Back to School Backlash!

We had the big blowout today. Actually, we've had the big blowout the last two days, over homework and chores and getting ready for school in the mornings. Because I guess my boys lost their capacity to think or function over the summer. And apparently their brains are not prone to recalling previous experiences with the whole school routine because they act like this is all new to them.

So we will try a new tactic tomorrow which DOES NOT involve me herding them like mindless sheep through the process of getting ready and to the car. I don't know what the new tactic is, but I do know it will not leave me feeling bad when I drop my kids at school for the day having fought with them all morning so we coud get out of the door on time.

I'll let you know how it goes...once I figure out exactly what it is I will be doing.

Back to School

My boys started school last week. They don't ride the bus. If they did, I'm sure this is what they would be doing:


Why? Because that's what boys do.

Wordless Wednesday

Cat in the Box

What the Treadmill Did This Year

Remember the engineer from the toy company who contacted me regarding a toy that wasn't holding together for us? The Wicked Cool Engineer Dude? I thought about an email conversation I had with him when I heard the treadmill going the other day. The conversation revolved around the fact that our treadmill gets lots and LOTS of use, but rarely for exercise and even more rarely by me, for whom the treadmill was purchased in the first place!

I started thinking about all of the things the treadmill has been used for over the last year and was actually pretty amazed by how creative my guys can get when they are bored. So, for your perusal and amusement, I present:

101 Things Boys Can Do With a Treadmill

• Line coins up vertically at the end of the treadmill. Turn it on to a very slow speed and watch coins fall off of the end of the treadmill and land on top of each other in a neat little stack on the floor (I was very, very impressed by this one!)
• Place robotic/electronic hamster in hamster ball. Place on treadmill. Start treadmill at slow speed to see if hamster can maintain rolling on treadmill. Suddenly shoot speed to high and watch hamster ball go flying across the room.
• Do same thing as above with Little Brother or annoying neighbor kid. Get grounded for the rest of the afternoon.
• Use as a fort to maintain possession of the living room. Cover with blankets to avoid detection and scream loudly at anyone who dares to remove the blanket to see what's going on in said fort.
• Use to burn off excess energy before bed or to avoid a shower. Take turns with brother running slow, then fast, then slow while running backwards and pretend not to hear mother yelling something about bathing.
• Turn treadmill on slow speed while cat is sleeping on it and watch how long it takes him to realize he is moving while sleeping. Laugh when he lands in a sleepy pile at the end of the treadmill (note: no cats were hurt in this experiment. He was disgruntled, but not hurt.)
• Place drowsy, frustrated cat on treadmill again, turn on medium speed and watch him trot to stay on treadmill. Then watch cat quit running and again land on the floor in a heap before he shoots boys a disgusted look and walks away to his food bowl.
• Plead with mom 6000 times to use the cat as an experiment on the treadmill again and walk away dejected after hearing 6000 "no's."
• Try to make a sculpture out of a styrofoam block by turning treadmill on high and rubbing off corners and sides to create "masterpiece." Throw crappy sculpture on the floor and leave little pieces of white styrofoam all over living room. Run to friend's house. Come home and ask what happened to the living room!
• Sit at top of treadmill with legs crossed. Have brother turn treadmill to highest speed. Shoot off end of treadmill and land on butt on the floor. Laugh hysterically.
• Turn treadmill on high. Drop various articles on treadmill mat to see how far they will launch across the room. Suggestions: Legos, Action Figures, Army Guys, Shoes, Mom's hair clips, Super Balls, oranges...whatever else looks intriguing.
• Have one kid hold loose end of toilet paper roll at top of treadmill. Place toilet paper roll on treadmill surface and turn treadmill on at medium to high speed. Watch toilet paper unroll and try to keep roll on treadmill without breaking paper. Try to put paper back on roll and replace in bathroom before mom sees. Sit silently for a few minutes before admitting toilet paper experiment to mom when she asks who unrolled the paper and then tried to roll it back up and hide it.
• Line up green army guys with precision into perfect little platoons on treadmill surface. Turn on treadmill and wipe out entire army, then declare victory.
• Use at high speed to rub helmets (and subsequently part of their heads) and weapons off of plastic army guys in order to disarm them (note: said rubbing leaves tiny little pieces of shredded green plastic stuck to your carpet. Not to worry, they vacuum up relatively quickly).

