Ramblings from a Mumbler

I know a few things.

It's Monday and I'm not doing a Monday Mumbles.
I haven't blogged in....a very long time.
No one will read this and I'm okay with that fact. I've been missing in action.

Hello. Long time no chat. I'm typing from my new toy. I won't even play with you and ask YOU to ask ME if I'm excited. Hell yes I'm excited. I last bought a new computer in 2007. I last bought a new phone in 2011. I tend to get anxiety around big purchases and while these seem like small additions to folks these days, I consider anything over a hundred or couple hundred bucks a big deal.

Call me cheap.

I am. Usually. But as I told my husband, who recently rejoined the work force and made our income feel oh-so-much-better, I'm taking advantage. I'm splurging. I'll stop soon but I had to get it out. I had to splurge. What if we can't do it again for a long time?

Life?

Oh, yes, life. It's happening. Work is still interesting and consistently busy. It still has its ups and downs, I still struggle with insecurities that could have been avoided, mostly around my ability to contribute in ways I feel are important versus ways I *believe* management finds important. It's all convoluted, possibly in my mind, but I've successfully convinced myself it's not and I am right.

Typical.

Home? Kids are good. Turner is slowly learning that not all learning will come easily. I knew it would happen but I'm trying to ease that burdening lesson case by case. Owen has started this year better than last, but he still struggles with "why" he has to go through some of the more mundane motions set forth in regular education. I find it gives me many instances for my most clever explanations. Evelyn is absolutely thriving in her pre-school. I'm excited for HER.

I'm trying very hard to find peace on a day to day basis. It can be nutty with the kids, admittedly. Husband and I struggle, like any married folk, but we created obstacles for ourselves that I sometimes wonder if we can overcome. I know feelings can shift this way or that, ebb and flow if you will. I'm waiting to see if my ebb will flow again. In the meantime, I fret and worry about what to do and if I'm being selfish and if I'll ruin the children with one choice or another and and and....



It is probably a combination of a lot of things but mostly my personality lends to feeling constantly imperfect and striving to hide that fact until I attain it. Which will never happen. So I'm in a lose-lose with my own self. Excellent. I know this.

This is mostly a blast of short snippets of my mind. They matter but they don't. What I've found lately is that I dwell too much on things and that habit is making me insane. I've just kind of had it.I'll either lose my mind or find myself laughing until I cry and letting all the resentment and worry go. It's so much easier to say than do. Just let it go.

Monday Mumbles 39

1. My Granny (Dad's mother) passed away Thursday, April 10th. As she is in the photo below (circa March 2011, her 90th birthday dinner), she was the centerpiece of our family gatherings, the hub to our spokes. All nine of her children are here with her, my father on the far left in green. You can read about her here.

2. For a closer photo of her, here she is in 2010 with Evelyn. Handing the new babies over to Granny always felt like a rite of passage to me, for some reason.

3. Long overdue, we bought Hubs a new suit for the mass and funeral. I'll admit he looked alright in it. 

4. The kids were very good throughout the very long days that existed between hearing the news and the funeral. They were in the car a LOT, and aside from getting restless at the visitation (who wouldn't, watching a bunch of 'old' folks coming in and out, chatting about nothing in particular?), they were fantastic. 

5. My two brothers flew in from respective states (Florida and Indiana), so there was an upside getting to see them, along with one sister-in-law. My mother was also very helpful throughout, watching the kiddos and giving them a reprieve from the torturous talking.

6. Aside from work and Granny, life is fairly steady. Evelyn still has attitude and a LOT of hair. Owen occasionally gets safe seats at school but is learning how to be a better helper and leader. Turner continues to skate through with his usual ease, playing basketball and taking piano lessons. 

7. I've been doing the #100happydays challenge, with some nudging from my brother. I like getting to watch my day and find something that makes me happy. If we don't take time to focus on something that makes us happy, some days will pass us by feeling completely void of joy. 

8. Hubs had me watch a comedian Saturday night, a South African named Trevor Noah. Pretty funny kid, and cute to boot. If you're into stand-up, try finding a few clips on-line.

9. My hair is unreasonably long. I've been very lazy and it's now a decent pony-tail length and touching my shoulders. 

10. I need not go shopping. I find myself having a hard time saying no, sometimes. Meaning, I have three new dresses in my closet and probably shouldn't.

