Our Record-Setting Family

During the weekend, my family and I helped set a world record!

The record-setting kiddodiddos! Front row: Simon (blue), Rachel (pink), and Jonny (brown). Next: James (gray/orange) and Tracy (white/blue/purple). Next: me (my white/red/yellow Singin' in the Rain shirt; my head is absent).

We joined several hundred of our closest friends to attempt to set the record for the most people ever in one place to wear surgical masks at the same time. Our family appears in a photo gallery of the event. Our photo is #5 of 6 in the gallery. Or you can cut to the chase and go directly to our photo.

Everyone in our family attended except Amelia, who chose to attend a sewing class instead. It's her fun new hobby, which she enjoys so much that we gave her a sewing machine for her birthday. So while the rest of us got a world record, she got a custom decorated t-shirt. It was a fun day for all of us!

Healthy Eating

A kiddodiddo classic is ants on a log.  I think everyone is familiar with this delectable combination of celery, raisins and peanut butter.  We pretty much love it here except for one thing:
Jonny:  Can we not call it ants on a log?  Who wants to eat ants?  That's GROSS.
us: What should we call it?
Jonny: Pants on a log. 
Mia: You want to eat PANTS?  That's gross.

WInner!

Try not to be jealous of Uncle Jake for winning  this amazing diaper bag hand crafted by none other than our precious Amelia.  This original work was created using diapers, tape and toilet paper.  Gotta love her sense of humor!    It will be arriving as soon as I can find the right size envelope.

Contest

If you are feeling lucky, please leave a comment and you will be eligible to win an incredible hand made diaper bag.  This diaper bag was made by a very creative and talented young kiddodiddo.  I guarantee you will get such a kick out of this diaper bag that even if you no longer need to carry around diapers, you will want this bag.  Entrants must leave a comment by Saturday night.  Good Luck!

I'm the Mom

I tend to wear an old pink sweater with buttons on it around the house.  I didn't realize I did it so often until I had the following exchange with Rachel:
R: I need my circus sweater (it has circus animals parading around the bottom of it)
M: (got sweater and put it on her)
R: Now give me your phone because I'M the mom!
So now I know the two things every mom needs- a sweater and a phone. 

Manly

Last month I overheard a funny conversation while I was driving the preschool carpool.  Simon had chosen to wear a button down shirt, one that was a gift to James many years ago but never worn.  James had a thing against buttons, as did Jonny.  Simon likes to dress like Dad sometimes by wearing nicer shirts.
So I picked up Simon's friend and as he got in the van, he said to Simon "Hey- your shirt looks like a man!"  Simon looked confused for a split second and then he cracked into a sly grin and said "That's because my shirt IS a man." 

Mythbusters

Even before we signed up for television service a few months ago, the kiddodiddos really enjoyed Mythbusters.  It really captures their imaginations.  Thankfully, the myths they have tried to bust at home have been small scale. 
This morning, while I was doing Rachel's hair, Simon handed me the "ballistics gel" (as he called it) to finish off her 'do.  What a helpful boy:)

How to Spot a Baby

Me: Rachel, are you a big girl or a baby?

Rachel (almost 2): Baby.

Me: How do we know that you're still a baby?

Rachel: My pink, big, big slide.

Jimmy in the Newspaper!

Another post, previously lost in the vaults, this one from the year James was in first grade.

A few days ago, we had a storm blow in to town. It lasted about 40 minutes and it was pretty intense. At the time Jimmy usually gets home from school it started raining hard. I thought I'd be a good mom and pick him up at the bus stop in the van. The wind kept the door from closing properly the first time, so I thought "It's a good thing I'm going to get Jimmy. I don't want Jimmy out in this weather." By the time I was at the van, I was soaked to the skin. I waited at the bus stop (in the van) for about 20 minutes and then turned around to come home. When I got home, I got an automated phone call saying that they kept the kids at school in a tornado drill and would be releasing them when the storm was over. (This was an hour after dismissal)  Information that would have been helpful sooner, don't you think?   So here's how Jimmy and his classmates spent the extra hour at the school, as photographed for a local paper. 

I can no longer tell you which one was James.  Sorry!

