Just Another Day at the Office

For a really long time we did not allow toys with batteries in our house. The point was that we wanted our kids to learn to use their imagination rather than be entertained by an electronic device.

Sixteen years later we have plenty of toys that take batteries. We also have hand held video game systems as well as consoles that hook up to the television.

But one thing remains- our kids have some SERIOUS imaginations!

For example:

Owen "working" in his "office"

  

It is really our wet bar, my wireless keyboard and mouse, the number pad to my laptop, a Zune and the picture hanging on the wall. This entertained him for TWO hours.

 I thought this was especially smart! he created an "outlet" out of the empty pencil box and light switch to plug his number pad into!

  "texting" his workers

Talking to his workers... this was a funny conversation to hear!! And I love the stepstool!

It is rare that things are ever used for their intended purpose in our house. Sometimes it is frustrating but fascinating at the same time! I love to see their little minds at work!

Try "unplugging" your kids for a few days and see what things they can whip up!

You will be amazed!

The Herd in Stitches

With five kids I guess it should not surprise me that accidents are going to happen. I don't like it and I wish I could wave a magic mommy wand and prevent them all! No one likes to see their kids hurt but in this family it barely phasesme. I am calm and quick- a far cry from the mother who is flipping out in the ER.

The first two kids were pretty eventless. Minor scrapes and bruises- you know, normal kid stuff. Our first major medical mishap was with our third daughter at the age of two. While I was away she fell out of her favorite spot, the chair and a half, and hit her forehead on our coffee table. The lesion was deep, wide and bloody. That warranted a trip to the emergency room. She got quite a few stitches- I was a wreck!

This was shortly before Halloween and The Hubster thought it would be funny to dress her up as Frankenstein. I opted for the Minnie Mouse costume we had already planned on using. She got LOTS of extra candy that year!

Two years later she was dancing in the living room and fell, hitting her head on the same coffee table!

When our neighborhood had a community yard sale, the coffee table was sold. We switched to a leather ottoman.

I was surprised that Owen made it so long before his first set of stitches! He hit his head on the underside of our refrigerator doors (we have the french doors with freezer at the bottom)

 And most recently, the baby of the family...

Poor little guy tripped on the leather ottoman and hit his head on the wooden trim on a chair!!

In order to get him to keep the band aid on his head, we played a game and he got to put as many band aids as he wanted on himself. Apparently six was the magic number!

This is Jack getting his first look at his new face! I love the expression!!

This is just another example of being able to roll with things. Accidents happen to even the most cautious of parents. With boys (and rowdy ones at that!) I am sure we are in for many more incidents and trips to urgent care or the emergency room. We are already recognized at the urgent care center that we usually go to. This last time, when we were leaving, the doctor waved and said, "See you next time!"

OH MY!

Hopefully that won't be for a loooooong while!!

Update on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 by Jessica

Not very long after posting this entry our youngest dude got his SECOND set of stitches.

Well, he got the glue- but it is yet another scar on his poor little forehead.

Chicks dig scars, right???

 

This time it was a result of Big brother tossing a solid wooden crane from our train set and Jack's head being in the way.

I have a feeling it is going to be a long, winding road with these boys of mine!

Orange is a Way of Life

The letter O is for a lot of things.... like Owen and orange. Coincidence? Maybe. But to my almost four year old, it is destiny! Owen is to Orange like peanut butter is to jelly. They go hand in hand and you kind of don't have one with out the other.

Owen lives in a world of orange.  

This is pretty much the only table ware my son will eat off of

 

 (tablewear from IKEA)

This is the sippy cup that caused me to literally jump for joy when I saw it in Target! Yay!! A sippy cup he would use! No more spills!!

 

This is the special night light that wards off bad dreams, scary critters and ghosts (more abut that another time)

 

This is the electric pencil sharpener Owen helped Mike pick out

This is the box of tissues he picked out at the store. We have three extras in the pantry.

Each week my son takes a dance class (yes... my SON takes a DANCE CLASS. That can be another whole blog topic) His teacher, the amazing Kathy Palmo, keyed into the love of orange going on here and usually makes sure there is an orange something in the treasure box that the kids pick a prize from at the end of class. She even picked an orange costume for him to wear for his first recital!

Owen is totally stoked!