Monday Mumbles 38

1. I'm not sharing the new car very well.

2. I did let him have it on Saturday, as I said I would, but it hurt. I had to force myself into my Pilot and I had to force myself to stop thinking about how poorly he might be driving it, or how loudly he might have turned up the radio. Oh it hurt.

3. I went into the office for a few hours Sunday morning and I took Evelyn with me. That girl has attitude and I refuse to take all the blame. I refuse. She spends way too much time with her dad for this to be all my fault.

4. The one thing I need to remember about her is that if I give her tasks or hobbies that are similar to things that I do, she'll most likely be content. She was getting extremely restless in the office and I finally moved her chair up to my desk like me, gave her a folder that had a notepad in it, and allowed her to "take notes" like the ones I had in front of me. Saved my efficiency.

5. I cannot believe that Owen turns six on Friday. I just pulled out a few photos for him to share at school this week and had a 'moment'. I sent in some one year old pics and it made me want to kiss his little one year old face.

6. Does anyone else have a problem sharing their food or drink? I specifically asked Hubs yesterday if he wanted something to drink when I was picking up my soda. He said no. And then he proceeded to pour half of my soda out of my cup and into his own at the house. P.I.S.S.E.D.

7. And no, I won't 'just get used to it' because we've been together so long. It's annoying as hell.

8. My brother convinced me to do the #100HappyDays - post a photo a day of something that makes you happy - challenge. Today is Day 5. I'm posting it on both Instagram and Twitter and I have fun each day thinking in the moment, and realizing that most moments provide me something to capture.

9. I can probably guarantee that one photo will be Evelyn's hair.

10. And if I can figure out how to capture her attitude, I'll post that too. Because it rocks.

Monday Mumbles 37

1. Spring is really taking its sweet time showing up.

2. I've all but given up on figuring out what to feed my children. I'm ready to move to bread and water.

3. This past weekend has been full of spankings. I feel like I thought they were so bad so often, maybe it's me who needs to spanking for thinking negatively.

4. And no, that's NOT an invitation, Hubs.

5. I've tried hard not to be a sore loser and continue to watch college basketball to see the tournament through. The problem, however, is that I never really got into the regular season to begin with so I don't have a lot of interest or knowledge in teams still playing. As Keith Urban said, I'm Movin' On.

6. To the Royals, hopefully. Baseball season should be off and running this week.

7. Oh, today is our anniversary. Seven years married, a dozen putting one another through the wringer. The marriage number is really just a side note to the actual years together, given our start.

8. Evelyn was scolded by me yesterday afternoon in the car. When she continued to scowl from the back seat, Hubs tried to intervene and/or discipline. Her response was, "Dad, you're not Mom!" which we subtitle "she's the one pissing me off and right now I can only take one of you."

9. She also asked to watch "Meno Finding" when we got home which melted any and all frustration I might have built up. I mean, seriously. Meno? Meno Finding?

10. We bought ourselves another Honda. Yup. Just can't resist 'em.

Monday Mumbles 36

1. Evelyn likes to comb my hair and it's like Heaven. Truly. I have always loved to have my hair brushed and now I have a built-in stylist.

2. In fact, just last night I negotiated an extra two minutes of combing, and she countered with, "How about four?" DEAL.

3. Basketball was fun all weekend. Up until it wasn't, on Sunday afternoon. Ah well. Bring on the Royals.

4. Have I mentioned that, aside from photos of my friends' kids, I don't miss Facebook at all? I don't miss having mixed feelings about who stays in my news feed and who doesn't, feeling obligated to be interested in long lost folks or those barely known, or feeling like a constant gate keeper of memories and time management.

5. Work continues to go well and I still find myself marveling that I like it. It has struggles, like all do, and challenges me but I suppose that's what I want. Right? I need to be pushed and forced to explore outside my comfort zone. To a point. But if my comfort zone provides productivity and results, I sometimes question the need to be forced outside of it. If comfort zones produce stagnant choices and lackluster performers, then there is a need to push outside of it. I get that. But I struggle with the question....should everyone be forced outside of their zone just to fit a mold, or should the mold be pliable to fit around those who produce best in their zone?

6. And the trickier question is-is everyone focused on what the BEST results and productivity ARE? Is everyone aware that a team can and NEEDS to have different production cycles and different results for different stages of a process?

7. On another note, we experienced good 60 and even 70 degree days around here only to wake up to snow Sunday morning. WTH? Get over already, Winter.

