Corn crib + kids = pure joy

Over the weekend, we went to check out Old McDonald's Farm. You can read the first two posts about our experience here and here.

Today we are going to talk corn... specifically corn kernels in a giant box.
Last year, when we still lived in Minnesota, we took the kids to the Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze. It was a blast and when we moved south, I was worried that we wouldn't find anything that lived up to it. (Dude, their corn maze is 16+ acres! If you are in Minnesota in the month of October, you should go.)

Although the kids had a blast last year in the corn pit, this year was better. In Minnesota, it was one giant box filled with kids. Flying feet were common and usually came within inches of your head. The corn pit at Old McDonald's Farm (Corn Crib, they call it) was SO much better. Instead of one huge area, inside the Combine Barn there were 3 smaller boxes filled with corn kernels. My girls had one entire such box all to themselves. It was nice not to have to worry about some brat kicking the snot out of my girls.

I mean, just look at the faces of these silly kids:

Peanut offering corn kernels... or finally losing what's left of her mind? You never know with her. She'll be the first to tell you that she's not quite normal. And she doesn't want to be normal. Normal is boring. And anything boring isn't worth her time.

Age is not an issue when dealing with corn cribs. Button had just as much, or more fun, than Peanut did in that corn. She kept making the silliest faces and had a look of pure happiness.

Button's face cracks me up. The thought of her sister burying her is worrisome. She loves her sister so much but there are some things that require a little more trust than others.

Again, Button making strange faces. I'm pretty sure at this point, they were both "swimming". I was thrilled because as Button has gotten older, she's gotten less vocal. I think she's part trying to live with a sister that never stops talking and part growing up and trying to figure out if some things are too 'young for her'. Luckily, jumping into a pit filled with corn kernels makes age just a number.

This child... She has that attitude of "I don't care". She loves her family and wants to be a good kid but she doesn't care what people think of her and her craziness. She's a hoot, for sure. It seems like she never stops talking and asking questions. If she's not talking, she's making strange noises or singing a silly song. Like I said, she's not boring.


If you get a chance to go to Old McDonald's Farm or any other Fall Festival that has a corn pit, go. It's a weird sensation to be surrounded by all of that corn and the kids love it.


If you have a snarky comment to add, try not posting as "Anonymous" and you'll be approved.

It seems the Tooth Fairy is a pushover

Not long before we moved down south to Tennessee, Peanut lost a tooth. (She's 8 so she's used to it by now.) But instead of the usual 'leave the tooth and you'll get money' deal, we found out that sometimes a certain tooth can mean a great deal.

Peanut mentioned to us that she wanted to keep this particular tooth. (Don't ask me why, I haven't got a clue.) We explained that in order for the Tooth Fairy to leave money, she had to have a tooth to take with her... that that was just how it worked. You don't usually get something for nothing, even with magical beings.

She thought about it for a day and then said she was going to write the Tooth Fairy a letter before she set her tooth out for collection. We looked at each other and thought, fine...write a letter but that tooth will be joining the rest of your teeth found in that little plastic white tooth from the dentist. You'll get it back once you realize that Momma is the Tooth Fairy and not before.

I swear she spent half an hour on the letter prompting me to ask her if she was writing a book. When she was done, she handed it to us and wandered off to her room, surely dreaming about all of the quality time she'd be spending with her tooth should the Tooth Fairy decide to play ball.

This was the letter that Peanut slaved over, asking for a small (really freaking tiny) favor:

I swear, the last part made me tear up a little. Could she be any sweeter? "You can ride in my pocket, if it does not bother you." Our little Peanut making sure that she'd be able to take the Tooth Fairy with her during this HUGE change in her life.

Of course, I wrote her back, as the Tooth Fairy of course. I even used a pretty nifty swirly sort of handwriting in that note. I told her that normally, I (the Tooth Fairy) didn't allow children to keep their teeth but since she asked so sweetly, I'd make an exception this once time.
I told her that I would take the tooth for now and find a jar small enough to hold her precious white treasure.

And I told her that although I couldn't ride with her to her new home 1000 miles away (I have children all over the world that need cash money for teeth... full time job, you know), I appreciated the offer.

I also told her that no matter where she moved, I would always be with her.

So, we moved in mid May.
Neither she nor the adults in the house mentioned the tooth for a little while. (Moving makes you forget about stuff like that.)

Fast forward to this past week.....

She lost yet another tooth. The Tooth Fairy visited in the night and left some money for the newest tooth. And I promptly freaked out, having actually freaking forgotten about that damn tooth jar.
I kept thinking, where in the hell was I going to find a jar that small and looked cute... like something the Tooth Fairy would make.

And the it hit me.
The one site that seems to cater to things like this.
The site where I sell my own wares.

ETSY.

I found this adorable little bottle sold by elephanttales.

I ordered this with a bright pink ribbon and Peanut's initials. I figure she can keep her special little tooth in it on her bookcase. When she's older and finds out the truth about Momma/the Tooth Fairy, we can transfer her remaining teeth from that little plastic tooth to this bottle.


Yeah, the kid got to me. She's a sweet girl with a big heart and she's only mentioned the tooth and jar once since the letter. That's the sort of patience I applaud in an 8 year old.



Have you ever found yourself doing something weird/crazy for your child on request?

Life lessons for my daughters

This world is a bit tricky to navigate. No matter how old you are or how much you've gotten out into the world, you still end up with problems and heartache and pain. No one knows it all. No one can tell you exactly how to navigate to where you always come out ahead or on top. People out there can suck and having to deal with too many of them makes you want to become a recluse.

But I hope that the knowledge that I have amassed is enough helpful information that I can lead my girls down a better path than if I just let them try to navigate on their own.

1)  Surround yourself with people who motivate you.
Let's face it. Some friends and family are giant leeches that suck every bit of life out of us. You don't need people like that in your life. If you do manage to succeed at something, these people usually don't care and will find it difficult to pat you on the back.

