when the writing on the floor is in brown crayon

i was sitting here at my desk this morning thinking, "hmm. i really don't have any good ideas for a blog today." this happens a lot, despite what you may think. i thought for a moment whilst sipping my tea (yes, whilst) and started working on a blog about the kids rooms and what i'm thinking for the future.

and while i sat here, looking for some good ideas, googling crib sets, guess, just guess, what piper was doing.

here. take a look :)

(yeah, really wishing i had painted my toenails now that i've featured them so prominently in this video)

some of you have asked me questions in the past like "michelle- how do you do it all?!" and "how do you find the time to write?!" (by the way, these kinds of statements do make me laugh. because i KNOW what i do all day. and realize i ought to divulge more of my realities to you if you actually think these things...)

you see folks, there's a very simple answer to these questions: i ignore my children.

i don't have superhuman powers.

and i don't always write when my children sleep (although i do admittedly try to write when piper naps, and as you saw, for good reason).

i write when i feel like it, sometimes even at the expense of my children (gasp).

i don't occupy my children all day, and i sure do get mad at them when they're not playing nicely while mommy's trying to write.

i even yell at them.

(i will tell you that yelling does make me hate myself when my beautiful children simply want my attention. do they have to literally climb on me, though? and cry and wipe their snot on my lap while i type?? apparently...yes.)

so this is a little gift from me to you. it's hard for every mom to find the time to do...well, anything.

and it's even harder not to laugh when the marker on the floor is in brown crayon :)

grease monkey

this story is a perfect example of why mothers don't have extra time. bear with me...

after our play date with lee, cadie, and jax this morning, i dropped by my mum and dads. he had back surgery yesterday to fix a herniated disc (one of like, five), and decided he wanted to come home...today. typical. but elias and piper do a good job cheering him up, mainly because they are slightly obsessed with him, elias especially, so we stop in to say hi real quick and get home in time for naps.

after we get home and i have the kids in bed, i hear some banging and crashing in piper's monitor, which is a clear indicator that elias is doing some rearranging in his room next door, ie, not napping. so i head upstairs to investigate. when i open his door, i see every (every.) toy in his toy box emptied onto the floor (in their place? a pillow and a blanket. he likes to sleep in there...), i see piles of books in his bed, but i don't see elias.

hmm.

i see that my door is closed, so i walk into my bedroom to find him pretending to be asleep in my bed. always a goof. i ask him if he wants to take a nap in my room, which is a rarity that evokes much excitement, so i proceed to tuck him in. i head back downstairs and remember that i'm cooking italian sausage for dinner. right. probably want to pay attention to your dinner, michelle. i give the sausages a turn, throw in some laundry, and head upstairs to make sure elias is quiet. i hear him talking to himself so i open the door to find him sitting on the floor next to the bed

covered.

in.

aquaphor.

and when i say covered, i mean covered. ev-er-y-where. slathered. his legs, his arms, every part of his body not covered by clothes is coated with a nice thick greasy layer of aquaphor.

i look at him with my "if looks could kill/choke/throttle/etc." stare, and he doesn't even flinch. or skip a beat. he just looks at me matter-of-factly and says "mom- i JUST had surgery."

oh, my fault! i didn't realize that people are typically coated with a thick layer of grease after "surgery". but thanks, elias, for the enlightenment.

sigh. kids...
and THAT is just ONE example of why moms are busy and exhausted. because of grease monkeys.

(note: soap alone is not an adequate adversary for aquaphor. next time maybe i'll try gasoline...)

i smell good

i walked into eli's room tonight to tuck him in and say goodnight, per the usual after dave reads him a story. he's at the age where he gets creative with requests or conversations to make bed time last as long as possible. i climb into bed next to him (he sleeps in a double bed, so there's plenty of room for snuggling) and he says "mom, i like how you (s)mellll" and i said "thank you" to which he replied "your welcome." i love this kid. what a total confidence boost after my much needed shower today. hahaha...

i proceeded to tell him that i like how he smells, too (which is very true- a mix of nappy breath, pee, dirt, and boy, with a splash of watermelon shampoo). he pauses, smells his hand vehemently, and says "i (s)mell like trees!"...

and then he tries to pick my nose.

ahhh, i love boys.