I put the 'suck' in 'Suck-it-up'

Did I really go through the last year without posting? Curse you , FACEBOOK! Basically the whole deployment went undocumented. So yeah, I suck, whatevah.

I will try to spend the next week re-capping our last year, with month/season-to-month/season highlights (of the kids of course, since they are the only entertaining things around these parts).

To give an overview of now:

We decided to do WAVA again this year for the girls (public school at home). We considered sending them back to public school, but F-bomb still presents an 'issue' for our school, as they have no placement testing, nor supplemental programs to challenge her. She is working 2 grades ahead in all her Literature/Language Skills, and a grade ahead in math. The school SJ would have gone to does not allow running on the playground at recess, nor any physical contact on school property (yep, that includes high-fives and hugging), due to the HUGE 'mean-girls'/bullying issue there last year. That's just the tip of the iceburg, but enough. There's also the fact that we are moving in the Spring anyway, and would like to take our time coming across the country, so the homeschooling allows us to get ahead, or not, whatever - we can school on the road if need be! Believe me, good schools will be top priority in choosing our next home's location!

We did send Mel to Kindergarten right around the corner from our house. It's a half-day program, but he is a perfect fit, and LOVES it! Most mornings, as we are walking out the door heading to school, there is a vanload of girls from Kindergarten passing by, and windows are rolled down with a resounding "Heeeeeeyyyyyy, Melsssssooooonnnnn!" followed by giggle, giggle, squeal. Seriously, this kid's got game!

Of course, JM is back from his 3rd year in Iraq, and we are just beginning to find our 'normal' family battle-ryhthm again. Four months after his return. Yeah.

Our next assignment has us 'out of the fight' for what looks to be a solid three years. He will be teaching Captains at Benning's career course for a couple of years, then we should be off to Leavenworth for ILE (Major school) for another year.

A right-now snapshot of the kids:

SJ - Fiercely responsible and practical. Actively seeking employment. Not afraid to scoop cow poop if that's what it takes to earn a buck. Always has a running list of things to get done. Likes country music (>sigh<). Says frequently that growing up isn't fun. Still crazy about her Daddy, and compares all males to him, at which point they all come up abruptly short. Just found the first boy who is "funny and nice like Daddy", Zach, and is giving him a chance. Hates her hair. Has reading glasses (understated - purple-ish), and loves to read. Gets mature/adult humor, probably too much, but I love it! My 'partner'.


F-bomb - Still quirky, if not more so. Dances in double-and-a-half time to the beat of 11 different drummers AND their accompanying bands. Still only tolerates Mel, but trying more and more to be a help. Idolizes SJ and wants to share a room again with her. Loves shoes, fashion, and all things girl. "Rainbows/Unicorns/Glitter - EEEEEEEEEEE!" Loves to read. Wears reading glasses (RED! and rocks them). Might have a lucrative future in acrobatics and contortionism. Seriously. Although still a worrier, has discovered her thrill-seeker side this last year. Likes 'biker stuff' and has asked for leather chaps. Is very into writing books, and has at least four works-in-progress, of all genre, all the time, on our hard drive. Thinks outside the box - asked Santa for fried chicken if he can't bring her the two other things she asked for. She is the reason for at least 1/2 of the 'stick around' friends I have - they have clearly stated that I'm great and all, but they really just want to see what she turns out to be.



Mel - B. O. Y. And all that encompasses. He is completely in awe of his Daddy. Wants to be "something where I can carry a gun" when he grows up. Builds his own made-up weapons (yesterday's was made out of a pencil case, a drum stick and a flip flop, and it was actually pretty cool!) Charm is an understatement. Gets unsolicited kisses from other Kindergarten girls. Only has eyes for one in particular, though (one of a set of identical twins - and he can tell which is which!) Rotten. Loves music, all kinds, and has a great sense of ryhthm and genre. Proves that particularness about clothing (sleeve length, sock wrinkles, ANY wrinkles, fit, feel) is genetic - thanks Dad (mine)! Doesn't care as much about style of the clothing, as long as it is 'tough'. Dent in his chin - works it. Dimple on his left cheek - works it. ONLY likes the good guys - doesn't even like the bad guy if they come in a dueling set. Sweet and caring toward his sisters when they are hurt/sad/crying, but otherwise takes great joy in tormenting them in typical little-brother fashion.

