So a couple days ago I was putting my sons to bed and told them I'd sing them Christmas songs while tucking them in. I have to post this conversation I had with J.J. because I am still laughing about it.

Me - "What song do you want me to sing?"
J.J. - "Um...I want the Chipmunk song."
Me - "Huh?"
J.J. - "You know, 'Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire'."
Me - (laughing)
J.J. - "What's so funny?"
Me - "Honey, it's 'CHESTNUTS Roasting on an Open Fire'."
J.J. - (with a completely confused look on his face) "Chestnuts? Why would you roast chestnuts on an open fire?"
Me - "Why would you roast chipmunks on an open fire?!!"

Does anyone want to help me come up with the lyrics to the next hit Christmas song, "Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire"?

Happy Adoptiversary!

Last Friday I surprised my dad by taking him out to lunch. The occasion? 25 years ago, he legally adopted me. Now I don't have any anger or issues with my biological father, he gave up his parental rights and I'm glad he did. I do still have a relationship with him but it's not a father/daughter relationship, I consider him more of like an uncle, or a friend. When my "step-dad" legally adopted me, he became my father in every sense of the word.

Imagine getting married your senior year in college, and immediately having two children to financially support? Not many men would do that, but he did. Imagine being the youngest in your family, knowing nothing about children, and yet suddenly being responsible for raising two? Yeah, he did that. Sure we had our ups and downs as I was growing up. And as he told me during our lunch date, he had no idea what he was doing a lot of the time. But he taught me how to be responsible, how to work hard, how to think for yourself, and the list could go on and on! He is a listening ear when something goes wrong or I need advice. And I can't count the times he's been at my house helping in the yard, moving furniture, or fixing whatever needs fixing!

Anyway, I just want to say, Happy Adoptiversary Dad! I love you!
P.S. No, that's not Chuck Norris.

Smart Brains!

I know he's only in Kindergarten and it's a little early to brag...but my son is so smart! Krispy Kreme does this thing where they will give kids one free donut for every A they earn on their report cards (up to 6). So I took the boys and they had so much fun watching how the donuts are made, eating them, and getting a major sugar high.
By the way, what is the deal with Krispy Kreme? I think they're kind of gross. WAY too sweet. I can only handle eating one. (Note, I said they are gross but I will still eat one. Apparently NOTHING gets in the way of me eating!)

We went on a date!

Yes yes, it's true.  After over 2 months, we actually went on a date!  For years I'd been wanting to go to the Arizona State Fair with Josh.  Well, after 8 years of living here together, we finally did it!  Man that place is expensive...  But thanks to my superior deal-searching, we did it for relatively cheap.  

First off, I love ferris wheels.  I convinced Josh to go, even though he hates them.  I guess he has a point, for someone who doesn't like heights the ferris wheel could be kind of scary.  

I love roller coasters and thrilling rides, like the "free fall" ride.  Josh braved the roller coaster (again, not a fan) but opted out of the free fall!  I loved it though.  My heart was pounding for 10 minutes afterwards and it was awesome!

Josh may not like ferris wheels, roller coasters, or free falls, but he does love the "gravitron" ride.  Which I HATE!  Surprisingly enough, for a girl who loves scary rides, I can't handle spinning in circles.  Thanks to my migraines and because I'm just getting old, it's a little too much.  But I went on it, and did fine, until Josh yelled over at me to look side to side.  It was ALL over from there.  I almost instantly got sick.  (no puking, just a headache)  Luckily I never leave home without my migraine RX!  A couple relaxing rides on the sky ride later, and I was good to go again.  

We checked out some of the displays.  People collect some WEIRD stuff.

And I can't post about the fair without talking about the FAIR FOOD!  I had Indian Fry Bread, which was delish.  It's funny because Josh didn't get what the big deal was about it, and he didn't want any.  I made him taste mine and he said it tasted exactly like a chalupa from Taco Bell.  Hmm...no wonder I love chalupas...  We also had a fried Snickers bar, which was good but probably not worth the $4.50 it cost.  And finally, before we left, I insisted on some funnel cake!  SO good and SO worth it!

All in all, it was a pretty successful day!  A big shout out to my mom for watching the boys, we really needed the break!

Happy Birthday!

So my baby is 2 years old! I'm a couple weeks late posting this but oh well, story of my life. Here's some pics, feel free to tell me how adorable he is!
I had no idea what kind of cake to make for him since there isn't any particular cartoon character, or anything he absolutely loves. But what he DOES love are pumpkins! It's all he says, all day, even in the middle of the night I'll hear him through the baby monitor randomly saying, "Pumpki!" in his sleep! So I decided to make him a pumpkin shaped cake. (not pumpkin flavor) I have to say, even though it's definitely not the best cake in the world, it's the best decorated I've made so far!
He loved it and after I forced him to taste the frosting, even took a couple bites! He's not my best eater...so that was a big success.

Happy Halloween!

They may be crazy little animals but they're MY crazy little animals! Good thing they can be so cute, so I still love them when they make me want to rip my hair out.

Parenting Predicaments

Sometimes, I just don't know what to do. Is it okay to admit you just don't know how to be a good parent? I read countless books on different parenting methods. I STILL don't know what to do. Some of the situations they describe in these books are just so unrealistic. All the little anecdotes end with the parent coming up with the perfect thing to say, the perfect consequence that will teach their child to learn how to reason with themselves, and needless to say, it all ends perfectly.

Umm....

How about they write a book that is actually useful? Using REAL LIFE situations? Like for example, this morning my 6 year old comes up to me in the kitchen, and throws his school shoes down on the floor, which are soaking wet.
"Trey threw my shoes in the potty!"
"Was the potty flushed?"
"No!"
Sure enough, I go in there, and it wasn't flushed. And it wasn't just number one, if you know what I mean. And now school starts in an hour, and I have my son's shoes on my kitchen floor, covered in...you know what.

Now what am I supposed to do? I can't throw HIS shoes in the potty, because I paid good money for those shoes! He doesn't care about time-outs, taking toys or privileges away, or any other punishment you can possibly think of, including spanking. (did I just admit that on my blog?) We've tried all the rewards systems you can think of, praise for good behavior, earning treats, blah blah blah.

So if anyone out there would like to write a REAL LIFE parenting book that will teach me how to deal with situations like the one described above, or what to say when your child tells you he hates you, when your children fight with each other 24/7, please be my guest. I could REALLY use the help here.

Thank you.
Signed,
Mother of 3 Boys