Mad Science

When I come home at night, I scan the kitchen table for any urgent school forms, bills to be paid, or daily happenings that need my attention. Mari is fantastic about putting all the kid's school notices in plain sight.

On Monday I came home, scanned the table, saw a piece of artwork from Jack, Nate's lunch box, a few pieces of mail, and worms. Wait what?

Worms????

It took a minute for my brain to process what I was looking at. It was a flyer titled, Caring for your Worms, and directly on top of the flyer was a cup filled with....you guessed it, worms! (Luckily there was a lid on it.)

Now somewhere back in 1984 I didn't have a problem with worms, but as years passed I evolved. In 2011, I can safely say I don't want to see worms on my kitchen table, in the exact spot I eat dinner.

I picked up the flyer and started reading. I was actually curious, how do you care for worms? About half way through the instructions Nate walked up and proceeded to describe all the "important" facts about worms.

"They don't have teeth."
"They breeth through holes in their bodies."
"They live in dirt and come to the surface when they need air." (Pretty sure this one is only half true, but I could be wrong.)

The flyer states that the worms should be set free in two weeks. TWO WEEKS?
Luckily Nate woke up yesterday and decided that two weeks were up! We needed to set them free today! Thank God! (This is one time I'm thankful we haven't reinforced the calendar too much.)

I happily agreed, and proceeded to take them outside to our newly planted garden. Nate said, "They have to be buried deep!
"Oh don't worry about that Nate, I'll put them so far down in the dirt we won't see them for a while!"

Thankfully Jack's handy work over the weekend happened to leave a large hole in the dirt, that was just the perfect spot to dump/free our worms.

I'll be sending a thank you note to the Mad Science instructor, with a special mention to stick to bubbles and volcanoes. I don't have to feed them!

Thirteen Year Later

1998

Thirteen year ago Doug and I had our first Valentine's Day. We had been dating for a few months and he surprised me by taking me to San Francisco. There were two parts to my surprise.

First we went to the Starlight Room, with amazing city views, at the top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. We had a couple of drinks, and a really good conversation. I vividly remember talking about happiness, and how I felt in that moment.

Next we walked down the street to the St. Francis hotel where he said, "Let's check-in, I need to drop something off before dinner." When we arrived in the room, he had a arranged a private dinner for two in a suite. We ate filet mignon, champagne and creme brulee.

It was a perfect night!

I wanted to recount this story so when I've lost my memory, with our soon to be three kids, I'll remember what life used to be like.

2011

I arrived home to find two very excited little Valentine boys. The third was running a few minutes late, and said he would be home shortly. We had a date planned for the four us.

Our plan....Pizza My Heart and the new G-rated movie Gnomeo and Juliet.

When Doug arrived home, he hurried upstairs to have the boys sign my newly purchased Valentine cards. (I'm always surprised the store has any left.) Nathan handed me the pretty bouquet of Tulips Doug purchased. (I made sure to put my request for flowers in early this year. The Tulips were a surprise.)

As we sat down to eat our slices of pizza, I had a flashback to 1998. The conversation was very different, as were the drinks, but the feeling I had was very much the same.

It was a perfect night!

Thirteen year later Valentine's Day had no major surprises, but these days that's a good thing!

My Little Helpers

I was trying to remember my weekends before kids...and I can't. (I must have watched a lot of TV.) If I did try to accomplish anything, it was done at a casual pace.

My weekends now.....not so casual, and the pace.....it's directly related to the amount of sleep everyone got.

I now prioritize what needs to get done, and what I could realistically get done.... with the boys in tow. The key is to find a project that will keep them occupied long enough that they are interested, semi-helpful, and is achievable in a short time frame ie. 2 hours. The end goal can't be perfection, it has to be "good enough".

Yesterday we gardened!

It started off relatively calm. They both had shovels, and specific jobs. Our goal was to plant three pots of flowers and clear out the weeds.

Right on schedule, at the two hour mark, our timer went off.
After watering the flowers, and the dirt, then came the mud.

Jack and mud don't mix. It was time to evaluate our day's work, and decide the project was over. Our flowers were successfully in the pots, most of the weeds had been cleared out. Yep....it's good enough.

I forgot to mention I had a superhero show up half way through the project.

All Things Girl

Five and half years of "All things blue" really did a number on my girly disposition. Of course I wouldn't expect anybody to say I was a true "girly girl". I didn't wear tutus, or any colorful bows in my hair. I primarily played Soccer and preferred anything denim, although I wasn't a true tomboy either. I like to wear skirts, jewelry, and get dressed up, but don't consider my decorating style anywhere close to Shabby Chic.....

until this past weekend!

After we had the baby's room painted green, to match the new crib bedding, I went on a quest for sheets, and a comforter for the twin bed. What I found was something that I never in a million years thought I would have chosen. Let's just say, I took the girl gender stereotype to the next level. The bedding is filled with all sorts of flowered ruffles of pinks, and greens and yellows. I purchased accent pillows with the same color coordinating ruffles. When I got home and proudly showed my clan of 3 boys the new bedding, I didn't get the same reaction I felt in the store.

My reaction in the store: "It's perfect. Exactly what I've been looking for!!!!!"

Their reaction at home: "Wow...that's a lot of ruffles!"

Originally, I was worried that my mom and sister might buy too much pink to compensate for the 14 years of blue, but now I'm not so worried about them...I'm more concerned about ME! I've unleashed the inner girl in me. I can't stop looking at bathing suits like this.

I'm not going to post a picture of the bedroom yet until it's entirely finished. I"m not ready yet for the big reveal!

I think this girl thing is going to be really fun!