A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:13 NIV)

The grumpies have struck … full force.  Myself and all of the children are infected with this nasty disease! 

It’s the truth though isn’t it?  Grumpiness is just like a virus, it starts with one person and spreads to everyone else.  As a mom, it is difficult for me to admit, but the grumpies usually start with me!  I know, gasp!

We are all prone to the grumpies, but when we have so many little ones in our care, they are bound to “catch them” if exposed long enough by the very mother that wants so terribly to do everything “right”. 

I worry because one of our twins tends to be grumpy much of the time.  But the other one is a very happy guy.  I could sit around and meditate on this concept all day long, I could worry and blame myself, wondering where I went wrong and how to fix it.  This wouldn’t be entirely unusual for me, but it isn’t what I need to do.

I simply need to go to God and ask for help.  Yes, I’ll need to work at getting rid of the grumpies too, but asking for a pleasant and peaceful spirit will definitely help.  Giving the stress behind the grumpiness (or the hormones) to Him doesn’t hurt either. 

Whatever is done, they need to leave, the environment is stifling and yucky.  I fear that an undertone of grumpiness has been around for quite a while and that it only occasionally shows it’s true colors.  I may even need to ask my kiddos for forgiveness.  That is something that can be such a learning experience for both parent and child.  As we realize that we need to be ”real” with our children and as they realize that everyone makes mistakes but there’s better ways to handle it. 

So how do you handle the grumpies?  Are you infected right now?

Summer has finally arrived bringing the 80 degree weather that I thought we were never going to see this year!  So, for the Twinkies, diapers are the main clothing choice.  Well, the other day we had a overcast morning and things were fairly cool (in comparison) so I was clothing the little ones. 

Bug was all ready and I had warned Monkey that we were going to get him dressed to face the day as well.  Apparently he had decided that wasn’t entirely necessary and came into my room a few minutes later wearing only a diaper and a fishing hat.  He thought he was very big stuff and was fully clothed in his mind.

I found myself telling him “sorry buddy, but a hat isn’t clothes”.  Sometimes I have to stop and listen to what I say as a mom because it is simply the funniest stuff.  No wonder moms can make some of the funniest comedians I have ever seen!  What better material than our children or even simply listening to what we say to them because of their craziness. 

Hope you’ve been having a funny week too!  Have a safe and wonderful 4th of July!!!

If you read the title of this post and thought that you were going to be offered a great recipe or technique for creating a great homemade bubble machine … you were wrong .

I have always loved those little battery powered bubble machine.  They kick out tons of bubbles with little effort and it amuses the children to no end (well, almost)!  Bubbles are messy and when I’m blowing them the little ones want to have the wand … and the bottle … and it just gets messier and messier, you get the idea.

Today was a beautiful day!  I took the twins outside to play in the sand with all the older boys, and suddenly I was amazed to see a steady and heavy stream of bubbles floating by me.  Like a bubble machine!

I looked to my right and there was CJ, our 12 year old, just blowing away like a Bubble Machine!  Yup, I finally got one, a Bubble Machine all my own.  Though I think in reality he’s far more expensive than one of those little battery powered machines, after all he’s powered by food … and lots of it! 

But, I have to say it was a fun treat for the little ones and for me, since I wasn’t the one blowing them and having the littler ones hang all over me begging to do it too.  So, I’ll take the Homemade Bubble Machine I can call my oldest son over a store bought one any day! 

This is not a typical Mommy Reality, but it is a very true one for me!  This is going to be a long post, but a story worth telling … and an ending worth reading.  So without further ado …

Three years ago our oldest son, CJ, had a very rough year at school!  He was in third grade and we had just changed districts.  We knew this would be difficult for him since he didn’t handle change all that well, but we also knew that the district he had been in was NOT one that we were comfortable with them continuing all the way through to Jr. High or High School. 

For quite some time we had been trying to find a way to move back into Hubby’s hometown and raise the boys in the schools there.  So we finally took the leap and registered them in the elementary school we thought they’d be in - in a complete act of faith.

There’s a long story involved in why they were in a different elementary school for that first year in the new district, but it turned out to be an agonizing and long year for us. 

CJ is not a kid that just jumps into action the first month of school, things don’t really click with him until sometime in November … ever!  I’m used to it now, but with a new school, everything was a little odd.  When they tested him in the fall he was on the upper end for scores, but by the first conferences, they were concerned about his “lack of attentiveness” and “need for help”  and they wanted him tested. 

