If you give a pig a pancake.....

My kids used to LOVE the book "If You Give a Pig a Pancake". It's a super cute story about a girl who gives a pig a pancake, which makes the pig sticky, which makes the pig want a bath, which reminds the pig of home, which makes him want to write a letter, which......you get the drift. In the end, the pig wants another pancake and the poor girl is exhausted.

My Saturday was a lot like that. It started out innocently enough. I went to check out some yard sales. Nothing too great, but I did find a yard sale with scrap book stuff. My mom told me that if I took pictures with my camera and scrapbooked them, I would more than pay for my new camera. So being the dutiful daughter that I am, I took her advice and bought some stamp sets. When I got home, I went to put away said stamp sets and was greeted by an avalance of craft crap. Yikes. I decided that today was the perfect day for cleaning a craft closet.

As I started pulling things out, I found my acrylic paints which reminded me that Ean has his cubanopolis this Tuesday! (for those of you lucky non-scouters, a cubanopolis is a race where the boys have to decorate a cardboard box into a car that they wear and race around a track. Corny but the boys LOVE it.) We had not even thought about his car.

So I dragged Ean off of his xbox to "help" me with his car. He freaked out and threw a huge fit saying it's not fair!, and he doesnt want to build a stupid car, and he just needs to finish one more level, and yada yada yada. As I am waiting for Ean outside, I start pulling weeds which reminds me that I haven't touched the weeds in the backyard yet. As I head that way, I realize Ean has deserted me and is playing xbox. again. grrr.

Sometime during my weeding the back yard, Ethan comes home. I tell him of my annoyances with his lazy butt son and he pulls out a handful of cash he got from doing side jobs that morning. He suggests we get Ean a basketball hoop to get him more active. I decide that is a great idea, and we head to wal-mart. ( plus I need some more paint for that car!)

When we get to wal-mart, we see a beautiful display of a trampoline right by the door. Figuring that even though it is about $100 more than we would spend on the bball hoop, ALL of the kids would benefit from a trampoline.

So we leave walmart with a brand new trampoline in trunk. And no paint.

When we get home, Ethan starts to work on the trampoline, with lots of help from Gracie. I see those weeds I started pulling and get back to work as Ean emerges from his dark cave to see why no one has made him lunch yet. Seeing Ean reminds me of that dang car! I ditch the weeds and we start to work. After getting the car about half painted with what little paint I could find, Ethan asks for my help in securing screws. In between screws, I see those stinkin' weeds I started to pull and start up that project again while the kids are happily jumping away on the new trampoline. My allergies at this point are driving me crazy! So I go inside to get some Benadryl.

After taking the Benadryl, I start picking up the kitchen and run into the stamp sets. And chances are, if I put away the stamp sets, I'm going to need to clean the closet while I'm at it.

The moral of the story: never give a pig a pancake.

My Mom

I hate mother's day. Hate. It.


In keeping with the spirit of this stupid day, I blame my mother. :) She hated it too. Maybe even worse than I do. I never completely understood why until I had kids. At church. Nothing makes you feel worse than the super-syrupy-gooey in the center talks that everyone feels so inclined to share with all of us inadequate suckers. For example, I just got out of listening to 3 different speakers state how absolutely perfect their moms are. Tears were shed. Real tears. By grown men. One said that their mom got up at 5 every morning to read the scriptures. I didn't even know there was a 5 in the morning. Another would make each of her children a different lunch because they all didnt like the same thing. I sent Okie to school hungry just last week because he wouldn't eat the ramen noodles I made and I refused to make him mac and cheese. Did he seriously think I would dirty another pan for him???. And we won't even start on the mom who left her friends mid party in the living room to go make a gourmet meal for her child! Yup, my mom was right. Mother's day sucks.

But if my mom hated it too than maybe there is hope for this inadequate sucker. I remember my mom throwing water balloons with me off the roof at my sister one summer day. I remember my mom crawling on the floor to listen under an open window to see if my other sister got her first kiss. I remember laying in bed after Sunday dinner talking even though we had a kitchen full of dirty dishes. I remember eating Neccos and listening to my mom read James and the Giant Peach.

