and/or injured.

Oh the joys of two rough and tumbly boys.

This time it was Tubbs.

After he went through the slip-n-slide he started to army crawl back the other direction. Here comes Bubba down the slip-n-slide and his knee hit Tubbs in the face, digging the beloved goggles into Tubb's face. So.... he got a nice cut/scratch to add some character to his little mugg.

(Here is Tubbs giving me his best pathetic face)

Bubba surprised Tubbs with an apology letter and a plate full of goodies. (Banana chocolate chip muffins, pop-tarts and granola bars). I think that's Bubba's idea of a well balanced meal.

But it was a very nice gesture! Bubba loves to write letters/notes for people.

All in all, the day was great! (Better for some than others I guess)

I look forward to these lazy days of slathering on sunblock, lounging in the pool, working on projects around the house and taking naps.

Bring on summer!

100 Days Left?

When we found out we were pregnant in December this point of the pregnancy seemed so far away. Like many expecting parents we were afraid this baby girl would not make it to this point....but here we are! Luke and I endured two first trimester miscarriages in 2006 and I think we just kind of assumed I was meant to be the mother to two boys! Thankfully there was more to Heavenly Father's plan and this little girl will be here before we know it. (When I think back to 2006, I think this little girl was scared to death of being sent to two crazy big brothers--and said she would like to wait until they "matured" a little bit) :)

Is it really possible that I only have 100 days (give or take a few) in this pregnancy? 100 sounds like such a big number but I know the next 3 months are going to fly by!

Or not.

I guess with the dead heat of summer ahead of me, the days could drag by really, really slow. But with Luke and the boys out of school in a few weeks for summer vacation I am really looking forward to the next 3 months---even if I am miserable in the heat.

100 days until:

• I have to give up my elastic waist band pants. I love these! (Why can't GAP start carrying these and they be considered fashionable?!) :)
• I get my 6-pack abs back! (Ha-ha-ha! This one was Luke's idea)
• I don't have to use the bathroom 5 times every hour. (Did I mention how much I love elastic waist bands?!)
• We can finally stop guessing about who she is going to look like. (Curls or no curls :) )
• I have no excuse for not exercising
• I can eat cookie/brownie batter again.
• I can't park in "expecting" parking at Babies R Us or the Galleria.
• My belly hanging over my pants will no longer be cute---and no one will want to rub it
• I can't blame my irrational behavior and irritability on "pregnancy." (Darn it)
• Tubbs will have to start calling the baby by her real name instead of "Baby Lauren")
• I don't have an excuse not to go 4-wheeling in the Jeep
• Luke will trade in my late night foot rubs so he can hold his other girl
• I won't have to get on a scale at the Dr. every month/week and be reminded how much weight I have gained! (One of the worst parts of being pregnant I am sure)
• My shoes will hopefully fit better
• I have no reasonable excuse for eating like a pig
• Nursing bras (Ewwwwwwwwwwwww)
• I have a stroller to push when I go shopping. (I miss having something to help carry my bags)
• I am reminded how good a baby's little head smells
• I can start wearing control pantyhose again (LOL! I just gave these up because I figured I was suffocating the baby....and I am going to miss them)
• I can dress someone in pink or lavender other than myself
• I have a good excuse for not showering all day and looking (and smelling) like a mess
• I have a little person to carry around on my chest and take naps with!
• Tubbs becomes a big brother
• We become a "party of five" and one of us will have to sit by themselves when we go to Disneyland! :)

Sweet Shorts!

We signed up the boys to swim this summer with one of the local swim teams. Last week I took the boys to get fitted for their swimsuits.
Bubba's shorts had pink and purple on the side and he almost wouldn't try them on for me---even though I tried telling him over and over I just needed to see if they were the right size. I had to convince him that this pair of shorts wasn't what he was going to be swimming in.
When I took the picture he made sure to cover up the "girl part" of the shorts.

Jack!

