Interview with a 3-year-old

Being the ever cool Mommy that I am (Ahem) and in an effort to keep track of how darn cute my children are in their formative years (really cute), I decided to have a one on one interview with Bishop this evening after dinner, but before teeth brushing time. Let the record show that this interview was conducted in the living room, and only included one break out session of running in circles and flipping upside down on the couch. Thus, a very sedate interview.

1. What is your name?

Bishop

2. How old are you?

3

3. What color is your hair?

4, 5, 6. (No. What COLOR?)

Oh..um...black

4. What color are your eyes?

Blue

5. What is your favorite food?

Pizza

6. What is your favorite song?

Ring around the Rosie, and Spidar (the Itsy-Bitsy Spidar)

Because then I fall down.

7. What is your favorite snack?

Pickles

8. What is your favorite color?

Black

9. What is your favorite animal?

Horses...Black horses (aka Black Beauty)

10. What is your favorite book?

Three Piggies...and the Momma Pig

11. What do you like to do with Daddy?

Hm...Daddys names Zach. (but what do you DO with daddy?)

Hm...I like to swing on him. And hit on him

12. What do you like to do with Mommy?

Names Krissy. (DO, Bishop, what do you DO with Mommy?)

I hit on Mommy.

13. What's your favorite movie?

Blues Clues (which we watched earlier)

14. Whats your favorite TV show? (after much prompting on what a TV show is)

Sesame Street

15. Who are your friends?

Robert and Sam. And Jasper. Maci. Diego. Cameron

16. What's your favorite shape?

Doggie. No. Cow.

17. What's your favorite Drink?

Chocolate milk and water. I drink all the water.

The Supermom

I am not a supermom. I am not a slacker mom by any means, but everyone knows a supermom that they someday aspire to be. Or hope never to become. You see, there is this fine line between being a really great mom (easily called a supermom in my book) and a neurotic helicopter mom who constantly flutters around her kids, worrying about every scratch and scuffed shoe. I have it within me to be the neurotic mom. And before having kids, I probably was one. Anyone ever see that book 'I was a really great mom until I had kids"

Because actually having the little boogers...err joys...radically changes your outlook on everything. Take driving. Before I had Cadence, my driving habits were very much the same as before I had Bishop. The reason being that his carseat was safely in the middle of the back seat. A pain to get him in and out of; but very safe in the case of an accident. Now that there are two of them sharing the back seat, there is one on each side...which means there is exactly 3 safe places that my car can be hit in a collision without directly contacting either of them or me. And lets be real honest here, if I got in a car accident with my kids in the car, I would be a mess. Anyways, the fact that I have charted out the 'safe to be hit' zones of my car should be a clue in the neurotic side.

But back to the really great supermoms out there- I think we all know one. You know who I am talking about. The woman who is able to get every one of her several children out of bed, clothed, fed a home cooked breakfast (we are talking eggs here, not cereal), to school, house cleaned, laundry done, errands ran, children home, homework complete, dinner on the table, limited tv time, "quality family time" together, baths/showers, and everyone in bed at a reasonable hour.

I take my proverbial hat off to you. One woman of my acquaintance comes to mind, and really, the reason for this whole blog happened this last weekend at a Christmas party I attended. Her name is Deb Hegman. This woman never fails to amaze me. From my perspective (as neither her child/husband/someone really close to the family) this woman is able to get all of her kids going in the right directions AND she teaches Sunday school to the preschool class. Which, I don't care who you are, takes a very special, patient person. She home-schooled all of her very intelligent, well mannered children. They have a family dinner every night. And she never has a hair out of place.

So, at the aforementioned Christmas party, I was somehow not at all surprised when she and one of her daughters got up and preformed a duet on the piano. My first thought was, "Well of course she plays the piano. What doesn't she do!?" And this was in no way sarcastic. This is the woman who can pull a craft out of the lint of her purse to entertain a toddler at the dentist office. This woman amazes me. And exhausts me. And all around makes me wish I was a better mom to my kids, while still understanding that I am the best mom I can be.

I just will never be a Deb Hegman. Which is ok. At the end of the day, my kids need me to be me, not try to be her.

But Deb Hegman, I salute you!

A house of secrets

As I have told a few of you, Cadence is an expert at hiding things. And often, I will later find a pile of random toys that she snuck into the bathroom, her bedroom, under her crib, behind my bedroom door and so on. Usually I find the pile by tripping over it, or by not being able to open the bathroom door. At that point, I find a pile of random stuffed animals, dinosaurs, horses, guns, and cars. Basically anything that Bishop likes that she can sneak out of his room or the play area without him noticing.

