What Should We Get Daddy For His Birthday?

This is a lunchtime interview with my kids before we went birthday shopping for Daddy.

PajamaMama: So, kids, what should we get Daddy for his birthday? What kinds of things does Daddy like?


Belle: He likes red.

Boo: Will there be cake?

Belle: Maybe we can make him a red plate with a heart on it!



PajamaMama: Sooooo, what can we get Daddy for his birthday?

Belle: If he likes red sometimes, we should get him a plate that's red and shaped like a heart.

P-Mama: Really? Do you think Daddy wants a plate? Do boys like plates?

Belle: Yes, because they couldn't eat if they didn't have a plate.

P-Mama: So is it the plate or the food they like?

Belle: The food.

P-Mama: SO, what should we get Dad for his birthday?

Belle: A pretzel.

P-Mama: Is that all?

Belle: A new soccer ball!!!!!

P-Mama: What does Daddy like to do?

Belle: Go swimming sometimes.

Boo: Ride his bicycle!!!!!

Belle: He already has a bicycle. We can get him a birthday CAKE!

Belle: We should get him a birthday cake because it's his birthday and we can't have a party for him without a cake!

P-Mama: Any other ideas?

Belle: A basketball.

P-Mama: Anything else?

Belle: A football.

P-Mama: Anything else?

Belle: His very own treats because he's so good at doing the right things and not being mean.

P-Mama: What kinds of treats?

Belle: What does he like to eat?

P-Mama: I don't know. What does he like to eat?

Belle: Don't know. What did we have at Tata's house that he loved? Oh, strawberries! How 'bout strawberries?

P-Mama: Baby, stop throwing pretzels on the floor.

Belle: Baby, what do you want to get Daddy for his birthday? What? Puppy?
Belle: I think Baby wants to get Dad a puppy.

Boo: Look at my mouth!!!!!!! (oozing with peanut butter)

P-Mama: Crazy kids...go wash your hands, let's go shopping.

And the rest is history. But you can read about it here.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Smarty!

Never, EVER, Take 3 Preschoolers to a Fabric Store.

Sorry, no pictures today, but my day was anything boring...

So tomorrow is Mr. Smarty's birthday, so I thought it would be fun to take the three kiddos to Brand New Sports Superstore for some little things Mr. Smarty could use for his new favorite sport. Two stories of sports related paraphernalia-but did they have what we were looking for? Nope.

But since we were out, and Our Favorite Used Bookstore was just down the road, not even a mile, I figured we should check there for books on his new sport. After 2 trips to the bathroom, three if you count the trip to go back and get Belle's purse, we found nada books for dada.

Okay, so sorry, Mr. Smarty, I'm out of ideas for the kids....maybe they can make you something later today, when they recover wake up. Now, as long as we're out, I'm thinking I'll just run in Fancy Fabric Store....oh, and I have my coupon in my purse..how perfect! Now this is where my outing gets interesting, so stick with me.

So I'm looking at the clearance decor fabric-and found some awesome red and gold fabric for $3/yd! And without even moving my cart, I am next to the trim which was all on sale. So Boo's in the cart, Baby's in the cart. Now just Baby's in the cart. Boo and Belle are playing hide and seek. I'm still looking for the perfect trim. I know, Mother of the Year, I am not. After a few ineffective, "Belle, Boo, stay by the cart, please." what do I hear? The unmistakable sound of a ceramic pot breaking...Thanks older kids...I know it's wasn't Baby. He's in the cart.

So I pick it up, the big chuncks anyway, and look for a price. $24.99. Nice. I look around, hoping to see a Clearance sign or Freebie sign. No signs. Rats. Then I look at how bad it's broken. If I'm paying for it, (with my coupon, right?) I'm hoping I'm going to just LOVE it and want to superglue it as soon as we get home and find a spot for it. Ehhh, it's o. k. whatever.

Now I realize I'm bleeding. Yup, and for those of you who know me in real life, guess where I'm bleeding? That's right-my thumb...other hand this time. Okay, blood everywhere, kids everywhere. No Fancy Fabric employees to be found. N. E. WHERE. I ask another customer...they don't speak English. I ask another one, "Can you please find someone who works here? so i can stay and guard my puddles?"

Finally some clerks come ask me if I need to call 911. "No, thanks, but can I have a band-aid?"

Then one helpful clerk ask, "Did it just break all by itself?" Wow, her concern was underwhelming-really, it took me back.

Later in the car, I thought I should have said, "Yup. We were just minding our business, and the pot jumped off the shelf, broke and sliced my finger. You really should look into whether its a good idea to stock those pots in your store." But I fessed up. My kids were still running wild anyway, it was the most believable option we had.

