Lifelines

Yesterday evening, the kids wanted me to come outside and watch all their fun, dare-devilish Bike-Stilt-and-Ripstik feats. I reluctantly accommodated. Not that I don’t like watching them have fun but if they want me to bring my camera, it’s probably going to be something I really don’t want to see them doing.

But I was glad I went out and glad I brought my camera. Everyone was hollering for me to watch them (”Mom! Watch me!”…”Hey, she just watched you–it’s MY turn!”) and all were definitely performing for some blog time in the photo gallery.

I never, ever disappoint my children, if I can help it at all.

So here they are, stunting for your amazement and pleasure:

Family Night will be a Bigs Only event for awhile. So therefore, it is a Bigs Night instead of Family Night. That’s what I meant in the first place.

The fallout today from Greer’s staying up last night until 10:30 to watch the movie and plow through buckets of popcorn was severe and lengthy. Here she is positively screaming at me because my answer to her question “Can I have some blue chips?” was “No, I’m making lunch in just a minute.” (Blue Chips are tortilla chips ’round these parts.)

So she just flipped out on me (and I DO mean flipped) for about a good 20 minutes. I ignored her for awhile, then tried explaining once again that I was preparing a MEAL for her to eat, tried hugging and holding her, but she wasn’t having any of that, and then finally, I left her screeching on the floor and went about making lunch. Before I walked out, I told her that she was welcome to scream her head off, but that she wouldn’t be getting an audience, and I shoo’ed everyone from the room, and we all just went about our business while she lost her mind in the cheery orange schooling room.

I used to do this with Rhyse, I’d stick with him for a bit during a tantrum then finally say…whatever, do it if you must, but I’m not going to watch any longer, and he’d stop and follow me out of the room. It was more important to him to be with me at that point than to continue rolling around on the floor like a lunatic.

Ah, but Greer is made of something entirely different. It’s like she’s read my book, knows my moves, and knows exactly how to squash them, rendering anything I think I know about parenting null and void. She not only didn’t stop screaming but became positively enraged at me daring to leave her Drama Show. She upp’ed the volume, the theatrics, and started pulling on my clothing while I hummed a little ditty and cut strawberries.

It was only when I had completely tired of the sound (and I stuck it out a LONG time, wanting her to wind down a bit) that I finally put my knife down, picked her up without a word, and headed for the stairs. Her shrieks of rage turned to panicked cries of “No! No! No bed! I stop!!”

And she did.

She ended up taking a three-hour long nap this afternoon and was a bear when she woke from that.

So that’s it for Greer’s late night escapades for a good long bit! I don’t need a tiny little She-Devil busting my ear-drums due to late night family fun.

Good times right here. Good frigging times.

It is with a massive grin smacked across my face that I write this post:

My good friend, Jenny, has delivered a VERY bouncing baby boy, born to her on Thursday, August 28th, at 2:13 PM.

Mason Rocco Nalli entered the world by scheduled C-section, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds and 11 ounces (I say “whopping” because that’s a big baby by any standards but Jenny happens to be about 5 foot so that’s doubly whopping!), 20 and one half inches long, and his Mommy says he has a fine head of hair already!

There were a few complications for Jenny with his birth but all is well now and both Jenny and Mason are resting and recovering well. I know she is anxious to head home and settle in with her family.

Jenny sounded tired but smitten with her new boy!

And I feel like a proud auntie or something! :) My whole gang is excited and happy for Jen and her family and we simply can not wait to get a peek at little Mason Rocco.

***Jenny, I am over-the-moon happy for you. Thanks for letting me announce this, it’s an honor, truly, and I am looking so forward to our next little visit. :)

Congratulations Josh, Jenny, and Margot!

Much love from my family to yours,

XO

Saturday nights have been reserved for “Family Night” and this time around, Greer joined the Bigs for a viewing of “Harry and the Hendersons”.

We use Netflix and I’ve been queueing up some of my and Charlie’s favorites from when we were young. On the list soon…Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, E.T., Space Camp, and the Indiana Jones series. It’s really quite fun to re-visit all these old childhood movies, sharing them with the kids now that they are bit older.

So there were big smiles and big bowls of popcorn for all! The kids reeeeeally look forward to this night together and are requesting a game for next week. We try to switch it up a bit so it stays fun and interesting. Plus, clearly Charlie can not handle movie time so much. Not so much at all. :)

Zzzzzz….

***Upon seeing these photos this morning–of activities going on concerning him that he has NO recollection of, he declared, “I am NOT a human jungle gym!” And my response to that is “If you fall asleep in the middle of the floor, face-down and comatose-like, than you should just be happy all you WERE was a jungle gym. Soon, the boys will dream up lovely games like tickling your face with a feather whilst filling your hand with shaving cream so when you scratch it, you look like an idiot, making it terrific fun for everyone else. :) Have camera ready and am anxiously awaiting these moments.”

Hmm…now where did I leave my “pocketbook”?

Ah, here it is! I’ve been looking for this all morning!

Mmmkay, just one sec, lemme find my keys…

Ooof! Damn slippery floors!

Now, I’m going to be late! Where in the hell are my heels? Kids, get in the car…

Charlie left with Chas this morning, bright and early for soccer practice. I was just convincing myself to start moving on the chores when there was a small knock at the door. Figuring it was one of the neighborhood kids wanting to play, I sent Rhyse to check it out.