Them Bones

Tonight's dinner conversation between me and Melson:

Melson: Mama, what does a boy skeleton look like?

Me: I guess just like a girl skeleton, why?

Melson: NO! Where's the weiner bone?!

Me: There's not a weiner bone (giggle, giggle)

Melson: YES THERE IS!!! (feels for his 'weiner bone') Feel it Mommy, there's a BONE in there!

Me: Um, ...no.

Boys, sheesh! This fascination with his junk is never-ending! Why, oh why, did corndogs have to be on the menu for tonight?

Bang your head!

F-bomb just keeps 'em coming!

In reference to the latest book she's reading, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, she says:

"The Dad in this book says he doesn't care for heavy metal music - that's odd."

SJ's reply: "Well, not everybody likes heavy metal music."

F-bomb: "Yeah, but he's a DAD"- >pause, waiting for someone to catch on< - "Not liking heavy metal is kinda girly, and a Dad being girly is just WEIRD!"

Well-done JM! I see no tolerance for weak girly men in THIS little girl's future!

Soccer would suck.

F-bomb in the car today, completely out of the blue:

"I SURE AM GLAD they don't have soccer in the dessert! ONE: it would be hard to kick the ball in the sand, and TWO: Daddy would be even MORE SWEATY!"

OK F-bomb! Whatever you say!

They have their moments

They love each other, they really do! Although Mel doesn't hide his adoration of F-bomb, he also doesn't hide the joy it gives him to irritate the crap out of her. Her love for him looks more like hesitant toleration to the untrained eye. Everyone tells me they will be very close. One day. Until then, even in the sweetest moments, the true undercurrents of the way F-bomb feels about him shine forth, and she gets her punches in where she can, in true F-bomb fashion...

Whatever you do...

DON'T. OPEN. THIS. BAG.




This situation is a testimony to how well the double-zip ziploc bags work. Trust, me, we would know by now if there was a leak! The "treasures" we collected from the beach at Salter's Point just are not valuable enough to open that bag and release the smells within it, in order to retrieve them. What a tease for the kiddos!

Don'tchoo judge me!!!

I know, long time no updates. Whatevah - like I tell the kids: You get whatchoo get and you don't throw a fit!

I'm not even gonna try and catch this thing up, so I will just jump in where we are right now...

Took a trip to Salter's Point yesterday with a friend and her boys since it was extremely low tide. It was rumored to have some pretty cool sea life to explore, so off we went.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my "aversion" to stepping on stuff. Like, ANY kind of stuff, grit, slime, grass, lake bottoms, etc. Heck, even the tiniest sliver of rogue ice chip coughed out of the fridge's dispenser sends me into convulsions. Yes, I know, I have a problem, but the first step is realizing and admitting you have a problem, so, step one: check! Off me.

We parked, hauled all the stuff down the steps to the "beach", and this is what I saw FIRST:


Not exactly the powder-fine white squeaky sands of the Gulf Coast, but, I was expecting that - "at least they aren't wet, icky, slimy, or jagged" I thought to myself. Still I had shoes on.

We plopped the stuff down, then continued on toward the water, because, you know, that's where the action is!

But there was one problem between us and the water, and it came in the form of this next level we had to work our way through:




OK, I had children watching me, for God's sake, so I took some deep breaths (and Melson's hand, since this stuff was slick as owl poo) and moved forward. I will take a moment to again remind you that "the fun Mom" I am not, nor have I ever tried or claimed to be. It's just not how I'm wired - so this whole experience was monumental for me on SO MANY levels.

We all "made it" to the water, physically unscathed, which is saying a lot, considering F-bomb was present. I won't mention the mental "scathing" I had endured by this point.

So the final phase of beachy goodness looked like this:


Yeah, Woot - that's what I was thinking too!!!! Every picture of feet I have from our morning was tiptoe - It is official that not one heel touched down during our excursion till we got off the "beach".

But the torture was somewhat worth it, because we did see some cool stuff, like starfish, crabs, clams, jellyfish, and some deep purple sea plant that was irredescent blue when you turned it in the light.





