Such is life.

Overheard at Preschool Drop-Off...

Setting: A tired mom gently bounces up and down trying to calm her screaming 3-month old.

Helpful Mom: You could try putting him up on the dryer.

Tired Mom: I'm going to try putting him up on Craig's List.

Florida Trip

Our Florida trip went something like this:

1. The L kids were GREAT on the plane ride. Everyone was happy, cooperative, and excited for our adventure... and I didn't even have to bribe with candy and new toys!

2. After our long flight across the country as we were waiting for our luggage, I said to Gramma (not knowing what the future held), "Wow, this is going to be a perfect trip. The kids are older now and so cooperative and helpful." HA, HA, HA- little did I know.

3. Night 1- Leah was throwing up throughout the night. Real fun when you are in a new setting, trying to keep quiet so those around you don't wake up, and experiencing extreme exhaustion.

4. Spent day at pool, beach, pool, beach, pool, beach... And I thought I was going to actually sit in the lounge chair and read my book!?!? Kids played with friends and LOVED the water... even the gigantic waves. Lots of sand castle making. Oh, and Leah- she was fine, you'd never know she was sick the night before.

5. Out to a fun dinner? What the hell were Gramma and I thinking??? Poor, poor behavior (the kids, not us). No cooperation. Enough said. Gramma & Mama = Pure Exhaustion and Embarrassment.

6. New Day- Gramma and Mama look forward to a fresh start, positive attitude, and fun in the sun! Right?? No. Poor, actually, terrible behavior continues. Fighting. Name Calling. Hitting. Back-Talking. From my sweet angles!?!? What happened? this day was particularly fun- filled with lots of time-outs and loss of privileges for the L kids... we tried it all , but man, these kids were playing us back and forth!! It was like they had a master plan...

Oh, did I mention that this was the day that we all got stung by jelly-fish? Well, yes... little burning stings for all. More fun to add to the fun!!

Anyway, Gramma and Mama had a "late night conference" with a bottle of wine... or two... about our strategy for rest of the trip to ensure proper (heck, we'd even settle for slightly improved) behavior. Off to bed for a good night's sleep so we're ready and fresh for the morning!

7. Wrong. Oh, so wrong. Logan was up ALL NIGHT complaining that his ear was hurting so bad. Poor guy tossed and turned for most of the night. Now, mind you, I am thinking what the hell is going on??? Logan has had 1 ear infection in his entire life. Surely, he can't possibly have an ear infection? No way possible. And... as much as I love my kids to death and never want them to be sick or hurt, it was hard for me to be extremely loving and sympathetic, given his not-so-desirable behavior throughout the day!

8. Fast forward to the Pediatric Associates Clinic in Boca Raton Florida (we did first try to get an otoscope from one of Gramma Lenore's nurses but no, that would have been way, way too simple). Now, from first glance, this is an awesome office- brightly decorated in a children's transportation theme from the road map on the floors to the walls decorated with traffic signs and an outdoor scene to the brightly colored furniture- both adult and kid-sized. As we enter the building, I am all smiles thinking this is a great place- we'll be in and out of hear and on our way. Gramma on the other hand has a look of terror on her face, looking around at ALL, I mean, ALL of the sick kids in there. I could go on and on about the doctor visit but... bottomline, double ear infection for Lo!! Boy, was I wrong about his diagnosis.

9. By this time, it's about 2pm, Leah is grumpy and tired and all Logan wants to do is go swimming! All I want to do is get these damn prescriptions filled and get on our merry way!! The day ended with dinner and drinks after a quick jaunt at the beach/pool... with slightly better behavior.

10. The rest of the trip... was a blur.

11. However, the kids were PERFECT on the plane ride home! So good... happy, cooperative, slept for 2-3 hours, and no complaining. I have no idea what happened or why the sudden change of attitude for the kids but, hey, I am not complaining... and I'm sure Gramma isn't either. Overall, the sun, sand, ocean, and pool were heavenly, the kids DID have a ton of fun, and we all are healthy (for the most part) and happy!

And that was a slice of our trip to Florida.

A HUGH thanks to Gramma for her patience, sense of humor, and awesome knowledge of kids and parenting!!!

Leah loves...

In preschool, for Valentine's Day, Leah painted a big heart and had to tell what she loves...

Here's her responses (in no particular order):

- People because they are nice.
- School Buses because they're yellow.
- Clocks because I just do.

I love the way Leah thinks.

And Logan's Poem...

Logan's Class wrote Valentine's Day poems... so cute (and funny, too)!

V- very much I love you
A- a lot of hugs and Abby!
L- love, love, love
E- everyone
N- nice to kiss
T- time to snuggle
I- I love you, of course!
N- nice again
E- everyone is love

Yes, this was written by my 5 year old!

Will there?

Will there ever be a day when I don't have laundry to do, dishes to clean, breakfast, lunch, and dinner to make, and a house to clean??

Just wondering...

Silly Snazzy Snakes

Leah and I were reading the book My Love For You, by Susan Roth and we both noticed the neat collage illustrations. We were especially impressed with the snakes. Now, I do not like snakes. No fun. Creepy. Keep them away from me. I just don't like the things. BUT... these snakes were so cute and colorful... that Leah and I decided we would make some of our own! So we got to work. This was a great activity for the kids involving cutting skills, making patterns, and reinforcing shapes and colors (for Leah). Logan even suggested that we "create a list of "S" words to tell about our snakes."

Here's a picture of the end result (which I think is pretty darn cute)!!

Our list of S Words: silly, snazzy, scared, slithering, slimy, special, surprised, squiggly, smart, sleepy

Logan and I even took it a step further (when Leah was taking her nap) and wrote sentences about our snakes. Here's a few of the ones that Logan came up with:

Silly snakes slither around.
Look! A slimy scared snake slithers away.
Did you ever see a special snake that had squiggly shapes on it?
The snake is sleepy so he went to sleep!
Snakes surprise me when I see them.

And my personal favorite:
Don't ever throw a slimy and slithering snake on my scared Mom!

Shopping Kids, Snow Fun, & Silly Faces

Today We...

Today we...

- went for a bike ride/walk in the rain.
- made, decorated, and wrote out Valentine's Day Cards.
- conducted Science Experiments with water, oil, vinegar, food coloring, baking soda, sugar crystals, and more.
- created a "car show" with all types of vehicles.

...all between 4pm and 6pm!