Those stories aren't really the material that make it into mother's day talks over the pulpit. But I wouldn't trade them for all the PB&Js or 5a.m.s in the world.

I hope to be 1/4 of the mom my mom is.


I love you mom.

When Will My Life Begin?

You probably think this post is about me lamenting on my mundane life, but NO it is actually a brag post. THIS little punk made it to finals in her class talent show today! Gracie and her friend Rylee sang "When Will My Life Begin?" from Tangled complete with props. The class voted on the 2 best to perform in the 4th grade talent show later that day. I wasn't there to see it because "moms aren't really going." But I hear there was stiff competition from Soda who was singing Justin Bieber's "Baby".

New Camera....maybe

Ethan told me that for Mother's day I could use my paycheck to buy something for me instead of putting it in the black hole we call our checking account. I decided on a camera. I found this one that retails for 299.oo on sale for 199.00 at Office Depot. Plus it comes with a free 4gb SDHC card AND a camera case. The reviews on amazon seemed pretty good so I loaded up my 3 youngest punks and off to Office Depot we went. I found it right off the bat. My kids found the ipod display right off the bat. After having Leif point out an "ipone" to me (how the heck does he know what an iphone is???) and knocking several hundred cases to the ground, I rounded them up and went to check out. The total with a protection plan (which the cashier kindly pointed out I desperately needed with children....especially my children who were running in and out the automatic doors trying to squish each other!) came to 248.99. I think I threw up a little. That is 1.01 less than my whole 2 weeks of insanity. I am (of course) strongly considering returning it but need your help.

(The pictures are just showing up in any old order.....I clearly need blogging lessons!)

The first picture is taken with my 6 year old camera.

The 2nd picture was taken with the new camera. (Why, yes, my baby is wearing a Halloween costume for pajamas. Why do you ask?)

Is it worth keeping?

Disclaimer:

Um...so when I read back this blog, some of the words are highlighted like I want you to click on that link? I don't really want you to. I mean, it's your life, click away if you want to- but please be informed that I am in no way affiliated or even AWARE of why it's a clickable word. Mmmm-kay?

Me and My Punks

If you are reading this than you either already know all this info or are a complete physco stalker....so welcome to my blog, ya freak!

Husband Punk is Ethan. He is an amazing man who makes me laugh almost daily and roll my eyes into the back of my head almost hourly. He works hard and is my own personal handy man. I am in love with this punk.

Punk #1 is Gracie. She is 10. Most families with only one daughter call that daughter their "princess" or "angel". Diva Extrodinaire is a more suitable title for my girl. She loves fashion, reading, friends, school, Taylor Swift, and singing. I love this punk too.

Punk #2 is Ean. He is 8 years old and 4 inches taller than his sister. He is funny and loves to use words most 8 year olds have never heard of like "they seem to be enjoying themselves", "I stand corrected", "let me show off my skills", or "my classmates will appreciate this". He loves to read too but would rather play basketball or x-box. I'm pretty attached to this punk as well.

Punk #3 is Oker. He is 6 going on 30. He takes the world on his skinny little shoulders. Sometimes I fear he will be translated because he is SO good. So when he does something naughty, I breathe a sigh of relief instead of punishing him. What's not to love about this little punk?

Punk #4 is Leif. Where to begin? He is like our family's puppy- cute, cuddled, loved by all, and eager to bite at the slightest provocation. Seriously, he bites. He too uses words less suited for his age like "shut up" and "you suck". Precious. This little punk completes our family of punks perfectly.

And me? I am a stay at home mom who babysits 2 extra punks. I am happy and content with my life with lotsa punks!

My Numero Uno Post!!!

Sooo.....I have wanted a blog for awhile now, but have never started one for a very good reason: I needed a kick-A name for my kick-A blog and had yet to find one. Well, tonight I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. But still the problem of a name. I asked my darling husband for any witty suggestions he might have. Some of my more favorite responses:

So You Want to be a Missionary
Otte Bits
Postcards from Hell
And you thought YOUR life was bad!
How to Go Insane in 3 Easy Steps
and
Tender Moments

Which brings me to the name of 'My Life With Lotsa Punks'. Fitting.