Trevor wants you to see this

My son has begged and pleaded for me to post a picture on my blog. A specific picture. He really, really, really wants to share it with all of you. I think, he thinks it makes him look daring, courageous and fearless. I think I am lucky that my very slow but capable camera actually got the shot he wanted.

If you feel so inclined maybe leave a comment for him. I know he will ask if anyone liked his picture. Thanks in advance for helping me create the future daredevil that seeks approval of others around him. Isn't that how most boys are wired? I am sure some girls are as well, just not my girls. I am sure I will regret this if he starts base jumping later in life. I will know where it all started. That one day he jumped off the sign... he was flying for just a second and it was so fun!

Is this cool or what-

Click the image to see it bigger

Maybe you have seen this before. It is like word soup. You go to this great sight Wordle and can type in whatever cool words you can think. If you cannot think of cool words you enter your website address and it gets your words off your blog for you then *POOF*, like magic you get something like this. All those words came off this blog. I checked~I think the swearing is minimal.

LOVE IT!

I made a second one just using the kids names and their description from my sidebar. Now that is my desktop background on my computer.


You must first display your Wordle at the desired size, then take a "screen shot" or "screen capture". Here's a link to a web site that gives instructions for creating screen shots on various kinds of computer take-a-screenshot.org.

Hey, lucky me...I WON!

My Mother and Mother-in-Law will be so happy. Many years I have been hearing little comments about why we have never gotten professional photos of our family. The timing is never right. You know how it goes. Always too busy. Fifteen more pounds to lose. I would have to buy some new clothes. Have you seen some of those boring pictures that all look the same...yuck! Never extra money to pay for the pictures. But guess what? I entered a give away at a fabulous blog that I regularly visit. They were giving away a 2 hour photo shoot with a great local photographer, Tots and Tails. You know what? I WON! My kids are a little bigger then tots and I think we will leave the tails out of the pictures. She does gorgeous outdoor photographs. I am so excited. The time is now!

The blog I follow is called Little Birdie Secrets . I love that they talk about the very same craft stores I go to because they live not that far away. I dig the super ideas they give me-even though I do not have time to craft as much as I would like. They inspire me to find my crafty self again. Just check them out...and read their most recent post--it talks about me being a BIG winner!

Thank you Little Birdie Secrets and Tots & Tails!

tree envy

I have always wanted a tree house. Since I was a little kid. I do not recall ever having one. My Dad was real handy, he built the house we lived in. Yet still my sister and I never had the joy of an awesome building above the ground to play in, camp in, pretend in. What gives Dad? Prime opportunity missed!

When we bought our current home, located in a more rural area, I remember looking at all the trees for a perfect home for a tree house. ZIP, NADA, NONE! Not one tree on over 1 acre of land that could hold a tree house. My kids need a tree house! My neighbor has a perfect tree. It is even already cut down at about 15 feet. It is ready to be made into a home in the sky...he has no kids. Again, what gives? That tree mocks me from across the fence. Damn dead tree stump!

I think this is my solution. What do you think my neighbor will think. Will it make his tree jealous?

Steampunk Tree House
The tree is 30' tall, 30' wide and weighs 8 tons. It was crafted from recycled and reclaimed materials by 60 artist from the Bay area. I know I cannot afford this particular tree house. Although I thought it was interesting that you can rent it. You need to have room for a crane to reassemble it though. They even went to all the trouble to haul it to Burning Man.

My ideal tree house would be wood and have a lot of branches that the wind could whistle through. A place to escape the chaos of a home and all the chores that live there. A home away from home. An escape. A get away.
What do you think?

Where was I?

Apparently when I am distracted my kids are working on developing their future skills as an abstract photographers. I happened to be sitting at my computer this morning and found a file of 460 pictures on the "photo booth" of my computer. I will share a few since I cannot think of anything witty, intriguing or scintillating to share today.

Think it is rough with 3 kids, how about 6? I love that they all look really happy in this picture.



Very dramatic


How did she know I really needed a picture of that littlest pet shop?


Ode to Gwen Stefani
B-A-N-A-N-A-S


Nintendogs anyone?

