Why It Is Completely Pointless to Attempt to Clean House While Children Are Awake

What you can't see very well is the bag of crayons scattered all over the floor between the piano bench and the book shelves.

I needed to do some filing, and in the 15 minutes it took me to do that, this is what they did to the room where the file cabinet is.

When I started the task, the room was clean and organized, except for the pile of music on the piano bench (half of the pile in the picture).

Sigh.

And people wonder why my house is always a mess.

And the bad thing was, they did this on Wednesday, and I haven't even bothered to clean it up. And they haven't bothered coming back in this room that they just HAD to play in while I was in there - even though the living room (where the TV and all their toys are) is like 10 feet away and if full view of me.

Gah.

Spring Fever

You know it's been a long winter, when your sick son gets up from watching TV and comes and finds you, wearing this outfit and with the single request: "Mommy, I need to go outside."


The sun was shining, and even though it was windy, it was [slightly] above freezing that day, so I obliged for a little while. Ten minutes of playing in the sandpile, and he was ready to come in.

Overheard:

"Mommy, why are they naked?"

[Nathan, seeing the KU cheerleaders during a game on TV. Try explaining that one to a 3-year-old!]

Time to Embarrass the Husband: Jumbo Size!

While I was fixing supper the other night, I asked Paul to get a can of olives out of the cupboard and get them in a bowl for the meal. He pointed out that he was using the last can, and that next time I should get the jumbo olives. I told him I like to get the medium-sized ones, because it seems like you're getting more for your money, and besides, I didn't like the texture of the jumbo ones (they tend to be mushy).
"Oh, I like the jumbo ones." He said in a very suggestive voice, with "that look" in his eyes, as he reached over and inappropriately groped a certain area of my body.
Unfortunately for him, his mouth worked faster than his brain, and apparently his hand did to, because the body part he grabbed while referring to "jumbo" was my backside.
As soon as he realized his slip-up, he got a mortified look on his face and apologized over and over. I thought it was hilarious, and about fell over from laughing. I think it was his acute embarrassment I found most amusing.
This has been two weeks ago, and he's still apologizing for it. Maybe there's some way I could use this to my advantage......

Note to Self:

Caffeine in the afternoon is always a bad idea. Always. "Afternoon" literally means "any time after noon." And that's when you shouldn't drink caffeine. Or else you will be awake until 2:30 in the morning, asking yourself just why you needed that caffeine so badly in the first place.

Sub-note to note to self:
This is Note to Self #346 regarding this exact same thing. Get a clue.

Current 3-Year-Old-isms

• Ummm.... Not quite yet. (His answer to questions such as, "Can you pick up the toys?" or "Are you ready to go yet?")
• I already went potty last week! (Apparently he's learning the concept of time - and will use a little while ago, last night, last week, last month, or last year interchageably.)
• Oh. [looks up with eyes bugging out] I need to poop!
• Yes, Mommy? [sweet and innocent voice] (This takes all the steam out of my exasperation - luckily he hasn't figured that out yet!)
• [Me: "Nathan can you pick up all the toys?] Not right now. ("Child experts" say to ask your kids, you get a better response. What do you do with this response?)
• You sing the Baby C's? [A-B-C's]

There's more. And I love 3-year-old philosophy. Sometimes I find it hard to keep a straight face when listening to him explain things. I love him. I love both of them, so much! (I can't wait to hear Jake's -ism's when he starts talking!)

Omaha

As I mentioned in a previous entry, Paul and I went on "what was supposed to be a romantic getaway."
In spite of everything that happened, I still had a great time. I loved our trip and was so glad that we took it.
For Christmas, Paul and I bought tickets to see one of our favorite musicians. Paul "discovered" him last year on Playlist.com, and started looking up his music other places. His name is David Garrett, he is a "rock violininst" from Germany. The best way to describe his music is he takes classical music and puts a "rock" spin on it, or he takes rock music (by artists such as Metallica, Van Halen, or Micheal Jackson) and interprets them through violin. He is very, very talented. When Paul found out he would be doing a tour in the USA, he looked up locations, and we found out that he would be, of all places, in Omaha (3 1/2 hours away). So we bought 2 tickets as our only Christmas gifts to each other.
Since it wasn't even in our imagination that we'd be pregnant, the plan was a steak dinner, the concert, and an entire bottle of wine between the two of us (which sounds like a lot, but is actually only like 2 glasses each), lots of soaking in the hot tub, and lots of......romance. Just the two of us, husband and wife, not Mommy and Daddy. When we found out we were pregnant, that took out the hot tub (at least the hot part of the hot tub - it would have to be more like a lukewarm tub) and the wine. When we found out we were having a miscarriage, that took out everything else but the steak and the concert.
But I really had a wonderful time. We had over 6 hours of talking in the car, a great (albeit horribly overpriced!) dinner, and the concert was amazing. I enjoyed the music so much, and I think watching Paul enjoy it made it that much better for me. (For those of you that don't know - Paul plays violin, too. He is tremendously talented, and will always be my favorite musician, but I have to say.... I'm thinking David Garrett may be my second favorite. :P )
I had the actual miscarriage in the middle of the night. I started having contractions and knew what was coming. Paul stayed up with me, doing things for me that no husband should ever have to do. I am so grateful for him. In looking back, this was probably the best way it could have happened, being just the two of us. For the next 24 hours, I was physically weaker than I have been in my entire life, even more than after labor with either boy, and he took care of me the whole time, encouraging me to sleep, carrying all the luggage, and making sure I didn't overdo it. He is the best husband I could ever ask for.
So our romantic getaway really was romantic. But in ways so much different and so much deeper than we had ever planned.
And I am totally looking forward to the next time Mr. Garrett is back in our area.


If you're interested, the below video (6 minutes) is kind of an interview and overview of David Garrett's music.

Comments on the video:
Thank GOD he did not wear those pants at the concert we were at. My respect for him may have dropped a few points after seeing him in those.
The scary guitar chick was not at "our" concert. Yikes.
Neither was the orchestra - it was just his band (drums, bass guitar, 2 other guitars, keyboard), which I think I liked better.
And he really should have pulled his hair back for the interview. He looks pretty girly with it down around his face like that.
That's all.

Oh - except: My favorite song of his was not on that clip. Click here to watch it on YouTube. (And may I say, I dislike 90% of the pictures on that slideshow. So much different than the way he presents himself on stage!)
I may or may not have embarrassed my husband by the enthusiasm of my applause before and after he performed it. (And may I mention - the first person I ever heard play this song was my husband. :) )