Rough Draft

So We Went Early

OK, so after I talk about mayhem and chaos we ended up having none.  Of course.

I think I somehow forgot that basically all my kids could dress themselves and while I helped Jennifer pin her/my cheerleading skirt, the boys were dressed without needing my help. 

My plan was to start early.  I've seen people do it before.  So, we ate dinner by five and got dressed and headed out by six.  However, with the delayed time change, the sun was still out. 

And we were the only ones out.  (I sorta felt like I was in the middle of a Stephen King novel with deserted streets and the light breeze blowing fallen leaves all over the place.)

Perhaps we left too early.  So, we decided to just take a nice leisurely stroll throughout our subdivision, stopping at a little cemetery, admiring the trees with the changing leaves.

By the time we made our way back towards our house it was getting darker.  But I will say this has been the warmest Halloween yet.  We hardly needed jackets this year!  Nice weather.

And now I'm kinda glad it is over.  Candy has been looked at and bagged up with their names on it.  Two of the kids are sitting outside handing out candy and my doorbell hasn't rung once.  I feel almost sane.  Next step will be washing faces, brushing teeth, and putting PJ's on.  Hardly wait. 

Don't blink...it's almost Christmas now.

Bittersweet

I used to absolutely love Halloween.  It is still one of my favorites.  But, as a kid, seriously, is there a better holiday? (Yes, I realize the toss up between gifts and CANDY).  Every year I would dress as either a witch or a princess.  Some years my dad barbecued and some years my mom made chili, depending on the weather in Los Angeles, most likely.  My cousin Tammy and I trick-or-treated all through our neighborhood.  Once home my mom would dump the loot onto the table and go through it with a magnifying glass and then hide it up high someplace...which I always found...got up during the night...grabbed a chair and took some candy back to my bedroom.

When Larry and I got married we celebrated Halloween at our house in Oceanside with my parents and I always made chili (my dad's favorite).  I remember (pre-kids) the four of us sitting in the dining room to eat so opening the door would be a little easier.  By the thirtieth time the doorbell rang, I think we were all ready to scream!  Since that time, we plan dinner much earlier so we aren't interrupted!   The year Josh was born my chili was so hot it was hardly edible...I have since perfected the recipe to what it is today.  My parents would go trick-or-treating with us and the kids and whoever got the most tired first would walk back home (usually a kid and my dad) and start handing out candy.

Ah, Halloween.

I found myself this week thinking how I wish I didn't have to do the whole going out and trick-or-treating thing.  And then I stopped myself.

Do I really want that?  That would mean that my kids were too old for trick-or-treating and that made me rather sad.  As it is, both boys vacillated whether they would be dressing up let alone trick-or-treating this year.  In the end, the candy draw was too much.  So we are on for another year.

Josh wants to dress as John Cena of the WWE fame.  Of course, he doesn't have one of those huge gold-and-bling-encrusted belts but I told Josh that perhaps he could be John Cena during his losing streak.

Harrison is dressing up as a vampire using a costume that has circulated in our home for a few years now.

Jennifer was going to be a witch but because her BFF is going to be a cheerleader, Jennifer also wanted to be a cheerleader and because I could not find a little girls costume, she is going to wear one of mine (shut up).

Halloween is always a little crazy in our household.  Rushing to put dinner in their tummy before the sugar takes over their soul.  The doorbell.  The getting kids dressed.  The doorbell.  The fighting light (although, moving the time change ahead a week compared to when we used to, has helped in this area a lot).  The kids anxious for candy.  The sugar high prior to the sugar.  The doorbell.  The dog barking.  The kids asking if it is time yet.  The doorbell. 

Mayhem.

It helps that the kids are home from school today.  No sugar high-class-party-chaos prior to even beginning our evening.  Today, we can take our time.  Eat early.  Go out early.  Fingers crossed anyway.

I'm making my chili recipe today.  I originally thought maybe I wouldn't since Larry isn't here but the kids balked and said they wanted the chili.

So, while it would certainly be nice to just hand out candy and call it a night, I will relish another year of trick-or-treating craziness with three kids who still dress up and still want to knock on doors for candy.

Happy Halloween.

