Thrift Stores, Reading Lists, and Basically Killing It.

The children are in bed.

. . . . . . 

Allow me to repeat:  

THE CHILDREN.  ARE.  IN BED.

=D

Now I'm gonna have some ME TIME!!!!  

. . . which, sadly, translates to "time for me to write something while I swig cherry coke and look at cat pictures and think about possible snack options in the pantry."

=)

So I just sent a long-winded message to my mom (as I often DO), and was just thinking about how it would be REALLY SUPER GREAT if I could just write a blog post as easily as I write a message to her.

So that's what I'm gonna do here, as an exercise.

We'll see how it turns out.  =)

OH MY GOD I LOVE THESE CHILDREN BUT SWEET LORD WE'RE ONLY A WEEK INTO SUMMER AND I THINK THEY MIGHT KILL EACH OTHER AND THEY ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY AND DO WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM WITH US ON VACATION???

And okay-- to veer off topic for a moment?  I just had to turn off the safe-search on my computer, JUST TO LOOK UP the phrase 'mama cat is having none of your shit.'

And so I thought:  Sure!  I'll turn off safe-search!  How bad could that possibly be??  . . .

Perhaps I am naive, but I was a smidge disappointed.  =(

Anyway.

The children.

It has rained for most of the last week here, so the boys have been largely confined to the indoors.  This has not been an ideal situation.

No it has NOT.

We've played with cardboard boxes, we've played with play-doh.  We've painted with several different mediums, we've gone to Target.  We've gotten milkshakes, we've played card games, and we've read lots and lots of books.  And we even got to the pool, once, before the dark clouds chased us in.

. . . the boys drove their Power Wheels truck to the pool.

And I really cannot stress ENOUGH how very much they thought that they were awesomeness personified that day.  =)

But aside from these fleeting interludes of sibling bliss, these two little turd-squirrels have positively been at each other's throats.  It was after only about 4 1/2 days together that Took began to walk around the house, declaring to anyone that would listen:  "Desi need to go home to his mama!  He need to go to HIS mama's house!  His mama miss him!!"

And then on Sunday, he actually did go see his mom for a while, and pretty much before their car had left the driveway, Took was already saying:  *sigh* "I miss him."

. . . granted, this was still only roughly 45 minutes after he had smacked the crap out of the back of his brother's head with a plastic hammer. . . but perhaps he was experiencing remorse for that.  One can hope.  =)

What else?

Oh!  The kids are getting an allowance for the summer, and they're doing really well with it.  We had a discussion about how they were each going to be given chores to do each day, with the chores fitting their respective ages.  At the end of the week, I would decide how competently, and without argument or whining, they had completed their chores.  And this would result in an allowance. 

Once Padawan got his head around the money aspect of it, he was 100% on board.  Whenever I asked him to do something, all I had to say was that it was a "chore", and he would stop what he was doing and jump right up and do it.  Took was. . . more reluctant.  Until I discovered that I could give him his money in coins, and let him carry some in his pocket, and take them out and look at them from time to time.  (Don't worry mom -- I washed them first.)  =)

So they each got their first payday today.

We were out bargain-hunting for some summer clothes for both of them, and the whole time I was driving I was explaining how money worked, and how they could save it and plan for bigger items they'd like to buy, etc., etc.  

Then we went to 2nd & Charles, to let them spend it.  Before we got out, I asked them what they were looking to spend their money on.

Padawan:  "A video game.  Baseball or football."

Took:  "New baby!!!"

=)

So we browsed.  We compared prices.  We circled the whole store.  Twice.  We made some difficult decisions.

Pad had $5.00 to spend, and Took had $3.00.  And when we left a bit later, Pad was proudly waving the baseball game he'd found for $4.50, and Took was clutching a fluffy white stuffed dog that he'd found for $3.00.