2) Wear what you like, not what other people think you should wear.
If you like yoga pants, wear them with pride. If you love sundresses, wear them on those warm days and rock those cute sandals. If you have a thing for skinny jeans, fine. I hate them but whatever floats your boat. If you have a thing for really big heels, walk carefully and strut your stuff. Wear what makes you happy, not what makes your friends happy.

Although if you want to look like a skank, maybe you should listen to 

a friend or family member that tells you to cover up.

3)  Never marry a man that cannot do anything for himself.
Seriously. I've been in relationships and seen other relationships through friendships that make me wonder about the men out there. I knew a guy, 21 years old at the time, that didn't know how to make a TV dinner. For real... he had no clue. His mother had babied the hell out of him his whole life and it left him lacking basic adult knowledge needed to live on his own. It was so sad. Find a man that can do laundry, clean, and cook for himself. They do exist. I married one. :)

4)  Travel as much as you can.
Life is not meant to be lived in one place. Getting out of your city, your state, your region of the country, can open your eyes to so much more than what you've always known. This country is really beautiful and there's so much to do and see. Meeting people from different areas of the country, hearing different accents than your own... it's fun and you learn first hand how different we all are and how okay it is to be different. I recommended road trips since you can actually see the country from eye level and not just fly over it. If you have the opportunity to travel out of the country, take it!

5)  Always apologize when you screw up... and do it as soon as possible.
Taking too much time to say you're sorry can destroy friendships. I have had it happen to me. If the person that you wronged means a lot to you, you should do everything you can to fix it. Now.

6)  Don't let fear stop you from doing the things in life that can make you happy.
Fear is crippling. Sure, it's good to have a healthy fear of things so that you don't just jump without looking but letting too much fear guide you will leave you standing in one place and never getting to experience what life is all about.

7)  You should always make time for those people in your life that you care about.
These days, it seems like everyone is sooo busy. Life is crazy sometimes and the clock doesn't stop ticking no matter how much is on your plate each day. But no matter what, you should always make time for the people you love. If you cannot manage to pick up your phone and send a text or call someone once in a while, then maybe that relationship doesn't mean as much as you like to say. With all of the different forms of communication that we have at our fingertips these days (FB, email, Twitter, texts, etc.) there's really no excuse to stay silent for too long. Note: I've been guilty of this before and I have tried very hard to correct it.

8) Date/marry someone that doesn't mind doing little things for you and do the same for them.
I used to live less than a mile from a gas station. The guy that I dated at that time would NEVER run there for me if I needed something. Never. Even if he was on his way out. It was nothing major but the fact that he wouldn't do simple little favors should have made me realize that he'd never be the kind of person that I'd want to marry. fast forward to the present: my husband has gone to the store at midnight before to get more butter when I was making cookies. Yeah, he's a gem. And no, that's not all that I love about him. He's a thoughtful person, plain and simple.
After I kept joking about going to Target just to get popcorn and an ICEE for months, one day when he ran there for some food, he came home with popcorn and an ICEE for me. He's just that nice.

Our Peanut is now 8, going on 30

January 20th was Peanut's 8th birthday. Yes, I am just now getting around to posting the pics. (It took me until last week to send my mother Christmas pics so I figure this timing could be worse.)

Around Christmas, we were at Party City and I noticed that in one of the numerous birthday party aisles was a section for just about every single Disney Princess. And Peanut LOVES Ariel.
The Friday before her birthday, I made a trip (alone-YAY!) to Party City and picked up decorations, balloons, and Little Mermaid rubber bracelets.

This was the result of decorating the night before her birthday, right after she went to bed:

I also put another balloon in her room, tied to a little Ariel stuffed doll that I found at Hallmark when picking up a couple of birthday cards.

The morning of her birthday, we went in to wake her up and she was READY to start celebrating. She saw the balloon in her room and got excited. Then she climbed down out of her bed, making it up as she came down the ladder. (Yes, our kids make their beds without arguing.)

This is what I saw flying down the hall towards the kitchen:

 

I think she almost exploded once she got into the kitchen: (love the hair)

 

She was so happy. And then she opened her birthday present:

The gift was the Lego Cinderella Castle. 

And wow.... you'd thought we had given her an actual castle of her own to live in.

I made her cake myself, which is why the shape is great but the decoration on top could use a little improvement. (I can pipe those edges but drawing freehand on top? Negative.)

P is for Peanut

She loved the cake. We let her pick the cake and flavor of frosting instead of just surprising her this year and she loved that. She went with cherry frosting and triple chocolate fudge cake.

Making a wish:

This next picture is starting a new tradition. I found this birthday hat at Hallmark. It sings and dances back and forth when you press a button on the front. It's going to be a tradition that each of us will wear it on our birthdays. (It reminds me of the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter.)

After opening her gift, she went to put it together while I took a shower. Once we were all ready, we headed to the one place she wanted to eat dinner.... The Cheesecake Factory.

Dinner was delicious and filling. We walked it off at our in-town family destination spot....IKEA.
Yes, my kids love IKEA as much as I do.

It was FRIGID that day, the wind chill kicking us all in the arse. But getting an awesome new Lego set, chowing down on cake, being able to go to her favorite restaurant, and getting to go wander around IKEA for a few hours made the weather more bearable.

She loved the whole day:

And neither aliens or the government can read her crazy thoughts.

I live to surprise people

So, I didn't mention our road trip to TN/GA before leaving for one reason:
I love surprises.

My twin nieces knew we were coming into town but we always danced around the exact date of our arrival. I talked to them on FB leading up to the trip and always gave the answer "before the last game" when asked when we were coming into town... which was true.

The girls were expecting us right before Halloween and instead, we came into see them on the Thursday BEFORE Halloween.

Night one, we drove to Peoria, Illinois.
Day two, we were pretty much no nonsense about getting to their place in Georgia before they got home from color guard practice. And thanks to no traffic, we did just that.