P.S. Honey, sorry you aren't here to enjoy the chili and help your poor wife get kids ready and then help when the sugar high breaks the house down. We will all miss you terribly tonight and save you some Whoppers!!!

Again, Child Number Two

When people ask me how my kids are doing with their dad all the way in Pennsylvania, I say they are doing pretty good.  Except Harrison.

When I told his teacher the situation and that Harrison has been very emotional, etc. her response has been, "really? Harrison??"

I have received similar responses from other people that know him.  It isn't like he is doing horribly.  He is just off.  And ever so slightly pushing my buttons.

Little things.  Strange little things that to the naked eye you wouldn't notice anything out of place. 

For those that know my son, knows the boy can be quite stubborn.  In fact, he once went head to head with my dad as I sat and watched the whole thing unfold in horror.  Here was a four-year old little shit giving my dad a run for his money.

Well, that stubborn streak is coming out now and it is just a jolly good time.

He talks to Larry every single day.  I suggested he try writing in a "journal" type thing as often as possible and then we will mail it to Larry and then Larry will write and mail it back, etc.  Harrison seemed to like that idea.  Otherwise, with the exception of his dad not living here at the moment and he is watching his mother take out the trash (there is something seriously messed up with that), our routines have not changed.  We eat dinner together like we always have.  We say the same grace.  Our bedtime routine has remained.  Our mornings are the same.  I haven't suddenly taken up square dancing and studying Spanish, so I am home every single night.  Our Sunday's are still spent with something baking in the oven and being lazy at home together with a movie or a game.  I loved what Josh's tutor said to Harrison this afternoon, "this is just a temporary thing.  Soon you will be together again.  All you have to do is see that there is an end to this situation and that will help get you through."

I thought I would share some photos.

Today was his Halloween party where they made a mummy out of a classmate, dug for lifesavers in a tray of flour (the most disgusting thing I have ever had to watch.  Good thing these are fifth graders and they were not thinking of the germs and how wet the flour was getting...YUCK!), and ate a donut off a string.  I'm told they did lots more games but that was when I had to leave to go to Jennifer's Halloween party.

And, because I mentioned it in my other post about Harrison...here are the most recent books he has checked out of the library.  The kid loves atlases and trivia-type books!

I'm hoping that I can make Harrison feel safe and secure and comfortable again.  I hate to think he is suffering with this situation.  I know it is hard on everyone.  If you have any suggestions on making this time better somehow for the kids, I'd love to hear it.

The Bad Fairy Went East

I have discovered the fairy problem in our home.
For years I felt bad because the Tooth Fairy has sucked.
She has been inconsiderate and a big pain in the ass.
So picky, picky, picky.
Leaving cash only if the tooth was lost at a certain time of day.
God forbid a child loses his or her tooth at dinnertime!
She has been such a bitch.
Seriously.
However.
There has been a shift.
A new dawn.
Jennifer lost another tooth yesterday morning.
She shared her gaping hole in her mouth with her dad via web-cam.
And Larry made a comment about how he hopes the Tooth Fairy shows up!
Oh, the pressure!
He was still talking to Jennifer when I had an idea.
Not rocket science.
Nor would it determine who will become the next president based on accurate poling results.
But...
I simply placed a dollar in my pocket before she even went to bed.
I know!
Genius, right?
Or, have all you Super Parents/Tooth Fairy Queens...who always feed their children hot breakfasts and who have children with always-brushed hair...just get the job done tooth after tooth?
Please.
Whatever.
See, I am always putting my hands in my pocket and so when it was time to go up to bed, I will admit that I would have forgotten.
Of course, by me I mean the Tooth Fairy (aka Bitch).
But, I put my hand in my pocket as I was shutting lights and locking doors.
Viola.
The dollar.
Oh yeah.
Jennifer's tooth.
(Yes, my thought processes are very simple that way.  Shut up.)
And I got the job done.
And she will be very happy this morning.
And the boys will shoot me a sideways look like, "What the hell mom? You remember for her but not for us?" (Of course they won't use the word "hell" but you get the point. Creative license here.)
"Yeah, it's your dad's fault, really." 
And,
So.
I have concluded.
It has been Larry keeping me down in Tooth Fairyland. 
Of course!
I mean, really, you think it is a coincidence that he is out East and NOW suddenly the Tooth Fairy rocks?
I. Think. Not.

