Remember Today 2.29.08

{remember} watching Logan and Camden play Gameboy and despite my despise for the toy, I love listening to and watching their interactions while playing--the cooperation, negotiation, congratulating, teaching, and conversation.

Remember Today 2.28.08

{remember} Logan's genuine happiness when Camden answered his math problems--he was amazed and proud of his little brother.

How does he know this stuff?

Here's a little conversation after dinner tonight:

Logan: Mommy, what's 60 + 70?
Camden: 60 + 70 equals 130
Me: [totally stunned} how do you know that?
C: easy, 60 + 60 is 120
L: [equally stunned with a big proud smile on his face] ok, here's a tricky one: what's 60 + 78?
C: [without hesitation] 138.

How does he know this stuff? The best part was Logan's priceless smile and sheer pride that his little brother knows this stuff.

Remember Today 2.27.08

{remember} buying 2 new fish at the pet store, and then finding the three boys just sitting in front of the tank silently watching them swim.

Remember Today 2.26.08

{remember} playing hide and seek with Camden and Maddox; glad I brought my latest CK to my hiding place in the bathtub--it took them awhile to find me, and I wasn't giving any hints!

For the love of the bean

I don't know who invented the jelly bean, but I am forever indebted to him or her, specifically the Jelly Belly jelly bean. There is no better candy on earth than the Jelly Belly bean. I have forgotten in the time since last spring just how scrumptiously fun these little beans are. I picked up 3 pounds of them yesterday and have tried to contain myself from sneaking handfuls of them at all hours of the day from 9:30 this morning--is that too early for candy? to 6:15 tonight while dinner was cooking (sshh, don't tell the boys). They were also a great snack, savored one at a time during the Oscars last night.

With 50 flavors (though mine only have 49, I wonder which one is missing, hmmm) how can you not find one you like? Some of my favorites: cappuccino, peach, wild blackberry, strawberry cheescake, strawberry jam, blueberry, and my all time fav, black licorice. Tonight after dinner the boys and I sat, each with a pile of beans in front of us, matching up our colors and popping the same ones into our mouths. We tried to identify the flavors and decided which ones we really liked. Logan's was, hands down, Vanilla Bean (no surprise here, it's also his favorite ice cream, yogurt, cake, and even Oreo). Camden liked Buttered Popcorn, but couldn't find any that he didn't like. And Maddox, well Maddox liked App-pear-cappu-cinna, lem-utti-rasp-blue-shmallow-punch (one fistful straight into the mouth)!
A picture of my beans because at this rate they won't be around much longer.

Remember Today 2.25.08

{remember} having a conversation with the boys (sans Perry) about having another baby. Maddox brought it up and they all unanimously agreed they want another baby in the house (not anytime soon, if ever!).

Remember Today 2.24.08

{remember} the boys trying calamari at the restaurant and Logan loving it--even the tentacles!

Remember Today 2.23.08

{remember} playing in the new fallen snow and having ice cream at Wendy's with the boys.

They're baaaack!

My Mom took Logan and Camden for a special overnight visit last night. It was so nice to have alone time with Maddox. We were able to play, dance, and roll around on the floor without someone mistaking it for a wrestling match and diving in for a tackle. I also came to an important realization: it's not me leaving the room that makes him cry, but rather that I have left him alone with his older brothers, and the possible terrorism that may ensue that triggers the cry response in him. He plugged in Big & Rich by himself and I actually went off to do a few things. When I returned from Target, um I mean from upstairs (ha!), he was contently watching the TV. No crying, no whining, no screaming, no shrieking. I probably could have ran those errands to the grocery store and Target--heck, he knows how to push play again when the DVD ends! He was so happy, and soaking up the peace and quiet as much as I was. But all good things must come to an end. And now, like the Poltergeist that terrorized little Carole Anne, "they're baaaack", and with them has come the bickering, yelling, running, and fighting.