We parked in the driveway and I stood right behind my car looking up the street, waiting to see their family car come over the hill. When I saw it, I started laughing because I saw 2 figures in the backseat writhing around like they were about to explode. Their mom told me that as they saw our van, one of the twins (Bug) started making her 'I'm excited' noise.
They couldn't get out of the car fast enough.

And oh, how I love seeing them smile like that.

But having them fly at me across the driveway is a little different than it used to be. They are only 14 years old and Bug is about my height while her sister Noodle is an inch TALLER than me. (I'm 5'7''!)
I swear, they almost knocked me on my ass.

When we all caught our breath, we told them how long we were staying and what all we'd be doing with them. You'd have thought it was Christmas in October!

We spent the first evening in town at their house, catching up and laughing, and I got to see my neph-poo, General aka. Poopy G.
And of course we had to get something to eat and as per usual on our first night down south each trip, we hit up Krystal. (Think White Castle but soooo much more yummy.)

I wish I had a photo of the twins when they saw us but alas, I actually dropped my phone when they pulled in because I was dancing a jig. :)

But I do have this wonderful pic of Poopy and Noodle:

Yes, he will sleep on anything/anyone.

You Can't Bury Strangers in Corn Pits

Yesterday, I wrote about the fun times had by my family at the Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze.

Overall, we had a great time.
But there were moments that I wanted to throw something at people.
(I'd have thrown corn but that would have made me just as bad as others at the festival.)
And there were moments that made me realize why I only like my own kids and hate other peoples kids. But I'll get to that in a minute.

Upon entering the grounds, we had to wait in line to get in.
Not a problem.. I can wait. And it gave the kids a chance to see just how tall the corn stalks were compared to them. (They had only ever really seen stalks on the interstate in Illinois and Iowa.)

There was a sign that read (CLEARLY):
Credit card payments in the left line
Cash payments in the right line

So, we lined up left since we never seem to have cash on hand.
And of course, there were people who got up to the front and totally screwed it up.
Some of them even bitched out loud that there should have been a sign.
?!?!?!?!?!?

Another sign that was CLEARLY visible was the one saying:
DO NOT TOUCH THE CORN

Now, I imagine that if you lightly touched the stalk, they probably wouldn't care. It's likely that the sign was there to keep people from flat out destroying the corn stalks.
Judging from the amount of corn kernels on the ground, people simply cannot read.

An ADULT in front of us SHOWED his kid how to open up the husk and get the kernels out.
That's lovely. Teach them early how to NOT follow rules.
And he wasn't the only one.

But the one that got me the most?
The little boy behind us that not only kept touching the stalk while his dad watched, but actually RIPPED the corn cob off the stalk and proceeded to peel that thing like a banana.
And like I said, his dad watched the entire time.
Only when the kid chucked the corn behind him into the corn field did his dad say a word. And even then, he just told him that he could have hit someone if they were hanging out in the corn field.
Yeah, that's awesome. You're not okay with the kid hurting anyone but it's just fine if he breaks every other rule and destroys property.
Awesome. Maybe that kid will end up at a party with 300 other kids one day destroying an ex-NFL players home.

The next thing that chapped my arse was the spot where everyone was peeling the sticky tab off of their entrance bracelets. The kids weren't putting them on their own wrists.
And there was a huge trash can right there for you to toss the trash.
But the adults couldn't seem to find the giant, blue trash can and dispose of their trash.
Why do that when the ground looks so wonderful covered with them?


Once we finally got into the festival, that's when I kept thanking my lucky stars that my children behave in public.
And no, I'm not talking about tantrums. I have dealt with that before and I know first hand that when a child is that emotional and already raging... they will not listen to reason.
I don't actually recall hearing too many of those, except from the tiny babies that were hungry or cold.

I'm talking about the kids that were running around like crazy, knocking things over and almost knocking people over. The kids that were being rude and inconsiderate while their parents stood there and said nothing.

While waiting at the face painting tent for our turn, there was a family ahead of us.
They had 3 kids, all girls. The youngest looked to be about 3, the middle kid was around 8 or 9, and the oldest was probably about 13.
When the youngest was done and painted up, she ran away for a minute or two. Her father (?) barely noticed. Luckily, she came back to them.
But then she grabbed the mirror hanging on the tent and almost ripped it down. It was the oldest sister that finally got her to let go and told her not to do it.

Once the all 3 girls were done, the oldest and middle were both looking in the mirror. Apparently, the middle one, we will call her Diva, didn't like sharing and SHOVED her sister away... right towards my youngest child. Luckily, the kid was able to right herself a split second before she knocked my kid on her ass.

I had to endure those kids, and their crappy behavior, for a total of about 10 minutes. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life.

Then there were the kids in the corn pit.
It was a giant pit of kernels held in place by a barrier of hay bales.
My kids took off their shoes and got in and started to play.
I stayed on the outside of the pit to take pics.

While standing there, a few kids came running along the top of the bales, knocking into people left and right. And I can honestly say, I don't know where their parents were at the time.
One of them actually clipped me in the shoulder.
Did she say sorry? Of course not. Apparently, she was never taught to do such a crazy thing.


Honestly, my anger is geared more towards the parents than the kids.
Children will actually behave if they are taught the difference between right and wrong.
Deep down, when I see rude little snots, I know that it's probably not their fault.
(Okay, yeah.... some kids are just wild and no one can get them to behave.)

It's the parents that stand by and watch their children being snots that bother me.
Why don't they say something?
Why don't they pull Junior aside and let him know that if the behavior continues, they will be going home where he can sit in time out?

Now, I've said before that my kids aren't perfect.
But I can honestly say that they have never done the things mentioned above.
And only once can I remember one of them plowing into someone.

One time at Target, Button was in the little kids section with us while we were trying a coat on Peanut. Button took off at a sprint through the racks and almost knocked a woman down.
She's never done it again.
Not after the look from me, the talk from my husband and me, and the fact that we made it clear that we would not tolerate rudeness.