Fall In Idaho

I think I say this every year.  But, it is simply gorgeous here in the fall.  And, October, hands down, is the prettiest.  Most of the   trees are still bright red and yellow and not many have lost their leaves just yet.  I love the colder temperatures and the smell of autumn.  I love driving down the street to a sea of yellow foliage.  I love the pumpkins everywhere.  And the warmth (in a good way, not the bloody heat of summer) inside the house.  Despite the obvious beauties of southern California, I'm sorry but fall doesn't really exist down there.  And, I'm told by Larry that there are thirty billion trees in Pennsylvania and all of them are either red, yellow, or orange.  Well, and some green I guess too.  Alright, so I suppose it is safe to say that New England also has a beautiful fall.  Duly noted. 

Last night I took the kids on a little drive around town...we were actually in search of a pumpkin patch...and then we made a couple of stops to admire the beauty that is Fall In Idaho (to their dismay at my seemingly ongoing love affair with trees) and snap a few photos.

We found this pumpkin patch that had the most interesting selection of pumpkins I have ever seen.  And naturally they didn't have anyone outside collecting money.  It was just an honor system (only in Idaho, seriously).     

When Did THIS Happen??

Ah, eleven years ago.

I was pregnant with my middle child.  Everyone* was yammering about it being a girl.  (I guess that is what happens when you already have a boy and everyone* assumes you want the "perfect" white picket family.)  And while Alexandria was waiting in the wings, just in case, I knew this baby was a boy.  And, I was beyond excited when this little guy entered into our lives.  I can still remember, fully, that exact moment the doctors showed him to me.  Bliss.  He was such a good baby.  Nursed like a champ.  So sweet and cute and delightful.  I have a very special bond with my middle child.

He is funny...
"Mom, you need to find a boyfriend now."
"Harrison, you do realize that your and dad and I are still married, right?"

He is smart and has a true desire for knowledge and it comes very easily to him. I could have only wished that material would have come this easily to me when I was growing up.  He loves sports and trivia and learning.  He loves puzzles and Matchbox cars (Porches, Corvettes, Mustangs are among his favorites).  He wants to grow up and be a CEO.  He talks about college and how he wants to live in a dorm.  He can eat a piece of steak to rival that of most grown men.  He loves to eat almost anything and I have been known to throw recipes out if Harrison doesn't like them because he likes everything!  (Always has too.  Even as a little toddler, that kid ate whatever food I put on his highchair).

He is taking the absence of Larry the hardest.  He has always been a cuddly kid, but he is more so now.  The others say I Love You a couple of times a day, but he will say it thirty times a day.  Be still my heart.

It is hard to believe my little baby boy is almost eleven.  I remember when he was in LOVE with the Teletubbies (ugh. Luckily that phase ended, those colorful blobs drove me nuts!).  He never used a bottle.  He was the one kid that gave up naptime the soonest (those were some long ass afternoons!) He is curious how we came up with his name and laughs at the names we almost picked for him (besides Alexandria, which really wouldn't have worked, there were Garrett, Tanner, and Noah, to name a few).  He expresses fear over middle school and lockers and changing classes.  He likes big huge novels like I do.  He is a night owl.  He loves reading through books that contain information, trivia, world records.

But.

Things are definitely changing around here.

It was slowly noticed at first.  But, now, holy shit.

I can't walk into his room without being blown away by how it smells like a boys locker room.  I swear, I can't get the, ahem, odor, out of his bedroom! (I open the window, spray Fabreaze, etc.)

What happened to my baby?

I knew this day was coming.  Obviously.  But, it makes me sad when I walk into his room and no longer smell baby powder goodness, but body odor and dirty socks.

*well, almost...

6:30 Mountain Time

Today was how I like Sundays to be...

Josh raked leaves in the front and back yards.
Harrison played cops and robbers in the front with Zac.
I finished all the laundry.
Finished one book and started another.
Baked two pumpkin breads and prepped bags for two more.
Jennifer drew picture after picture to mail to daddy, never getting out of her PJ's.
Dinner was in the crock-pot all day.
Lunches are made and ready for tomorrow.
The kids and I are getting ready to put a movie in.
Dinner is finished and so are the dishes, including emptying the dishwasher.
I worked on a little embroidery.
And it is only 6:30.