But for all the quiet that the past 24 hours held, I can't imagine this house with anything less than these three boys filling each room with their craziness (and their toys!). And I know Maddox missed them because he asked for them exactly three times: at dinner, at bath, and at breakfast the next morning--"Where's Logan and Camden? They sleeping?" me: "No, they're at Grandma's." him: "No, I think they sleeping." me: "They're not sleeping, they're at Grandma's." him: "I think they hiding. They playing hide and seek." Guess he was in denial.

Remember Today 2.22.08

{remember} how the house sounds with three boys in it.

Remember Today 2.21.08

{Remember} how great one-on-one time with Maddox is--he doesn't cry every time I leave the room!

A work in progress

Doesn't look like much now, but I can't wait to see this finished. The journaling is all typed up (Monday through Wednesday anyway). The boys will pick their favorite photos from the days. Then it's just format the pics, print everything out and adhere it in. Oh, yeah, and a cover--still thinking about that.

Pieces of Me

A quick little project I started last night:

This is a small ringed binder I picked up at Target's Dollar Spot (can I ever walk into Target and walk by this little area?!). It was an ugly orange color (some of which you can still see on the inside cover--need to do a bit of touch-up) that I sanded and painted "baby pink" with acrylic. The torn out page from a recent Pottery Barn Kids catalog that I was using to cover up my workspace became the inspiration for the cover motif. You never know when a piece of trash will become the basis for your next creation! So I punched white circles, stamped a title ("pieces of me") and used one of the cutie owls from my Hambly rub-ons. Sometimes it takes a bit of effort to use something from my stash that I just love. I have to quiet that voice that asks, "Is this project worth that really cute owl? What if you need it for another project and you've wasted it here?" I have learned that there will always be something else for that next project. Use what you love now, because before too long you'll be loving something else. Disclaimer: I only feel this way about scrapbooking supplies! Anyway, back to the book. To ground the punched circles in my title I penned rings around the outside edges. Love this very easy and effective technique. The purpose of this book (another Ali inspired project): to house the little, well, "pieces of me". It contains indexed alphabet dividers. So far I have a photo of the boys that's been kicking around my workspace under 'B', and the Starbucks cup wrap under 'S'.

From Life Artist: "It's a simple, quick way to feel like you're doing something, recording something, documenting some part of your life as you experience it. It's a book that can grow and change right along with you. It's also a wonderful way to create in a continuous way, a way to go with the flow and record what's happening as it happens."p. 44 Love it. . .

Remember Today 2.20.08

{remember} Logan and Camden falling asleep together in our bed tonight.

When inspiration strikes

I have this mini album idea inspired by, who else, Ali Edwards. Are you surprised? Anyway, I have an old board book, well a few of them, recycled from my children's book shelves. It's been sitting on a closet shelf just waiting for the perfect project. I took it out the other day and counted the pages: 5 two page spreads, plus a front and back cover. I had seen in Ali's book (Life Artist) what appeared to be a child's board book altered with acrylic paint (turns out, when I reached the end of the book and found a materials list for every project in there, that it was actually a funky little chipboard album that she covered with paper). Anyway, my sister had tried this with some trouble and I thought, why not sand the shine off the pages and cover them with acrylic paint? Then inspiration hit me, right smack in the middle of the boys' February vacation, as to what I can use this little album for: a recording of their five days off from school. So, here I sit with emery board in hand and vacuum within reach as I sand the pages. I could go down to the basemement to get a larger piece of actual sandpaper that would make the job go faster, but frankly I am too lazy at the moment to get out of my chair. I'll let you know how it all turns out. . .

Remember Today 2.19.08

{remember} savoring a quiet moment watching the boys play outside after a busy morning--love how they can find happiness and busy-ness in the smallest thing: digging in the snow and last year's grass clippings, pulling up vines, and finding nuts the squirrels had buried.

Remember Today 2.18.08

{remember} how Logan, perhaps feeling guilty after hitting Maddox, sits down to play Magnetix with him.

Remember Today 2.17.08

{remember} soaking up inspiration from Ali, now I just need to put it to some good use!

