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Three things I should never do:

1.  Go shopping with the boys unless absolutely necessary.

2.  Buy electronics.

3.  Go shopping with the boys unless absolutely necessary.

OK.  So my DH has been gone a lot which  requires me to take the boys on all errands. So, I had to return a couple of things to the Gap from our last crazy trip there.  Needless to say...it was not much fun.  Again.  It isn't a good sign when the sales guy knows you and is trying to avoid us at all costs.  I don't blame him.  J threw a plastic fish the last time we were in the store and it hit him on the head (I am talking a long distance over a huge sales counter).  No, he is actually really, really nice and entertained the boys and laughed with them a lot the last time we were there.  In fact, he is amazed at their throwing abilities and keeps telling me that they have to go into baseball.  He was laughing tonight bc he found them hiding under some terrific women's fall pants.  

Anyway, then they started throwing their digger trucks and knocking over very perfectly arranged women's underware displays.  Seconds later, W is standing on top of one of their racks of clothes.  I am not kidding.  That is when it is time to high-tail it out of there.  Pronto. But then my angels returned and they went an entire wing of the mall just walking next to the stroller holding onto each side.  Then bam!  They both went running off and next thing I know...J darts into a fancy jewelry store of all places and W darts into the Victoria Secret store right next door.  So I am standing in the mall between the entrance of both stores yelling for J and W to come back NOW.  And here comes W with a Victoria Secret hot pink dog (price tag and all)...I don't know how the alarm didn't go off and I thanked the Lord that he didn't run out with some lingerie or something.  That would appear pretty desperate - having my 2-year old steal undergarments for his me!   He put them back and I got them both back to the stroller in their new riding position.  They like to sit on the stroller's footrest facing the seats.

As for electronics.  We just need to stop.  We are cursed.  Even if we buy an extended warranty.  I had to return a portable DVD player today that I bought in December last year that doesn't work.  Even with a 24-month extended warranty somehow I had to pay $50 to replace it.  Long story-I will spare you the details.   We have no kidding gone through:

Two very nice and expensive TVs 

A toaster

A microwave (on the fritz but still using)

Another microwave that we electrically blew out and had to pay almost as much as replacement value to fix

A DVD player

A VCR

2-3 cordless phones

A receiver

A 2-year old computer is not working very well

A portable DVD player (which by the way, the nice Circuit City salesman tells me today "we never get portable DVD players back...I think you are the first.")

And now our 4-slot toaster.  Two slots work and two slots don't. 

And there is more but I am too tired to list....

 And it's not like we buy the cheapest or lowest quality stuff.  We research before we purchase and it still just doesn't work out.

I am pretty certain there is a conspiracy going on.......

Mommy Foiled

So this morning I get the boys decked out in hats, coats, shoes, and even mittens.  It was COLD!   We head outside for a walk but the boys wanted to play in the driveway instead.  I manage to get J in the stroller but W is standing by his play jeep just shaking his head at me saying "noooo...nooo walk."  I told him that J and I and the dogs were going to go without him.  I went to get the dogs and came back and W still did not want to go.  So I did the "alright then we are going to go without you."  And I walked around the van to the other side and started across the yard toward the street.  I was waiting (and hoping and envisioning) for W to come running after us but instead he stepped around the van, looked at us, waved his little mitten hand and said "bye bye!" Backfired.  

15 Minutes

I had Mom's Day Out today and I think I am using my time a little better.  Instead of rushing around like a mad woman to try to do way too much in four hours, I limited my to-do-ing to only three things.  Simple.  Much less stressful.

I also have decided not to fight the boys for a naptime today because by the time we get home (after 2 pm) they are overtired and just don't take one.  If they do take a nap, it is short and they wake up C.R.A.N.K.Y.  It's just not worth it.  So instead, we are shooting for an early bedtime.  We try to be sticklers with getting the boys to bed by 7:30 p.m.  It is amazing how the evening seems exponentially shorter if we don't get them to bed until 7:45 or 8:00.  Really, it is only 15 minutes but in the world of evening post bedtime hours (ahhh) every minute counts. Same as if I get them to bed at 7:15.  It is just 15 minutes early but the night seems exponentially longer.  So that is my goal.  Dinner is done and it is time for baths, lotion, breathing treatments, medicine, tooth brushing, story time, prayers, hugs and kisses.  Nighty night.

BTW, one of their "teachers" at Mom's Day Out informed me today "I am sorry, but you are going to have to sign something for me.  J bit a girl today on the back today.  She was trying to take his toy and she just wasn't going to give up...so he bit her."  Wow.  An incident report. Only 26 months old.  Little rascal with sharp teeth!  Is it bad that I asked "but did he break the skin?"  Because he and W have definitely done that before.  But I guess he liked the girl...because he didn't.  Whew.

Happy Birthday Logan!

Vote

The boys each got a sticker as proof that I voted!

Have you voted yet?

The Simple Things....

I am amazed by how much the boys learn just by being outside on our walks. They are very familiar with pine cones, baby pine cones (what we call the really small ones), and twin pine cones (two attached together). They know what pine straw is and what acorns (and twin acorns)are. They know all the types of construction trucks and buses. They regularly see fighter planes and helicopters. In fact, last week they each brought a hot wheels helicopter with us on our walk. So we talked about helicopters and they both made their "wubba wubba and dududududud" sounds. As we walked into our driveway a real helicopter flew nice and slow over our house so the boys got a close up view. It was perfect-I couldn't have PLANNED that!

They know what a water tower is, what the US flag looks like, where the hospital is and that doctors and nurses work there. We live under a mile from a hospital so whenever we walk past, I tell them who works there. The last time we had a doctor's appointment at the hospital, we were walking out of the peds clinic and I told the boys to say bye bye to the tech...W yelled "bye bye doctor!"

They know where the water is and we have stopped to listen to fish jumping in the water. They know what a palm tree is and what a sidewalk is. Not to mention all of the wildlife and insects we have seen. I am so happy we purchased that double jogger. I think our dogs are too.

Onto something different...but still "simple". This morning the boys got a hold of their beach shovels and started to throw them around. I was trying to think what they could use them indoors for. I always hear about people using dry pasta or beans for projects so I pulled out a bag of dry black beans and dumped them into a big bowl. I gave them each a smaller bowl and told them to scoop out the beans and pour them into their bowls. We moved down to measuring cups (bc the shovels were too awkward) and eventually moved down to their fingers.

I was impressed how long they spent doing this and how focused they were. Then I told them to pour their bowls back into the big bowl. Then we went out for a walk-success. HOWEVER, when we came back into the house we were distracted doing other things and I ended up in their bedroom doing puzzles with J. Then I heard the beans.

Uh oh.

Little stinker. I guess the bean project was a success until I left them out!

Our Little Burrito...