Why This??

The dog is strange.

The guest bedroom bed has several pillows on it year round.  The door is always left open.  She hardly ever steps foot in the guest bedroom, let alone touch anything that is in there.

Except when this one little innocent Halloween-themed pillow is on the bed.

She wants that pillow.

Can't control it.  She must have the pillow.

Luckily the poor pillow has survived about three Halloweens but one of these days the pillow isn't going to be so lucky.

My question is why?  Why this one particular pillow and no others?  Is she drawn to the witch and the pumpkin embroidered on it?  Could it be that she is simply partial to this pillow?

Strange ass dog.

It's Sick

I am now looking at each load of laundry to see if it is Oxy Clean worthy or not.  Hoarding the Magical Oxy Clean is just sick.

Headache From The Woman With The Annoying Voice

I will say, I do enjoy soccer.  And a part of me will miss it.

I love watching Harrison play soccer...actually, I love watching my kids do any activity, sport or otherwise.  And, while I am downright giddy with excitement that the damn season is finally friggin over, I will miss watching him and his team.  It truly is something that I love doing, watching him play sports.

This team he was on were amazing.  I know, all parents probably think that.  But these boys have played together two seasons now and they are simply incredible to watch.  Their teamwork, their footwork, their camaraderie.  All awesome.  They are really very good. 

Harrison is also just a natural at sports.  I hear from every single coach he has had over the past eight years the talent Harrison possesses.  Some kids are just inclined towards sports and he is one of them.  Whether it was tennis at three, golf, swimming, baseball, or soccer, he just excels. 

I also take offense to the whole "Soccer Mom" reference.  You might as well call me a fucking bitch with three legs, crossed eyes, and wearing a pink baseball hat with "I (heart) soccer" written across it.  NO.  No, No, and a big NO.

Because I sat next to the most obnoxious "Soccer Mom's" this afternoon and O.M.G.  Do they even hear themselves?  I think if the games were taped, they would be embarrassed.

This one woman (with the annoying voice that by the end of the game was more hoarse than when the game started!) never shut up.  I'm not kidding.  Never. Shut. The. Hell. Up.  And, to make it worse, not only was she loud, rude, and obnoxious in a way that she was certain she was being supportive...every time her son's team was near the goal she STOOD UP and completely blocked my view. 

The catchy little phrases never ended.  The whole game she was talking, yelling, screaming, chanting.  I was ready to chew my own skin off.

Then, worse, was the woman on the other side of me who was actually yelling.  Like in a pissed-off-at-the-kids-who-left-the-back-door-open-in-a-snowstorm-and-broke-a-window yelling.  If annoying voice woman wasn't embarrassing these poor boys, this bitch certainly was.  Not only was she yelling-yelling angrily but she was giving directions in long wordy sentences.  During the game.  In the middle of the game.  During a time-out.  During half-time.  And God help the boys in purple who landed themselves too close to the sidelines in front of this monster mom.  They especially got a pleasant earful.

These women need to step back. Seriously.  It is a game.  A game that these people want to kill with their over-controlling-must-win bullshit.  They moaned and groaned every time the ref didn't call something in their favor.  They screamed and yelled the entire game.  They totally ruin the enjoyment of watching my kid play soccer.

To the mean-yelling-bitch-mom:  Shut the fuck up already.
To the annoying-voice-screamer:  Shut the fuck up already.

I wonder what the coaches think of all of that.  Like, Hey, that is my job to tell them where they should be and when they should be centering the ball, and how they should stay with the ball and "Kick! Kick! Kick!" and shoot, and spread out, and run, and go after the ball, and so on and so on and so on.  God. Make them stop.

I asked Harrison when we got into the car what he thought of it.  He said it is annoying to hear all the parents (i.e. annoying bitch "soccer mom's") yelling like that and that it doesn't really help.  The cheap seats makes it very easy to see what they should be doing but when you are in the middle of the game you are either concentrating or listening to your coach and shouldn't be pulled by your annoying parents yelling your way too. 

Until spring...thank God for the break.