Remember Today 2.16.08

{remember} how Maddox (feeling a bit better after a long nap), after looking through his baby scrapbook, grabbed his teddy bear, climbed into the rocking chair, and positioned his bear to sit just as the two of them had in his 4 month baby picture. So cute (and smart!).

Will winter ever end?

My littlest man is sick. The poor thing has barely spoken 10 words all day. His nose is a faucet. He has a fever, and a cough that sounds like it couldn't possibly come from someone so small. I put him in the rocking chair in the playroom snuggled up with his favorite blanky, teddy bear, and "puppy", and a sippie of water so I could take a quick shower. When I got out and checked him he was sound asleep. He has now been sleeping for nearly 3 hours (something I would never let him do typically), but I just can't wake the poor little guy.

Brotherly Love

Conversation while playing Gameboy:

L: Camden, we're going to Grandma and Grandpa's tomorrow
C: I know
L: And we're bringing the dessert
C: I know
L: It's Oreo cake
C: I know
L:I'm gonna have the biggest piece
C: No, you're not
L: At least bigger than yours

Ah, brothers. Is there anything else like the rivalry they share?!

A mother's work is never done

Well, I've done it. I have officially caught up on all the laundry. This only happens maybe three times a year, so I am taking a moment to bask in the glory. Usually, laundry is in various states in my house: dirty; dirty but sorted for the wash; clean but not dry; clean and dry but not sorted by person; clean, dry, and sorted but waiting to be folded; clean, dry sorted, folded but not put away. . . You get the idea. Well, today while the boys rotted their brains on Looney Toons and Gameboy, and my sweet Maddox tried to sleep his nasty cold away, I took a bit of time to tackle the laundry. There are a handful of things in the dirty basket, because let's face it, can laundry in a household of five ever truly be caught up?, but other than that everything is washed, dried, folded, and put away. Yippee!

Of course by Tuesday it will look like this again:

Remember Today 2.15.08

{remember} how a cup of tea smells, feels, and tastes so good in the afternoon--my little bit of "Calgon, take me away."

Remember Today 2.14.08

{remember} Perry coming home 'early' to celebrate Valentine's Day with us--he brought dinner from one of our favorite restaurants.

Valentine Creations

Some fun gifts for Valentine's Day:

Pop top can filled with Dove chocolate hearts: Use a safety can opener to cut off the bottom of the can. Remove contents and wash and dry can thoroughly. Cut strips of patterned paper to wrap around can (regular weight, not cardstock, works best). Cut or punch a circle approx 2" in diameter and snip off one edge approx 3/8" (this will fit under the pop tab). Adhere papers, tie ribbon on tab, and fill with goodies. Flip over and use four small beads of hot glue to fasten the bottom back on the can. Embellish as desired (here a heart).

$1.00 Target mailboxes: Gotta love the Target Dollar Spot. This is actually last year's design because in my rush to package this year's up, oh at about 6:30 this morning, I forgot to snap pictures. Thank goodness I saved a sample! Cover the body of the box with 12" patterned or stamped paper cut to just shy (like 1/16") of 4". The trickiest part: measure up 3" and cut a 1"slit. Then punch a square or circle at the end to allow for the flag. I didn't do this here and you can see a bit of the mess (probably why I saved this one as a sample). The rest is just trace and cover (the two ends), embellish (the flower, and words) and adhere. Don't forget a cute something on the flag. Again, filled with chocolates--is there anything better on Valentine's Day?!

Love Letters

In honor of Valentine's Day, Camden's preschool class is doing an adorable unit on letters. Every day for the past two weeks Camden has come home with a letter for someone. On Monday it was Maddox. The letter read, "Dear Maddox, I love you. I love you. I love you. Love, Camden" Tuesday's letters were for two friends from his class last year that are in his same classroom in the morning. These letters stayed at school for delivery. On Wednesday, Camden came bounding into the car asking, "When will Daddy be home tonight? I have a letter for him." After much pleading he called Perry and worked his sweetness to get Daddy to come home before bedtime (an amazing feat!). This letter read, "Dear Dad, I love you. Love, Camden" I volunteered in his classroom on Thursday. The letter he secretly wrote while I was there read, "Dear Mom, I love you. I love you. Thank you. Love, Camden" He later told me the "thank you" was for coming to his classroom. Monday brought another note for Daddy: "Daddy, I love you." On Tuesday, he carried two envelopes to the car. One for our neighbor, and if I had time to steam it open before it was delivered, I would have. The other for his big brother: "Dear Logan, I love you. I want to play with you when you get home from the bus. Love, Camden." How much sweetness and love can one little body hold?!