People usually aren't born mean. They aren't born racist, rude, inconsiderate, or spoiled.
It's what they learn (or don't learn) from their parents that make them act terribly throughout their childhoods and into adulthood.

I thank my lucky stars everyday that my mother never permitted that sort of behavior and taught me to be considerate and helpful.
And I'll continue to teach my kids to be the same way.



It always comes back on the parents.
Kids don't get the side-eye... the parents do.

Corn kernels and pumpkins: An afternoon at a corn maze

I love just about any kind of festival.
But I do hate crowds.
You can see how that can be a problem.

But Sunday, we braved a crowd and headed to the Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze.
I read about it through another blogger and thought we should check it out.

I haven't been to a corn maze since I was a kid.
And I knew the girls would love to see a maze of corn and maybe get their faces painted.
Luckily, I was right.
The complaints details about the face painting, crowds, kids, and the fact that people don't read signs will have to wait until tomorrow.

Peanut and Button loved the face painting, except during dinner later 

when all Peanut wanted to do was "itch her face".

We went through the maze, with a map.

Photo from http://www.twincitiesmaze.com/

That giant circle to the right is where the festivities were held... and where they kept the food.

They had a small hay bale maze for the little kids, a giant slide, live music, kids play area, a petting zoo, and hayrides. They also had helicopter rides but I believe it was a little over our price range for the day.

They also had a corn pit.

Yes. An entire pit filled with corn kernels.

And my family seemed to love it.

They all took turns being buried and seemed to really enjoy burying Daddy.

After we came out of the maze, we decided to head out and go have dinner somewhere.

But of course, we had to pick up some pumpkins on the way out.

Peanut looks a little awkward in the middle pic... her pumpkin was a little heavier than she thought and she was ready to hand it over to me shortly after I took the last picture.

Overall, the kids had a great time and my husband and I didn't try to maim anyone.
If you are in the Twin Cities in the next 2 weeks and want to go to a great maze, head out to Brooklyn Park and see the largest one in Minnesota.

They're my pants and I'll wear them if I want to

Please, let me point out that I don't care what YOU wear. If you want to dress up and strap on your heels everyday and get the most use of your make-up, that's your right to do so. If you like it, you wear it. And I'll be over here doing the same thing. 

Fashion.
There are so many opinions on fashion in the world, on TV and online.
Trends come in and just as quickly go out.
Kids steal the best kicks off of other kids.
Designer bags are in such demand that there are 5 year wait lists.
Or you can buy the knock-off because you just HAVE to carry that bag to be in the cool crowd.

I don't get into trends much. Why should I? It's called a trend... it won't last.
And then what do you do with the bag? Donate it? Sell it even though everyone lists it as 'so last season'?
I like classic.
Give me a pair of jeans and a classic, plain shirt and I'm good to go. (Old Navy is where you'll find me buying shirts.)
And yes, I DO wear designer jeans. But I wear them for one reason only... they make my ass look good. I was not blessed with junk in the trunk. I was not blessed with a shapely rear end. And no matter how many squats and lunges I kill myself with, my rear is still not one to write home about at all. (Yes, I've tried less expensive jeans. They don't look good. And luckily, I'm not the only one that believes this about jeans. Have you met Rachel? She wants you to have the butt of your dreams.)

But there are days when jeans annoy me.
I don't feel the need to wear a great pair of jeans every single time I leave the house.
What do I wear?
YOGA PANTS.

And I'm not alone.

A couple of weeks, Amy over at Motherhood and Miscellany posted about being a Yoga-Pants-Wearing-Mom. And I found myself nodding at so much of what she said.
I, too, wear yoga pants in public. They look better than what I wear at home (sweatpants).
And they don't make my rear look totally flat.

But then about a week later, Amy followed up with another yoga pants post, More on Yoga Pants. And Kindness. And Being Judgmental.
As soon as I saw the title of the post in my feed, I knew I would be upset by the time I finished reading it. Because I just knew, somehow, that the opinionated Judgy Janes were out in full force.

And I was right.
She got the typical responses on BlogHer. You know... "you're a slob" and "you don't have respect for yourself" and even "you're husband is offended and ashamed".
Wait, how many husbands pay one bit of attention to their wives clothes?
The husbands I know only care what their wives wear if they get a bill in the mail from Macy's or Neiman Marcus that has a total due that rivals a down payment on a home. (Or if their wives are revealing a little too much skin on a daily basis. Then, they tend to care.)

But the worst was the responses that Amy was somehow "setting a bad example for her kids".
Wait. WHAT?!
How in the WORLD do you get to that?

Please, go and read the second blog post about this and then come back.
I'll wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Intermission~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome back!

So, yes, I was not happy.
And I couldn't get it out of my head.

I have 2 daughters and I wear yoga pants.
And I am NOT setting a bad example for my kids.

I totally agree with Amy that children should be taught that what is inside a person matters far more than what clothing they choose to wear. That's where it starts.

If you raise your kids with a judgmental attitude toward things like that, they'll be the adults in 10-20 years judging a whole new crop of people for what they're wearing.
THAT is setting a bad example.
Teach your kids to be who they are, not what the world expects them to be.

My oldest has already shown signs of trying to be like other people instead of being herself.
So when I found a shirt in her size that said 'Be True Be You', I bought it. And I made sure she understood what the words meant.

Amy's post came right after we saw a group of girls at Target right after school let out one Friday and 3 out of the 4 had the same brand of backpack, Vera Bradley.
Vera Bradley is a little over priced, in my experience. $12 for a CHANGE purse? Most people don't keep 12 bucks IN a change purse.
(The 4th girl had a sports pack. Either her parents cannot afford the other backpack or she chose to get what she wanted. I hope the latter is true.)
I pointed the pack out to my daughters and told them that it's more important to be you, not like your friends.