8. Owen, not without his struggles that have been well documented, is without a doubt my sweetheart protector. He's like my bodyguard sometimes, when he thinks I need one. I love it. He's going to be GREAT for Sissy when they're in school together.

9. And Turner will remain the constant instructor. He can't help himself. He's like me and always teaching and preaching. I promise, folks, I'm trying to beat this out of him. As softly as possible.

10. There is a new TV series on NBC. At least I think it's NBC. Resurrection. Omar Epps. I saw the previews and decided to DVR the first episode to see if it was worth it. Liking it a lot so far, actually. Might be a keeper on the Sunday night rotation of nothingness. Well, nothing until football starts. Did I mention Go Royals?

Funny Face Friday 11

Turner wanted us to know that the angle at which he could visit the horses was...yes...stinky.

This one. You never know what you're going to get.

One won't show their teeth, the other can't help but pose. 

The Science Museum was full of hands-on learning.

What you can't see by Owen's joyful expression is that his sister was clinging to me like a wounded animal, head and eyes buried into my neck. She did NOT enjoy the mechanical dinosaur corner. At. All.

She did, however, enjoy the ride to Oklahoma City. Dora backpack provided plenty of entertainment inside.

Tuesday Owenisms 18

I finally went for a run. I came back and mentioned I was stinky.

Evelyn: If the guy says something smells like TRASH...we will tell him it isn't TRASH. She just went running.

First of all, who said "stinky" equated to TRASH???? And second of all, who is "the GUY"? 

Monday Mumbles 35

1. Oh how I love daylight savings. All these folks who complain about the switching of the clocks so we can get a few extra daylight hours can suck it. Sun. Shine. People.

2. I finally went for a run. A short nearly two miler with Turner on a near 60 degree day. It felt like the start of something new.

3. My younger siblings are rising to grown folk status. One is slated to become a first time parent and another is in contract for a house. As my dad said to my granny, "Things are going crazy!"

4. I realized recently that I really never face my fears. True fears. At least I feel like I've taken the easy path almost always and called it "methodically approached". I can't easily think of one thing I've done that was an acknowledged fear beforehand, that I consciously tackled.

5. March Madness is upon us. I have zero idea how to prepare. We lay eggs. We look fabulous. Who knows what we can expect, which-for me-makes it fun. And when I say "we", I of course mean the Jayhawks. I shouldn't assume my few readers readily know who I support.

6. Speaking of the Jayhawks, I've had to enlighten a new East Coast co-worker to the ins and outs of KU, MU, KSU history. It sometimes feels like Coast dwellers never realized we existed before we were actually IN FRONT of them.

7. I finished Game of Thrones book five. Yea me. (This calls for a get-together with my pal Tracy so I can return it, me thinks.)Time for the second book in the Hunger Games series...while I multitask and read the Pat Summitt autobiography.

8. I have a dentist appointment this week to get a cavity taken care of. Send good vibes Thursday afternoon. I'll need them as I white knuckle the chair and pretend like I'm not crying.

9. For the first time in...forever...I had my eyebrows waxed twice within a month timeframe. As in "upkeep". As in...wow, I've never allowed myself such a luxury.

10. As for Evelyn, who sat watching, it wasn't considered a luxury. The gal looked at Sis and asked if she was ready for her turn after I went. When I was finished and got up to go, Evelyn was glued to her chair with a look of death on her face. She started shaking as she gripped the arms. I picked her up and said "Time to go!" She started bawling. SOBBING. Said she didn't want the girl to put tape on her eyes. She sobbed for at least five solid minutes. Doesn't sound like a lot, right? In a retail store, a five minute sob fest with choked speech and clinging hands, it's an eternity. The girl felt so bad but I was laughing. Evelyn clearly didn't get the joke. Sounds a bit like her mama.....

Tuesday Owenisms 17

The entire family is in the kitchen. Hubs and I are discussing one of my upcoming work trips. I casually toss a question to the kids. Below is what I should have known would happen, but as always I was taken aback.

Mom: Do you guys even miss me when I'm gone?

Turner and Evelyn, (in unison): YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

Owen: I have a picture in my head, so.......

Monday Mumbles 34

1.  I never realized how much influence music had on my childhood. While we were never singers or dancers or anything artistically in tune with music, my parents included it in our 'everyday' whenever they could. And because Hubs had a similar experience I think, I find we are unconsciously making it part of our 'fun' with the kids. As an example, I sit here typing and Evelyn is grooving on the bed to Abba's Dancing Queen.

