bragging rights

So, maybe just for a few minutes, I'm going to be that mom putting her kids' faces all over the place and declaring THEY ARE THE CUTEST THING UNDER GOD'S GREAT BEAUTIFUL SKY.

Not that I am biased at all.

I'm just glad they kept their hair straight and appear to love each other.

Max - 4 years old.

Charlie - 2 years old.

and they do love each other ...

March 27th , 2014

Charlie's little friend ...

Charlie has a friend.  Charlie's friend is a little boy at U-Gro, about his size in head and body(this is saying something if anyone knows Charlie), same spirit, same brutish-ness, same smile.  He always wears a sweater vest.  Always.  Even if he has a sweatshirt on, he then wears a sweater vest. 

Charlie constantly goes on about his friend ... "Hoo."

Yep, that's right, Charlie calls him Hoo ... as in a hoo-t hoo-t from an owl.

"Charlie, who is your friend?"

"HOO."

"Yes, that's what I am asking, who is your friend?"

"HOOOOO."

.

.

.

.

.

.

I found out a little later that the boy's actual name was Yuan, pronounced WHO.

Can you imagine the difficulties this has placed at the school? 

Now we all him Yu-an.

But he is sooooooo cute.

March 16th, 2014

singlin'

My husband's amazing "Handy Manny" like skills have been recognized.  He has been recruited to do this, that, and everything at his mum and dad's new place down south, so off he went(bright and early Sunday morning at 8am) ... and here we stayed(pending snow/ice storm).

By late Sunday morning, I was sending him joking texts ...

"That's it.  I've had it.  Come home."
"JK"
"How's the drive?"

My back up had left.

I know what you're thinking?  Don't you generally spend a weekend day alone with the boys?  Yes, I do, but I knew Michael would be home at dinner?

Now he wouldn't be.  It was a little looming to me.  I had no back up.  My constant threat of, "I'll tell Daddy ... "  wasn't going to work that night, or the next few ahead.  I now know how my mum felt all those nights as my dad traveled for work as my sister and I grew up.

It was me.  All me.  If they cried, fought, hit, tugged, pushed, pulled, puked, peed, pooped ... WHATEVER.  I was handling it.  My new found respect for single parents is amazing.

A few things I have learned ...

a.  when in doubt, threaten with Santa Claus or the Elf on the Shelf
b.  if it smells like poop, just assume it is poop, not a fart
c.  ALWAYS have a program ready to go on Netflix
d.  stock the wine
e.  macaroni and cheese also
f.  if you want to order pizza, order pizza
g.  savor the cuteness of your four year old who has decided not to listen telling his daddy on the phone he will listen
f.  wash their favorite sweatpants
g.  if they want to go to school in said sweatpants, let them, avoid the tantrum
h.  go out for dinner with a lovely girlfriend the night before your husband leaves
i.  plan a night out when he gets back
j.  savor the loudness of a high school hallway(at work) ... it's not whining at home
k.  just say a little prayer before bath time that the older one does not learn how to make tidal waves
l.  watch an extra cartoon ... who cares

and I'm only on day 3.

March 4th, 2014

it's been a while ...

Yes, I am alive.  I did not jump out my window from too much Handy Manny or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  My children are in tact.  So is my house.

I'll keep it short - the past two months have had many trials and triumphs; ER visits, hospital stays, one broken tree, too many copays and failed prescriptions to count, too much snow, too many school closings, Charlie is beginning to try to go on the potty, filled up the oil tank three times, ICE ICE ICE, Max shovels snow, Charlie is scared of snow, etc.

Moving on ...

The numerous days of being trapped inside watching the lovely snowflakes fall has taught me a very severe lesson that I was not prepared for - how do you entertain children who NEED TO BE OUTSIDE but cannot be outside?!

<Insert all your wisdom here.>

My boys are 2 and 4 - they lose interest very quickly and I can only tolerate a little bit of TV watching a day.  Here is my go to list - please share ideas.  I'm desperate.  They're calling for 2-4 more inches of the white shroud tonight.

1.  play-do and cookie cutters
2.  let's make cookies
3.  white boards and dry-erase markers (on the white board that is, not the walls - CHARLIE)
4.  books, books, and more books
5.  we clean here
6.  forts or tents (have not quite perfected these skills)
7.  wrestling  (i'm outnumbered)
8.  pretend cooking
9.  tools
10.  lite-brites

I need more crafty ideas - please help.  Losing my mind quite quickly.

February 17th, 2014

thank you!

I am so grateful to those who helped me with the toy drive for those sweet children at the Children's Hospital branch of the Penn State Hershey Medical Hospital branch.  Because of all of you I was able to donate two full boxes of toys for those children.  Your caring nature is unmeasurable.

Thank you is the least I can say and do.

December 21st, 2013

Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Children's Hospital

Stuffed yet ... I just had my turkey soup leftovers.

If you remember last year, I raised, or shall we say collected, 17 pairs of pajamas for the Scholastic "The Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive."  I remember the director of my children's daycare center having to hold the door open for me as I lugged in my big box of all your donations.  They were all very impressed and even more so, grateful.

This year, the U-Gro Learning Center at Hershey has decided to team up with the Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital to help gather toys for the children at the CHOP branch at the medical center along with their "ChildLife" program.  We all know the very popular name of Children's Hospital, yet many people are not aware of what "ChildLife" is.  Let me explain in a rather personal manner.