My girls' bio mom was a chameleon. When I first met her, she was dating a guy that listened to Insane Clown Posse and wore those jeans. You know the ones... family of 5 can fit in them and they're covered in chains?
Yeah, well bio mom dressed just like him for about a year.
And then she must have gotten tired of pretending because she started dressing like she used to before she met him. And of course, he was totally confused.
He thought she had changed.
What he didn't understand was that he had been dating a fictional character all that time and she was in costume. And when the show ran too long, she got tired of it and retired.
They didn't last another month after that.

My girls LOVE their cozy pants. Peanut would wear them all year if we let her, but of course, we don't. (Mainly because she'd burn up in the summer.)
They don't see me judging people day in and day out. (Sure, I do it a little in my head but I try very hard not to ever let them hear it. And even then, it's usually someone dressed a little risque for a school event.)

Celebrities wear expensive clothing and they are always up on the latest styles.
But what do we all flock to see?
Why, the pictures in US Weekly and People showing us the stars in their sweats, with no make-up, of course. I think it's US Weekly that shouts "Stars! They're just like us!" and then they show the women wearing YOGA pants to lunch with friends.
Celebrities dress up when they have to... but most of them refuse to wear any make-up outside of work.
I follow a lot of my favorite celebs on Twitter and Instagram. And I see what they wear when they have a day off.
Hey, they dress just like Amy and me!

I know that a lot of fashion trends are actually started by celebrities. And I'll admit that I've bought some things in the past after seeing a celeb wear it.
But let me be clear... I bought those things because I liked them, not due to the fact that a celeb was wearing them. I couldn't care less what a celeb thinks is cool... if I don't like it, I don't look twice.
And I'll be damned if I will go out and go broke buying what celebs and fashion mags claim to be 'must haves'.

And to answer at least one question, no.
I do not wear yoga pants every single day.
When I go to weddings, I dress up. If it's a black tie affair, I do it up.
If I had a meeting at my girls old school, I wore jeans and a decent top.
During our wedding planning, I always dressed nicely to attend vendor meetings.

Because sometimes, yes, you should dress better.
But most of the time? No one at Target gives a crap what I am wearing.

I ran all of this past my own husband to make sure he wasn't 'offended' or 'ashamed' of me.
He said: ''You do wear yoga pants a lot. But you aren't a slob. You shower, you brush your teeth, pluck the eyebrows, and you don't stink. It's not like you are a mess walking around and have let yourself go. And you even put on mascara sometimes if you feel like it.''

So, if my husband doesn't have a problem with my attire, and my children don't have a problem with my attire, and my friends don't have a problem with my attire... why does the rest of the world care?

I am who I am.
Always have been.
Always will be.

This is my life, my time on this planet.
I will go to the store, travel, shop, and see the world.... dressed the way that I want to dress.

How about you? Do you cave to what society expects of you or do you like to make waves and live the way you want to live?

My kids might be aliens

I read a lot of blogs. And almost all of them are written by other moms, most with multiple kids.
Hats off and awards to those I read that have 4+ kids. Yikes. How do you do it??

When I read these blogs, I react strangely to what I read about the kids.
I read about kids who won't eat anything remotely healthy.
I read about kids who refuse to go to bed.
I read about kids that throw tantrums over the smallest things.
I read about siblings that declare all out war on each other each and every day.

And when I read these posts, I always end up thinking to myself, "something is wrong with my kids".

Please, don't shoot me for what I am about to write.
I know it will sound strange to some and like outright lies to others.
I am not posting it to brag or make any other mom feel inferior.
I can assure you, I'm just as weirded out as you might be. They freak me out at times.
And I live with it, every single day.

1) My kids aren't picky with food.
Button used to be picky but somehow, we broke that behavior.
And no, it wasn't easy.
The kid wouldn't eat a lot of stuff, including PB&J.
But we kept at her and eventually, maybe due to the fact that Peanut will eat almost anything, she caved and started eating the way we preferred.
They both eat salmon, grilled or baked chicken, couscous, squash, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, apples, all fruits (although Button doesn't really like blueberries), and wheat bread. They eat a lot more than that but for the sake of your reading time, we will end the list there.

Button has even gotten to where she will repeatedly try a food, although she might still hate it.
(Example: It took me a few years of variations before I finally got my cornbread dressing to taste the way I wanted it to... like my grandmother used to make. But each time, Button did try it. She didn't like it and told me so. But she kept at it. When I finally got the damn recipe perfect, she told me she loved it.
Deviled eggs are a different story. She tries them every single year. And every single year, she hates them. Maybe that will change when she's older?)

2) My kids don't throw tantrums in public.
Yes, Peanut did throw a few at school but it usually had to do with her not expressing anger in a better way, which she has finally learned to do.

Each kid has thrown ONE tantrum each while in public:
Button did it before I knew her, in Target. According to my husband, she sat her chunky 2 1/2 year old butt down in an aisle and proceeded to raise hell. My husband and her bio mom walked away, around the corner so she couldn't see them. Within 20 seconds, she stopped crying and got up to find them.
She has never done it again.

Peanut did it after I moved here. We were at Cub grocery shopping and she spotted bananas in the buggy. (Please, I am from the south. I have never called them carts and I never will. Chalk it up to a southern thang and move along.) Peanut wanted a banana. She wanted it right then and there. She was not listening to the reasoning behind not giving it to her. She didn't care that it had to be weighed and paid for before consuming. She.Just.Wanted.It.
She threw one hell of a fit.
Good lord. It was awful. From produce all the way to frozen goods, she wailed. She kicked her legs. She made me wonder what in the hell I had gotten myself into moving in with 2 kids.
An elderly lady smiled at me and told me not to worry, it happened to every mom. I informed her it was over a banana and she looked bewildered.
My husband finally took her outside at checkout while Button and I stayed inside.

Happy as hell to say that the child has NEVER done it again.

3) My kids don't get up at the butt crack of dawn. 
Not anymore, at least.

When I first moved here, they got up on their own by 6:30 am, an ungodly hour to me, a lifelong night owl. They were loud because they couldn't be bothered to think that other people in the house might want to sleep in. They were hungry. They were bored. They wanted to go outside.
Meanwhile, I once again pondered what I had gotten myself into.