2. And, to prove that music is becoming more and more relevant, I actually buy songs on iTunes periodically. For those who don't know me quite so well...I don't shop online. Ever. So this is a new adventure for me.

3. (She's now bouncing to Beach Boys' Kokomo)

4. When I'm placed in a place of retail (specifically, clothing), I am constantly searching for bargains and clearance racks. Sadly, even when I might find something I like...I feel like I have to have a NEED for it before I can purchase it. I realize this is a solid built-in restraint mechanism but it makes me sad when I leave things on the rack that really should belong to me.

5. Is anyone else guilty of snatching up stray dollar bills and coins that may or may not fall completely out of pants pockets that don't belong to you? Just me? All of us?

6. I finally read the first book of the Hunger Games series. After the first three chapters, I text one of my friends and told her that I was not happy with it thus far. The premise made my stomach hurt. But I said I'd keep going, and I later admitted I couldn't stop reading. BUT...that doesn't change the fact that my stomach hurt, or that I secretly wonder if we'll get to a point where humanity takes on some form of this, not that it isn't already. I need to get book two before too much time lapses.

7. (Bon Jovi, Shot Through the Heart)

8. Did I tell all of you that I haven't ran or been to boot camp since October? Terrible. Simply terrible. I might consider returning in April. If March warms up enough, I can start jogging again. I just hate winter so, so, so much.

9. I made potato soup Sunday afternoon. The thick, creamy kind. It's been awhile since I burned the last batch so I was a bit nervous. This one turned out great.

10. Apologies for being absent around here of late. Mondays seem to come and go so fast anymore. I just wish I could same the same for the wrinkles that keep appearing. They just never GO. Only come. So sad.

Get Write Wednesday 8

I love this song. I love the lyrics. Probably too much.

All of Me by John Legend

What would I do without your smart mouth
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright

My head's underwater
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, oh

How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing in my head for you

My head's underwater
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind

Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you,oh
Give me all of you

Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all, though it's hard

Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you

I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, ohh

(found here)

Tuesday Owenisms 16

Scene: At the grocery store. Folks milling around. A loud-volumed child.

Owen: Dad, you need Five Hour Energy!

Dad: I'm not Bo Jackson, Owen.

Owen: No, but you're ALWAYS grumpy in the mornings!

Cue laughing.

Monday Mumbles 33

1. Winter.Will.Not.Go.Away.

2. I know, I know. It's only the middle of February. I don't care. I hate it. I want to throw rocks at it. I want to kick it in the shins.

3. It ruined my gal pal dinner last night. I did NOT get to eat chips and salsa and laugh over inane things with my girlfriends from high school all because it had to snow. Again. On top of the foot we haven't ridded ourselves of yet from last Tuesday.

4. I worked from home Tuesday and Wednesday last week. We had a very, very shoddy mouse attached to the computer on Tuesday. We've known it was bad. Terrible, really. Wednesday morning when I confirmed I was working from home, Hubs agreed to go out and get me a new mouse. Heaven. It's amazing how much easier a computer can be when you have a functional pointy clicky device.

5. Did I mention how hard it is to work from home when a husband and three children are underfoot?

6. My car's check engine light came on Saturday, and we promptly took it to the shop. I love my Hondas, but this Pilot is starting to get on my nerves. And when the silly technicians ask "Did you get your 100,000 mile tune-up?" I get angry. I say NO. I also follow it up with "...and I never did on my 225,000 mile Accord so THERE." Stupid recommendations.

7. How would he like it if I recommend he stop eating those french fries and sign up for the boot camp I (occasionally) attend? I mean seriously. It's a Honda. Make it run, make it last, and I'll stay out of your hair.

8. I stared at my strappy sandals for a minute yesterday. Because I desperately want sunshine and 75 degrees.

9. And then I immediately decided that if the car repairs aren't actually as terrible as what I've imagined they'll be all weekend, I will just go buy myself some new shoes to spite the winter.

10. Oh, and the kids had zero school except for Monday last week. Imagine the fun that Hubs had. Ha!

Thankful Thursday 7

As promised on Monday - Owen's art. This is a very small sample size of the things my second child creates. When asked during the holidays for a gift idea for Owen, I literally said paper, glue, tape, and some sort of medium for creating. Some days, iit's all he needs.