It has recently come to our attention that Bishop is also big into hiding things. Under the dining room table. Usually he sneaks things under there to eat them in secret. He found a bag of candy once, and he took it under the table, and as I was looking around for him, I found him huddled with the bag of chocolate. Yesterday he took the box of fruit snacks off the kitchen counter, and was eating them under the table. The part that I don't understand is that he can have most anything he wants if he eats his lunch/dinner. The only time I really tell him no is if he hasn't had dinner yet, or only ate a little bit. So really, no reason to sneak the food.

And then, the best time was today. Zach was packing for his trip and asked Bishop if he knew where his hacky-sack is. Bishop said, "Oh, yeah." Then promptly went out to the dinning room table, and pulled out the hacky-sack from underneath one of the overhangs. We were shocked that 1. He is for real stashing things under there and 2. that he actually remembers where he put it.

It's like his secret fort that he is taking things to. So bizarre.

He also adores playing Star Wars Battle Station on Playstation. He came and got in bed with us at 6:30 this morning and wanted to play "The game" as he calls it. He doesn't like watching movies, he just wants to play the game. And the best part is? He is actually pretty good. And he actually wins sometimes. It is pretty incredible.

A whole new experience

So I went to the dentist today. Which is never my favorite thing, especially when they are actually doing something to my teeth other than cleaning them, and even then, sheesh. So anyways, I had an appointment to have some work done today after work. This is the 2nd time I have gone to this dentist, the other being a cleaning a while ago. I wasn't super happy with our previous dentist's work, and with Zach's teeth, we really get to know the dentist pretty well.

Anyways, so I get there early for my appointment, they take me right back (ah, prompt service), the dentist comes in, gives me the best shot I have ever had (meaning, I didn't feel it at all), so I am sitting there, thinking that I have a few minutes to wait, when the nurse (dental assistant?) comes in to ask if I would like a magazine or newspaper, which I decline. Then she asks if I would like a heated neck pillow and a paraffin dip.

Uh....what? Am I not in the dentist office? What just happened here?

Apparently the dental office has decided that in order to relax patients, they make it more like a spa day then a dental checkup. I was expecting someone to jump out and give me a pedicure at any time.

So of course I said yes. And did the paraffin dip (SUPER NICE, but really weird looking on your hands), and accepted the neck pillow. And while the dentist was working on my tooth, I thought to myself, this whole neck pillow/paraffin dip thing is nice, but not THAT distracting.

However, though my mouth still feels sore, my hands are so nice and soft, and my neck was pretty warm and relaxed while in the office. My only thought was this-

The paraffin was nice, the neck pillow was super nice and warm, but uh...maybe you could hang a picture to look at while your mouth is super open and head is back. It seems like you are awkwardly staring at the dentist, or averting your eyes to a blank wall.

So my only addition to this spa like atmosphere would be a picture...possibly a TV? Anything to look at so you don't feel like you are looking up the dentists nose, or into those weird glasses/magnifiers that they wear.

Thankful, Day 6

November 6th

I fully intended to be thankful for an extra hour of sleep today. Last night, when I was writing the post for yesterday, I discovered it was the night to set your clocks back (thanks everyone on facebook for posting, otherwise, we would have forgotten :/ ), and I thought to myself, YAY! Tomorrow I can be thankful for extra sleep.

That was the plan until Bishop cheerfully banged on Cadence's crib at 5:20 this morning telling her, "Cadence!! Wake up!! It's time to get up, baby!!" So that thankfulness jumped right out the window with my rest. So.

Today, I am thankful for coffee.

Dear coffee...you are one of my favorite things. I think the best coffee is just a regular brewed kind with the perfect ratio of cream to sugar. There is no measurement, you have to taste test it. AH coffee. I promptly made a pot of coffee this morning. AH. The smell itself makes me happy. When I had my gallbladder taken out, I got choked up when I realized I could still have coffee. Literally, in the Walmart aisle crying tears of joy. That is the depth of my love for coffee. And today was no different.

Thankful, Week 1

WOW! This week just flashed by! I did have every good intention of writing something every day, but, to be honest, between work, kids, home and everything they all require...WHEW! One tired momma by the end of the day. SO! I am going to give my list of things I am thankful for this last week, and HOPEFULLY (no promises) I will try to post once a day this following week.

