Garage Sale? CHECK!

Wow.

What a crazy-busy weekend! After I (finally!) got off my tail-end and started on my freakishly long list of things to accomplish, I'm proud to say that I can officially take "garage sale" off our to-do list!

I stayed up until after midnight on Thursday (which is late for me - I know, I'm such a wild one) baking cookies for the kids to sell at the sale and then we got up at 5am on Friday to start setting everything out, which was a good idea because apparently people come early to garage sales. Especially when there's outdoor activities equipment (hunting, camping, hiking, etc.). I couldn't believe it! We were set to begin at 8am and hadn't even put out the signs yet (but we had advertised on Craigslist and the local paper) and we'd already made $150 by the time 8am on the first morning hit - CRAZINESS I tell you!

So, it was a super tiring weekend, but it was really wonderful at the same time. It was fun hanging out with my Jeff, and the kids plus my parents (who brought a ton of stuff to sell as well). The kids had a great time selling the cookies and they worked together wonderfully at the table. It was adorable.

Overall, it was a definite win-win. We got rid of a lot of extra stuff and people actually gave us money for it! Who knew!?

Oh, and since it is Monday and all I have this for you (because I might have caught my husband on camera as he was doing his best fat-guy-in-a-little-coat impression - you know, from "Tommy Boy" - while he was trying on one of the shirts my Dad brought to the sale). I know. You're welcome (Katherine!).

And of course I had to add one of the kids with their "cookie table." Because, well, obviously!

And there you have it. It was fun, we got rid of a TON of our junk stuff, and I hope to not have to do it again for a VERY long time. How was your weekend?

I'm gonna take a guess that...

• ...the the first reason stated in the email titled, "Top 3 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight" was "You Delete These Emails!"

• ...my kids start screaming at each other and throwing fits the second I'm talking to any doctor, dentist, or social services employee on the phone because they want to see how fast they can make my head literally explode into a million pieces.

• ...the high school student in the school office this morning who was wondering if her outfit was within the dress-code already knew the answer before she walked in there. Seriously sweetheart, if you have to ask...

• ...when I ask my kids if they want to sit in a time out the answer is always going to be a whiny, "Nooooo!" So, why do I find myself still asking?!

• ...not everyone would classify the activities I do to stretch out my jeans as exercise - but I do. Hello - Yoga, anyone!?

• ...when I signed in to volunteer at the school this morning and wrote down the date as, "February 29, 2010" it was just because I was so tired - not because I didn't remember that the 29th of February isn't even a day this year. I promise it was the exhaustion... Promise.

I "Might Have" Monday

We might have all but completely run out of groceries over our busy weekend. Seriously.

I might have made the kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with English muffins for their lunches today because we were out of regular bread.

I also might have been staring down the last banana trying to figure out a way to have the kids split it in the lunch room at school.

I might have been willing to just toss a quarter in each lunch bag for them to buy milk to go with their pitiful looking lunches.

My husband might have looked at those pathetic lunches and then back at me and said sarcastically, "Lets just go wild and spring for school-lunches today..."

So, here's to Monday. Go wild.

Lately, when I drive the older kids to the bus stop in the morning it has been dark. This is puzzling to Jack who is a firm believer that when it's dark out, we are supposed to be sleeping [couldn't agree more, kid!]. Today when he and I got back, I got him out of the car and he immediately looks into the sky and exclaims, "MOON!"

"I see it, buddy! Good eye!"

"Wait, Mommy, I want to play with it!... Oh, no!! - God didn't make me wings! [pouty face] He gave Grandpa's pigeons wings, but not me! That's not fair! Oh, wait - I have teeth! Haha - pigeons don't have teeth! They don't get granola bars and I do! I don't need wings, Mommy - I have granola bars."

Thank you Lord, for the little things, like granola bars. And the big things, like falling in love all over again with cup-half-full kind of kids, even when it is dark out and we're all supposed to be sleeping...

::Don't pigeons have teeth? No? Either way, I guess I've never seen one eat a granola bar - so I'll just let that one go...::

Just Keeping It Real

"Soccer Mom"

The title holds different meaning to me now than it used to. Probably because I officially am one now. Before I had kids, I always wanted to be one. You know, the mom who brings all the healthy snacks to the games, gives other kids rides home, takes pictures of every event, is always on the go heading to one activity or another - always with a big I've-got-it-all-together smile on her face as her perfectly groomed kids run smiling into her arms right after making the winning goal for the game.

I'm not that Mom. Not even close.