T-Rex: Artist's comments - "He's nice. If you need help getting a star on the Christmas tree, he will do it."

Farmer: Artist's comments - "If you need him for a scarecrow, he will do it. He's a scarecrow. He picks apples."

Girl T-Rex: Artist's comments - "She has lots of hair. She really loves apples. Her favorite color is red. She has spikey hands."

Sign: Artist's comments - "That's for Evelyn."

Fireworks: Artist's comments - "Those are for 4th of July. If you light them, they shoot bullets and come out the little spikes."

Evelyn: Artist's comments - "She has a spotted shirt. She has a lot of hair. She's standing outside."

Monday Mumbles 32

1. Since before I was a parent, I said I wanted our home to be "the home" where kids gathered. This desire serves several selfish purposes, primarily feeding my need to control. In a subtle way, not in a crazy neurotic way. Promise. Now that Turner is of the age to entertain, I am gently pushing to fulfill this "want".

2. Let me quickly explain my neuroses. I like to have my children around me. I like to watch them interact and I can gauge their development. I hope the more they allow me to be "around" during their socializing, they realize I am here more to oversee and guide than I am to hinder and overbear. My goal is that this realization will lead to more openness and trust.

3. One thing I've gained by attempting to fulfill this "want", and is a surprising benefit, is insight into only children and their ability or inability to interact with siblings. Some crave the chance to be a big brother and jump into playtime with Owen and Evelyn. Others get flustered and frustrated with the constant nuisance and need a few visits to get comfortable. Ultimately though, kids adapt to one another quite quickly and easily. If only adults could retain these traits.

4. Owen's reading is coming along. I can tell the effort to sound things out is coming easier to him. He still visits the safe seat at school occasionally.

5. Evelyn appears to be more willing to do her lessons with Hubs during the day. Getting this last child over the hump of learning letters and numbers is painful but necessary. PAINFUL BUT NECESSARY.

6. Turner continues to be 98% self-directed, and 2% limit tester. I need that 2% to remind me he requires lessons about behavior, about life.

7. I think I'm overdue for a Thankful Thursday. This week might be a tribute to Owen's art. Check in Thursday.

8. Cold weather sucks.

9. I know I've discussed my literary progress on Mumbles before, and admitted my lack of Hunger Games reading. I have book one waiting patiently for me on my shelf finally. However, I am here to announce I've finally made it more than halfway through Game of Thrones, book 5. I wouldn't say 2/3, but definitely more than 1/2. :)

10. Sunny days make me feel more productive. We better get more of them, and soon.

Monday Mumbles 31

1. "And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition."

2. "But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt."

3. "We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now."

4. "This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism."

5. "The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges."

6. "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline."

7. "Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends."

8. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

9. "With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

10. I Have a Dream speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28, 1963. To my little babes, his dream is our dream, your dream, and becoming your reality. Live, learn, and love little babes.

Get Write Wednesday 7

"This era of instant gratification is hurting our ability to parent and weakening our discernment for timing."

I tweeted this sentiment. It dawned on me, at the time of this thought's conception, what it is about parenting today that drives me insane. And that isn't to suggest I don't fall into this category as well. I'm sure I do at times.

Instant gratification.

But not so fast. Your mind went straight to the kids, didn't it? That they're the generation of "I see, I want, I get." While yes, this is definitely cause for concern, the recipient of the gratification I'm talking about isn't the child. It's the parent.

Parents simply cannot wait anymore. In fact, maybe this "generation" of children isn't the first casualty of Instant Gratification, the disease. Maybe it's mine. It's my peer group who just can't wait to find out the sex of their child, after all. Mine that has discovered the art of job hopping as a career as opposed to loyalty and stability with a company they believe in. All because we can.

So while we point at people's children (not our own, surely! They're angels.) and suggest that they've been spoiled to the point of no return, we should reflect on what part we may have played. I'm sorry, what part "their parents" may have played. And for this game, let's leave the standard materialistic discussions at the door.

Thinking aloud, it seems as if we have a need as parents today to experience our child experiencing every conceivable experience as soon as humanly possible. Have you heard those pre-school moms talking about their child's boyfriend or girlfriend? Or worse, heard them gossiping about the boyfriends and girlfriends WITH their child? When did it become okay to encourage our children to contemplate pubescent emotions and concepts at age 4?