Ok, so 1st-

I am thankful for my husband. This may seem like a gimme, but this man has been the biggest blessing I have ever been given. He is a fantastic partner in life, he evens out all my craziness, and I can not stay upset with him. I think God knew I could never live with someone like myself, so He gave me Zach, who is my opposite is almost every way. It is actually pretty amazing, as the years go by, I seem to become more and more like him. Which means I am basically a nicer, more graceful person. So my number 1 thing to be thankful for is my wonderful husband of almost 7 years, Zach.

Nov. 2 (Wednesday)

I am thankful for my son, Bishop. Once upon a time, I asked God to give me patience, and I got Bishop, who teaches me everyday to be more patient then I ever thought possible. But past that, Bishop is the sweetest little boy who has learned to charm his way out of trouble, just like his father...And beyond that, he is just so darn cute ALL the time. I love my little boy, who I gave up on ever having, and was blessed to be given.

Nov. 3 (Thursday)

I am thankful for my daughter, Cadence. Ok...yeah, I get that I am just listing off my family here, but I am SO thankful to have them that I feel like they should get their own days. So today I am thankful to have my beautiful, perfect little girl. And yes, she is the easiest, best little baby I have ever had, which is something in itself to be thankful for. She is so happy, and is such a funny little thing. It makes me so sad that she is growing up so fast, and I often feel like this last year has just disappeared with her. I was worried that I could never love another baby as much as I do Bishop, but as a mommy, it's like your heart just gets bigger to hold more. Ah...so sappy.

Nov. 4 (Friday)

Today, I am thankful for heat. Yes, that's right, heat. It is DARN cold outside, AND windy, and it sure makes me glad that we have a furnace that keeps our house nice and warm. So nice, in fact, that Bishop loves to sit in front of one of the places the air blows out of by the dining room table. He thinks the air coming out is just so cool. Ahem. So warm.

Nov. 5 (TODAY!)

I am thankful for days off with family. Today we just hung out, got some housework and laundry done. Bishop and I took a nap together (LOVE), Bishop and Zach hung out together outside, doing that mysterious thing that boys do together. Cadence chased a balloon around the living. I read. I think you get the wonder of the day. We went to Home Depot, and the kids got to ride in the 'car' cart together, which is just hilarious, especially when Bishop get's upset if Cadence isn't steering right. Love my little family. We had a lady in the parking lot, as we were going out to the car, say, "Oh, a boy and a girl...how perfect!" And I thought...well...it just happened that way. I think 2 boys would be just as perfect. Or 2 girls...I am just really happy that Bishop loves his little sister so much. And she thinks he's the greatest ever. And days like today make most everything we do worth it.

A long time gone...

Wow, I haven't actually written anything here or anywhere in a LONG time! There is far too much to really catch up, so let's just say life has been crazy, and leave it at that. So, hm where to start...where to start....

I think Cadence is going to be a pretty easy kiddo. Ok, she has always been the easy one. Bishop didn't sleep though the night until....well, actually, he still wakes up occasionally, so that would be never. Cadence, she is out for the night as I type this. Bishop is strong willed just for the fun of it, and often is contrary just to be contrary. Does he want a cookie? NO!!!! Then he cries and whines when he doesn't get a cookie...But if you offer a cookie, he will still say he doesn't want one. You get the point.

Tonight, Cadence went to grab something she wasn't supposed to, I told her very calmly "No, no sweetie" and she pulled her hand back, dropped her head down, and started crying with the saddest little face I have ever seen. She was so upset that she cried for a few minutes. So she is either very savvy to the ways of parents (mom's specifically) or she is just a sweet tempered little baby. Which...she is.

And thus, the easiest kiddo.

I have decided that in the spirit of Thanksgiving, and because it is closing in on the holidays, and actually, because it is just a good exercise, I am going to write a post a day starting in November about what I am thankful for. If you post or journal, I would encourage you to do something similar.

Also...I am just really excited for the holiday season. I LOVE this time of year, it's the best part of the year for sure. I wandered the toy aisles today to start getting Christmas ideas :D

Love it. Are you working on your Christmas list already? Close to being done? Haven't started yet (*cough*cough*)?

Regardless, we are days away from Halloween (which,I am also excited for, as the kids are both going to be cows, which is honestly adorable), and right around the corner from Thanksgiving.

Holidays!!!

I am off to go to bed early, possibly do a little reading. Sounds amazing to me.