I say personal because I have had experiences with them twice now ... once when Max split his head and the other when Charlie split his head.  These are some of the most patient, loving, understanding, heartfelt, and gentle people I have ever met.  Don't get me wrong, I did think they were child services when I first met them as they arrived in my son's room declaring they worked with the medical center specifically when small children were brought in.  Eeks.  Yet they soon reassured us all as they distracted my bleeding children, calmed down a very freaked out Michael and myself, and proceeded to offer the boys toys and games to help them through their glue-ings and stitches.  They were there to sing, act silly, offer crayons and manipulatives all the while Michael and I could listen to the on-call doctors and plastic surgeons discuss what needed to be done for our boys.  They made it through and our associate moved on to the next room, but did not forget to give our boys each a parting gift for being so brave.  We still have our small "Lightning McQueen" and "Tow Mater" cars that are still played with weekly.  When we ask them where the toys came from, they tell us the hospital.  If anyone is interested in reading some more, please see the following link.

http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/childlife/home/aboutus

We were told specific things that are in high demand right now for our CHOP branch here in Hershey, yet I also included a list I found from the website.  If anyone would like to help me collect toys for this very special cause, please let me know.  I am very willing to come get it from you or feel free to drop it off at the center yourself Here is what we were specifically told to donate and all products must be new:

Crayola Model Magic - bold colors, Presto Dots Kits, Color Fillz Pop Art
Crayola Color Fillz Mosaic Kits
Fuzzy Posters
"Play-a-Sound" books
Small Lego Kits
Wooden Craft Kits
Snap Together model car kits
Chapstick/Lip gloss
Chutes and Ladders
CandyLand
Monopoly
Sorry Sliders
Arts and Crafts Kits
Apples to Apples
Monopoly
Connect 4
Sorry
Batteries (AAA, AA, C, D)


Children's Wish List(from the website)

All Ages

• Single packages of tissues (soft variety)
• Children's board books - English and Spanish (must be brand new)
• Thin coloring books
• Crayons - 8, 16 or 24 count
• Markers - washable - 8 or 16 count
• New release Lullaby CDs
• Fuzzy posters - various sizes
• Sun-catchers (paint-able)
• Individual perler bead kits
• Play-doh - all sizes
• 4 oz or 8 oz Miracle Bubbles (non-scented)
• Small spill proof Bubbles
• Socks (must be brand new)

Preschoolers

• Stickers
• Small, easy craft kits

School Age

• Small Lego kits
• Craft kits - Individual
• Latch hook kits
• Games as listed...Sorry, Sorry Sliders, Trouble, Apple to Apples, Monopoly, Monopoly Jr., Battleship, Yahtze, Connect 4, Boggle, Upwords, Phase 10, various UNO games, Bob It, Creationary, Scrabble Jr, Boggle and Boggle Jr,, Clue, Clue Jr., Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders (NO Ants in the Pants, or Dominoes at this time)
• Card Games (regular playing cards, UNO, Skip-Bo, Phase 10) (NO Go Fish, Old Maid & Memory at this time)

Teenagers

• Arts and crafts kits (Alex brand name really enjoyed)
• Sketch pads and sketch tools
• Snap together model car kits
• Current teen magazines
• Chapstick / Lip Gloss
• Lipsmackers Chapstick
• Body Lotions and Body Sprays
• AXE products (items for our older teens)
• Nail Polish (NO Nail Polish Remover at this time)
• Hair accessories - pony tail holders, barrettes, headbands

We are UNABLE to accept the following:

• Blankets
• Caps / Hats
• Stuffed animals
• Used books
• VHS tapes
• Homemade cards

THANK YOU  for anything you might be able to give!

November 29th, 2013

open your wallet ... and pantry

It was one of those market visits today where I spent over 80 dollars and wondered what I walked away?  A gallon of milk, cereal, some lunch meat and cheese, a few produce items, a few pieces of meat ... perhaps a candy bar for myself.  I get so annoyed with how much I spend and I know I'll be back in a few days.  Feeding my household of 3 men is a full time job.  I can't imagine more than that.  But I can say without hesitation that atleast I have the mean sto fed them.  How many parents are hungry because they worry about feeding their children first?  How many children go with only one meal a day - their free meal at school? 

I stood behind a woman at the checkout that had her WIC check ready to pay for her few meager items.  I don't know why I didn't think of it, but I should have paid for her items.  She didn't have her nails done.  She didn't have a fancy phone.  I didn't even see her with a phone.  I did see her nails bit to the quick, scruffy clothes, and a cold tired look on her face.

I remember sitting at my school desk this morning bitching how I did not have a spoon and my almond milk was in the fridge downstairs.  Aren't there too many people out there who do not have need for a spoon or almond milk because they have no cereal to put it on.  Every day people surround us who are hungry, who had no breakfast, but I'm complaining about my milk, which I already have.

As we enter the holiday season, I ask any of you readers to spend an extra minute in the can aisle at your grocery store and pick up a few more cans of Chef Boyardee or green beans to donate.  Turn in your turkey to a local food bank.  Go to the local shelter on Thanksgiving and help them out.

Too many people, specifically children, go hungry every day.  You can help.

November 12th, 2013