The highlight of the morning was when we all gathered around this "thing" with meshed teeth, that looked sort of like a piece of driftwood or a toad. I messed with it enough and the kids were squealing, we drew strangers over to look - just in time for me to really tick it off - it quickly retreated into the mud and shot out a gallon of water all over us! It scared us so bad!
We all screamed - even the stranger. SJ got the majority of the water - on her butt of course, because she was hauling booty. I swear all of us could have walked on water. Well, that was the end of the "fun" for F-bomb, and she trekked back up to the safe, dry, round rocks and sat the rest of the morning exploration out. Funny stuff.

So yeah, my "fun Mom" quotient has been maxed for the month. Let the OCD re-commence!

Get 'em F-bomb

F-bomb and I are driving quietly home from dropping off Mel at school. She says out of nowhere:

"It would be cool if I had a camera that could see if someone had darkness in their heart while we're driving. I could take a picture of them, and if they were driving a RED truck, I would send the picture to a bull and he would come and crash them all up......
>pause<
"Yeah, that would be one way to take care of it!"

Wow. Just..... wow.

Couldn't have said it better...

This was on another designer's blog, and says simply and clearly what I have tried to compose as an informative letter to my customers about the new law that is affecting me and so many others:

As most of you know I own a children's clothing business, and as of February 10, myself and thousands of others in the children's industry will be deeply affected financially or will be out of business. Remember the outcry last holiday season over lead in imported toys? In order to combat such safety issues, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has passed legislation called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The law sets stringent guidelines for children's products containing lead and phthalates (a chemical used in some vinyl products). It is supposed to go into effect February 10th, 2009, and after that date any product intended for children ages 12 and under must meet these guidelines, and have a certificate of compliance from a CPSC-accredited laboratory. This includes not just toys, but clothing, jewelry, blankets, sheets, books, bibs, strollers, carriers, and anything else that a child under 12 might come in contact with. Sounds great, right?In theory, maybe. But in actuality the law is so far reaching that it may succeed in turning the economy upside down. For starters, the CPSIA requires end unit testing on every product intended for use by children under 12. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to do this testing, regardless of how small the business. That means that manufacturers (like myself ) will have to pay to get every different product they offer tested. These tests have to be done at a CSPC accredited lab, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. For example if you offer 3 different types of dresses. Each dress contains 2 different fabrics, as well as buttons, and thread, so that's potentially $600 to test one dress. But if you have 3 or more styles, that's $1800. And when you get a new bolt of fabric, you need to start all over again.At present, there are no exemptions for small businesses and "micro" manufacturers and most handcraft artisans. There is no exception for quantities made, where the garments/products are made or anything else. Also, the Act takes a "guilty until proven innocent" approach, which would treat a handmade toy that doesn't meet the certification deadline of 2/10/09 as a "banned hazardous substance" which would be illegal to distribute in this country. Each infraction carries a $100,000 felony charge. This legislation is also retroactive for any pre-existing inventory as of February 10th, 2009. This means that everything on the shelves in those big (or small) stores will also be "banned, hazardous substances" - contraband.Larger corporations that can afford testing will incur thousands, maybe millions of dollars in fees, and this expense will be handed down to the consumer, probably making the prices for children's products go through the roof.This also means that after that date, even selling your kids old things on eBay or Craigslist will be illegal. Charities will not be able to accept donations without a certificate of compliance either. February 10, 2009 is being dubbed "National Bankruptcy Day" by many people in the apparel and toy industry. If this legislation is not amended, it will affect everyone from port workers to parents looking for legal products. Billions of dollars worth of children's products will have to be destroyed because they can't be legally sold, and this will cause major environmental problems.While I am all for higher safety standards and keeping our kids safe, this law is so overreaching as to put thousands on manufacturers of children's products out of business -hurting our economy and causing even more loan defaults. Though this legislation was well-intentioned, it cannot be allowed to stand as is.Please help us defend the American dream and our entrepreneurial spirit! This law affects every stay at home mom trying to help put food on the table and every grandmother knitting blankets for the local craft fair. It makes the thousands of us who have found a niche in the burgeoning children's market have to make a tough decision - continue to produce items illegally and possible incur a $100,000 fine, pay the enormous fees and raise costs of goods sold, or close up shop!Please help us!Contact your Congressperson by clicking HERE.It only takes 30 seconds!If you have an extra minute send a hard copy of the letter as well!To sign the online petition click HERE. Read more about it here at www.nationalbankruptcyday.comPlease copy and paste this on your blogs, we need all the help we can get!