Remember Today 2.13.08

{remember} a snow day + hot chocolate + no where to be = a fabulous day!

Remember Today 2.12.08

{remember} how totally sweet and filled with love Camden is!

Remember Today 2.11.08

{remember} Logan coming off the bus with a bag of pops. He earned Star of the Week for good behavior on the bus. Two things he said: It was easy, all you have to do is sit. I want to share these with Camden & Maddox. That's my guy!

Remember Today 2.10.08

{remember} the fun we had at the MOS! Family time is the best time.

Who knew a ball of yarn could be so much fun?

"I did" came the reply from my 4 year old. And he did; all three of those boys did. From playing catch at karate the day before, to running in circles while holding two ends, a simple ball of yarn provided endless hours of fun. The boys found the ball given to them from my good friend Kayla (let's just say a knitting project gone awry) this morning and immediately set to work unravelling the entire 30 miles (just an estimate) while running from room to room, upstairs, downstairs, and everywhere in between. Was I freaking out with the web of yarn through every inch of the house? Heck, no: I was doing dishes, changing 4 beds worth of sheets, and throwing in a week's loads of laundry. And when the ball of yarn had been exhausted, I handed them each a pair of scissors and a ziploc bag and told them to snip and collect it. The clean up was just as fun as the play! Sorry, Kayla, that we could not salvage any of your yarn ball, but thank you for giving me a chance to get some Saturday morning chores done!

Remember Today 2.9.08

{remember} when the creative juices are flowing, pour yourself a mug full.

Remember Today 2.8.08

{remember} watching Logan and Camden's smiling expressions as they watched Curious George's silly antics.

Remember Today 2.7.08

{remember} how much fun a simple whoopie cushion can be for three young boys.

Their little world

My four year old started a conversation about death today during lunch. I'm not really sure how it all began. Perhaps it was in regard to my upcoming birthday and how old I am getting. He seems to be very interested in how old everyone is, and specifically how old he will be when others reach a certain age. He might have been talking about how old people are when they die. He retrieved a framed picture of his Nana (my grandmother) who was in her 80's when she died, and spoke about how old she was in the picture, and how old she was when she died. Then he stated quite definitively that "babies when they're first born can't die." I asked him why they can't and he matter-of-factly replied "it's not allowed." Oh, their little world of innocence and happiness, their world where only the old, after having lived a long and full life, are allowed to die. Then he asks me, "Is death forever?" me; "Yes, yes it is forever." him: "For always?" me: "Yes, for always. When you die, you don't ever come back." him: "Unless you have a magic wand, right?" It broke my heart to tell him that there is no magic wand. In real life, there is no magic wand.

Remember Today 2.6.08

{remember} some nights it feels good to just curl up in front of the tv (and this is OK).

Remember Today 2.5.08

{remember} Camden asking if the dinosaur he will see at the museum would be in a cage.

Remember Today 2.4.08

{remember} Walking into Maddox's bedroom and finding him and Camden snuggled in his bed with Camden reading him Green Eggs and Ham.

Remember Today 2.3.08

{remember} the Patriots lost the Super Bowl, and had their first loss of the season--heartbreaking (even for me, the non-football fan).

Remember Today 2.2.08

{remember} how great it feels to clean the whole house (well, most of it) in one sweep--thanks Mom & Dad!

Remember Today 2.1.08

{remember} despite knowing no one bu the birthday boy, Logan didn't think twice about me leaving him at a birthday party tonight.