When did I grow up?

Sometimes, it's just no fun being the adult! I so love being able to play with my kids, but there are times when I have to buckle down and actually be an adult with them. How much does that suck? I could have sworn that Peter Pan was my favorite person. I know the song "I Won't Grow Up" by heart. Then I look at my mother who is so very responsible, and my father who just screams responsible and see them down on the floor rolling around and playing with my kids like the biggest goofballs in the world and I realize that it's okay to mature as long as you never lose your sense of fun and the ridiculous.

It may not always be fun being the grown up but, you know, when my children make the right decision, or do something simply for the joy of seeing someone else smile... WOW talk about feeling like the greatest Mom! Who said they could grow to be so much bigger, get so much smarter? Wasn't it just yesterday that my oldest one was the size of my youngest one? Didn't those pants fit last week? Since when is it embarassing for Mom to kiss her kids goodnight? When did I become Mom instead of Mommy?

Yeah, okay, so I'm feeling a bit like the old lady when it comes to my kids... don't shoot me... it's allowed.

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I took this test and wasn't really surprised by the outcome:

You are a Romantic Realist

Okay, so you fall in the middle. You know that love isn't like a greeting card... Yet you can always find a greeting card to describe your feelings. You are the best of both worlds Girly yet independent, dreamy yet serious. Almost any guy can find balance with you.

Are You a Romantic or Realistic Girl?

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Alright, for last time's Kiddie Quote, that one was a case of "Bad Daddy!" That will teach my husband to curse when telling our eight-year old to get his butt over here! LOL

Today's Kiddie Quote is actually a picture:



Yes, that is my son wearing that t-shirt. He's very proud of that shirt. Can you blame the girls when his eyes look like this:



Now that I've rambled on about seemingly nothing at all! I'll head off to do adult stuff... blech! :0)

How crazy is my life?

I just had to post this about my CRAZY flippin' day today. If I wasn't in so much pain I'd laugh my butt off! No, the pain didn't come from today, that actually came from yesterday when I somehow hurt my back (Lifting the baby and carseat from the van? Picking up the three-year old and putting him in the shopping cart? Helping load Scout stuff for DHs Scout campout? Who knows!) and now I'm dealing with muscle spasms and pain. *sigh*

Anyway... my crazy day/evening:

One of the things I was helping get ready for the campout yesterday was the food for the boys (shishkabobs... yum). Getting that food ready made me realize that it sounded very yummy for dinner, but decided to do it for tonight. Well... one major problem with that is that DH loaned our portable grill (it's really nice it kind of folds down into a portable cart and yet when it's upright it's a pretty good sized grill... anyway) to the Scouts and it went home with another one of the leaders instead of being brought right back to us. *sigh* But, all was not lost... at least I didn't think so. We have this nifty-neato little stovetop grilling thingy that I'd been dying to try out. So, I pulled that puppy out and got the kabobs ready for grilling. We were on our way to yummy food when... the smoke alarm goes off. Then... the next one... and the next one... we had at least three alarms going off at once. But, since we were already into the grilling, and they smelled good dangit, we decided to grin and bear it. So, the alarms were going for about 30 minutes or so... the older boys were hiding in their bedroom (the only place that was quiet)... the baby was fussing because those things are loud... the dog, oh our poor dog, was yipping until we finally sent our oldest boy to walk him so his sensitive ears would be away from the smoke alarms... I actually took the baby back into the older boys' room and we all had a grand old time hanging out on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed until the alarms finally went off when DH was done with the kabobs. Needless to say... we won't be using the stovetop grill again anytime soon!

So, that's just the ending of my day and I thought y'all could all use the laugh, because it actually made me laugh. DH on the other hand... he was a bit cranky, but he got over it. LOL

Go Look... Go Look!

WOO HOO!! My first short story is up at The Long and Short of It! I'm all kinds of excited! Can you tell? So... go LOOK and READ!

See... I really think this blog is helping me... other than giving me yet another outlet to gab! LOL I've been getting some writing done! I actually get all the daily crud out of my mind and am better able to get the stories down on paper... er computer screen. Who knows, maybe someday I'll actually finish that book I've been working on for the last year or so. I think it's the squeezing it in between the family and wife stuff that's the harder part. Ah, well... I'm not giving up the family and wife stuff, so I guess I'll just have to deal.

Last time's kiddie quote was in a way self-explanatory. We are in the process of potty-training our three-year old. The comment came as he was balancing on a toilet without a toddler potty seat on it. He was terrified he would fall in! I kept telling him that I was there and he wouldn't fall in... to which he replied he would get flushed if he did in fact fall in.

You Are a Bit Prissy

From time to time you can be a princess, but these days, who isn't a little high maintenance? You know what you want, and you're definitely not afraid to ask for it. (Just refrain from having a temper tantrum if you don't get your way!) There's nothing wrong with having high standards... as long as they're occasionally low enough to allow spontaneity and fun!

How Prissy Are You?

This ^ is kind of funny! If you ask my family... I'm REALLY prissy! In fact, that was one of my nicknames (and yes, it sometimes still is) growing up: Prissy Chrissy! I swear I've grown out of it! *snort* And if you believe that... I've got a bridge I can sell you! There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty.