Sweety

I asked Mel if I could have some of his Skittles (don't JUDGE! He was an angel in the grocery store, so...). Anyway, he immediately said "sure, you can have the red ones", to which I replied "Oh, you don't like the red ones?!" and he said "Yeah, I like 'em, but red's YOUR favorite color, Mommy!"

What a doll!

What God Knows

Heard out of the mouth of F-bomb when things apparently started going her way (sans whining):

"Mommy, I thought God could only hear the WORDS in your head, not the PICTURES too!!!"



If so, then right now, I'm picturing a 3yo and 6yo who can relieve themselves without my assistance or the occurrence of a major catastrophy requiring the use of yellow "caution" tape and hazmat specialists to be called in. Seriously, how much toilet tissue does one tiny little hiny require?

Things

I just bought this sign 'cause it sooooo says what I believe. It's this rough wooden plank that says "The best things in life aren't things". I knew I had to have it up in our new home somewhere, and I wanted it to be where I could put a collage of some of those "best things" with it. So I put these in two floating frames side by side with my sign over it:

Yummy!

I love you more than...

Melson and I play this sweet game at bedtime. It started when he was only two, and after hearing me say "I love you to pieces" so many times, he started telling me "love you pieces!" at bedtime. Well, this evolved into "I love you more than..." and we go back and forth filling in the blank.
Tonight it went like this: (imagine a dark room with huge shiny dark eyes staring at me, nose to nose, smelling like lavendar and baby)

Mel: I love you more than chocolate

me: I love you more than milkshakes

Mel: I love you more than a lamp

me: I love you more than the moon

Mel: I love you more than a bed...(pause)...a comfy bed...(pause)...with ME in it with you here talking to me!

>melt<

p.s. - I just bought him a sign today for his room that says "love you more"

Funny F-bomb!

Some recent F-bomb stuff I don't want to forget.

1. She has missed SJ so terribly this week - pitiful to the max. Has fought nearly non-stop w/ Mel, until today (of course the END of the time SJ is going to be gone) when they really figured out how to play together, and had a roarin' good time till we pulled the plug at 2130 tonight.

2. This morning, as I'm walking through the room, she comes over to me and says, semi-urgently "ooh, Mommy, um,...!"
Just then something on TV caught her full, dull-eyed, gape-mouthed attention. I get tired of standing in suspense and say "F - what did you need to tell me?"
F's eyes come back to the land of the living as she turns back to me and stares for a second before giving an exasperated AAAAAAAH!, while smacking her forehead in the "shoulda hadda V8" fashion, then says "just a second, I gotta get the thinks back in my head!!!!"

3. I was told by Oui, that on their camping trip together to Joe Wheeler State Park, F caught the attention of a little boy from Clarksville, and that by the end of the weekend, he had come up and given her a little smooch on the cheek. She said that F-bomb, not possesing a flirtacious bone in her body, seemed quite underwhelmed.
So I decided to confront her about said kiss at the dinner table tonight (in front of her Daddy). The response: that classic F-bomb "uuuuuh" forced frustratedly through her teeth, then "He DID kiss me, and I was not planning on THAT!!!"

The kid cracks me up.

So neglected

Don't have a way to explain all that's been happenin' to keep this blog from flourishing, but, so that I will remember later, here's a brief, albeit terse, rundown:

1. Had to meet May trunk show orders deadline - sewing, sewing, sewing!

2. Kept driving back and forth to O-town and the lake for fun, and because J.M. was at Jumpmaster School (way to go honey, you did it!)