We managed to break that habit.
No, it wasn't overnight.
No, it sure as hell wasn't easy.
Yes, I was almost committed during said habit breaking.

A few years later, we can get them to stay in bed until someone comes to get them up.
There have been times that they've stayed in bed, asleep, until noon. (Told you, night owls.)

4) My kids don't fight with each other.
Yeah, they are totally aliens. I know tons of siblings that cannot get through one day without bickering or hurting each other. My own nieces have left scars on each other with fingernails.

But my kids don't do that.
Sure, Peanut and her temper used to wail on Button occasionally.
Peanut would be 'done' playing with her sister and expected to Button to read her mind. When Button didn't get the hint magically, Peanut would smack her with  Magna-Doodle. Or bite her. Or smack her. Or kick her.
Button never once retaliated. Instead, she curled into a ball and started to cry.
She never stood up for herself, which most big sisters will do.
(Yes, she was/is a bit of a doormat. We are working on it.)

Peanut stopped physically hurting Button when she was around 4, so in the last 3 years, there's been not a hint of physical violence.
And you will rarely hear either kid tell the other one off for being annoying.
I think I'd prefer they fight.
Some of you just spit out your drink, right? You're thinking, 'what the hell is wrong with you? Do you realize how good you have it?'.
Bear with me here while I explain.

I want my children to be able to express their emotions. Whether they are happy, mad, sad, frustrated, giddy, jealous, or pissed off, I want them to be able to express those emotions in healthy ways.
There are right ways and wrong ways to express any emotion. And learning as a child to express these emotions in the proper ways should be easier for them as adults.

The problem? Button doesn't express anything but happy and sad.
Any other time, she clams up and lives in her head.
She has allowed other people to hurt her for years and never expressed the emotion you'd think she'd express. (In 1st grade, her 'friend' would find her every single day on the playground and step on her fingers. Every day. And not once did Button get angry. Hell, she still called this kid her friend!)

And she's missing anger totally. No, I have never once seen this kid angry.
All of those times that Peanut was mean to her, broke her toys, made her feel bad... never once did she get angry. I am starting to think that she's not capable of  feeling that emotion.
And that worries me. At times, it's easier to deal and move past anger. Sadness has a way of staying in your heart and head forever. In my experience, being sad all of the time makes you feel worse whereas feeling anger can help you to deal with things and not appear to be a doormat.

No, I don't want her to have a terrible temper.
No, I don't want her to scream and lash out all of the time.
But if someone hurts her on purpose, I want her to be able to stand up for herself. And anger helps you do that, not sadness.

Personal experience: I was a doormat in junior high and high school. I cried a lot due to the constant bullying bestowed upon me by the majority of my grade. I never stood up for myself. I retreated inside my own head and ended up miserable.

A few years after high school, I ran into a guy from my school. He ended up calling me a bitch at some point, although I cannot remember why or how it came up. It bothered me.
So I asked my BFF at the time, a guy I'd known a few years, closest thing to a brother I will ever have, if I was in fact a bitch.
His reply: 'You can be, when you feel threatened or wronged. But when I first met you, you were a doormat and people hurt you constantly. I'd much rather you be a bitch when needed than watch people walk all over you.'

I would much rather have my girls be strong and stand up for themselves than be cowering in a corner crying over any little thing that goes wrong.

Yep, my kids are strange.
And let's face it... numbers 1, 2, & 3 really don't bother me at all.
But number 4 keeps me awake some nights, depending on what happened that day.
I worry about my girls and am trying to help them find the balance needed to deal with the plethora of emotions that they will most likely encounter in their lives.

How about you? Do your kids do something that makes most other moms stare at you in disbelief?

Disney is coming to St. Paul!

My girls love anything Disney. Their first trip last year was a huge hit. So much of a hit that they asked before we even left "when can we come back?".

Well, it seems a little Disney is coming to them!

 

Grab your tiaras and doubloons and join us for Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate & Princess Adventure. Mickey and Minnie are taking their seats too at this never-before-seen live show featuring your favorite characters from Disney Junior's hit series, Sofia the First and Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Get swept up in the excitement as Sofia and her family prepare for a royal celebration that helps us all learn the true meaning of being a princess with a special appearance from Cinderella. Then it's off to Never Land where Jake and his swashbuckling friends Izzy and Cubby, with a little help from Peter Pan, battle Captain Hook to unlock treasure hidden inside a mysterious volcano. It's danger and dueling on the high seas as Jake discovers what it takes to be a true hero. Filled with new music, amazing effects, thrilling action and endless surprises, your whole family will sing, shout, and soar into the action when Disney Junior Live On Tour! Pirate & Princess Adventure sails into your hometown.

Special Bonus! 

Starting ten minutes before every performance join loveable Doc McStuffins for a special pre-show! You can help Doc take care of one of her beloved toys with her own special brand of love and magic. Free to all ticket holders.

My Readers can Save $4 using code: FAM4. Not valid on VIP or VIP floor seats. No double discounts. Service charges, handling and facility fees may apply. Get Your Tickets Today!

Let's get it started!

HA! Let's get it started... in here!
Whoops. Like I'll ever get that out of my head today.

It's Monday.
And it's before noon.
And I'm up.
And I worked out.

Holy crap.
Who am I?

I am a teacher, starting today.
That's right... we're homeschooling.

It's our very first day and the kids are actually excited to do some work.
Yes, they like school work.
No, they are not robots.
Yes, we are sure. (Maybe.)

As of right now, we are sure that we made the best decision for our kids at this point in their lives. The last thing that my husband and I want to do is screw them up mentally.
But only time will tell. (And now, I'll be singing an oldie but goodie from the Nelson boys.)

So, here we are, doing school in our pajamas.
(Admit it, the pajama thing is making you jealous, isn't it?)


Happy Monday, everyone!

