"Thank You For Your Service"

As the veterans walked passed us proudly holding the American flag the boys shouted, "Thank you for your service!"

Today is a wonderful day to take time and thank our servicemen and women for all they have given and sacrificed for us and our great country. But I hope that we don't need a special day to say "thank you". I hope we take any and every opportunity to show our support and appreciation to those that serve in our military and their families.

If you have a moment please read this. It is a great glimpse into the life of a soldier.

And to all our veterans, those that are currently serving in our military, and all the strong, supportive military families, "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!"

To Help With Patience

Hosted by Cecilyand Mamarazzi

Two weeks ago the nights were cold enough for the kiddos to be wearing their warmest jammies. One night after they'd all had their baths I lined them up on the couch and took their picture. I am such a sucker for littles in footie jammies and knowing the cool weather wouldn't last much longer I wanted to take the opportunity while I had it.

Now looking at this picture makes me a little melancholy. It seems their childhood is just as fleeting as the cold nights were. They get bigger everyday. These jammies will no longer fit them next year. Their toes will be jammed up to the front of the footies, the sleeves will barely make it to their wrists. And once again we will run out to the store to get the next biggest size.

This morning the boys wandered downstairs in their underwear, sleep still worn across their faces. They plopped down on couch next to me (and next to me, and on top of me). I closed my eyes and breathed in their warm, musty smell, willing myself to memorize it before it too changed.

I only had a few moments of peace before the boys were abuzz with questions and excitement about our weekend trip up north to the family cabin.

"We'll leave as soon as we can." I answered.

"It takes just over three hours." I reminded.

"Yes, you can take your fishing poles." I reassured.

"If you are good this morning we'll get some bakery." I bribed.

"I know you are excited but please quiet down. Grace needs her sleep." I begged.

On and on it went, my melancholy pushed to the back on my mind as I wearily answered question after question and continued to shush the boys.

I know this weekend will test my patience (just like this morning) over and over again. The car ride alone has the ability to drive me to insanity. But holding this picture in my mind should give me a nudge towards extra patience and help me remember just how fast it all goes.

I Keep 'Em In Line

Recently, it seems that every time I have taken the kids to the park I have had to discipline other people's children. Now, I know this is a very taboo subject but I'm gonna go there anyway.

The first incident happened when we were at the zoo and a boy, I'd guess he was about 8 years old, starting throwing rocks at the bison who were just a few feet away. Without even glancing around to see if his parents were watching I immediately said, "Oh no, honey, don't throw rocks at the animals." The kid looked at me like I had horns, but he stopped. The mother must have seen what happened and walked over and dragged her child away. I'm not sure if she was embarrassed at what he did or angry that I scolded him. Truthfully, I don't care.

Yesterday we were at the park and some boys, again probably about 7 or 8 years old, were chasing each other around. One of them said, "I'm gonna kick your God darn butt!" Without even thinking I said, "Oh, don't talk like that. Uh-uh." To the kid's credit he looked embarrassed and right away tried to make polite conversation with me which I happily agreed to.

In both of these situations the parents were not far away but just far enough that they did not hear or see what was happening. I, however, did see it. And I have no issue with calmly letting someone else's child know that certain behaviors are not acceptable.

I see parents do this less and less, but when I was a child it was common. My friends and I knew that just because our parents weren't around it did not mean that we would not get in trouble. And that is a very important thing for kids to know. If my kids were misbehaving and I didn't see it I would hope that another adult would calmly tell them they are not acting appropriately. In my mind, it does take a village to raise a child. I think that if more people were willing to step out of their comfort zone and speak up there would be a lot less children growing up feeling entitled to do whatever they want to do whether it is bullying, teasing, or just misbehaving. When parents are not around some kids think they can do whatever they want.

Case and point, our old house is two blocks away from a high school and many of the kids would walk by our house on the way home from school. One day as I was getting the mail I saw a group of 4 or 5 kids pushing another kid around, throwing his backpack into the street, tripping him, and basically picking on him. I got so mad I came out of my house and said, "What the hell are you doing?" The kids quickly told me that he was a friend of theirs and I basically told them they were pretty crappy friends. I let them know that they had better knock it off or I would become "their friend" and dish out a little of their own.

Perhaps I was a little harsh in that situation but it really made me angry. If there is one thing I can't stand it is a group of kids picking on ONE kid. Bunch of cowards.

I saw that same group of kids just about every day and they never acted like that again. At least not in front of my house. Though I will admit I kept waiting for our house to get toilet papered after that incident. ;)

So, I want to know, what do you think? Am I out of line correcting other kids' behavior? Would you have been angry with me if you were the kids' parents in any of those situations? Have you ever corrected or scolded someone else's child? What happened? Was the parent upset? Let me hear it, readers!

A Massive Gaping Head Wound Will Get You A Whole Lot Of Cool Stuff

Yesterday Joey had a collision with another kid on the playground at school and got a pretty nasty cut above his eye. We took him to the doctor's office and he didn't even flinch when they gave him a few shots in the cut and sewed him up with stitches on the inside and outside of the cut. Ouch. Such a tough guy.

