If you’re lookin’ to get silly..

Word of the day: incognito

passion rules the arrow that flies...

For awhile, a long time ago, we had magnetic poetry on the fridge.
I imagine this was probably long enough ago that we actually had time to linger around the fridge coming up with haikus and witty word play. I have kept them in a junk drawer all these years, and have just pulled them out to use in our reading lessons. I divided them into parts of speech, and Ollie is making sentences with them, exploring reading and nouns, verbs, and adjectives. This sounded like a quaint little homeschool activity until I realized that we also had an adult version of magnetic poetry. I'll spare you the most explicit words, and just let you know that I had to sift through a few things that I didn't want them sounding out..I did however leave the pile of unmentionables sitting on a book in the living room. My bad, because inevitably I found words like bra, pubic, tremble, and nude spread across the living room floor and also stuck to the bottom of my feet. I will be passing these along, if any of you need them. Maybe this could be my version of a giveaway. What would you do with a magnetic version of passion and luscious? On second thought, I don't need to know what you would do them..

Oh, and what is a pirate's favorite country? ----Arrrrrrrggggentina.

Well, I investigated all the books in the library,

These guys are expert Put-putters, and we had big family fun at a friends birthday this past weekend.
In other news, Ollie has had a high fever the past couple of days. I deem him healed because in the library today, the two boys were banging aimlessly and noisiley on a computer as I tried to find a good chapter book for us to read. When I pulled them away, Eli said, "but I wanna play computer." Ollie pulled down his pants, turned his butt to his brother, and said, "I have a computer you can play." Awwwww, boys...

But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship

"No, I not eatin' candy..."
Cheese!

My tired pirate

As we settle into our fall routine, contemplate the holidays, we enjoy each other...usually.

Ollie told his father this morning that he smelled like rotten basil....

He brags of his misery, he likes to live dangerously

Oh the dangers of a faux hawk...

Mom might accidentally put hair gel on your toothbrush....

You can play with fire but you'll get the bill...

Go watch this for slight amusement today.

I hate to be crass, but no one was hurt, and this totally cracks me up. The poor workers had to be first scared, then amused....The big ole' charred boot...This is on the way to Ollie's school, and we say all of the firetrucks and smelled the fire... And, yes this is right near gas stations. Watch the video. The shot with the hotel owner, fire truck, and knight's inn owner, is well good comedy to me. Is this real???

"Have you heard the news?" he said, with a grin,"The Vice-President's gone mad!"

Alex P. Keaton rears his head again in these parts. This could be an entire nature vs. nurture discussion. This morning on the way to school we had the following conversation:

Ollie: Where's Washington?
Me: It's the capitol of the US. It is where our leaders live and work, like the President.
Ollie: What's the President's name?
Me: George W. Bush. But, all the people in the US are about to vote on a new President. [cutting out the conversation on voting, and remember when you voted, etc...] In a few weeks there will be a new President that we get to vote on. Some people want John McCain to be President and some people want Barak Obama to be President.
Ollie: I like John McCain.
Me: Why?
Ollie: What's he like?
Me: (Trying NOT to make him look cool) He's very serious, and was a soldier, and acts before thinking.
Ollie: Yup, I like McCain. I want him to be President.
Me: But Obama is a peacemaker, he listens to other people's opinions before he makes decisions, he thinks before acting.
Ollie: McCain for President. McCain, McCain, McCain. He's a serious soldier.
Eli: (Finally weighing in to this intense political discussion) Obamamamamamaam. McCain loose, Obama winnnnn. (That's my boy!)
Ollie: McCain, McCain, McCain
Me: Oh brother!

I am almost positive that he asked his teacher who she was voting for as he stepped out of the car. She probably thinks we're Republicans. Oh the horror.

Fifteen men on the dead man's chest — Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest — Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

A week update:

Ollie: Has been focusing on the letter "S" in school this week. Today, they had a "silly sock contest" made s'mores, and had share day. He got high marks on his "smelling test." He even got his first real report card this week. When I saw it, I cried. What a sap, I know, I just didn't expect that he'd get one and that he'd be all grown up, and that he'd be so smart, and good. Well, I did expect it, but its just so strange to see.

Eli: Continues to crack me up in his acquisition of language. He'll pretend to freeze when he says, "agua fria." This week we were listing to Dave Ramsey (oooo, go there and read his take on the absurd bail out) and Dave said something about congress calling one day to yell "We're debt freeeeee," and here the cue of the Braveheart yell, well I cracked up, and Eli said, "What's so funny?" and I told him not thinking he'd get the joke, and he burst out laughing. What a ham. He's two. Laughing at financial and political jokes repeated to him. Even funnier than the government operating in the black.

Evan: 2 guesses, playing computer games (yawn) and watching football (snoozeville) ding, ding, ding..... (Oh, he is taking me to a show tomorrow night, soooo.)

Me: Reading this, and getting tons of ideas for my growing business, painting, playing guitar, and loving the fact that I am not teaching ungrateful teenagers. (Thanks Delena Joe for reminding me why I felt like I was banging my head against the grey concrete walls.) (Oh, and I hope you get some sleep tonight with that sweet 4 month old of yours.)