To School or Not to School, at Home: Part 4

This is the 4th post in the Why We Want to Homeschool Our Kids series.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

For most people that haven't studied or researched homeschooling, usually the most common concern is that homeschooled kids will somehow be less intelligent than institutionalized school children.
If some of you want facts about how homeschooled children fare compared to institutionalized children in this country, I have some facts and studies to share.

Homeschooled children usually score higher on standardized tests than children in public schools. In a study done in 2009, it was discovered that homeschooled children, on average, score in the 85th to 89th percentile while the average for children in public schools was in the 50th percentile.
The success of the homeschooled children was the same, regardless of the students gender, household income, education of the parent teaching the children, money spent on curriculum for the children, or government requirements for homeschooled children.

Studies have shown that most homeschooled children go on to college and become successful adults. A lot of homeschooled children go on to own their own businesses due to their experience with having more responsibility.

Other studies have shown that children that are homeschooled score higher GPA's in college, earn more college credits before entering college, and earn more credits while attending college.
Another study showed that more homeschooled children, after college, were more likely to vote and are more involved with their communities.

There are about 2.5 million children being homeschooled in this country today, up from 1.5 million in 2007 and up from about 13,000 in the 1970's.

For thousands of years, there were no institutionalized schools. Children learned at home, with their parents. Most parents teach their children to speak, walk, read, eat, bathe, go to the bathroom, and more. But then they send them off to strangers to teach them the rest.
Why?
How is anyone other than the parent more qualified to teach their own children?

And although homeschooling fell out of popularity for years, the above figures should be proof to anyone that the homeschooling trend is growing bigger each year.

To School or Not to School, at Home: Part 3

This is Part 3 in the Why We Want to Homeschool Our Kids series.
Part 1 dealt with test scores.
Part 2 dealt with the way work is handled.

This is Part 3 in the series and this post deals mainly with the fact that most kids do NOT get the attention that they need in institutionalized schools.

Most schools these days are packed to the point of bursting. Some schools don't have enough desks or books. And even when the classroom has the supplies needed, there is usually one teacher in that class with an average of 20 kids. It's just impossible to make sure that each child gets exactly what they need as far as learning styles. It's not the fault of the teachers. They do whatever they can do but sometimes, it's not enough.

All kids learn differently.
Some kids are visual learners.
Some kids are auditory learners.
Some kids are kinesthetic learners. (Hands on learning.)

And some kids are combination learners.

So, if all kids learn differently, why are they all expected to learn the same way?

It's because there is no way that a teacher could possibly deduce how each child needs to learn in the first few days and then tailor their lessons to their learning. Instead, each kid in a class sits in a row and is taught the same way.

Button is more visual and kinesthetic. Auditory is NOT her strong point. If you try to tell her how to do something, she usually stares right through you.
Peanut is a combination of all 3, depending on the day.

When Button was in the 2nd grade, as referenced in Part 1of the series, she had a hard time with some of the material they were learning. 'Inference' really gave her a hard time. But since most of the kids in the class got it fairly quick, they had to move on. A teacher cannot hold up and entire class for one student.

Both of our kids would no doubt benefit from more one-on-one with a teacher. Peanut has 23 other kids in her class and Button's class is 25 strong. And since my husband and I both work from home, the student/teacher ration would be 2:2. He can concentrate on math and science since I cringe at the thought of either. And I can handle literacy, social studies, and art.

And I am positive that we can teach them anything and everything that they need to know to be productive and intelligent adults.

To School or Not to School, at Home: Part 2

This is part 2 of why we want to homeschool our children. 
You can read part 1 here.

Last time, I posted about test scores, the one thing that really got us wondering about whether we should homeschool the girls or not. This time, I would like to delve a little into their work at school and highlight the reasons we cringe when completed work comes home.

We are having a hard time swallowing some of the things and ways they are learning at school. I do not, DO NOT, blame the teachers. They do what the Board of Education mandates. But what's being mandated is not working for us... or the kids.

For instance, work comes home completed but never really corrected. They never go over the correct answers. We always did that when I was in school 100 years ago. If you are not told what you did wrong, how can you ever be expected to do it correctly? It's so much easier to learn something the 'right way' than to unlearn the 'wrong way'.

They also spend 2 hours a day reading but their grammar and spelling needs so much work it's almost overwhelming. And yes, we always correct them when they speak. It's one of the best ways to teach grammar.

Button has a vocab test each Friday. But most weeks, the word list doesn't come home until Tuesday, sometimes Wednesday. And these are not easy words, for most kids and a lot of adults. (Fractals? Benediction?) Not to mention, HOW the words are assigned. Each week, the words all have the same root word. 'Benediction' was used for the root word 'bene'. So the definitions, a lot of times, are really stretched and farfetched. Example: Manipulate: When most people use this word, we use it as another person trying to 'manipulate' you into doing something. Their definition was more 'manipulating a screw into place'.  I have never used that word in that way.

And if a child in the class bombs the test on Friday, the next week they are told to go to a specific website to do activities with the vocab words... for the next test. How does that make sense? Shouldn't they be working on the words that they already missed instead of a brand new set of words? Is it up to each parent to make sure the kids go over those missed words until they get them right? We have asked her if they ever go over what they missed and the answer is always 'no'.

So, the parents are SUPPOSED to be the teachers? Then we might as well keep them home and teach it all.

To School or Not to School, at Home: Part 1

This is part 1 of a why we want to homeschool our children.

My husband and I have been toying with the notion of homeschooling since this past fall.
The reasons? We have plenty. And the kids having to take FIVE standardized tests a year is at the top of that list. 5?! Is that really necessary?

It all sort of started with the youngest kid, Peanut.

When we tell anyone about this, especially people that homeschool, their reaction is always the same: "Oh, so she's bored."

That's putting it mildly. She knows her stuff but she never feels challenged. And when she's not challenged, she gets bored. And when she gets bored, she doesn't complete work. I suppose she thinks in some ways that it's beneath her to do work that doesn't remotely stimulate her brain or make her think.

