Dear Mother Nature,

I do realize that I now live closer to Canada then I ever have and that the winters here are colder then I have ever felt in my life.
Don't you think it is a little early in the year for my boys to be dressed like this to just run in and out of the car?

The winters are looking scarier and scarier.

I love this

As a mom you can be having a hard day or a really sad, but then your kids can say the funniest things and your face and your spirit brighten up immediately.

I just love it.

Today before naptime, I had the boys watching tv to settle down a little.

If you have seen pictures of my living room we have a lot of windows on the back wall that faces the backyard. Our TV is on the cabinets directly across the windows. Which makes it hard to watch tv when the sun is out... and I forget to close the blinds.

It suddenly got really sunny while Wild Man was watching tv he says is a very matter of fact voice.

"Mom, the sun is watching tv again... Could you tell it to stop?"

I hope he talks like this the rest of his life.

The first of many I am sure

Today we met with our playgroup and had a great time.

We went to a park, then went to the local airport where they have a cafe and the kids can watch the planes take off and land.

It was actually a fun place.

The bad part is that we were running late to get home for nap time.

In this home, nap time is a sacred time.

You do not mess with my children's nap time... or really my time to do whatever I please while in the confines of my home.

There was a lethal combination today with my boys being both tired for running around every inch of the park and stuffed from eating every crumb in front of them while staring at the endless amounts of planes at the runway.

The problem isn't so much with Romeo since he is able to sleep in the car and then be picked up and placed in the bed where he will promptly go back to sleep.

One of the many things I love about that child.

The mission today was to keep Wild Man awake. For if he closes his eyes for even just a second he will not go to sleep at nap time.

This will not do in my book, but it is a mission that I will do everything in my power to accomplish.

So what is a mother to do in this situation?

Act like they're are drunken crazy person... for the sake of the children of course.

I turned the music up really loud.

Sang at the top of my lungs, while trying to convince everyone else in the car to sing along.

And just when I saw their eye lids getting heavier I let out an alarmingly loud "Whoo Hoo!".

After doing this a couple of times, Wild Man got rather annoyed with me.

He growled and with a look of total disgust asked, "Mom, why are you acting like this?"

Pretty sure that will not be the last time I get asked this question.

Abrakadon't

I signed the boys up for a class called Abrakadoodle that was through the park district.*

*translation-the city

Why would I sign up for such a strange sounding class for my boys?

Um, it was free. 'Nuff said.

They are trying to get you to sign up and pay for more classes afterwards.

So the boys were in separate classes.

Romeo's class was first.

We were a smidge late because the boys and I were having the best time doing this:



Wild Man called it the "The two boy taco."

We walked in, then I had to get Wild Man occupied, so he would not want to do the craft that the little kids are doing.

I could tell the teacher was already not impressed with me.

Oh well, not going to be the teacher's pet this time.

They were sitting in a circle while the teacher was singing songs and then she showing the kids (and mom's) that we were going to be making a fly. Then demonstrated how to make it.

She then said to go and sit where ever you want at the table to start.

Romeo jumped up and ran to the table and started climbing in a chair.

The teacher came by and said, "Um, we won't sit over here cuz that was for activities when people showed up in the beginning of class."

Well excuse me. As I remember you said sit WHERE EVER!

Oh and we were just 4 minutes late.

Apparently this woman does some speedy activities.

The chances of us signing up for the extra classes are getting pretty slim at this point.

We moved to an "approved" area, and started making our fly.

Now just a few days ago I read this blog post on Baby Bangs. The jest of the blog was that she was so embarrassed because she did her sons project herself to make it pretty, rather then letting her son do what he wanted to do like all the other kids in the class did.

So I thought I am going to learn from this and guide Romeo on how to do some of the things but let him to what he wants to do.

I did put the wings on, because Romeo was getting frustrated trying to do it.

Here is what Romeo's fly ended up looking like.



Now for a 22 month old I was pretty impressed. But then again I did birth the child, so he can also belch really loud and I would be impressed with that too.

Our teacher doesn't have Romeo on the same pedestal as I do.

She came over and saw what Romeo did and trying really hard to hold back a look of shock.

All she could say was "Oh, we have a creative one."

I then looked up and all the other kids "flies" were perfect.

The legs were where they were suppose to be. They didn't color on the paper, only a few marks on the fly. The mom's were really doing the project while their kids just watched them.

Isn't that the point of kids doing an art class, so they can learn to be creative on their own?

Needless to say, we did not sign up for anymore classes for Abrakadoodle. Which is a shame cuz both boys would have really enjoyed it.

So far this weekend we have learned...

that if you can schedule workers to pour concrete during lunch time.

Your kids will eat whatever you put in front of them in silence.



When you are a cheap person and never use a real car wash,

it really freaks out your kids when they finally go through one.

The Winner!!

The winner is...



Congrats Kimberly!!

Email me your email address at mattkatiewoodruff (at) yahoo (dot) com (Take out the spaces) and what product you would like and Deann will send you on your way to a new organized life!

The red in my neck is showing

Every state is perceived from other states of how the people are from that state.

Did you follow that?

Before moving here I assumed everyone from Illinois was rude, apart of a gang, and had no less them 3 tattoos before they left middle school.

Then after moving here I learned that (atleast in the area that we live in) I was wrong.

When people hear my southern accent I can tell that they already have a preconceived notion of me. It maybe that I leave the car that we are not currently using in the front lawn without the tires, or that we are not educated, or that we all live on a farm and never wear shoes.

Whatever the preconceived notions that they have had I have tried my ever loving best to not show my "red neck side". Whether you want to believe it or not anyone that has lived in the south for more then 3 years has inherited somewhat of a red neck mentality.

So they are doing some repair work to the sidewalk in our side of the neighborhood.

Luckily I was out of the house at our playgroup, because I came home to this.





Two of my neighbors called to make sure that we were not stuck in the house.

I told them that luckily I was out when they decided to take out our entire sidewalk, but if my car was still in the garage I would have just driven through the grass to get out.

Both of the neighbors had the same reaction.

"OH! Uh, I guess you could do that."

I think I could have said that I would just pick up my van with my pinky finger and take it over the ditch and I would have gotten the same reaction.

I could tell that all of their preconceived notions of people from TN came flooding back in their heads.

I am sorry Tennesseans, I have failed you.