Bella's Halloween Costume

I didn't know what Bella should be for her "first" Halloween. I know it's not really her first Halloween, but it is the first time she'll be dressing up for it. Last year at this time she was about 8 pounds! I really like to make Halloween costumes- one year I made Spiderman for Jack, and a Power Ranger for Will, and then a few years ago I made a Willy Wonka costume for Will. I am not handy at all with the sewing machine, and there's always a lot of swearing involved at first, but somehow I always get it right. Yesterday I made this pumpkin costume for Bella- it came out so great, and she LOVES it! We'll stuff it with something so it's going to be all puffed out, and she'll wear a black turtleneck and leggings underneath it! But I had to post this picture of it today because she just looked so cute, I couldn't stand it!!

The Birth Order of Children

Today I went to volunteer in Elisa's school because they were having an "Apple Extravaganza".. a party to celebrate all things apple... apple pie, apple cider, bobbing for apples, apple decorating. She had a BLAST. She is the tiniest, sweetest child with the biggest heart, and this was something she had been looking forward to for a few weeks... Today was finally the day, and she was excited because she knew I was coming in to help. She did not fully understand that I would have Bella with me... the 15 month old who refuses to sit in a stroller, lives to make a mess and leave chaos in her wake, and thrives on the very thought of possible destruction. She is a 7 year old boy with ADD in an 18 pound baby girl's body. Not kidding.

I had the opportunity to talk to Elisa's teacher, who, it turns out, I really do like. She ADORES Elisa ( and really, how could you not adore such a sweet child?!) and told me how much she loves having her in her class. As I was talking to her, Bella was trying to reach an apple, but having a dialogue with herself.. " NO, no no!! Stop!..." and throwing the apple. She was running after it, fell down, and I said " Oh, You're okay..." Elisa's teacher looked at me like I should run to her to pick her up. I just said " She's fine, I saw the whole thing happen.. plus she's my fourth child- I know she's alright!" She looked at me and laughed nervously (she does NOT have kids- and isn't expecting one anytime soon as Elisa has confirmed...) A few minutes later, I put Bella down to run around and a lady stepped back and caught herself before she fell onto her. Elisa's teacher was, once again, right there as I said " Oh, she's fine!! Don't worry!!" She looked at me and said " Oh you crack me up!!" But did she mean it like "Oh, you are a cool, laid-back Mom" or " Tonight I am going to call Child Services"?! I don't know. All I know is that every moment I live and breathe is trying to keep my precious kids safe and happy, I AM experienced in this department, and I have 4 awesome kids to prove it!!
Tonight, my friend Debbie sent me an e-mail that shows how you progress through the stages of motherhood and child-rearing, and it completely applies to me! When I went to pick up the kids after school, Bella had a lollipop, dropped it right outside my car, and I picked it up,wiped it on my jeans, and popped it right back in.. You just have to keep things in perspective, and remember... Five second rule!!!

BIRTH ORDER OF CHILDREN

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

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Preparing for the Birth:

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

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The Layette:


1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

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Worries:

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your first born.

3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

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Pacifier:

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

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Diapering:

1st baby: You change your baby 's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diape r every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.
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Activities:

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

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Going Out:

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

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At Home:

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

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I don't scare easily, but....

I was innocently making dinner the other night, and the TV was on in the backround. I heard an ad for Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and started to watch it. OH MY GOD. Had I known that this 30 second clip would scare the CRAP out of me, I would have turned the station. I didn't know that by watching this commercial, I would be sentenced to sleepless nights because I am too scared to go into the bathroom at night to pee! Seriously. My bathroom is covered with mirrors, and I am scared to death.

I never knew of the urban legend about Bloody Mary until last year when a little girl in carpool told us about it.. apparently, if you say the words "Bloody Mary" three times into a mirror (in the dark)she will appear. So, this year, Bloody Mary is a theme at Universal. I know two things for sure, I will not be going to Universal's Halloween Horror nights, and even though I am 38 years old, I will NEVER NEVER say the words "Bloody Mary" into a mirror in the dark. Ever.






YouTube - Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 18 2008 Commercial Bloody Mary (HQ)

The Perfect Tool, continued......

Ok, all you do-it-yourselfers, you are going to be so jealous. I came across this little treasure today when I was trying to fix Elisa's roller skate, and wouldn't you know it, the allen wrench was the ONLY tool that could get the job done. I was worried at first, did I have the right size allen wrench? What if I couldn't find one in our toolbox?? Then I started laughing to myself because our toolbox consists of a hammer that looks like it was meant for a 5 year old, and a couple of screwdrivers, that's it. But never did I expect to find this little cutie lying in there! Think of the possibilities!! I think I could put an addition on this house with all of the allen wrenches I own. I'm the luckiest girl in the world!!

Hilarious YouTube Video

Here is a video my friend Jen sent to me- and it is pretty much what my last post was about! Thanks for sending this to me, Jen!!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhcA4Ry65FU

What?!?!

