Brown Bag Special

After losing four lunch boxes into the abyss that is kindergarten I finally wisened up and started sending the classic brown lunch sack. I must admit I feel little pangs of guilt every time I send him out the door with one...you know killing the earth and all. I wonder if that's a guilt that everyone in my generation suffers from? But it's either kill the earth or kill my wallet and the earth is so much bigger than my wallet! Never fear, as soon as he starts bringing these home regularly he'll earn a new lunch box. Ok, it may wait until next year.

On another skull and crossbones note, around Halloween I found these wicked sweet dishes for the kids at the dollar store, a place my tiny wallet can handle! Awesome for boys and match my black dishes, don't they look adorable next to each other? And yes, the boys really do eat salads!

Boy Cooties

I tell you what, boys are gross, super duper gross no two ways about it. I notice it the most when I have to clean their bathroom. How on earth does all that toothpaste get everywhere?! There's tooth past all over the floors, the door, the stool but how on earth is it getting to the top of that big 'ole mirror, the back of the garbage can, the toilet paper roll? But it's not just the bathroom. I mean, who burps while kissing you? Puts dirty underwear on their head and runs naked through the house? Lets a dog lick them in the mouth? If you want to make their day just come up with the messiest, noisiest thing to do and they're in heaven. Multiply that by 3 and you're living in my house. Ok, I'll admit it, some of the gross things they do send me into fits of giggles. I'll just go ahead and blame my brother's mad skills at burping the entire ABC's for training me into that!

Drama King

Picture from Mr. Golden Curls' first Christmas play

Oh Mr. Golden Curls. Such drama I have never seen in a 5 year old! He already loves the stage. At the school's Christmas play he started blowing kisses to the crowd as the curtain closed. Get him near a microphone or camera and he turns it on. His love of drama extends past the stage and always has. Until recently a brotherly attacked tower was the end of the world, a shirt that got stuck was his undoing and bugs, loud noises, things that move by themselves...well, forget about it.

This morning we entered a whole new realm of drama, girls. It's been a few months since I picked him up at school and he introduced me to a little red-headed girl and declared "This is my girlfriend, I'm going to marry her someday." They've been inseparable. They aren't in the same class but play on the playground and his daily complaints of so-and-so not being his friend on the playground have been completely replaced by stories of "my girlfriend." Well, tragedy has struck his tiny little heart. The school has started separating girls from boys at recess...don't really get me started on that, I'm annoyed but can't decide if it's just because my boy is disappointed. This was our conversation this morning.

Mr. Golden Curls: "Well, I'm just really sad this morning."
Me: "Why bitty?"
Mr. Golden Curls: "Because they split recess and now I can't see my girlfriend"
Me: "I'm sorry, I know that's hard."
Mr. Golden Curls: "Yea but she's just too pretty to let her get stolen away by another love."

Ugh, did I give birth to a tiny Romeo? Today he's sick over love lost, tomorrow he'll be declaring his undying love to a girl who's name he doesn't even know? And all at a mere 5 years old, I can't imagine what we'll be dealing with when he's riddled with the crazed hormones of puberty!

Happy Birthday (Not So) Lil' Spitfire

Four years ago yesterday my "baby" was born. Born into this world an angelically calm infant who grew to earn nicknames like Lil' Spitfire and Payback. Four years of equal parts pull-your-hair-out-and-scream ornery and dimpled-misty-eye-inducing sweetness. Four years old has always seemed the age to me that children fully lose their babiness, completely evacuate the realm of toddlerhood and start being little kids. Welcome to kid-dom bitty, I look forward to your next year of antics!


He wanted a party with frogs and bowling so frogs and bowling it was. Grandma and Grandpa drove the long road to partake in the festivities. *WARNING* Aunt Sarah, you will want to avert your eyes...supermarket cupcake cake coming up in 3...2...1...


This was pretty much Lil' Spitfire's expression the entire evening. The mark of a successful birthday party!

Hand-Me-Downs Rock My World

There was a time when I would have scoffed had someone told me a white mini van with gold trim would put such a huge smile on my face. I guess I'm just getting old because for Christmas my Grandpa passed his mini van on to me, my folks fixed it up, and I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat. Our current vehicle is a 4 door Saturn. I love it, it's been a fantastic car, it's black, it was my first purchase as a member of "the real world", and when I bought it my husband proposed to me before we drove it off the lot. But it's been increasingly lacking in one very important commodity, space. As our little family has grown so has our luggage and taking a trip or going camping is one tight squeeze. Try to add additional friends and family and we're bursting at the seems. Craft show? No problem...who's large vehicle can I borrow for the weekend? Not anymore! Bring on the camping, the craft shows, the long trips, the family, the friends...my mini van can handle it!


And look at how faaaaarrr away the boys are! Maybe we won't have to install that sound proof Limousin-esque window between the front and back of the vehicle after all!

Best Christmas Ever

A few days after Christmas we saw a little kid on tv declare "this is the best Christmas ever!" to which Mr. Golden Curls responded with disappointment "I wish I had thought to say that." I must agree, it was the best Christmas ever! We didn't kill ourselves driving all over creation in the matter of a few days. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at our own house, and the boys are old enough to be fully engrossed in all the Christmas trappings. It was a blast! Santa even brought the boys the coolest Christmas train ever with track that attaches to the middle of the tree!

We were also sucked into the abyss of commercialism, though still modestly, with the purchase of Bendaroos for Golden Curls and a Pillow Pet for Lil' Spitfire. Totally worth it, they loved them!


We all love these little handmade plush robots from Ekioart. They've been the boys' constant companions since Christmas.

Even Mr. Cash got a Christmas gift this year, well sort of. Auntie Kristin sent me some Puggy Christmas tissues. Mr. Cash, being a good reader, obliged.

Boys, Get In Front Of The Christmas Tree!

It looks as though I must have said this to the boys a lot this holiday season!