They were just happy as cats.  =D

-------------------------------------

While we were walking around the thrift shop today, Took sprawled in the back of the cart, Padawan lagging behind, I turned to Pad and said:  "Hey.  . . . do you know where we are?"

He looked at me.

Pad:  "No.  . . . where are we?"

Me:  "We're in the THRIFT SHOP."

Pad:  "REALLY?!?"

Me:  "Yep."

Pad:  "COOL!"

Me:  "Hey.  . . . you know why I got that shirt?"

Pad:  ". . . why?"

Me:  "CAUSE IT WAS ONLY 99 CENTS!!!!"

. . . which, aside from being a lame joke, was also a huge mistake because we were both humming that damn song for the rest of the day.   =/

Hmmm. . .

So. . . I guess the only other thing I have that's on my mind is just that I am basically killing it at life lately.

SRSLY.

My husband has been doing what he does in the summer, and that is keep busy.  Last year, he started doing yards in our neighborhood on his off days.  Because he said he liked it.  What can I say about my boy? 

He's a good earner.

But this was about ME.

=D

So usually the set-up in our house is that I take care of the boys' breakfast and lunch, and my husband makes dinner.

But he's been working.  Even on his off-days.  Hell, ESPECIALLY on his off-days.

So I figured I could step up and do a little more, and I decided to start making dinner for him.  Not just every once in a while, but pretty much all the time.  (The only reason for not ALL the time is that it is something he really enjoys doing, and is very good at.)  

So we've had taco night, some amazing BLT wraps, some roast beef wraps, some shrimp po-boys, some chicken fried rice. . . and I forget what else.  As you can see, nothing fancy.  But we have eaten WELL this week.  =D

And it made me feel really good!

And sometimes I'd find myself looking around the house, thinking:

"It is almost 5 p.m.  The children are still alive, and neither is currently concussed.  The pets are alive and holding up nicely, considering.  We are all clean, and well-fed, and the house is picked up, and the clothes are clean and put away.  And I am wearing real clothes, and not just repurposed pajamas.   . . .I have literally not stopped moving all day, and I really feel that it's pretty obvious that I am completely kicking ASS at this stay-at-home mom routine.  Oh, what?  The kids need new clothes?  How about consignment shop?!!
BOOM!!!  You're clothed for summer!

Oh, two kids in the house, ALL THE TIME, instead of just one?  When I am completely not used to that, and the baby isn't either and is fairly vocal about it and it has rained for 5 days straight?!??

How about art instruction and play-doh time??  

BAM!!!

Kids getting bored and climbing the walls and really making me start to question my own sanity?

How about let's do some CHORES and make some MONEY and learn some RESPONSIBILITY??!!??  The cats don't need clean water EVERY day, right??!!?

EAT MY BLUEBERRY MUFFIN-FLAVORED DUST, CAROL BRADY!!!

What's that you say?  Padawan needs to strengthen his reading skills this summer?

How about a WHOLE STACK of chapter books??  How about a Ninja Frog that solves crimes??

HOW ABOUT FROG AND FREAKING TOAD, WHICH WAS SUGGESTED BY HIS TEACHER AS A GREAT FIT FOR HIS READING LEVEL??!!!??

And wait.  We found it at the thrift shop??  So we were able to get it for NEXT TO NOTHING???!!!??"

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOSH

Quadruple points.

I win.

I win at life.

=D

So that's all for now.

. . . I know what you're thinking. . .

And the answer is no.

It doesn't take much to make me happy.  

Not much at all.

=D

=D

Also, we have these things in our shower.

One is a gator, and one is an octopus.  They've been in there for two days.  After the third day, they are supposed to be quite a bit larger than they were to begin with.  (I do not have the exact figures here in front of me.  My apologies.)

So as of tomorrow, the waiting is over.

. . . I'm thinking the boys are thinking they're going to be, like, 8 feet tall or something, sentient, and possibly friendly. 

It is the only way I can rationalize their excitement levels being this high.

=D