That is what I said when our piano teacher suggested the newest piece for the boys to play. I ADORE Linda. She has become a member of my family. I can talk to her about anything- she has seen us at our best, our worst, our most chaotic times. She loves our family and is such a great role model for the kids. But, when she suggested the piece for our next recital, I thought, "Wait.. doesn't she know us? This will NEVER work!" But I trust her, and hope all will be fine. I hope I never have to say "I told you so" to her. I'd hate to have to do it, but I feel it might happen.

She suggested a 'duet' for the boys to play. "Rock Around the Clock" as a DUET for Jack and Will to work on and perfect for the next recital, which will be much bigger than this past weekend. Can you even see it? Can you even picture this going off without a hitch? I can't. Not in my wildest dreams.

Here are two boys who can't brush their teeth at the same sink without a brawl. They can't even enter a car without a sarcastic remark, a sneer, or a snicker. How in the heck are they going to PRACTICE, let alone perfect a piece together and make it acceptable for an audience to hear?

I am not sure what to do. I want to remain positive that it will all work out and we can make Linda proud. But at the same time, I'm a teeny bit afraid. I think I need to use my favorite Noble Pig saying... " Hold me".

Saturday with the Kids

Today was an extremely busy day for our family. Will had a sleepover at his friend's house, and Jack had friend sleep over at our house, so we were all up late and up early this morning.... Jack and Will had their piano recital at 11:30 this morning, and they did great! Jack played the theme from Star Wars and Will played the Entertainer. I get so freakishly nervous when they go up to play, it's absurd. But they did great, and then we went out to kill some time before a birthday party in the afternoon.

We had to go to Circuit City to buy a new DVD-R player because, I am so excited I can hardly type this, I got some DVDs that I cannot wait to sit down to watch. There was a kid's show in the 70's called Barbapapa, which was about a family of blobs who could "change their shape and sizes, very easily" ( this was in the theme song..) I adored this show, but had forgotten about it. Then last week, we were driving by our old house, and I commented on how the new owner had not been taking care of the topiary I planted, cared for and nurtured. I looked at it and said to Fred, "My God, it looks like a Barbapapa!" and from that moment on, I had to find this show on DVD. Well, I did, and they arrived yesterday. I am so excited. Does anyone remember it but Fred and me? When I asked my neighbor tonight if she knew what it was , she looked at me like I had 3 heads...

We then went out to lunch, which is always exciting with the 4 kids. Bella tries to get out of her seat, one of the kids always spills something, Elisa has to go to the bathroom just as the food arrives. These things happen every time without fail. We went to my favorite Amish restaurant, which is a buffet, so everyone's happy. Elisa ate her noodle and said she was full and wanted dessert. So, I sent her with Fred to get some Munchkins, which is what she decided she wanted. When she got back to the table, Fred said she had asked him for 'midgets' and he didn't know what she was talking about at first, but then he saw the Munchkins, so we were laughing at that. I briefly thought I should explain to her that maybe they like to be called "little donuts" or "hole-challenged donuts", but I held back.

We just went on eating, and Will and Jack were eating everything from the buffet, and then they had ice cream. We were just sitting there, and I notice Will with a weird look on his face, and he was shifting in his seat, arching his back, looking uncomfortable. I gave him a look like "What's wrong with you?" and he said, this is a quote, "I think there's fiber in the water." Jack looked at him and said, "What's fiber? " and Will said, "It's that stuff in apples that makes you go to the bathroom"... I just looked at him and said, "Go to the bathroom, Will" and off he went. Sure, it was fiber in the water- nothing to do with the 3 pounds of food he just put away!!
I swear I get up in the morning and wonder what one of them will say to completely crack me up. They always do!!

My Near Death Experience

Something happened to me in the Target parking lot today that I thought only happened in cartoons. I parked, got out of the car, and walked around to the back passenger side to get Bella out of her car seat. And I slipped. On a BANANA PEEL. Can you even believe it? I have seen it happen on old sit-coms and cartoons, but never seen it happen to anyone in real life, let alone have it happen to me. And a lady saw the whole thing, and asked if I was okay. All I could muster was an embarrassed " There's a banana peel right there..." I don't know what the proper reaction to slipping on a banana peel is- since I'm not a cartoon character. All I know is that as I was walking into Target after the incident, I was looking up at the sky to be sure an anvil wasn't going to fall on my head.

Lunch Lady Land!

I thought this was very fitting because by now, just about all the kids are back in school. And what would school be without the lunch lady?!? I've come in contact with many kinds of cafeteria workers... from nuns, to the weird guy who said "EENNJOY!" to every single person who came through his line, to the toothless woman with a mole on her back that showed through her uniform. Fortunately, our elementary school lunch ladies are all nice and clean, they have all of their teeth, and I do not think any one of them has gout. I hope you like it!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_-KbstEG4E