Which is better ? 4 eyes and no mouth or no eyes and 2 mouths?
I am torn.
Wait, how about 2 belly buttons. I have a picture of that too!

I think I need a nap, what do you bet when I come back to my computer I will have 100 more pictures!

P.S. One of my little blog followers noticed one of the BEST pictures was not included...here ya go Trevor


just some fighting arms

recovery is bliss?

Well, another school day has come and gone with a sick child still home...sick. I have not been to work in...let me look at the calendar...12 days. Thank goodness I had some days off scheduled for a fun mini-vacation-that worked out well. For 12 days I have been home dealing with sick children and been sick myself. I also have had a sick husband although he resists all suggestions so the dealing part is minimal- he is pretty good at quarantining himself and just plowing through.

The good news is that, I think, by tomorrow (knocking on my desk now) they will all be back at school. This is perfect timing because I HAVE to go back to work on Wednesday. At least a break from all this you may think. Those who may not know me personally may miss the humor I have to find in this situation. 12 days at home taking care of sick kids---tomorrow I go back to work and take care of more sick people. I will again be dosing them with Motrin, giving nebulizer treatments, taking temperatures and trying to assure them this truely will not last forever- even though it feels that way. Oh, the joys of being a nurse during the cold and flu season. At least they will pay me for my time - the bummer is I can't do it in my jammies.

2 thumbs up for healthy kids!

progress?

Well, 2 out of the 3 made it to school today. My little man and I are having a sick day. He currently is attempting to heat our home with his body heat alone. He woke up from a little morning nap at 103.6 degrees. A little Motrin (my new BFF) and a nebulizer treatment should help him out. I hope he takes another little nap so I can lay around and watch twighlight all by my lonesome.

I did get a laugh out of this, maybe you will enjoy it as well.

Stumbled across it on I Need A Martini Mom but she was honest enough to admit that she swiped it from Write On, Yo. Either way it gave me a little laugh on this morning when I feel like nothing much is funny. Love the E*trade baby--this is a cure for the usual boring dialogue he spews.

lather, rinse, repeat

Previously we had sick 1 & sick 2. We were desperately trying every antibacterial/viral method to prevent seeing an appearance of sick 3, sick, 4 & sick 5. Well color me excited because we went for the full meal deal. I even ended up with a repeat of sick 2 being sick again with another bug of sorts. So I now sit here sweating like a hooker in church and praying that any minute the pharmaceutical concoction I put together will work.

Wish me well folks. I need it!

a week in the life~

Today we are on day 7 of a sick child at home. Some days, like today, I was even blessed enough to have 2 kids home sick. OH JOY! ~it is really hard to convey sarcasm in the blogging world-I hope you picked up on it.

I felt bad when I started to consider how lucky the first child was and how unfortunate it is to be the 3rd sick child in 7 days...

• Day one- lovingly dote, cook soup and take temperature frequently
• Day two- still dote, still frequent temperature verification
• Day three- less frequent temperature...apparently she has a fever that lasts 100 years. Motrin has become my BFF.
  
• Day four- come on, you will be ok for 1 hour, I really need to go to the store. I will buy you popsicles...I promise.Here have a little Motrin before we go.
  
• Day five- what have I done to deserve this?
• Day six- looking good. I think you can go back to school tomorrow. Mom is smiling on the inside and outside. Wait is that the phone ringing? "Yes, hello school nurse. What I need to come get oldest child, fever you say? You are joking. Really? CRAP!" Ok, maybe I did not actually say CRAP to the school nurse-- if I do not embellish a little that part is really b-o-r-i-n-g!
• Day seven-walking out the door for the bus with 2 of the 3 kids. Suddenly with door open young son says, "can you take my temperature?" You guessed it! Did I just start the cycle again? I again would like to ask "what did I do to deserve this?" I believe in karma and for some reason mine is damaged! Today these sick kids seem a little better then 1st sick child was. Maybe that is why when one of them put their feet on the french doors she actually had to wash the window afterward. Does that make me the meanest Mom on the face of the earth? Well technically it was her Dad that made her wash the window...but I did not object.
  

Yep, it really pays to be the early bird and get sick before Mom becomes a walking zombie. The perks are better and Mom is definitely nicer!