This was the beginning of a long, grueling and heart wrenching school year.  One where teachers felt like there was something “wrong” with my child and they didn’t know how to fix it or make him better.  By the end of the year I was ready to quit.  They met with us again and still wanted him tested.  We made it very clear that although we would allow them to do some academic testing there was going to be a limit. 

Right before the end of the school year he did receive the testing and basically we found out that he is dyslexic.  Although I don’t think that’s all there was to it, it was enough to get him into some reading help with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to try and get him back on track.

The following year we switched to the elementary school we are still in and LOVE!!!!  We have met some great teachers along the way.  The first year in this elementary for CJ was a bit shaky too though.  I can’t tell you how many times I said “here we go again” that year!  I met with the principal of the school at the first sign of issues and since it was our first year there she was hesitant to do much to help us. 

The teacher of the reading education he was now receiving was AWESOME … seriously!!!  He has worked with her through 4th, 5th & 6th Grade and WOW!  But I’ll get back to that.  The same CANNOT be said of his 4th grade teacher.  It was her first year teaching full time (she’d been a sub until that time) and she treated him like he was a pain.  I won’t get into it much more, suffice it to say that she wasn’t asked to return the following year. 

The principal “got it” by the end of his 4th grade year.  I think she finally realized that I wasn’t one of those parents that found any little thing to complain about … in fact, she hasn’t heard from me again since!!!  She met with me before final placement for CJ’s 5th grade year and the subsequent results changed our lives!

When CJ started 5th grade he hated school and thought he was stupid.  His teacher that year had worked in the corporate world for many years and when she decided to start a family she also chose to become a teacher.  She was a ray of sunshine who entered the classroom believing that her students were each magnificent individuals with amazing abilities and futures.  I cried the first time we met with her as she perfectly described our child’s strengths and weaknesses and what she was doing to encourage him in both. 

He wasn’t a pain to her, he was an individual and in her opinion he was brilliant and she told him so!  She knew, as we did, what he was capable of and instead of letting him slide by with complacency and lackluster work, she required him to live up to his abilities … and he DID!  By the end of the year he had more confidence than I had ever seen in him before and was doing fantastic.  I could go on and on and on about her and the blessing she was to our son, but I must move on!

Here we are now with him in 6th grade.  Still barely meeting his goals for reading and still in the program.  I had desperately hoped that somewhere along the way the IEP would become unnecessary and would be dropped for the following year, but it never happened.  More than that though I desperately prayed that above all else the IEP would disappear by the time he enters Jr. High in 7th grade.

The test that was given to CJ three years ago has to be given every three years until the child is determined to no longer qualify for an IEP (at which time the IEP disappears as though it never existed).  Time to retest arrived a few weeks ago.  The school counselor set it up with me, conducted the test and scheduled a meeting for Hubby and I to go in and discuss the results.

We arrived at the school understandably nervous.  But when we sat down for the meeting we were immediately told “Well, this won’t take long, we have nothing but good news to report.”  Could it be?  Did I hear her correctly?  What exactly does that mean???? 

The bottom line …. he doesn’t qualify for ANY services.  The IEP is no longer valid and will be dropped immediately.  He will have no special services setup for him as of the first day of Jr. High. 

AN ANSWER TO PRAYER.  Not to be taken lightly in my book!

We couldn’t have been more thrilled with this information, but the good news went a little further for us.  You see in giving the test, the counselor had to work one on one with our son for a fairly long time a couple of days in a row and she said that it was a delight to work with him.  I think we must have looked at her rather blankly (are you talking about my son?) so she told us that she usually has to work with children who are disrespectful and very unpleasant.  “He was so polite and kind and did just what I asked him with a great attitude.  You have a very nice young man there.”  Wow!  So, can I see that a little more at home?

I didn’t actually realize the enormity of this until later that day as I drove CJ to Youth Group.  Suddenly it hit me like a ten ton brick … I prayed for this, exactly this, that all of education plan would be dropped by the time he entered Jr. High …. and it happened!  I was stunned, overwhelmed, and I cried!  Explaining the feelings and the miracle of those results to my son was a blessing for me … and him! 

So, if you’ve stayed with me through this entire book-of-a-post I just want to say … Lean on Him and trust your cares to Him.  Be amazed at His awesome gifts along the way.  He hears the heart of a Mother and Father and wants nothing more than to see His children be blessed.  He loves your children even more than you and sometimes all we have to do is ask and trust and let him take care of the rest.

Be blessed this week!