Questions

This post was originally written several years ago- better late than never, right?

Sometimes parents get asked hard questions like:

What if the gospel is just made up, like fairy tales? (Jimmy)

I'm glad he asked Daddy that one.

Sometimes they get asked easy ones like:

Why are overalls called overalls? (Amelia)

A heated discussion ensued because they do not really go "over all"- they don't cover your head. Jonny (who was in on the discussion) decided they should be called pants-eralls instead.

Sometimes they get asked weird ones like:

(let me preface this by saying he was on his potty seat that makes music everytime he wets)

Can I borrow your urine for me to put in the potty seat? (Jonny)

4 in 6

Originally written in 2008 and then forgotten about, I thought this musing deserved to be posted after all. 

I was at the doctor's office, for Amelia's cast removal today. She wasn't psychologically ready for it to come off and it turned into an ordeal. Her arm has healed properly. She is just scared for her arm to get hurt again, so she currently has a splint on that we'll take off when she's ready. 

The physician's assistant mentioned that he is the oldest of 4 boys. "4 boys in 6 years," he said as he told me some story. I really don't remember the rest because I was busy thinking: Who in their right mind would have 4 kids in 6 years?! Oh yeah- me.

a good laugh before bed

So here I am at the computer, trying to figure out logistics for various activites this week when I hear lots of yelling from the boy's bedroom.  Amelia is joining them for a sleepover tonight.  I open the door and what do I see?  James, Amelia, and Jonny huddled around a card table they dragged in, playing "Dilbert's Corporate Shuffle"  (It's exactly like Scum, if you ever played that.)  James is wearing a large neck tie.  Amelia is wearing a small neck tie.  Jonny is wearing the Nathaniel Bacon suit I made James for his famous Virginian report this year.  And he is hopping mad.

Question answered

I always wondered why Simon didn't like playground swings.  Sure he would ask to sit on them, but he never lasted more than a minute.  In my mind I wondered if it was fear of heights, motion sickness, or something else.  Tuesday I got my answer.  I went to pick him up from preschool and he was riding a tire swing.  When he got off, he was so dizzy he couldn't walk.  It was kind of silly, kind of sad.  On the way home, he said he needed to throw up, so I pulled over and got him out.  The next time it happened there was no shoulder to pull out.  So he vomitted all over himself and the car. So sad:(
Now I know he takes after his mama.  Swings make me sick too.
The next day, I was driving Mia to a dentist appointment at 7:30 am.  The other kids were eatting alphabits in little baggies.  I said "Sorry for the vomit smell, everyone"  Mia said "Oh- it's okay.  The cheerios smell covers it up."  That's fine for most folks.  But for me, I hate that "cheerios smell."   So now the real question boils down to this: would I rather have a cheerios smell mini van or a vomit smells mini van?  Neither.  That is what Glade Scented Oils are for.

Nice Socks

I wish I had a picture to go with this.  Simon ended up wearing his one piece footie pajamas with his tennis shoes this morning- we were in a hurry to drop off the big kids at school. (I kept them up too late last night so I let them sleep in a little and dropped them off at the last morning bell.)  As he was getting in the van, Simon stopped, stood up straight and said "HEY! my socks go all the way up to my shoulders!"  I never would have thought of that!

Where's My Egg?

We dedicated some time to decorating hard boiled eggs for Easter last month.  Everyone was excited for the project and we quickly got down to business.  Each kid grabbed and egg and chose a color to dip it in- we got a neon kit this year (for future reference: DON'T forget to stir the solutions, as directed.  You'll get funny looking eggs.)  Eggs slid into cups, and then Rachel cried out "Hey- where's my egg?"  I explainned that we put them in the cups to make them pretty, but she wasn't buying it.  Every minute or two she would ask in an increasingly grumpy voice "Where's my egg?"  Finally, I just gave her a plain one to hold.  She quickly scarfed it down.  Apparently, she thought she had signed up for snack time, not an art project. 