“It’s Uncle Greg!” he said. Which could have been true because Charlie’s brother, Greg, is actually in town visiting from Atlanta right now. Visiting where is unknown because we have not seen him or Susan yet. (Hel-lo? Where are you? Susan, I have a baby that needs an auntie! :) Surely that will get you over here.)

“Helloooo,” called a voice, and the head popping around the door belonged not to Greg but to Jonnie, Charlie’s oldest brother. Jonnie lives up in Delaware (Ohio) with his family and happened to be right down the road from us for a cross-country meet of Spencer’s (the kids’ cousin).

And so, my chores waited while we visited with Jonnie, Emily and Natalie for a bit. Natalie had brought along a friend and they kept Rhyse and Greer busy playing outside. Jonnie, Emily, Creux and I chatted for a bit before they needed to return to pick up Spencer.

It was great to see them–though we live somewhat close in proximity, we do not get together often. They have three kids, the youngest being the same age as Chas, so life is just…busy.

Jonnie and gang, sorry you missed Charlie and Chas (and we’re sorry to have missed Spencer!) but I’m so glad you popped by! It was a nice break from “our day” which has become rather routine in it’s long list of To-Do’s. Emily, you’re growing into such a lovely young woman and Natalie, you’re as sweet as ever.

God knows I could not miss this opportunity to document the visit and even they were asking, “Are we going to be on the blog?” :) (Um, YES!)

Thanks for a quick but fun visit.

And welcome to the blog! :)

Is it possible to fall in love with nylon and recycled water bottles? You might not think it so…but I am a girl smitten! Unfortunately, I am smitten with a sold-out item. Damn it!

I’ve been hunting around for new backpacks for the kids since we’re starting preschool/co-ops in a few weeks and they need bags to schlep around their schooly stuffs in.

I remember seeing this backpack in a magazine or online somewhere and I googled it and was reunited with my crush. And it gets even worse! Not only did I find the “recycle” bag but then there’s the super cool “peace” bag AND a “love” bag for my Greer! Oh, be still my heart and where the hell is my debit card?

Don’t I wish. These babies are sold out until October. Am bummed, broken-hearted, betrayed.

The price is a bit steep for a backpack (Charlie, please don’t look, just in case they arrive here on October 5th–in the name of Family Peace, just let this one go.) but we don’t buy the kids new backpacks every year. I’m only looking right now because Chas has “outgrown” (as in maturity) his Star Wars one and Greer needs something since she’ll be heading off to preschool this year. So really…the price isn’t so bad when you think it’ll be used for years. (AND YEARS, these would!)

I don’t like character backpacks. I will buy them if my children beg, down on their knees and with tears in their eyes, but I really just don’t like them. Chas refuses to wear one with his initials emblazoned on it (cute, preppy, Pottery Barn style) and Greer refuses to wear anything that isn’t friggin pink (duh). And a few years back, I made a commitment to myself and my family (and my planet) that I would just made better choices each time I needed something “new”. And for the most part, I do just that.

Regular backpacks, made of vinyl, are very polluting for the environment while they are being made…which is polluting for us in the end. And these backpacks “are constructed with nylon made entirely from recycled plastic drinking bottles and trimmed with naturally biodegradable canvas…keeping seven 160z. bottles out of the environment”.

And I think they’re very chic! I can just see all my little (non) schoolers all lined up with their environmentally friendly backpacks, three little “green” babies all in a row…

Sigh. Debit card sits un-used while I formulate a Plan B. But I may stick these on the Christmas Lists and insist that the “force be with Chas” for just a little bit longer. :)

Clearly, I have missed my blog time (proven with my 15 posts this evening). With school starting back, I can not seem to get to it as readily as I’d like to! I see openings here and there but then they get (ruthlessly and unapologetically) snatched away. I am frantic by day’s end to do my daily dump here. I so need this blog. I miss it, I love it, I need it.

I started it for family and friends, so everyone could stay in touch with us and too, so we could have little snippets to remember our days by. I used to do monthly Kodak albums, spending hours cutting photos, adding witty captions (ok, well, I thought they were witty) and sadly, I no longer have a desire to do that. While it helped me organize my mass amounts of photographs, it did not provide for me this release that I didn’t know I needed.

But I know now.

This is like a date with myself. Yes, I know people read it but for the most part…I write for myself. I do it for my family, too, but really…when I’m writing, I’m only writing for me. I say what I want and I say it the way I would say it if I were talking to a friend. This blog is my friend. My sanity, my release, my whatever-you-want-to-call-it. My “Lifeline”.

And you know, it’s all well and good because some day, I know my kids are going to read it and really enjoy watching a nervous breakdown in the making. :)

(See, if I didn’t have this blog, all those stupid, random comments floating around in my head would just…float randomly…)

Wanna take a stab at who might’ve helped empty the silverware basket?

Am almost missing the no-parts-required TV!! :)

(In all seriousness, these boys are really having a grand time together. No tv, no computer…it’s been very, very nice.)

These pictures make me think of two things:
1). My God. The mess. The full-of-chokable-parts mess!
2). Am so glad they have each other.