What exactly does a “Dude” look like????  Well, if you are anything like me and never had that image clearly defined in your mind, I’m here to settle that now once and for all .

Today I gave the three younger boys Summer haircuts.  I don’t usually do this by myself with this particular half of my children, but since I was doing the cut on the twinkies using only the trimmer I knew it would move quick enough to avoid too many issues!

In the middle of Monkey’s Haircut, Sir Lion declared that “he looks like a dude now mom”.  “Reeeaaaaly?”  I said, “Who knew?”.   So, without further ado, here’s a few “DUDE” pictures :).  (Bug was NOT a happy camper during the post-haircut photo shoot, so here are a couple of Monkey.)

You can see each photo individually when you place your cursor over them

I know this is supposed to be a wordless wednesday post, but it simply can’t be wordless

I mentioned yesterday that one of our sons has a birthday this week.  The Salesman will be turning 10!!!  Two boys in double digits … they are growing up so fast.  He is our semi-dramatic one and though I haven’t noticed a huge change, he is living up to the status of a tween.  A smidge moody, a little more emotional, constantly taunting his older brother and having a couple attitude issues here and there.

Overall though, he is simple and sweet and just our boy!  I love that!  Fun loving, intelligent and social little boy … I hope these things never change!

I had planned on getting back on track today … offer a deep and thoughtful Mommy Reality for you.  Mommy reality has struck me full force.  Nothing deep, nothing too thoughtful, just a lot of reality.

I woke up Sunday morning thinking that my lips felt strange.  I went into the bathroom and one look in the mirror confirmed that they were very swollen.  The only other time I’ve ever had swollen lips I also had hives all over … not so this time.  I took a little Benadryl, just in case, but all that ended up doing for me is landing me back in bed for a 3 hour nap.  Like I have time!

Once I got up instead of getting better, they were worse and now it was too late to go to the walk in clinic to get checked out.  How miserable! 

As we all know … moms are NOT allowed to have anything wrong with them.  It is an odd circumstance that a day will go past in the life of a mother where the housework still gets done even if she’s not the one to do it.  So a sick day often means that much more work in mom’s life the day she gets better. 

My husband is wonderful with the children but … well … that’s all he can handle.  I don’t blame him, if you don’t know the daily routine well or how to predict and (usually) thwart the twins’ mischief you can get in big trouble before you know it.  So he has learned his limits.  Even leaving the room to make a cup of coffee or a snack for them can be treacherous LOL.

So today instead of giving you an inspiring Mommy Reality lesson I simply have to tell you that due to my own reality hitting hard I will be making a trip to the walk in clinic and PRAYING that they can give me something … anything to ease the discomfort and let me feel halfway normal again. 

I won’t get into the pride that has me dreading the thought of going anywhere people can see me.  Nor will I talk about the fact that I can hardly speak nor can I eat anything without pain.  Oh, and I wouldn’t dream of mentioning that I have ten zillion loads of laundry to do today in addition to caring for my kiddos. Nope, I’ll just hope and pray that you have a NORMAL dose of reality today!

Blessings!

My new word - I invented it today and promptly bestowed it upon Bug when trying to find a food that would make this slightly feverish 2 year old Baby happy.  He wanted cheese and only cheese {well, for the moment anyway}, not the pretzels to go with the snack {apparently they hurt his mouth}, so he kept digging for it and saying funny things when he found a piece {”hungy mama, hungy”}. 

Let me repeat it SNOOGER!  Know what it is?  Take a wild guess!!!  Here’s a hint: only the most adorable, pip-squeakiest, persnickety little ones can be called this when they are being … well an adorable persnickety pipsqueak.  Let me tell you I have a few that fit the bill an awful lot of the time!

Then he must wear the title again when he incessantly hands me the tv remote saying “Wubzy, mama, want Wubzy nooooow” complete with whiney-cutesy-you-can’t-resist-me voice. He slept most of the morning and now it is naptime - the only time of the day that I watch a couple of food shows while I catch up on work and laundry.  So, he’s up and Monkey is down {Lion is rebelling against rest time too and being very naughty, but rebellion simply does not fall under the definition of “Snooger”}.  Do I turn on Wubzy for him?  Or try to get him to rest again.

Did you figure out what Snooger is yet?  No?  Ok, hint 2:  It is a combination of two words that most people probably don’t refer to their children as, but I often occasionally do.