3. WAIT!!! Has it seriously only been 2 1/2 weeks since I posted? I swear that last post happened about 2 months ago!

4. Christie here for almost a week (yay!) which included another trip to the lake.

5. Aunt Jen died near the end of Christie's visit. To south GA for funeral.

6. As soon as back from funeral, time to take SJ to Birmingham to link up with Zia for their DC trip.

7. Launched Etsy shop, listed many items, all the while sewing existing orders.

8. Heading to the lake again tomorrow to rendezvous with Zia to get SJ and enjoy the lake for the 4th of July weekend.

>yawn<>

Add to all that another Strep week for SJ, and a yuk cold that made its rounds one-by-one through the herd.

Gotta love those brats!

From the back of the van yesterday as I was driving a hard-to-come-by-in-these-parts fellow Army brat (6) and F (5) home from camp:

F-bomb: Where were you born?

B(other kid): In Georgia - but not THIS Georgia, the other Georgia! Oh, and when I was little, we moved, and had to live in a cottage, 'cause all the other houses had people in them already.

pregnant pause...

F-bomb: Was it the one the seven dwarves lived in?

My little man

Walking downtown, early this morning (just strolling along, he's not even holding my hand).

Melson: "Are you finking what I'm finking?"

Me: "I don't know - what are you thinking?"

Melson: "I'm finking about YOU si-yeeee!!!!!(silly)".

I love that kid!!!

Tuesday Clothes...

The scene when I am "doing my 'rounds" this morning after dropping the girls off at school and walk into the girls' room:

SJ's side: bed crisply made, special blanket folded neat and tight, one stuffed animal (small) placed just so on pillow. On top of the bookshelf by her bed is an alarm clock, one picture (of herself in the lake), and a small pixel chix house. Books on shelf beside bed all matching heights/depths, cheetah sleep mask with pink "princess" embroidered on it laying on top of secret journal beside bed, PJ's for tonight neatly folded at end of bed, an oufit neatly folded beside the PJ's, with a handwritten sign that says "tusday cloths! don't play whith!!!!" (She has a drama performance next Tuesday that she has to wear certain clothes in). This is on top of the fact that her alarm is already set for tomorrow morning, and she came down the steps this morning dressed to the shoes, hair brushed, backpack on - just as I'm rolling out of bed!

F's side: bed completely destroyed from the night before, drawer beside bed gaping open. Animals, blankets, pillows in every direction. PJ's from last night crumpled on floor beside bed. At the foot of the bed is a basket overflowing with "stuff" that still needs to be put away. Books on shelf jumbled (but used - yay!) with the bottom shelf taken up completely by an art set - on top of the shelf by the bed: lots of rocks (all ordinary, gray) a crumpled dollar bill, lots of small torn-out notebook papers with special things written/drawn on them, a used Claire's gift card, a multi-colored-ink pen, and a baby picture of her mama. This is on top of the fact that I had to literally drag her out of bed 20 minutes after the alarm gave up, at which point she began to cry that she wasn't getting to wear a skirt (because she didn't lay out her clothes last night, unlike SJ!), then followed up by another cry that she feared she would hurt my feelings if she didn't want to wear what I had picked out for her.

What a picture, especially since the beds are matched beside each other, with the bookshelf between them. It is so strikingly obvious the differences between these two. And I SOOOOO love every little nuance and difference in each!

p.s. SJ even has a written schedule of what things they will play on which days, "Play house, Monday. Play office, Tuesday. Play school, Wednesday..." And guess who is constantly "bucking the system" and wanting to play rescue hero on Monday?

Tomorrow, next month, same thing, right?

So tomorrow turned into a full month later. After two weeks of waffling, the elbow was officially deemed "not broken". Of course, that was after ER took xrays, said "no fracture, but call us if it still hurts tomorrow". Which it did. So I called the ER for Radiologists "read" of the Xray from the night before - "no break, but follow up with your GP". More pain, so follow up with GP, then more Xrays, then "diagnosis supracondylar fracture" (totally the kind you don't want in a pediatric patient, OF COURSE!) and a referral to orthopedic doc. At this point she was doing cartwheels on the thing, and not wearing her sling. Ortho visit went well, still no placement of splint or adherance to sling rules - he ordered a CT scan for a detailed look (took almost a full week more to get that appt., then results). And finally, "no fracture". Well, YEAH, now that it's had time to completely heal! Is this normal, or are we dealing with "rural medicine" here?