Now that I am getting a sore throat, who is going to take my temperature? Why did I ever teach those kids to share?

Gotta run, I need to go take some temperatures and find my bottle of Motrin...for them. I need something stronger for myself!

my new love interest

I wish I loved doing laundry. I wish I loved mopping the floor. I wish I loved cleaning my kitchen till it sparkles. I wish I loved going to the gym and pushing myself beyond my normal limits. I wish I loved cleaning toilets and tubs. I wish I loved vacuuming.

Nope, I love sitting with friends and drinking coffee. I love reading blogs of people I do not even know. I love r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g. I love eating ice cream even though I know it really is not good for me. I love naps. I love reading magazines. I love a cup of coffee and the morning paper. I love cooking, which usually involves messing up my kitchen. I love watching Chuck with my husband. I love a long bath and a good book. I love shopping. I love going to the theater. I love being crafty. I love a quiet evening with a glass of wine after the kids are sleeping.

So now, I sit here doing this...


when I really should tackle this...
plus the load in the dryer and one waiting in the wash!


Well, I guess I need to go now- 5 people sure dirty a lot of clothes!
I think I might make a cup of coffee first though...I wonder if we have any ice cream? Hey, I think one of my new magazines just came in the mail...

I need to work on getting some new more productive things to love.


I think I could love her-
Does that count?

think outside the box...find a new purpose for everyday items

sometimes when you have one of these...a wiped out sick kid

You have a surplus of these lying around.

Thank God it is not a rectal, because apparently in a pinch it also works well as a stylus!

Random acts of kindness

We have a weekly ritual in our house. Thanks the the DVR we record Survivor to watch it Friday night...commercial free. We all pile onto our incredibly shrinking sofa. It must be shrinking because we don't all fit like we used to. We would love a nice big sectional but maybe our shrinking sofa helps keep us all close. It certainly had something to do with the picture I am about to share with you.

I was sandwiched between Trevor and the arm of the couch when I had the pleasure to see this. Thank goodness- due to this blog- I usually have a pretty good idea where my weapon of mass torture is. I was lucky enough to get a picture of my two sweet daughters lost in the moment. The older sister tickling the younger ones hand.

I feel blessed.

One of my Lucky charms

Sending you a little luck of the Irish today.


A Mother's Love Is A Blessing
An Irish boy was leaving
Leaving his native home
Crossing the broad Atlantic
Once more he wished to roam
And as he was leaving his mother
Who was standing on the quay
She threw her arms around his waist
And this to him did say

A mother's love's a blessing
No matter where you roam
Keep her while she's living
You'll miss her when she's gone
Love her as in childhood
Though feeble, old and grey
For you'll never miss a mother's love
Till she's buried beneath the clay.
From the song of the same name by Thomas P Keenan

Meet my friends U.P. Chuck and Ralph

Our weekend was eventful in the most unpleasant ways.

Sick 1


Sick 2

We are desperately trying to avoid Sick 3,
Sick 4, and lastly Sick 5!

I would have loved to share pictures of Trevor after he burst the capillaries in his face but he vetoed the pictures, feet are all he will offer you. He is sick, so I felt I should respect his wishes. Even though he is darling with all those little red spots all over his face. He bounced back by Sunday. Poor baby-Elise looks like she got run over by a bus still. It is dicey whether she will make it to school tomorrow-which means it is dicey whether Mom will make it to work. Guess we will just wait and see.

Wishing you all well and reminding you to maybe pick up a bottle of hand sanitizer when you are at the store. This junk is noooo fun!

confused~

My flowers are bewildered!

job training for the future...

I think I may have found a future profession for some of my brood. I have noticed when I pull the camera out for photo ops they have started shielding their faces. So after putting some thought into how this could work for them I came up with one thing... celebrity!

I guess I need to consider my future career as a sneaky paparazzi stalking my victims...I mean subjects!

I found this photo on the internet...I will have to show it to Trevor so he can whip one up and quit using his clothes and hand to hide his face!
Sponge Bob out of legos=AWESOME!

Trevor hiding his face with his hand


Turtle maneuver, insert head in jammies at first sighting of camera!