As I type this the Wubzy conversation Bug is having with me has risen to a pleading and begging session which is scary-cute: “Pweeeeeeeaaaase, mommy, watch Wubzy peeeease, I wike it Wubzy mama, peeease”.  See scary!  So, now I’m off to give in to the adorable “please” of the slightly ill 2 year old {who, I’m sure will be forever damaged by my giving in to his whim - I’ll expect the blaming to begin later in his life LOL}.  Can I just say that the oddest part of this conversation is that they DO NOT watch the show very often AT ALL!  They just don’t.

Still wondering where Snooger came from?  Well, let me tell you, it’s a combination of Snot and Booger - there you have it!

Although this would be a very appropriate title as my boys play outside most of the time hunting creatures and seeking adventure and imaginary enemies (LOL), I am actually talking about the show on the Discovery Channel. Survival shows are all the rage in our home.  The Discovery Channel has plenty of them throughout their family of channels (mainly on The Discovery Channel and Discovery Kids), primarily on Friday and Saturday nights.

We only get sattelite service where we live and that means we have to watch many shows 3 hours early or 3 hours late - even though we’re pacific time, we get many channels on EST.  Believe it or not, this can actually be a good thing in our boys’ opinion since it gives them more opportunities to catch up on the latest episodes.

Man vs. Wild is always the favorite around here though they have just discovered another show called The Alaska Experiment.  It is funny to me how some of these “similar” survival shows can be so different.  Man vs. Wild is all about the adventure and shock factor whereas Sirwhinerman Survivorman is more about the endless days and nights and all the drama. 

For Heaven’s sake, how many crazy things can one man (ie: Bear Grylls) do, eat and see in one episode?  For instance, Friday night there was a new episode of him in Zambia and here’s a run down of the “adventure”:

Things He Did:
~ Dropped off into raging river from a helicopter (on a body board no less), climbed at least two slippery sheer cliffs (called one of them “irresistible” LOL)
~ Poor man, I’ll list the things he ate in a moment, but the last “lovelies” that he consumed apparently sent his body over the proverbial edge because he spent much of the rest of the show miserable with diarrhea.
~ Built a pyramid fire to signal the helicopter that was picking him up
~ Exited the area by hopping onto the landing gear of the helicopter and hanging on as it carried him out heehee.

What He Ate:
~ Catfish (caught amidst Hippos and Crocodiles)
~ Grubs - not just any grubs either one of them was ginormous, but I’ll spare you the GORY details.
~ A Bullfrog - can I just say EWWWW!  It truly was nasty!
~ “Chargrilled brightly colored worms” - he got sick after eating these so they obviously should have been avoided.
~ Because of his poor stomach he filtered some of the local water and made a charcoal tea to soothe it.

Things He Saw:
~ Hippos
~ Crocodiles
~ Elephants - this was TRULY AMAZING there was a herd of over 80 elephants right in front of him!
~ Leopard prints and kill
~ Hyena prints
~ Many Many Critters ‘n such

There you have the show (can I emphasize here again this was ONE EPISODE) in a nutshell.  Sometimes I just feel like saying “holy cow man you are a little nuts” even if he DOES have a fully equipped camera crew with him.  But I love his truly genuine regard, appreciation and amazement at the beauty around him throughout his “adventures”.  But I’m also always hanging on to the edge of my seat and covering my eyes. 

For the boys it’s all about the gross things he eats.  Believe it or not they actually do have their limits, on one episode he ate a tree frog and that was completely over the top in The Salesman’s opinion, but they love seeing him do crazy things and truly enjoy getting grossed out by his “food”.  If you’re looking for enough drama for even a teenage girl, watch Sir-whiner-man Survivorman.  I’m not saying that I don’t appreciate some of the information and tips that he shares, but he stays in the same place night after night, monologuing about each and every detail about everything around him and what he’s doing and the show is a little like this sentence, going on and on instead of really getting anything done.

I have to say though that these men are probably living the dream of every (almost) little boy.  Life is full of reality each and every day even for children, so it is truly amazing that “reality” shows (we all know that much of what happens on them is edited and staged for entertainment value, but still …) can put a whole new twist on said “reality”. 

What if we looked at our lives through the eyes of a reality show?  We’d see the adventure and take it - we’d notice the incredibly amazing beauty around us and be so thankful for the opportunity - we’d try new things that may not turn out very well, but we tried them anyway and lived to tell the tale.  I think we’d appreciate everyday life and the blessings we’ve been given just a little bit more. 

So today I’m wishing you all a little adventure, maybe even a little drama.  A renewed outlook and amazement at the beauty around you - blog about it, turn your life into a reality show for one day and see if your perspective changes just a little.