When I was a kid I can remember my dad saying, "Why do all the retarded animals come to my house?!"
I guess he wasn't seriously asking since he knew the answer. My mom was a stay at home mom, so when stray cats or dogs came around there was always someone home. Lucky us!
We had two small dogs growing up, but we had lots of different cats. My favorite cat was orange and was named "Retard." (I am sure it was my dad who gave him that name)
Anyways, I preface this post with this story because after dealing with Jack the hamster since the end of February, I am asking myself the same question:

Why do the retarded animals come to my house?

Enter Jack the hamster!

Jack has been with us for just over 2 months. (It seems like a lot longer than that!)

Jack has escaped from his cage twice (because we have forgotten to latch the front door) and his exercise ball twice. We usually let him roll around the house in his ball for an hour or so at night. We have wood floors so you can usually hear him trollin' around. When it gets quiet, you know he is up to something.

When he makes his escape he usually heads to the boys' room to play with the toys.

Its actually kind of funny to catch him. When we put him back in his cage he is not happy. He literally begins trying to break out of the cage again and starts chewing on the bars like a psychopath. You can see from the video below its humorous to watch---as long as he can't get out again without us knowing.

After he gets caught and put back in his cage Jack now dumps his food out all over the bottom of his cage. After the first two occurrences I filled his bowl up right away. But on the 3rd day in a row I gave up. The hamster can die for all I care! (Good thing Bubba doesn't read this) Ha-Ha.

Field Trip with Bubba

Bubba's 1st grade class (and 3 other classes) took a field trip out to "Wind Wolves Preserve" this week.

I love, love, love going on field trips with the boys....especially when I can ride the bus.

I love watching the kids interact with each other as well as watch Bubba's face as he looks out the window. Bubba has only been able to ride the bus for field trips, so he is still intrigued by the "bus ride." :) I felt good that Bubba wanted to ride with me on the bus as opposed to sit next to one of his friends. We played "rock-paper-scissors" for a minute or two and then he was ready to look out the window again for a while. Then I would let him play a game on my phone until he was ready to look out the bus window some more.

The ride out to the preserve was about 30 minutes or so and then it took another 15 minutes to get checked in and able to unload the buses. The weather was a little chillier than I would have liked, but at least it wasn't raining.

The kids split into their classes and each kid received a magnifying glass to do some detective work. A "naturalist" was assigned to guide each class and we hiked around different trails looking for clues on what might live in the vicinity.

The kids all thought it was great and that's all that mattered.

We left the preserve around 12:45 and the kids were exhausted. Bubba laid his head on my lap and fell right to sleep. I was drowsy as well and wishing I had a lap to lay my head on! :)

Monkey Boy

At my company picnic at the Riverwalk they had a rock-wall for climbing.

Surprisingly Tubbs wanted to strap on the climbing gear and give it a try.

I think he strapped on the gear two separate time and tried to climb it 4-5 different times. Each time he would get a little further before he looked down and got scared.

He has always been my little climber (aka spider monkey).

I think he was 7-8 months the first time he crawled out of his crib.

At 2 or 3 years old he was able to scale over our pool fence. (Yes---talk about scary)

At 2 or 3 years old he could also scale to the top of the metal post in the back yard that goes from the cement to the roof of the patio cover.

(Hmmm....Maybe he'll be a lumber jack when he gets older....)

Car Wash for a Good Cause

Tubbs' pre-school has a "Relay for Life Team" this year to support one of their teachers who has cancer.

I have been so impressed with the staff's enthusiasm and creativity to raise money.

They have sold homemade salsa and are having a Pampered Chef fundraiser right now.

Last week they held a car wash where the 4 and 5 year old kids got to wash cars for donations. I was fortunate enough to skip out of work for about 45 minutes to support the cause.

As I pulled into the line to get my car washed in the parking lot, I was looking for Tubbs in the sea of gremlins in purple shirts.

From a distance I see him hanging out at the water cooler with his buddy Cooper and sunglasses on.

I snapped a few pictures of the crew during their snack time. It was about 80 degrees out and the kids had only been outside for about 30 minutes. You would have thought they were being treated as slave labor the way they flopped down anxiously on the blanket to eat grapes, crackers and juice.

Tubbs's friend rubbing his buzzed head during snack time