You know the Mom who runs in late with 4 bags over her shoulder, a kid falling off her hip, and two more trailing behind still trying to get their shoes on? That's me. The one who's literally sweaty after rushing around just trying to get her kids to practice only to find that her son brought one soccer cleat and no shin guards. I'm the Mom who forgot the water bottles and her kids had to run in the school to use the drinking fountains for their water break (which apparently isn't cool). I'm the Mom who forgets the snack altogether and has to quickly drive to the market during the game to pick up some Nutter Butters and juice boxes. I sometimes forget sweatshirts for the kids when it's raining at practice and when we get home, instead of pulling a casserole out of the freezer for dinner (because there aren't any in there), I rely on scrambled eggs and peanut butter toast so we can do homework and hurry to bed.

I am realizing that my pre-kid vision of what being a "Soccer Mom" meant was a vision not yet covered by the veil of reality. I don't do it all. I can't. In fact most of the things I do I don't necessarily do a great job with. But I'm figuring it out, finding my balance, and trying, failing, and then trying again.

I don't have to be perfect. Trying to be perfect is not only impossible, it makes me not much fun to be around - at all. What is important is laughing, having meaningful conversation with my kids, knowing that I have a God who is the perfect parent - who is never late, scatter brained, or forgetful and who will help me simply do my best for my kids... because my kids are pretty forgiving even if I'm late, sweaty, and forgot the snacks.

Laugh It Off.

Boy, parenting is not easy. Ever. But, if nothing else, it's comical. Most of the time. In a lot of parenting situations I've found myself in I really could cry, but eventually (emphasis on the eventually) I just laugh instead. Take yesterday, for instance, when we learned that our 6 year old son told his whole class (plus his teacher and the aide in the room) that Jeff and I are "splitting up" because we "fight all the time" and that Carter (and everyone but Jeff) is moving in with Grandpa and Grandma. I know, right - wow.

Lucky for us (for some reason that just doesn't seem like the right wording for this story) they now go to the small school we went to as children (so most of the faculty and staff know Jeff and me) and his teacher went immediately to the school secretary to confirm or exterminate the "news." The secretary had no idea (but doubted it was true). Still, they prayed all morning - just in case. We do have actual family members who work at the school who could exterminate the rumors -but not before word had already spread across the campus.

What a headache. Oh, well. I'm finding out (especially as a parent) that life is one big learning curve. I'll probably perfect parenting right when my last child moves out, and all I will be able to do then (with my parenting expertise) is aid my kids with fantastic advice when they start having their own kids - whether they ask for it or not. After all, it's stories like this one today that the kids inflicted on me that eventually will make me a better parent and it gives me the right to hand out my opinion to them as often as I feel like it, so - children of mine - whether you take it or leave it, the parenting advice will be doled out. You can count on it.

It's September - School's Starting!

Six days. I have a lot to do in order to prepare for the first day of school, but I just don't feel like starting. The biggest thing is to have the kids practice getting up at the time they will for school - and waking kids up when they would be perfectly content to sleep another hour and a half (at least) is just plain wrong.

This year, since they will be going to a different school, I will be driving about 2 miles down the road to meet the bus (last year the bus picked them up outside of our house - blissful!) so I have to have all of us at least bundled up with shoes on to meet the bus. Most days I'm hoping Jeff can drop them off on his way to work - but that sort of thinking might just be a coping mechanism to get through right now.

After going school supply shopping I realized that an hour of my life just disappeared and I'll never get it back - what a headache! Mostly because I didn't know there was a difference between a composition notebook and a spiral notebook. I also didn't know what protractors were... or where to find them because they weren't anywhere even close to the "elementary school supplies" isle. I majored in Sociology - yes, that's the best defense I have for not knowing what a protractor was and come on - they're going into the first and second grade, not high school! After I got all of the supplies I called my sister (in law - but saying that makes her sound less like my sister and we're about as "sisterly" as you can get) who laughed at me (like I said - we're sisters) and then said they probably will use the protractor - that took me 35 minutes to find - for maybe one "small section" of the whole year. Nice.

I'm not ready for school to start and I'm realizing that it really has nothing to do with what's left on my "get ready" list and everything to do with not wanting my kids away from me all day. They are so great - really - and I'm going to miss them! I'm so thankful that they will be going to a four-day schedule and I will get 3 full days with them every week - plus, well, they're just super stoked to go back to school so that makes it easier to let them. I just love those little monsters so much and I really don't know what Jack's going to do without them (seriously - what are we going to do!?!) but it will all work out. Somehow (thank you, Lord!) it always does.