Okay, today's Kiddie Quote is:

"But, Dad, I don't have a donkey!"

This one came from my eight-year old. Can you guess what it's in reference to?

Happy Easter!

Yes, I know, I'm a few hours late getting this up, but that's okay. Because, I can make up for it! *grin*

HAPPY EASTER!

Isn't he about the sweetest Easter bunny you've ever seen? I hope everyone had a lovely and safe Easter!

Wasn't this supposed to be "Spring Break"?

So, I didn't get these posted with my last post, but I have some pictures from our trip. Just one question, wasn't this supposed to be "Spring Break"?

This was the view from our windshield on the way up to my in-laws' home.

And this one from my side, the passenger side, across to the driver's side.

It snowed more than half of the way up there and there was snow on the ground at the in-laws' house. Considering how warm it has been here in Vegas, I wasn't really expecting having to deal with snow. Did I mention that I HATE snow? This is the reason that I live in Vegas... it hardly ever snows here. Like once every ten years or something like that, and even then only it certain parts (like near the mountains) and it doesn't really stick for very long. Ah well, at least I got to stay in a nice warm home while my husband and the monkies played in the snow.

So, last time's kiddie quote...

Whenever we get a kid's meal from some fast food place, the kids aren't allowed to have their toy until they eat their food. If they don't eat their food, they don't get the toy. So, when my 3 year old asked if I got a toy with MY meal, it was natural for him to assume that I hadn't eaten all my food when I told him no.

Hmm... wouldn't it be great if we adults got a toy with OUR happy meal? I mean, we would probably be more inclined to take our kids to get theirs! Just think... what kind of "toy" would come in OUR meal? Would we be as quick as our children to say, "I'm done!" even though it was obvious we weren't? Just so we could quickly get to the prize? What exactly would make ours a Happy Meal? LOL I'm just asking!

Today's kiddie quote:

"I can't fall in... I'll get flushed!"

*snicker* I'm not making these up, I swear!

Oh, before I go... If you're reading this: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUDY!

Home At Last!!!

Oy!! Traveling with kids is hard enough... try doing it when two are sick! When we left for our trip, our five-year old had a bit of a cough and a stuffy nose... our first night at the in-laws his cough had worsened and he was running a low-grade fever. The second night our three-year old started with the coughing, though thankfully no fever. Add in a two-month old baby and you may start to understand how my nights have been! NO SLEEP! Not that I really sleep all that much, but what I do get is so very precious to me. What REALLY sucked? During the day the ickies weren't as prevalent. So, we had three boys running wild through the house and an infant doing... well infant stuff. This was supposed to be a "relaxing fun trip to visit the grandparents." *snort* Yeah... uh huh... who is DH kidding? He's not the one with a migraine, sleep deprivation (because he can sleep through an atomic blast most nights), frazzled nerves (he kept escaping to his grandparents' place directly behind his parents'), and a nail that tore down to the quick! :::deep breath::: But, at last we're home!

Whew... now that's off my chest I can do my little happy dance! Which includes but is not limited to: The Cabbage Patch, the booty shake and a lot of nonsense that would absolutely horrify all my previous dance teachers!

As I've been catching up on emails and doing what AABH work I can for LASR and WC I got some lovely news. Hmmm... that doesn't really portray my excitement. How about this: SQUEEEEE!!!! I did it, I finally got up the nerve and submitted two of my short stories to The Long and Short of It and I got news that they will be publishing one to their site next Thursday, March 27th. WOO HOO!!! Another step in the happy dance! My other story was well received, but was an Easter themed one and they already had a story slotted for Easter week. But, if I'd like to rewrite it for another holiday, they'll take another look at it! Well, at least I finally got up the nerve to put it out there, and it paid off.

Then, when I got home, I had a lovely present waiting in my mailbox! I bugged an author friend, Kimberly Dean, from a message board for her newest release... to review of course! And there it was, all nice and shiny in my mailbox when I got back from this super stressful trip! *grins* I have no problem whatsoever bugging my favorite authors (mostly of the Erotic Romance genre) for their newest releases! It helps a great deal that they are all so very sweet and send their stuff right along! I LOVE being a reviewer!

Alright, in regards to the last kiddie quote: I still have no idea what my five-year old meant when he said there was a museum called Monkey Brains. To this day he denies saying it, and has professed to have no idea what I'm talking about.

Today's kiddie quote, this one from my three-year old:

"Did you get a toy with yours?" (I shake my head) "Oh, you didn't eat all your food!"

Well, I've nattered on enough I think. OH! Marianne and Judy... I didn't tell anyone! Don't feel left out! But, I'm sorry you found out secondhand, lol.

Traveling... with kids!

Been trying to pack the last few days for a quick trip to introduce the new baby to DH's grandparents. I keep forgetting how much longer it takes me to pack with all the kids running around. They keep saying they want to help, but their idea of help, and my idea of help are SO different! *sigh* So here I sit, with a baby on my lap, and three boys "helping" (code for making a bigger mess). Can you say frustration? Ah well, here's hoping we get on the road in a decent amount of time.