 

Here are some random orange/Owen facts:

Owen's favorite fruit- Mandarin Oranges

Owen's favorite veggie- Carrots

Owens favorite ice cream- Creamsicle or Turkey Hill's Orange Grove

Owen's favorite junk food- nacho cheese Doritos or cheese doodles

Owen's favorite drink- Orange kool-aid (I make it with splenda)

 I pretty much have to debate him (and win) for him to change out of his favorite underwear

I thought I would be happy that he was over the "fire baseballs" underwear! They are black and have baseballs with flame tails. We have four pairs so he would at least have clean undies because he would only wear THOSE. Now we are limited to this one pair that is orange and it has resulted in many, many arguments in order to get him into a clean pair of a different color.

Owen wears a select grouping of outfits- the first three feature an orange shirt. The next favorite is this cool outfit with a helicopter on the shirt what has glow-in-the-dark search beams and lastly he will wear his "minion" shirt from our trip to Universal Studios in Orlando. Should all of those outfits be unavailable he will reluctantly wear something else but it usually is not with out some level of a fit.

Even his outside toys feature his favorite color!

 

There was an argument in Wal-Mart between Owen and Ainsley over what color our bubble refill dispenser would be. Guess who won?

 The kid LOVES orange.

I was never really fond of the color but I have come around.

In this house, orange is a way of life!

Update on Thursday, May 24, 2012 by Jessica

I had someone ask me why in the world we would cater so much to Owen's profound love of the color orange... the answer is pretty simple: He loves it, we can't fault him for that. He will only be a little dude who lives for the color orange for a short time. We indulge in this fetish the same way other parents allow their kids to wear rain boots year round or tutus to the park. It is cute. It is a part of what makes our son an individual and we feel very comfortable indulging in it.

Yes, it can be frustrating when his one orange sippy cup is dirty and he is thirsty. Yes, it can be annoying when he refuses to change his underwear because he doesn't have another orange pair to put on. Do I get mad when he will not eat his pancake from a blue plate? You betcha. But he is forming his identity and it is our job as parents to nurture that in them. So, until he picks a new favorite thing or color, we will continue to keep our eye out for special things in the color orange, becausee it makes our little dude as happy as can be. Isn't that childhood should be all about?

Mother's Day is Sacred

                  

Okay, I won't lie... I look forward to Mother's Day every year. I love holidays in general, I shine on Thanksgiving and Christmas. My birthday is a big deal (all birthdays in this family are!!). But Mother's Day? Why, that is the one day my kids and husband are literally forced to be nice and give thanks for all I do. I do not expect to be showered with gifts, only hugs and kisses, sweet nothings, and have complete control over the day. *insert evil laugh* The "Mother's Day Card" trumps all!!

I want to take a moment to give The Hubster some mad props- he really rose to the occasion this year! I got an extra hour of sleep, when I got up I was greeted in my room with a handmade latte followed by breakfast at my most favorite local place, The Astronomical Pancake House.

We had a family style meal of bacon pancakes, berry pancakes and pancakes topped with chocolate chips, chocolate sauce and cookie dough icecream. The meal also included bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and homefries. The place was packed but service was still good. The pancakes are fluffy and the size of pizzas! I love it!!  

 

          

After breakfast we went shoe shopping and during nap time I went for a manicure. When I got home the kids had small gifts waiting for me! I love surprises!! Mike helped them pick out some decedent truffles and white chocolate dipped strawberries from Godiva and my very own Tervis tumbler that is decorated with beautiful cherry blossoms! He also found these massage bars and bath bombs I LOVE from a place called Lush. They all did a great job picking out thoughtful things that I would love!! In addition to being treated to a lovely breakfast, we went out for dinner too! Chili's is one of my favorite places to eat with the family!   

Mike was successful in making sure I did not have to cook, that I got to do whatever my heart desired and that I felt special. Our Herd was especially well behaved and loving... what more can a mamma ask for?!

Family Rules

Mike surprised me earlier this week with this wall canvas I spotted in the Target ad!

I LOVE it!

Every "rule" listed is something we embrace at our house.

What a perfect thing to have hanging!

I wanted to find a place where these rules could really be seen but that was much harder to do than I thought it would be!

We finally settled on a spot in the foyer. Our new artwork will live on the wall where everyone who enters our home will see it, right where shoes are put on and taken off... and every time someone walks through the foyer or up the stairs they can be reminded of the things that are important in our family!