“I Have an App for That”

Peter, (our seven year-old), “Do you know you can use a can of hairspray and a match to make a flame thrower?” He was very excited with knowing this information.

I was not happy that he knew it.

“And how did you figure that out?” -Me

Peter, “Oh, I have an app for that.”

During our Saturday morning snuggle and talk session…

Peter, “You know in July my girlfriend is moving to Texas.”

Abbie, “You know it would be so cool if you gave her your home address and you could be pen pals.”

Peter, “Actually we already talked about it on the playground and were going to FaceTime and Skype.”

Now he turns on his side and looks right into my eyes and says very tenderly…

“Mom, you know it’s like 2012 and not the 1900’s. She’s not going to Texas in a horse and carriage.”

This is coming out of my first graders mouth who is in my bed in his fuzzy pajamas and has his three stuffed bunnies.

Kind of like that.

Abbie,   All that makes you…   allthatmakesyou.com

Moment You Realize You Have Done Too Much For Your Kids…

One of the downfalls of trying to be good parent is perhaps you have helped them TOO MUCH.

One of the older boys was voicing great frustration while replacing his shoes laces after I washed them.  When I told him to just try again, (I have shown him how to do it right) his reply was, “I have tried it three times!”

I cannot help but laugh.  I could make a tiered red velvet cake at his age, alone.  I remember my mom handing me the keys to her Mazda when I was eleven and her saying, “Go get some bread and milk.” And I did.  Doesn’t mean that it was right, but I could do it.  He genuinely could not get his shoes laced up.  He was mad and he was mad at me for not doing it for him.

Here I am at a much younger age than my son and I guarantee you I laced all of those shoes.  I mean if I was going to go to school with THREE PAIRS OF SHOES, I had to know how to lace them.  Why did I need THREE pairs of shoes for one day of first grade?

So am I a good mom or am I the dreaded, “helicopter parent?”

I show him, again, how to start the laces.

Has anyone else found boys around twelve to be completely exhausting?  I try so hard to make them try and use their brains and figure things out and to learn to look for what they feel inside is the right thing to do.  They are such a funny mix of little boys and big kid.  They seem to have no common sense.  Is it me or does it seem like we had more commons sense when we were our kids age?  

For instance at Christmas they were mad we wouldn’t get them an iPhone, (what planet are they on and if they are telling the truth what planet are ALL of their friends parents on?)  When we explained why and data fees and that twelve year-old kids don’t need one their reaction was, “Fine, then I will ask Santa for one!”

Let me know how that turns out.

Is it because so many things are easier and simple to do that our kids are lacking the daily drive to “make something work?”  What do you think?

– Abbie allthatmakesyou.com

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Ten Things We Learned This Weekend

Here are things we learned this weekend…
1. When the kids ask for you to get a boogie board down in the garage in April, you better ask, “What for?”

2. Do not search for “bedtime stories about birds migrating” to read to your kid in bed, without first reading the story.  This makes for explanations that take far longer than bedtime story.

“To hell with your city, I am back to the forest on my own – said the forest sparrow that befriended first with the city sparrow in the forest.

We too shall follow you – yelled the all other forest sparrows.”

3. April is too early to get out the blow up water slide, even if it is 83 degrees. I just added an extra month of drying, folding, packing, raking, and MUD to my life.

4. If you set the bowl of Doritoes on the porch SOMEBODY is going to put their foot in it.

(as if I am fast enough to get a picture of THAT)

5. When finally leaving your house to get take out at 8:00pm to feed your family, check the top of your car for your neighbor BOYS iphone 4S.

6. Download “iPhone tracker” onto every Apple device you own because it can find an iPhone sitting on the side of the road.

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7. Do not confuse the words cocky and melancholy because your mom will probably put you into a new school by Monday.

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8. If you blow up a water slide…they will come.

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9. If you blow up a water slide you better have a good selection of wine for the Mammas that come too.

10. We are going to have to learn to love, at least one, Canada Goose in our backyard…

Little guy was abandoned by his flock and another flock was beating him up all day and pecking him.  The boys waited a long time before finally swimming out to the island to bring him back.  The said they named him, “Lucky Duck.”  I reminded them he was a goose.  They told me his first name is “Lucky” and his last name is “Duck” and since they were his “new mom” now, they can name him what they want, (say a little prayer for me tonight.)

Mother Nature was probably doing “her thing” because the little guy has a bad leg.

The kids went to school and I was left with taking care of him and feeding him until we found someone who can rehab him, properly.

He flips over and likes his belly rubbed.  He makes a purring sound and you can see his eyes close.  What am I doing???!!!  I am at war with these beasts who crap all over my yard!  I buy fake coyotes to stare at them from our lawn!

Lilly, does not understand why we are “sleeping with the enemy.”  Lucky Duck got to sleep inside the laundry room.  It was NOT dying on my watch.  I would have never gotten my kids to school and it’s Monday and I REALLY, REALLY need them to go to school!

This is where Lilly went after “Lucky Duck” bit her in the nose.  Ugh…why didn’t I get a picture of that?!  Look BEHIND the chair.

Look at Lilly licking her lips thinking about how delicious Lucky Duck would be.

Here is Lilly telling me how good she is and how she deserves to cuddle with this little fluff ball.

And…GOT IT THIS TIME!  There is Lucky Duck reminding Lilly that ALL Canada Geese, even the little ones, run this property.

Here is Lilly realizing that it is better to just observe while waiting for the neighbor to take him off.  We made a deal.  I would keep him for the night and the other mom would run him to the right office today.  We had a slew of kids here that played all day.  I got a text message from a mom asking how “Lucky” was because her son was so distraught falling asleep that poor little “Lucky” might not make it.

“Lucky Duck” is at a Vet that is an avian wildlife licensed rehabilitation expert.  Or, the neighbor just told me that when driving off with him in the tote.  Either way I have photos to show the boys after school and now all I have to go feed are a dozen bullfrog tadpoles, some hermit crabs, turtles and a frog.  Lilly is off eating her kibble but dreaming of goose nuggets.

Click the “Follow Me” button and I will keep you updated on “Luck Duck” and hopefully make you smile, laugh, think, love, cry or cry laughing.

 

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“Step away from the dogs mamma!  She is my mamma now!”

Seriously, she likes to be held. This was her telling my phone to “go away!”