The other thing I am hearing, after taking a photo of a perfectly adorable moment, is that I cannot use it on the blog. For real, they have already decided they have creative license about this. GEESH! Too bad they actually read it...I would just sneak it on here anyhow! I will tell ya- you are missing out on some really great photography! I guess this all goes right along with the celebrity thing...getting bossy about what photo's they will sign off on!

Am I really the only Mom that tortures her children with the camera? They will thank me one day, don't you think?

Oh darn...now that I think of it I may know where they learned this from---

Guilty-that is me with my hand over my face during a weekend at the beach.
One of my children even took this picture.
Do as I say child, not as I do!

Please Mom, I want a brother

We were driving in the car the other day. Just my 2 daughters and 1 son and myself. I was busy breaking their little hearts and crushing their hopes and dreams. I was explaining in simple terms that we will not be having any more babies at our house. Trevor and Elise are somewhat miffed that they will never be able to be a "big" brother or sister. I think because people around us are having babies every which way we turn they think maybe that good fortune will fall upon us too!

Trevor after thinking a while told me that we could adopt a kid...specifically a boy to even things up around our house. I told him that we probably would not be doing that either. Did he really want to share his Mom with another kid? Well that is a dumb question to ask a twin that has been sharing his whole life! Trevor and Elise have no problem sharing! Bring it on Mom, the more the merrier! He is also good at compromising. He told me we could adopt a 16 year old because then we would only have to take care of him for 2 years...

Yeah, I'll get back to ya on that one Trev...

toothless grins and the hat that taunts me!

Trevor had a big night...he lost not 1 tooth the other night but 2. He lost both his top front teeth the same evening. WOWZA! He was hoping for a big pay out that night from the good old Tooth Fairy.

This picture was taken a couple days prior. All present and accounted for-including the hat that Santa should have left at the North Pole!

1 down...

Holy cow, 2 teeth out in one evening.

I have to say this picture bothers me a little. I have seen some gross things as a nurse but still cannot get used to mouths without teeth were they belong. YUCK! While in nursing school I did a set of clinicals at the Veterans Hospital providing wound care. Fresh amputees, no problem -- the gums where a tooth was recently residing...DISGUSTING! Crazy huh?

When I checked on him later that night this is what I found...yup, sleeping in that darn hat again. See the envelope above his head? Two teeth were in there waiting to be exchanged for cold hard cash from the tooth fairy. I wonder what she does with all those teeth? If I ever happen to see her that is definitely what I will ask her!


He got $4--I have been told the tooth fairy has a different pay scale for different kids. Megan says one of her friends gets $10 per tooth! Sorry kids--she must be running low on $10 bills by the time she gets to our house! I got quarters as a kid so paper money is a huge step up for them!

The tooth fairy teaches children that they can sell body parts for money. ~David Richerby

And they ate cake...

Happy, Happy Birthday to my dear old Dad. Enjoy your last year in the 50's!

In his honor we had a little pre-Birthday celebration and ate cake!


A little inspection of the cake...no that was not a hair she saw!


A made from scratch cake, what did he deserve to deserve that? Perhaps the housing provided through my youth and overlooking a couple of late night sneak ins!


Yup, he got them all!


Dad and Lori a.k.a. Grammy. The next picture will show you one of her skills Trevor has figured out.


Tickles...he somehow gets her to give him the best little back or head scratches~


Have you ever played battleship with a 4 year old? She was very focused! I watched them play and though I am not sure she grasps the game completely she pretends to play it well!


Megan enjoyed a little scrabble on her cousins iTouch...not as much as I did though! If I did not have so many other things we need I would want to upgrade my iPod.


A little crazy Eye from Uncle Cory...he is always good for that. I think half of my pictures of Cory have a similar expression. I bet as a kid there are a lot of goofy pictures of him too!


Grandpa wearing his new ear ring...really Elise's bracelet but doesn't he look smashing!


Megan being coy...I love this picture! It does remind me a little of the movie Penelope, have you seen? It looks like she is hiding her nose. I can attest she does not have a snout!

Thanks Dad for giving us a reason to celebrate!