The family: Reading Treasure Island together. Our first non-picture book aloud. It is fun, I am narrating, and it is very exciting. I can't wait to see what happens next, or what book we'll decide on. Good clean family fun, and the kids are loving it.

Pretty girls are made for boy's love,

An afterschool conversation:
Ollie (lifting up his hair): Mom, do I only have one eyebrow?
Me (cracking up): No, why do you think that?
Ollie (very serious): Well, Meredith told me I did.
Me (cracking up): Did you tell her that she only has one nose.
Ollie (very serious): Everyone only has one nose [eye roll]
Me (cracking up)

Oh, girls can be so cruel....

They took Mr. Rogers off the air, and I am devastated. This is by far, the best kids show ever in a million years. The kids get up and veg for all of 30 minutes a day in front of the tube, and I sleep. I feel like stomping my feet and screaming, "It's not fair!". So, if you want to help me preserve my sanity, sleep time, and help save an American icon from floating away into memory, sign this petition, please: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/mrrogersonnpt/

I know I am behind posting details of our lives, but hey, we're busy 'round these parts.

Ok- One quickie:

Eli (at 6 am to Ollie): Mornin' Ollie, you look funny....

and then a few minutes later:

Eli: I goin' to rock and roll camp.... (He then proceeds to play air guitar saying, "nah, nah, nah, nah."

All this when I was wallowing in my pre-coffee grumpiness...

Let me walk down the highway with my brother in peace..

I don't do sketches from memory

Lately, I have had the dreaded mom brain. This is the phenomena that takes place I've heard with motherhood and as a colleague confirmed to me today, (a mom herself) that is it scientifically proven. This is the serious case of forgetting things. We used to call them brain farts, but mom brain sounds so much more PC. Sooo, I accidentally emailed someone a long drawn out message, excited that she had contacted my about my summer business, and then the day after realized I had associated her with wrong business. D'Oh. Also, I missed a workshop on immigration at Vanderbilt that I have been looking forward to forever thinking that it was next Monday. Yet another colleague went, wondered where I was, and cleared things up for me this morning. I almost cried. I would have loved to be away from the teenagers for a day to learn more about such a fascinating topic. What I am more nervous about is that these things could come in 3s. What will I forget next?

And a conversation between O-Ray and myself:
Me: I am drawing a picture of something that wears glasses, has a beard, a moustache, wears a hat.....
Ollie: Does it wear pants?
Me: YES!
Ollie: Is it a crab?
Me: D'oh!

Observation...

I realized today that all of the pre-k activity books that Ollie is doing, like ones that have him match items, connect the dots, practice letters, etc, have answer pages. Hilarious. In case, I am not sure which item starts with B, or what a traced version of a C looks like, they have it clearly marked in the back of the book. Just in case.

O says

-I am the shape of sad.

___________________

-Where is my toyota?

-Your toyota? I don't know what color is it?

-No my TOYOTA?

-A car?

-NO!, My toy yoda! (A little yoda guy, from star wars!)

__________________

Ollie (Emphatically, scowling, and stomping, maybe even rubbing his eyes): I'M NOT TIRED!

Me: Oh, baloney!

Ollie: (Still scowling): I'M NOT A BALONEY!

(The poor kid, I've said this to him umpteen times never once imagining that he thought I was actually calling him baloney. I don't even think he knows what baloney is as we have never eaten it at our house.)

Which of these doesn't belong?

Laundry day falls on Sunday, and pictured below is always from the last load. Tedious, slightly different, stripped, shaped, and for different kids. A sock conundrum. Now, I'm no card-carrying red, but there seems to be some sort of logic to having only one sock choice at the store. "Equal socks saves housewives" should be my slogan. Identical socks could perserve time, sanity, and maybe even the environment as less socks would get trashed for lack of a partner. Yes indeed, universal same socks could save the world.

Turning 28 for the 4th year in row

"But, I don't want to be 31." - me
Caressing my cheek, "But you have to, sweetie." -ollie

Things I never dreamed I'd say....

Don't put Eli's paci in your eye.
Keep your clothes on in the library.

Mama tip #45

Do not attempt to make chocolate pudding with the help of a three year old, and then forget to serve it with dinner. Mayhem and chaos will surely soon follow. Case in point: Chocolate pudding was a made and then forgotten in the fridge. Every child well tucked, washed, milked, and fed. Parents were sipping wine, planning lives, and reveling in the peace and quiet. When from a bedroom we both hear the wails of a child. Sad, terrible, lonesome cries. As I stood at the door trying to decipher words between sobs, I realize that the child is not in pain, but moaning the words, "Chocolate pudding, chocolate pudding, wahhhhhh." I am afraid that in this case, there was nothing more to do than to get the child out of bed and have a "mid-night snack" (at 7:30). These kids, and their drama crack me up.

Snow pictures and maybe even of the house we are BUYING coming soon.