Service with a Smile

One of my friends is moving this weekend and I thought it would be great to go help her pack.  So Friday night, the kids and I went over to help box up her kitchen.  I thought this would be a great opportunity for service.  It really was, for me and Amelia that is.  We wrapped bowls and plates for a while.  The boys decided it would be better to go and play in the yard.  That was fine with me because we really were overcrowding the space when they were inside.  Unfortunately, what was outside was an overfriendly black lab by the name of Onyx.  He was having  grand time chasing them around and sniffing their bums, etc.  I could not convince them to stand their ground.  Seriously, he's a nice dog and all he really wanted was a good belly rub.  But the kids insisted: If I hold still he will MAUL me!  At one point, the kids came inside to get away from the dog, but the Onyx followed them in.  So Jonny got the brilliant idea that he could lure the dog into the yard by going outside and then sneaking back in and locking the door.  Unfortunately, when my friend saw the dog in the yard, she was quick to close and lock the door leaving Jonny out in the cold.  We had no idea he was out there and finally some one asked where he was and we looked outside to find a very miserable Jonny and a very happy Onyx.  So we let Jonny back in.  Onyx followed.  So the boys ended  up making a baracade out of boxes to protect themselves from the dog while Amelia and I wrapped dishes.  After about an hour, some men from the church came to help and I decided that the kids had had enough and we headed home. 
The best part of it is the unintended service we received: the kids are no longer asking for a dog.  That's enough to make me smile. 

Oscars Survey

Every year my brother runs a Oscars survey to see who can come the closest to picking the results.  If you are a movie buff, here's his survey- you could win bragging rights. 
http://kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=LHMJMN_611bad15
Since it's s survey designed for people who don't see many movies he does include extra information to help you make educated guesses.
Have fun!

lullaby

Friday night, James attended a lazer tag birthday party that went late (well, late for kids.)  When it was over it was half past 8 and the van was full of cranky kids who really just wanted to go to bed.  Rachel was the exception.  She was full of gusto.  So she decided to sing the big kids to sleep with one of her favorite songs: Good Night, Ladies.  Unfortunately, she only knows one line of the song, the part that goes "good night, ladies!"   So she sang it over and over again, pausing occasionally to shout a self request: "Louder!"   A few verses would have been fine with everyone, but this went on for miles and miles and one of the older kids lost patience and told her to shut up.  She was rightfully offended and hollered her hurt feelings for everyone to hear.  So everyone had to tell her what a great singer she was so that she would quit crying.  As soon as the crying was done, she was back to singing "Good Night, Ladies" in her best one year old way. 

macaroni cheese

Everytime we have a babysitter, I plan for the kids to have macaroni cheese for dinner.  I don't like it at all so I am happy to miss out.  I was at the store with Simon and Rachel on Friday, making preparations for the weekend.  When I started dumping boxes of macaroni cheese in the cart, Rachel cried out in an excited voice "OO babysitter!" and she was right.  We had a sitter scheduled for Saturday night.  Though I am not sure whether she made the connection between macaroni cheese and having a sitter OR if she calls macaroni cheese "babysitter." 

Park Day

Saturday I was looking for something fun to do with the kiddodiddos.  Since the weather was nice, I packed a few snacks and we headed over to a nearby park for some silly time.  Rachel and I did the slides (she is definately not independent at the park yet.)  Jonny and Rachel did the swings.  James and Jonny did kickball, football and basketball.  Amelia ran around doing slides with me and Rachel and invented games for herself and Simon to play.  There are these awesome bushes at this park.  They are about 3 and a half feet high and they look really solid but they are hollow undernearth.  Simon, Rachel and I played under there until I was told it was not for grownups (Simon's idea, but I was okay with it.) 
After eating a snack of bananas, Jonny collected the peels and lined them up on the ground.  Then he repeatedly ran across them, yelling updates as to whether they were slippery or not.  (I didn't slip!  I STILL didn't slip!)   This idea was not a new fascination, he frequently brings home drawings of people slipping on banana peels from school.
At one point, we were all on the teeter totter and James decided to show off his balance by doing that Russian dance on the center piece while we all went up and down.  You know the dance where the guys crouch down low and kick their legs and shout HEY! Maybe it's not Russian, but I associate it with Russia; also large black fuzzy hats.)  
Nice day, I hope for many more this spring!