Someone sneak me some gum!

Some of my favorite memories of my Dad are him yelling at us about chewing gum. He HATES the stuff, let me repeat that, he HATES the stuff. It was banned from our house growing up, if he caught you with some you had to endure the lecture about how obnoxious it is, smacking your jaw like that, and heaven forbid you got caught snapping it. You know how you make it pop inside your mouth, that was the ultimate NoNo. Then you got the lecture about how only the 'easy' girls snapped their gum like that. Plus, if he were to happen to find a stray wrapper lying around, that was the end of it all, you were grounded until you were married. 

So of course, I am a gum chewer.... I LOVE the stuff. But I still shake in my shoes and quickly spit it out when I see my Dad. My kids have picked up the habit from me. I chew gum so I don't eat something, they chew gum and eat something. Recently it has gotten out of control, and the other day I caught my husband screaming at a group of small children cowering behind one another in the playroom, he had stepped in chewed gum on the carpet. Then he started saying strange things like, I am "sick and tired", and "I have had enough!" 

My husband has become my Father! He banned gum from our house, and I don't blame him. I am tired of cleaning it up, and picking up their wrappers. Somehow gum has cause our children to act like animals, instead of acting more mature, gum causes them to digress. 

This is my proof:

The 3 year old can't manage to keep gum in her mouth for more than 10 minutes. It usually ends up in her beautiful hair, or on the floor.

The 18 month old however, can chew gum for hours. This particular piece made it all the way through 3 hours of church. 

So here is my dilemma, how do I keep chewing gum when it is banned in the house? 

I'll have to sneak it in the bathroom, like when I was 10 years old. 

Wearing socks in the summer.

Yesterday I was working at my desk when Storie excitedly called my name. 

"Mom, Mom, I did it , I did it! I put on a sock!" 

I spun around and saw her on the floor behind me. As I started to say, "Good job Storie" something hit me.... This was the first time she was ever doing something. We wear crocs here 11mo. out of the year. She has no reason to ever put on socks herself. 

All of a sudden it became really neat. 

It was really sweet watching her try and work the sock the right way.
It really took some maneuvering. 
But she finally got it.
Look how proud of herself she was. 
She is so beautiful. 
I promise that I am not under the influence of PMS in any way, putting on socks does not normally cause me to cry, but with little kids you often get to see them doing something you have done a thousand times, for the very first time. She will put on socks for the rest of her life, but yesterday I got to see it the very first time she ever did it herself. I got to see that look on her face when she finally got it on right.... I have to run, something is wrong with my computer screen, it is all blurry, I better go and hug the kids!

* Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway! Today is the last day for the necklace. 

Check back tomorrow for my new giveaway tomorrow, worth over $250!

I had children to keep me humble.

I have just enough self esteem left to share this story with y'all. Then after this I am done, no one look me in the eye I am just too embarrassed! The thing that I love the most about 3 year olds is their honesty. They don't lie or beat around the bush, if they have something to say, they say it.

The following is a true story, it happened to me yesterday morning...

Because I am a Mother and have no privacy, as I was getting out of the shower my favorite 3 year old walked into my bathroom. I was drying myself off with a towel when I noticed her staring at me with a questionable look. 

"What's going on Storie?" I asked.

Staring straight at my breasts she says, "why are they so long?"

Speechless, I manage to mumble, "because I am a Mom." 

Without hesitation she replies, "you look like an elephant" and walks away.

So thats it. I look like an elephant and I have long breasts. I wanted to scream down the hall at her...  "yea well, hey there little girl, I just got done nursing for 11 years in a row, sometimes two children at a time and a few of you ungrateful children till you were two!" But I didn't think she would care. The damage is done, I have no self esteem left!

Does anyone know a good plastic surgeon? 

How do you get grease out of leather?

I am getting worried that my kids don't need me, even the little ones. A quality that I love about my children is that they are "do it yourselfer's" if they want or need something they don't hang around for help.

 I'd say 90% of the time they are very good about asking permission, but once I have uttered a child's magic word, "Yes" they are gone. There is no chancing that I might realize what they have asked and change my mind. 

For example, Storie asked me yesterday if she could have some peanut butter. I said "yes" thinking as soon as I am done checking my email I will get her some. Apparently that was not in her time frame. Ten minutes later this is what I found...