This is the first emergency trip to the doctor's office for any of my boys. With three very active boys I am amazed we have not had any broken bones, sprained parts and pieces, or any other massive gaping head wounds until today.
This is Joe right when he got home from the doctor's. The doctor told us to ice it as much as possible to keep the swelling down but that Joey's whole eye would probably be swollen and black and blue the next day. We gave him ibuprofen to help him sleep and hoped for the best.

This morning his eye was definitely red and swollen but not at all black and blue. Joe was still pretty sore and he decided he wanted to stay home from school. I agreed that another day off might be in order.

Overall, I think that Joey thought this whole getting hurt thing wasn't such a bad deal. He had gotten a happy meal out of it. A bunch of snacks. A new toy. A ton of attention. He spent the day playing board games and drawing outside on the patio with chalk instead of working hard in school. Not too shabby.

(When Joey saw this picture he said, "Okay, now that just looks ridiculous." hehe And for the record, I disagree. Stitches or no stitches he is a handsome little man.)

Hate Mail and Love Letters

Dear Morning Coffee-

I love you. Don't ever leave me.

Forever yours,

So tired

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Dear Grocery Store Bagger-

Seriously? My 2 liter bottle of soda ON TOP of my bananas? SERIOUSLY? WHY? And WHY do you put my fruit with my RAW MEAT??? HELLO???
You have the easiest job in the world. Honestly. In. The. World. I can say that because I am speaking from two years of experience in the grocery bagging world. Please. Do better or next time I will not be friendly.

One peeved off customer

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Dear 80 Degree Weather-

Welcome to Wisconsin in May. Please make yourself comfortable and feel free to stay as long as you like. Well into October if you're free. I love having you here. You make me happy.
Don't leave. Ever.

Your loyal fan forever,

Sunbathing Mama

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Dear Neighbor-

We're new here, and I definitely don't want to be THAT neighbor. You know, the nagging, annoying, hassle of a neighbor? But honestly, you leave me no choice.

I haven't said anything even though it has been months since my kids have gotten a decent nap. I haven't said anything though the constant barking has made it much less enjoyable to be outside. I was SO CLOSE to saying something this morning when you let your dog outside at 6:30 and he continued to bark for over a half an hour. But I am telling you, if you do not discipline your dog soon, I WILL say something. I will have to.

I love dogs. I grew up with dogs. I had a dog. I hope to get a dog one day soon. I don't blame your dog. I blame you. Dogs bark. But for hours on end without any breaks is just madness. Heard of common courtesy? It's great. Get some.

Signed,

Your neighbor with the cotton in her ears

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Dear Grey's Anatomy Writers-

Thanks for the panic attacks.

I was finally able to watch the two hour finale last night and I have to say that was the most stressful two hours of television I have ever watched. I frequently had to pause the show so that I could catch my breath. It was horrible. I don't know how I finished watching the entire show. Man.

Sincerely,

I need a massage

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Dear Cold-

Leave me and my family alone. We've had enough. Go away!

We eat healthy. We get plenty of exercise. We take our vitamins. We get as much rest as we can. What more do you want from us? GO. AWAY!

Sick and Tired Mama

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*SIGH*

I feel better. Thanks.

Mama's Turn

It is a rainy Friday morning. The kind of morning that makes you want to tuck your head deep under the covers and go back to sleep for another few hours. Especially when the night before was thick with choppy sleep, stuffy nose, throbbing head, and sore throat.

The kids had little colds last week and this time I caught it too. I wonder if my kids are much tougher than I because I don't recall them suffering through this cold like I am. It is a peach. Perhaps this cold is making up for the healthy last year I've had. I can't remember the last time I was sick like this. My head feels so tight and full, my throat is raw, and my nose is thoroughly plugged. It makes me thankful that today's weather keeps us indoors because even though I've been feeling so wretched I've been playing outside with the kids all day, planting all of my outdoor flowers, taking family walks, and going for my runs. Probably not the smartest thing to do but when the weather is as lovely as it has been I just can't help myself.

This weekend is supposed to be even better. The temps are going to be in the 80s well into next week and I hope this cold takes off so that we can enjoy the family picnic and swimming we have planned.

For now Ben and I will snuggle on the couch under a heap of blankets watching movies and waiting for Grace to wake up and the boys to come home from school. I may even make myself some chicken soup. If I can muster the energy.

What a weekend!

Hosted by Krystyn

This was one of the best weekends we've had in a long time. We packed so much into this one weekend and yet it never felt rushed.


The entire weekend was spent soaking up fresh air and sunshine outside. We went to the zoo, a couple of parks, a restaurant, and the lake. Todd and I ran 4 miles together (our first run together, EVER) in a fundraiser for the kids' school. We grilled out. We laid out in the sun when the kids napped. And we rode bikes with the boys. It was a great weekend.


I think Grace was worn out from all of the outdoor excitement because the little lady is still sleeping right now and it is almost 9 in the morning! It was probably the most fresh air she has ever had but I think she enjoyed every minute of it. I know I did!