I know...I'm not at 101 uses yet. I need to start taking pictures, because some of them are really hilarious. I'm guessing I should have a pretty complete list by this time next summer. The treadmill list should probably include me getting on it at some point, yes?

A Little Summer Fun

We didn't do a lot of vacationing this summer, funds are way too tight! But we did take the time to go see my mom in the White Mountain area of Arizona. Can I just say how nice it was not to sweat the minute I walked out the door while we were there? I feel like a walking armpit right now in Phoenix with this blast furnace type heat!

The boys really enjoyed the weather there too, but found it difficult at first to figure out how to amuse themselves with no other little neighbor kids to play with. We have a neighborhood FULL of little boys so there's rarely a shortage of playmates!

Anyway...Mom has a wonderful garden, which many of the little woodland creatures like to visit, so they have live traps set up around the compound to keep the critters at bay. Little Man stepped up and took over security duty for a few days and did trap checks every so often. He scored a very angry little chipmunk who had chewed the blossom off of a would be melon and then got himself stuck in the trap. Grandpa took over deportation duties and the chipmunk was promptly relocated to a new location down the road.

We found another little chipmunk while we were fishing, he was a hungry little dude and had an amazing internal clock, as he appeared right at lunchtime! We shared some lunch and fished for awhile.

Actually, Big Brother, Grandma and I fished for awhile and caught nothing. Little Man, who could not sit still and who snagged his line on the bottom of the lake numerous times by constantly reeling in his line, causing us to have to restring his pole every 15 minutes, was the only one who caught a fish. Go figure.

I didn't get a photo. Of course. We had no net and I was trying to keep the fish on shore while Grandma got a bag to put him in. Little Man was FURIOUS that we didn't get to take him home, not understanding that a 4 hour drive in the hot sun would result in a stinky, dead fish.

Props and thanks to Grandma for taking the fish cleaning duty so she could show the boys how to take care of their future catches. I hate doing that crap.

So, aside from the massive, blistered sunburn I obtained at the lake because the sun did NOT FEEL HOT at all and I forgot the suncreen, it was a nice trip! Other than the forgotten suitcase. I forgot my suitcase. No clean clothes or underwear. Was too busy making sure my kids had videos and Playstations for the drive there. You know, the important stuff. You know what the amazing thing about that all was? I didn't sweat the whole time I was there, so my clothes were actually wearable for more than half a day! I did end up going to Wal-mart for a change of clothes and underwear after almost 3 days though.

It made me want to move away from the dry, brown desert in which I currently miserably reside. I know...I'll be changing my tune in about 4 months when we start having Chamber of Commerce weather...but for now? I'm kinda diggin' on Small Town America in the cool pines.

I Have Good Boys

Sometimes I look at my boys and wonder how I ever got so blessed to have two such fantastic creatures in my life. I have good boys. Big Brother has this wonderful gift of laughter that is so infectious and when he smiles the world smiles. Little Man has an extraordinarily advanced sense of humor that causes fits of giggles from all of us at the most inappropriate times, like in the middle of church. When I relax and just enjoy being around them? I feel blessed and happy. I see them for who they really are. I love them deeply. When I am in that relaxed place I forget the messes they made with the paint on the table and the fact that they still have not done the 3 tasks that I've asked them to do 6 times today. I forget the arguing and the talking back. And I forget that I am trying too hard to make them fit into my idea of who I think they should be. Just for a moment, I let them be who they are. When I let them be who they are I can be who I want to be...the sane, happy and well-adjusted mother I want so badly for them to have. It's not who they have most days right now. And I am sad for them. My lack of happiness is not their fault. It's just life and my lack of coping skills. They are good boys. They deserve better. And I am blessed to have them in my life.

Giveaway Announcements!!

HEY! SEE THAT LITTLE SECTION >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>on the far right of this blog? The one that says Check Out Boymom Giveaways? Check there for new giveaways and click on the links to win fun stuff! C'mon! Do it! Just DO it! You might win something cool! There's a new giveaway today!

Lynette won some free Fruit2Day and Rachael won some Purex Laundry Sheets! So make sure you stop by that little corner once in awhile!