Sometimes it's nice to not be grown-up

There's nothing odd about dressing up like a fairy and painting your toe-nails, even if you're a boy. (He did choose blue nail polish...)

Ketchup or lemon juice fixes every food.

Snow is AWESOME.

Bandaids cure any injury.

Gatorade, no chores, and unlimited tv anytime you're sick.

Dinosaurs rule the world, or at least your doll house.

You get to see most of your friends at least twice a week.

You are only at work for 7 hours a day with an hour of breaks and get summers off.

Recess!

There's almost always help there when you need it.

Naps.

Being able to see people as just people, without the filters we learn (and try to unlearn) as we get older.

I am blessed

As I survey my nestlings, it occurs to me again how tremendously blessed I am to have the children I do.
I am blessed to have an 11 year old who still tells me almost everything, wants to be snuggly sometimes (well, sort of. He headbutts my hand to be petted or head butts my shoulder for a hug. What is it with boys acting like goats? Is it because they smell like them?), He is willing to balance church, friends, and family. (He'd like church better at noon though.)
I am blessed with an almost 10 year old who loves marching to his own drum...and wants a guitar to go with it. Or a piano. Please mom? He's dramatic, musical, sensitive, and smart. His world is black and white with big splashes of color showing up when least expected. He's my high stakes kid. Everything with him is go big or go home.
Then there's my happy boy. Always bouncing, always smiling, kind of like the Wal-mart logo. He's not particularly organized, but very smart. He excels in reading, spelling, and math when he cares...but a lot of times that butterfly outside the window is just sooo much more interesting. A bit of dreamer, the world just kind of rolls off his shoulders. Content with where he's at and who he is, to him living IS the dream...and if he could just live on a football field, that would be even better.
Then there's my girly-girl with steel cleats. Always the queen bee, big smiles and calculating sparkles...ideas bigger than life itself and of course SHE can do it the best. Can't wait to see how this one unfolds.
Then we have babies. Well, at 2 & 4 maybe babies isn't the right term...
A little mommy in the making, always caring for her babies and wanting to cook and clean, with tom-boy toughness once she gets outdoors and her sidekick, the mischief minion. Smart, determined, adorable for survival's sake, our family baby boy is something else.
Mix them all together and you have a house that's never bored and grateful to still be standing. Plenty of pictures, quips and blog fodder. Memories that will hopefully last a lifetime in love and not on some therapists couch.

M-O-N-D-A-Y

Some days just start off wrong. Like this morning. I spent almost 30 minutes looking for my glasses and bandage tape. Princess D ended up with a blind mother holding the dressing on her arm in place with cut up bandaids, and being 15 minutes late for school. Meanwhile, Si Guy makes one of his great escapes out the garage door...and Princess P is coloring with a blue marker, her nose that is....and where are her glasses? I really need to get that kid a second pair...ok. I really need to get me a second pair too.
Somehow the minute that last child is launched for school everything turns around. My glasses show up, courtesy of Smurfette, under the computer desk...a magical moving trick of Si. Everyone is coloring on paper. Dinosaur train is on the t.v. So maybe this whole chaos thing where I called Dad three times before 8am was a test. Here's hoping I passed, but doubt it. A morning like this is bound to happen again.

The things our kids take pride in us for,(sigh)

are not always what we hope. The classic is princess P.
"Mommy squishy! Hug."
She loves pointing out how "squishy" I am. And because I'm squishy, I give the best hugs. Uh, thanks. I think.
Most adults don't value "squishy". In fact, many adults spend hours at the gym and living on lettuce, yogurt, and branflakes to avoid becoming squishy, or stop being squishy. Women buy gut-sucker underwear and swimsuits to hide our squishiness....or at least smooth it out.
And yet this angst ridden "flaw" of the females of our species is something my daughter embraces in me, to the point of joy and pride.
I recently told my husband that if I ever did lose all this "squishability" I'd have so much extra skin I'd look like one of those little wrinkly dogs. Maybe I would be better off just accepting it. It is how God made me after all.

Momisms...

You know something must be sticking when your kids start talking like you, well sort of.

"Mom, what's our green food with dinner?"
"Now, we have to use nice words, so YOU can't be mean to me. pbbbbt."
"Mommy's taking a time out, forever."
"Jesus loves everybody, even you."
"It's Saturday. We have to clean our room before I can go to a friends house. So you need to get to work."
"You're not mad at me, just my actions."
"You should give me the candy because we treat other people the way we want to be treated."
"Don't worry mom. He washes."
"I'm sorry I broke it, but remember people are more important than things."
"I love you mom...can I have a coke?"

Just remember that verse about training a child says when they are OLD they will not stray from it.......

It's raining. It's pouring....

It's spring and it's storming. I feel bad for my little walkers on mornings like this. Yet I know they won't melt in the monsoon. I'm just grateful that it was SUNNY and warm for resurrection day.
We had a great family day. The kids were up early to raid their resurrection eggs and chocolate crosses in their brand new bike helmets. After all that sugar those helmets were put to good use on bikes and scooters outside. Even little Si guy was scooting around on a 3-wheeled scooter.
Easter dinner was a casual progressive affair. We had turkey, corn, mashed taters, broccoli and fresh pineapple and strawberries. Absolutely fun and delicious. When I was a child, we'd go to my aunt's house for lamb...and there was lamb coconut cake for dessert. I sometimes wonder if we should start doing that on Good Friday.
We are so blessed to have life through Christ. So let the river flow down my street. Love will keep on springing from our hearts.

Princess D's Easter Questions

I love my kids. Earlier this week in the car, (great place for all kids to ask deep questions, especially in rush hour traffic)...my daughter and I were talking about Easter.

"Mom. Why are there bunnies at Easter?"
"Well, some people see bunnies as a symbol of new life/spring."
"But Easter is about JESUS!"
"That's right honey. It's about the new Life Jesus brings. Jesus is what's real, but it doesn't hurt to have the eggs and bunnies and stuff to help celebrate."
"But where did the bunnies come from?"
"Norse mythology, a Goddess names Ishtara, part of where Easter got it's name from."
"But that's pretend?"
"Yeah, that's just an old story to explain spring, and celebrate the new life that comes with spring."
"But OUR Easter is about Jesus, right?"
"Mmm.hmm. Yes, our Easter is about Jesus life he gave for us and shares with us because he rose from the dead."
"o.k."

I love it that my daughter's question was not "Is the Easter Bunny real?" but rather "How does the Easter bunny tie in to Jesus?"
I hope she asks that question about everything in life.