Figures.

The one morning this week that I am not tired and stumbling around bleary-eyed, desperately clutching my coffee.... the boys actually sleep in.

It's 7:30. And this is the latest they've slept in by a half hour so far in a week.

I've spent the last hour+ wasting time on the internet, waiting to hear the patter of their feet across the floor upstairs. But, no.

I guess I should go clean the kitchen. (Which I JUST cleaned 12 hours ago, and it's a complete train wreck AGAIN.)

Toy Pile

At the time I looked at this pile of toys, it seemed huge to me - and it should, because that is every toy we own, except the outside balls, etc., and the wooden train tracks that are upstairs in the extra bedroom. I have no idea what Nathan was trying to do when he made this pile, which, before I took the picture, also included all their DVDs (in the truck and box), and all the downstairs books (board books).
And then I thought - you know, that's really not that bad. It's really not that many toys compared to some houses I've seen. I'm glad the boys can be happy with their toys. And most of those are second-hand. It just proves that "Kids don't need nearly as much as we'd like to give them."

Twenty-Nine

Birthdays aren't a big deal to me. I don't need to be fussed over, and I don't need presents. If someone gets me something, I'm just as happy (if not more happy) with practical (boring) as a "because I had to get you something" gift.
But it still made me feel special to come home to find Paul and the boys making this:
It's the WalMart version of a Royal Blue Velvet Cake - meaning: Paul went to WalMart to buy the ingredients, but in typical WalMart fashion.... They didn't have what he needed. He needed 8-inch pans, but they only had 9-inch, and they didn't have real food coloring, only gel that apparently can't achieve beyond a pastel hue.
But it was still delicious, and I loved it.

Gaaah! Gall Bladder!

Last night I had what I am convinced was a gall bladder attack. I am really starting to doubt the capabilities of my gut.
I ate donuts and decaf coffee for supper (don't judge!) after the boys were in bed, took a shower, and when I got out of the shower just before 9, all the sudden my stomach felt really upset. I spent the next hour on the couch, watching Glee (again - don't judge!) and intermittently leaning over the barf bucket, sure it was about to come up. I finally gave up and went to bed, and spent the next 3 hours in severe pain, unable to sleep, and unable to get comfotable.
Sometime after 1:30, I got up to internet diagnose myself. Based on what it felt like and how I'd eaten the last two days, I suspected my gall bladder. I looked up symptoms and it sounded just like what I was experiencing.
Then - wonder of all wonders - sitting up seemed to cure me. The pain subsided to a level where at least I could sleep. (Which I read could happen if gall stones are the culprit - moving around moves them around, too.)
The boys woke me up at 7, and I got up with them. But this time, sitting up seemed to be a bad thing to do, and the pain came back. Not nearly as severe, but more than I cared to experience. I'd read about a home remedy - 1 cup of apple juice, with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I had Paul pick up some apple juice on the way home from work, and I tried it.
It did seem to work. But I was exhausted. Paul had his mom come and get the boys and take them to church so I could get some rest.
I feel much better tonight. Still tired, and a bit dehydrated, but hopefully it's past.

And like any mom, and prairie wife.... I was out in the garden tonight, pulling weeds, picking peas, and taking the boys on a walk. There's no such thing as a sick day when you're a mommy!

I'm busy, busy.....

(I'm thinking that's a song... From "Alice in Wonderland?" Not sure. But it's stuck in my head.)
It's been crazy around here. Last weekend we played for a wedding at the Indian Hills Country Club up in the city. It's definitely the nicest wedding we've ever played for. I really am wondering why they chose us (small-town, small-time musicians) to play for them, when everything else they did was complete top of the line - swanky location, real flowers (in huge arrangements), cocktail hour, full dinner..... But, whatever. I'm not going to complain. They were happy with us, and we made more money than we ever have playing at a wedding. (We upped our rate from $50 to $75 apiece - which is still a steal, if you look at what other musicians charge. And Paul, his sister, and our friend that plays cello got $100 each for playing during a "cocktail hour" which is something we've never done before.)
So in relation to that... I've been working on a website to send people to when they want to know more about our music. It's nothing fancy, just another blogspot, but I'm quite proud of it. You can look at it by clicking on my profile - it should show up as one of my blogs. Otherwise, you can wait until the "official unveiling" when I've got all the information on there.
Also in relation to that... I used the money I earned to buy flowers. And - good or bad, I'm not sure - Orscheln marked all their flowers down 1/2 price the day I went shopping. So I came out of there with 12 6-packs (72 plants), and 7 larger 4-inch pots, all for $23. Combine those with the petunias I already have, and... I'm going to have lots of planters this summer.
Summer hit full force. It's been in the mid-90s all week. We got the air conditioner replaced just in time... It's been running non-stop since last Tuesday. So much for having a month off between heating bills and air-conditioning bills. Paul bought Nathan some water balloons and water guns last week. Then Paul's parents brought over Paul's stash from growing up. Now we have a minimum of 20 water guns, including two super-soakers. So damp clothing is becoming a norm. We got a new plastic pool today (more wedding money splurging), so we'll be breaking out the swimming suits this evening. (Not looking forward to that...)
The boys slept until 9:30 yesterday and the day before, which resulted in them being not-tired-enough for naps at naptime. Jake slept about an hour both days, but when I sent Nathan up to go to sleep, he woke up Jacob. So that resulted in both boys being cranky by suppertime, which resulted in me being ready to pull my hair out by the time Paul got home. So I think I'm going to go sit in the recliner and stare off in to space for a while, while I let HIM deal with the sounds that are coming from upstairs.....

Wedding Music Puzzle:

Bach's "Air on the G String".... In the key of D.... Played on the A and E strings.
I don't get it.

Why?

Why is it that teaching our children a lesson seems to involve more pain and misery on the part of the PARENT than it does the child?
I.e.:
Teaching your child to eat at meal times..... Results in a child that screams for 3 solid hours because he hasn't eaten since supper the night before. Wouldn't it be easier to give in and give them a snack? But then they know they don't have to eat at meal times because they'll just get a snack later.
Ugh.
Another:
Bedtime battles.... It would be easier to just let them play or keep sneaking out of bed to find the cat. Then at least you wouldn't have to keep pausing your movie or actual adult converstations to go spank and put kids back in bed. Or turn it up loud enough to wake up the other one so you can hear it over the screams of the protestor. But how else do they learn that bedtime is non-negotiable?
Sigh.
I do love my life. But I do understand why some mothers are driven to drink.