Rush apparently wanted some peanut better also. I thought it was nice Storie shared with him don't you?
I was thinking Storie wanted a sandwich or apples slices with peanut butter, but now I know when she asks for peanut butter, I can just hand her a spoon and the jar!

Do stuffed animals stink up the bathroom?

Storie calls me into the bathroom yesterday morning.

"What's that smell?" she asks. 

"Um, I don't know?" Not wanting to call attention to the project she is working on. 

"It's dog poop." Storie says, clearly irritated I couldn't figure that out for myself. 

"Max is making this place smell really bad, go put him in the playroom." She demands.

"Honey, I am not sure it is Max, how do you know?"

"Every time I bring him in the bathroom he smells like stunk, take him out!!

So I did and it didn't seem to help the smell situation!

Sleeping Beauty or Sleeping Storie??

I am never surprised anymore at the places I find my 5th child sleeping. She has even fallen asleep on the top of my husbands head. Don't believe me? I have the video to prove it. Most small children traditionally take naps, not Storie, she has been too good for those silly little nap things since she was about 6 months old. Instead, she unwillingly falls asleep in the most uncomfortable places and positions possible.

I think this might be a blessing for her in the long run. I have to have perfect conditions to fall asleep, my bed, dark room, night time etc. I am always jealous of people who can sleep anywhere and anytime. I can't even sleep in the car, I am afraid I am going to miss something. 

Can you remember a crazy place your kids have fallen asleep or even you, when you were little? 

The best sleeping story I am going to post on my blog and send you a SURPRISE!

"What are those?"

Yesterday Anna I took the three little ones and went to run a few errands. Aunt Anna came with us, and of course as soon as we got out of the car Storie Bean said "Pick me up!!! Pick me up!" So Anna was carrying her into the store when Bean pointed to her chest and said, "What are these?" I thought we were going to die laughing and then Anna shot me a look like, "Say something! She's your kid!" So I smiled, and before I could respond Bean asked, "Where'd you get them?" We started laughing harder (but to ourselves so she wouldn't be sad...) and I finally was able to get out, "Some people buy them." Anna followed up with, "Yeah, you can buy them." Bean looked at her chest again thoughtfully, "They're too big for me."

Oh kids say the darndest things.

Lemonade Stand

How could you not stop by this stand and get some lemonade from these four little girls?  You can't!  They're too cute.  We decided that it was finally time to dejunk the garage this Saturday, and while we were cleaning we had quite a few people stop and start "shopping around" what they thought was a garage sale.  Guess we had a lot of crap.
So the girls thought they'd do a lemonade stand, it's the traditional activity when Mom and Dad are cleaning the garage or having a sale.  It's perfect for two reasons: 

1.  It kept them occupied and 

2.  It kept them occupied.

Paige and Emma busied themselves getting the tables and chairs, Aunt Anna made the lemonade and I made the sign.  Soon they were out to make their first dollar.  It was so funny to watch them interact with their guests.  All in a five minute period, this is what was going on:

Emma looked like an air traffic controller waving cars in to park so they could get lemonade

Paige was doing a butt swinging dance and then pointing to the sign 

Avery was waving like Miss Texas

And Storie was licking all the straws (and putting them back) and drinking all the lemonade.

As the show went on, Storie became even more helpful-adding straws (the licked ones) to drinks, taking a sip and announcing, "Is good!!"  

I know what business I'm going into next, lemonade stands.  They made $26!!! 

I'm Growing Up!!

If you happen to be around a certain three year old and she utters those words it could get dangerous. Storie always says, "I'm growing up!" when she has to burp. I think that started because she thought she had to "throw up" one time, but discombobulated the words. Anyway, there was one time when she kept telling me she had to "grow up" in the grocery store.  I kept telling her "go ahead but not too fast..." Well, she turned her head and "grew up" all over Paige in one of those cool three seater kid grocery carts.  Paul and I pulled it off really well. We acted like nothing happened and managed to clean it up in front of 100 other shoppers that had no idea anyone just "grew up." Anyway tonight when we were eating dinner she was arguing about whether or not her steak was chicken and whether or not she could have ketchup on it... she scrunched her little body up and down and told us "I'm trying to grow up!" She didn't "grow up" or anything but it was hysterical.