So to the store's credit, there is one super nice clerk. She is Mrs. Claus to me. You know, Santa's wifey? She wearing red, and has an apron on it with band-aids and-truly-LOLLIPOPS. BOO becomes a saint with a lollipop in his mouth. Why don't I shop with lollipops? Why don't I have an apron permanently attached to my waist filled with an unending supply of lollipops? Anyway, she tells me to go wash my hands and that she would watch my banshees, offspring. As soon as I get back, put a fresh band-aid on, and attempt to gather my chicks, Super Nice Clerk says something like, "She doesn't look too good." Not about me, but Belle, who "gets really tired" at the sight of blood. Yup, 3-2-1-and she's out. On the floor. Blue lips, white face. PASSED OUT. On the floor of Fancy Fabrics. While Boo is still playing Hide-and-Seek all by himself (aforementioned lollipops have not been pulled out yet). Okay, so Super-Mom that I am, I hand crying Baby over to my most trusted Super Nice Clerk, aka, Mrs. Claus, who I've known for all of what, 5 minutes now? I get on the floor and sweetly ask Belle to get up and help me out here. Nope, not budging. So I plop her almost-5-year-old body (ever so gently) in the cart, next to the trim and fabric I am slowly realizing will not come home with me today. Retrieve Baby, put him in the cart. With the fabric and trim who will not be coming home with me today...did I mention that already? I'm mourning my loss and wondering what I was thinking bringing all three kiddos with me. And also wondering if I will ever be able to come back, or will all the invisible-until-there-is-a-scene-employees remember me FOREVER?

So now I'm home and as I type, the kids are running around like they've been given candy. And it just hits me, Boo and Baby were given lollipops and Belle got a Sprite from a drive thru once she woke up enough to drink something. Yeah, that oughta teach them a lesson.

Is Nate Berkus right about fake flowers?

Anyone remember that episode of Oprah when Nate Berkus said under no circumstances should you use fake flowers to decorate? It must have been forever ago, since our tv rarely strays from PBS. Anyway, I kind of agreed with him, but should it be a firm rule? I still use some fake flowers on our door. Like this bucket I made for my mother-in-law's birthday this summer:



And then last week, I brought some fake florals inside our house (gasp!). I wanted something red to contrast the new lamp shade and compliment the red frame on the wall. And I like how it turned out!


So maybe the rule should be under a few circumstances is it okay to decorate with fake flowers. What do you think? Faux or faux pas?

Things My Kids Need Me to Remember

Stop freaking out about the mess! There's always time to clean- but how often do we get to make mud pies?

Love me, even when I'm naughty. I'll only be this age once.

Be patient. I do everything for a reason, but I just don't know enough words yet to give you an explanation.

Don't expect too much from me. I want to do what you ask and expect of me, but I am still little.

Let me do it. I know you can do it better and faster, but sometimes experience is the best teacher.

Keep your promises. It's all about trust. When I am a teenager, you'll see why it's so important.

Mohler, Mary. " Memo to Mommy." Parents Sept. 2008: 68.

Sunday Thought

Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Oh, the joys for those who trust in Him.
Psalm 34:8

More Hand-Painted Brooms

More friends are moving...so here's my house-warming gift...




I added a little zebra print this time...what do you think-too much? I kind of like a little black and white with all the other colors.

Nothing says "Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad" like some plates on my wall, right?

On Saturday while the world remembers Madonna's birthday, the day Ringo joined the Beatles and the death of Elvis Presley, my parents will celebrate their anniversary. Thirty-nine years of marriage and at least three sets of everyday ware later, they are still best friends. This plate was part of their first everyday dishes:

I've always loved these dishes, the color, the scene. I'm not sure when my mom took them out of circulation from everyday use, but I do remember using the salad plates for tea parties in my tree house. Don't know how many pieces have survived the years, but I claimed 4 dinner plates and snuck them back in a suitcase to Texas years ago. Here's where they currently reside:

And remember that $4 chair? It was lonely. So lonely. So Sammi brought him a friend and now I am happy because there is more symmetry in my bedroom.

Dancing with Cinderella

Back from our trip....

One of my South Carolinian cousins was married last Saturday and Belle & Boo got to be the flower girl and ring bearer. It was a great time to catch up with several cousins but I wish I had been able to have a few more focused conversations with family I haven't seen in a while. With three kiddos under 5, my focus was on survival.

But during the survival, I had an epiphany. The groom, (who is my cousin), was standing amidst the chaos that is every wedding rehersal. (My kids had nothing to do with that, but they weren't adding any degree of sanity) I, in my wisdom that comes with being married a whopping 7 years, thought it was important to remind him to enjoy, savor even, the moment. He said something like, "Yeah, yeah, totally." Only a few minutes later, I realized that even though this was not my big event, or my kids big event, it was a moment I needed to be more aware in and savor. My kids were walking down the aisle together in a mini-bridal gown and the smallest tux Men's Warehouse rents out. I was so focused on keeping them from jumping off of the chairs in the sanctuary or giving the bride or groom any reason to rethink their decision to have them participate in their ceremony. I was failing to enjoy and savor the moment. I didn't even get any pictures!

Now we've been home a full day and while catching up on my blog reading, I came across this interview with Steven Curtis Chapman and his family on GMA. This was their first interview since losing their daughter in May. (They later appeared on Larry King Live, which is on YouTube in several parts.) In the GMA interview, SCC talks about singing his Cinderella song again, and realizing his other daughters' lives still have chapters being written. And even in his grief, he needs to be present for them. What a great reminder and confirmation that I need to be more present in my kids chapters. So here's the sole picture I got of my Cinderella as a flower girl. Wish I had taken a moment to dance with her.