Oh, that's right. The instant WE thought it was cute.

What about those five year olds who attend live music concerts? Five year old girls who attend Justin Bieber, to be even more explicit. Justin, since the age of his fame, hasn't been appropriate for five year olds. Yet, mothers want to experience their darling daughters having those mega music star crushes like we did as teenagers for the likes of Donnie and Jordan. You know who I'm talking about too, don't lie.

But honestly, do you think the madly deeply rock star crush belongs to a five year old or maybe...just maybe....it's our inability to just wait. Waiting to let these types of experiences play out gradually, in due time, is a lost art. We just jump on the first wagon full of "sounds like a good idea" folks and join in. I don't pretend it isn't hard when all the others are doing it. That's an age-old concept and I get it. It IS hard to tell your child no when all the other parents are saying yes. But maybe we need to. Say no. Just say no sometimes.

We might have been the first generation to be told, "Share your feelings. Talk it out. Don't be afraid of who you are and letting others see the real you."

This has helped us perfect the ability to grasp for gratification. We've just taken it too far. Not only do we use this on our spouses, friends and colleagues but we use it on our children. We share who WE are, and we share and we share and we share with these children. And we need more, and we share more, and we never wait to do it.

Parenting has become about us. And our wants and our feelings and our need for instant gratification through the eyes of our children. We no longer just treasure the innocence but pull and tug for the next best and greatest accomplishment or milestone our child can fulfill. I suppose that's the point of my rambling. It's about us. And it shouldn't be. We have to learn to step aside and just let them experience life instead of always pushing life onto them. Guide and probe and steer at times, but never push.

And above all else, think. We must start thinking more and doing and saying less. Think about the things they say, intuit the things they feel, and prepare for the things they will WANT to experience but allow it to develop. And while you wait, envelope yourself in the joy of waiting.

Monday Mumbles 30

1. I keep finding ways to clean the house and rid myself of clutter. It's a very slow process, but every weekend seems to result in something leaving the house for good. It FEELS good.

2. My mom wanted to get out of her house this weekend and said as much Friday. We exchanged text messages and decided we would take the kids to a movie and then watch the KU basketball game at our house. The kids love having Grandma over.

3. To keep the productivity going, I ALSO scrapbooked most of Owen's 5th birthday. What that means is, I have about two more pages and I'll be all caught up with at least ONE child. Yea me!

4. Evelyn loves to shop. Seriously loves to shop. What's good about this is that it's still just about "getting out and about", and not at all about actually purchasing anything. Especially for herself. She's just happy to be out, at a store, in a cart, holding items we may or may not purchase.

5. Literally, she does not wear out when we're out shopping. We're talking grocery store or clothing, she's just HAPPY.

6. Have I told you that Owen is an artist? His favorite Special Class is Art. At home, he's content with paper, markers or crayons, and tape. Glue sticks or glue preferable as well. I love that his imagination keeps him busy.

7. Turner counts things. Finds patterns in numbers. He can tell you how many red cars we might have driven by, if you suggested he do it on a given day. We just had a discussion on why people will call 1,100 eleven hundred, but 1,000 is always a thousand. I decided to explain that people prefer less syllables. I think it's a dandy reasoning explanation.

8. "It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!!!!!!!" If you haven't seen Despicable Me, do it. Agnes steals the show for me. I personally think the three girls are a dead ringer for my three. I feel as if I mumbles about this already, but oh well. Margo is the no-nonsense practical sort (Turner), Edith is trouble with humor (Owen), and Agnes is dramatic but adorable (Evelyn).

9. I believe we reached 50 degrees Sunday. I was in heaven, and that is sad. Winter has been a beast already.

10. We kill TVs around here and somehow my dad keeps finding the old dinosaur box TVs to replace them. We just killed another Sunday. Burnt. Smelled burnt. We're down to a very fuzzy, off color, sometimes fades in and out box. Time to break down and get something decent. Now if I could just get a nice tax refund.....

Tuesday Owenisms 15

Sissy told me that if she says bad words and I give her a whoopin', she'll still love me.

How sweet, and slightly disturbing, I thought.

Owen pipes up to let everyone know that they shouldn't say bad words, unless they're saying something good. You know, like,

" 'Bad word', that was a good show."

" 'Bad word, that place was so fun!"

So there you have it. Rules for swearing by Owen. Consider yourself warned.