She scores in the 99th percentile on her standardized tests. Yes, every test. I think the lowest that she ever scored was the 97th percentile and it was the first standardized test that she ever had to go through.

If we begin to homeschool her, she can go through the work at whatever pace she needs to to be successful. In institutionalized school, the pace is set by the Board of Education and the rest of the students in the room.

And then we started thinking about how much homeschooling Button, the oldest, may have been beneficial back in the 2nd grade when she just could not grasp "inference". (She might be the most literal person that I have ever met.) And there was no slowing down for her. She had to move at the same speed that her class was moving. Her teacher gave her extra work but all that did was take any free time she had away. I am shocked she didn't start to hate school. She was in school all day, after school program until 5, normal homework for 2nd grade followed by pages and pages of extra work, then dinner, and to bed at 7:30.


This post merely points out the test scores and speed of study. The next post will go over the little things that have turned into huge things in our minds.

Extreme Makeover: Kid Edition

Hey all!

I know, I said I'd have pics of vacation over a week ago.
And I don't have them edited and marked yet.
*hides face in shame*
I've been such a bad blogger!

BUT!

I do have 3 pics to share.

Almost two years ago, we moved Button into her own room. A year or so later, we realized that she needed a desk and there was no room to put a desk in her room. (The house was built in 80 and it's really small and narrow.)
We could have bought a loft bed from IKEA but our ceilings are too low for those that they usually offer. And we didn't feel like paying over 200 bucks for a bed.

So, my husband made one for her. He designed it and built it while I finished it (staining and such).
She LOVES that bed. At first, the desk was under the bed. But as she got a little taller, the desk needed to be moved into the open. (Also, when we bent down to assist with homework, we each cracked our head on that beam a few times.)

This is the most updated picture of Button's bed:

 

As you can see, her bookcase is now under the bed, as is her Lego bin and reading nook.

She loves it and you can usually find her in that beanbag reading the days away.

Peanut got Button's old smaller bed from Ikea and it's worked up until we realized that she was also running our of room. (Sadly, they both have a lot of furniture.)

My husband and I kept saying, 'she doesn't have enough room'.

But before, she was too young to loft her bed. (Okay, it wasn't just her age. It was her ability to ooze out of her bed and end up on the floor so much.)

Well... she now has a loft bed.

Again, my husband designed it and built it. Since her room is already painted white, we went with a white bed. This way, I can add color easier. (Button's room is hard to shop for. That purple and green don't match much.)

When we made Button's bed, she had no idea. We worked on it while they were with their bio mom one week and then surprised her when they got back home.

We couldn't surprise Peanut since they are home everyday now.

But she actually liked knowing and bless her... she never bugged us asking when it would be done.

Peanut's new bed:

 

 

I LOVE her new bedspread. So much color and it's fun!

She still has her pet net but now she can get them out for herself.

As you can see, she isn't going to be falling oozing out of there any day soon.

Her 'reading cave':

She loves the new room. We also replaced her old pink curtains with turquoise curtains which make the room so much brighter.

He bookcase and toy bins fit so well under the bed and now she has a whole corner on the opposite side of the room to play with her toys.

I wish we could loft our bed. I want my own reading cave.

 

Personal Hygiene Took a Holiday

I know grandparents like to 'spoil' the kids but there is a fine line between 'spoiling' and 'enabling'.

The kids went to see grandpa all this past weekend and we hoped that all of the talks about being 'responsible' were sinking in. The only good thing that happened was that Peanut didn't bite her nails like she usually does. She was SO proud to show us on Sunday when we picked them up. ***

Usually, Grandpa feeds them crap. Okay, fine. It's just a day or two. But this weekend was the worst. For breakfast Saturday, they had garlic cheese toast? Cheeseburgers for lunch on Saturday and more cheese toast for dinner? Breakfast on Sunday? More garlic cheese toast and pizza for lunch.
This man had a heart attack a few years ago due to the crap he shovels into his body. So, it's a good idea to teach the kids to do it, too? No.

And neither kid brushed their teeth. ALL WEEKEND. What. The Hell.
They brush them morning and night here and they have NEVER tried to get out of it. Never. And I know they are just 7 and 10, but they know better.
And why didn't the adult make sure they did it?
That explained why Peanut's breath smelled like feet.

And to top it off? He bought them new bikes (too small for both kids) and no helmets.
Look, I am not a 'helicopter parent' but helmets are a necessity. They aren't great at riding bikes and have a tendency to fall over when making turns. I don't care if they wear pads or not but helmets are needed with clumsy little kids.
And it's not a matter of one of them 'might' have fallen.
Peanut DID fall off. And she hit her head, left temple.
Luckily, it wasn't too serious. But it could have been. Dammit.

I told my mom about it all today. And usually, she says stuff like 'rules are different at grandparent's houses'. Today? She was astounded... and disgusted about the personal hygiene. She would have NEVER let me go all weekend not brushing my teeth. Gross.

Rules have to be somewhat the same when the kids travel to other houses in the family. It's too confusing for a child to have certain rules at one house and almost no rules at another. For example,  cleaning up their crap. Daycare always made them clean up. School always makes them clean up. We have ALWAYS made them clean up. The grandparents don't make them clean up. And it's tough to correct that. And it's always US that has to put the work into getting the bad habits back out of them.

Back when the kids stayed with their bio mom for a week at a time, we had a HELL of a time getting them back to normal the next week. She let them stay up way too late, get up way too early, eat junk, etc. (But she did make them brush their TEETH!) It was just a week but to a kid like Peanut, a week is the equivalent to a month.

Pretty much every time we go out of town, we send the kids to one of the grandparents and then they switch off mid week. And every time we come home, we go through stuff similar to this mess. And it's killing us. We cannot handle much more of it. Something has to be done before we lose our freaking minds... or the kids teeth rot out.

***I can see why she didn't bite them. You wouldn't want to stick anything that nasty and dirty in your mouth either. Nasty. Looked like she has been digging in the dirt all weekend.