Now, we'll have to see how well the littlest one travels. It's always SO MUCH FUN to travel with children (can you sense my sarcasm here?). My favorite is when I hear from the back, "Mommy, he's touching me!" or "He's breathing on me!" What can I possibly do about that one? "Son, hold your breath so you don't annoy your brother!" All I can say is thank goodness for portable DVD players and Gameboys. I know, I know... nowadays we're all spoiled. You know what I have to say to those naysayers? Ttthhhhppppppttt! (<<<----- that is me blowing raspberries) You try to travel anywhere from 5 to 11 hours with four boys in the backseat! Boys are not quiet children... they HAVE to move. They can't sit still for very long without bugging one another. Don't get me wrong... LOVE my kids, just adore them, but they DO try my patience.

I finally did it! I actually sat down and got some writing done. Granted it was a short story, but I actually did it. Still have four or five reviews to finish writing, and am plugging away at reading a Historical Romance from a publisher that failed to warn us that it was an EPIC Historical Romance! 700 pages! In small typeface... it's taking me FOREVER to read it! Great story, fantastic characters, just very involved.

~~ Okay, here's the story behind the last Kiddie Quote. My DH and I love to pick on our kids... that's a parent's job isn't it? Being boys, they of course have an abundance of GI Joe dolls. *snicker* Gets 'em every time...

"They're not DOLLS! They're ACTION FIGURES!!!!!"
"But they have accessories... dolls have accessories." (very reasonable right?)
"Aargh! Those are NOT accessories. Those are weapons!" (I so love my job as a mom)
"So, tell me... what is the difference between a doll and an action figure?"
After much consideration, for this is obviously a serious question, my five year old gave the answer. "Dolls have cooties... action figures have muscles!" Well, I guess that settles that! LOL

So, todays Kiddie Quote:

"There's a museum called 'monkey brains'!"

Huh? I guess I'll explain that one next time... as soon as I figure it out myself.

Well, I'll check back in when I get back. Hope everyone has a great Spring Break.

Kids are... funny!

So, I've come to the realization over the past few years that kids are funny. I know, duh, right? But really, they're much smarter than we give them credit for with amazing insight into things that we don't always see. As the saying goes, "Out of the mouths of babes."

So, thus saying, I've decided that part of my blog is going to be quotes that my children or my dance students have said that are either funny (ha-ha), funny (weird), profound, or just make you go "hmmm...".

My kiddie quote for today:

"Dolls have cooties... action figures have muscles."

There really is a story behind this one... but I think I'll let y'all stew on this one for a bit before I give that story up.

I've been doing some writing but not as much as I would like. I finished two reviews today, which made me feel as if I'd actually accomplished something, but I have yet to sit down and get any of my book finished. *sigh* I have to get my butt back into the swing of things, but I think having a baby gives me a bit of an excuse, at least for a little while. LOL

Having several stories going at once in my head can be a bit disconcerting and every once in awhile one voice rises above the others and demands attention. That seems to be when everything flows and I get pages and pages done. Then, everything goes silent and it's a waiting game to see whose voice is going to jump up next. I once heard it said that all writers are a bit schitzophrenic (sp?), and I have to say that the voices in my head adamently deny that diagnosis! *grin*

Ah, well, that's all for now. Let me know, if anyone is even seeing this, what you think the story is behind the kiddie quote.

Ta for now,
Chris

It's way too late....

Why am I doing this? Who really cares to hear about my boring, ordinary life? Honestly I don't know, and really don't care if anyone ever reads this. It's more for me than for anyone else.

I sit here sometimes at 1 or 2 am and think. The truth is that I have a VERY hard time shutting down my brain. Between the stories that dance around in my head, and the ongoing list of... well of crap, that goes throuh my mind, it's not wonder I'm a insomniac! Add in four BOYS, a dog named Harley, and a DH you have a recipe for sleepless nights.

I've been trying to write lately, and the words just won't come. I have such a hard time getting the words onto paper... well the computer screem. I think I've finally come to the decision that I have too much everyday nonsense rolling around keeping me distracted. Maybe this blog will help with that! Who knows... certainly not me!

Let's see... what about me would people like to know? I'm a mom (yeah,yeah, I said it above... deal), and a wife (again, you know that), a writer (NO, I'm not published, at least not yet (I have high hopes)... no I haven't finished my first story...), I read, I play with my kids, I write, I teach ballet, I read, I review books for The Long and Short of It (or LASR) and it's sister site Whipped Cream (or WC), I write... did I mention that I read and write? LOL All in all, I have a pretty busy life, which is just fine with me. I have no idea what to do with myself when it's quiet around here. Not to mention that usually means the boys are up to something!

Now, you're probably wondering what in the world the name of my blog references. Or maybe you're not... I don't care, I'm going to tell you anyway! Considering the fact that I have TWO sleep disorders it's rather difficult for me to go to sleep each night. I have been known to pull an all-nighter when I simply can't shut down. Half the time I find myself looking at the clock and wondering where in the world the time went and how come I don't have anything done. I will say one thing... it's never boring in this house!