The business took off with a bang, I have registered my trademark, gotten my business license, moved my work space to the office, started a preliminary business website (ie, blog about my business), bought a domain name, drafted drawings and a NEW price list for the NEW business website, gotten and passed business cards, gotten clothing labels, sewn ALOT (Easter rush) and taken more orders than I expected - it is WONDERFUL. Oh, and I upped the sitter's hours as much as she could spare, and hired a maid. The last two were unexpected necessities of a very-quickly growing business! This thing has really taken off! Oh, and I have my first trunk show next month - YAY!

So much funny stuff has happened lately - mainly the F bomb doing her thing. We've done a lot of travelling over the past week (me and the kids, that is, J.M. is working hard while we "play"), and in 24 hours time, F walked full-force into two different sliding-glass doors - seriously, fully witnessed by rooms-full of people. She is beginning to feel embarrassed when these things happen, and she'll silently tear up, hide her face, then run out of the room. Poor baby, I love her so much - she provides endless entertainment. And to be such a sweety all the time, she cuts that little bro NO SLACK! He's gotta get it from somewhere! SJ and he are growing like weeds right now, and after a full week of them home with me, I have deemed them "the locusts". They are in a room 7 minutes - tops - and everything consumable is gone! How will I keep them fed this summer?! Of course, SJ always does this right before summer, then burns it off in the heat and activities by week two of summer vacation. She is getting so grown-up, and is totally in love with her Daddy, which is so endearing. Everything has to pass through the "Daddy filter" before it is acceptable to her, from how big/strong her muscles look, to what she should wear, to how her artwork looks, to how to handle friend situations. I can't even handle the thought of the next deployment and how her heart will ache. Just with his busy schedule now, she can't get enough of him - he is truly her hero. Cool news - she was selected for Level III competitive team at gymnastics! She has been in a Level II class (non-competing), but was tested to see her level, and not only passed to the next level, but received an invitation to join team! She'll spend 4 hours a week in the gym through the Summer, then we'll see in the Fall if she is willing and able to keep up that pace and more, balancing that and school. I don't know where that leaves her love for drama/theater, but I hope she does not have to give up one for the other.

Speaking of gymnastics - F-bomb also tested and was invited to join a special team in her age category for exceptional strength and agility, to focus more on tougher skills than the regular classes can. She was so pumped about this - they are non-competitive at her age, but will do exhibits and performances at different events throughout the year. Her main focus right now, though, is her best friend from pre-K, and wishing every morning that she had woken up in the Fall of '08 and it was time to go to Kindergarten! She can hardly wait. She's reading and writing up a storm now, and you can always find her with crayons or markers, drawing pictures and writing notes to us all.

And then there's big M. He is so sweet-natured and fun. Such a clown - will do anything for a laugh, and LOVES his sisters. The girls' room is so big, they all want to sleep together in there! You would think the girls would want him out, but they don't seem to mind. He and SJ always snuggle up together, as F doesn't care to share her ACTUAL covers or space. She has even been making noise about how neat it would be to have her own room - maybe we can manage that the next move... He IS sleeping in his own bed tonight, though, with no complaints. All the travel and "sharing" over the last week probably helped with that! Oh, and he is definitely IN LOVE with music, all kinds. He is always doing something musical - singing, playing air guitar, dancing, playing his instruments. I love it. Oh, and he also does this thing now where he gives you a winning smile and a thumbs-up when finishing a conversation, leaving a room, or obeying or disobeying - like Daddy he plays the "cute" card to see if he can get by with stuff. We've been to the lake a couple of times already this Spring (it's full!!!) and he thinks he is supposed to drive the boat. He spends 100% of the ride sitting in Deedo's lap, watching the water for obstacles, hands on the wheel. He takes it pretty seriously, and even on longer rides, doesn't get bored or lose focus. So funny! He is so lovable, and I am taking every bit of that sugar I can until the mournful day he finds it "uncool" to love your mama so much.

I've got great kids - they all make me so proud.

The F bomb

So, I'm about to head to the ER with F - (I know, right) - for what may be ANOTHER broken elbow. Poor neighbors - first day of their trampoline being up, and it's been Fletcherized! At least it's the OTHER elbow this time. Good photo op, I'll get to try out that new camera phone - I'll try to post pics tomorrow!