I mean C'mon!!!

Can you really have Halloween without the "It's the Great pumpkin Charlie Brown"?

I guess you COULD...it just wouldn't be the same.

** Note the sporty ensemble we are wearing here. I call it bedtime chic.

And tonight we carve them up.

Tonight I had to drive all over my area in search of pumpkins. There were hardly any left yesterday at the pumpkin patch, so I thought..."I'll just run down to Safeway and pick a couple up...the night before Halloween." Not as easy as I thought it might be. I had to go to 4 different stores.

Yeah they were sort of slim pickins. I did find one for each child though, so I did do a little victory Mommy dance in the store. Bug was with me and asked me to "knock it off as he might see one of his friends here"

We got them home and carved them up. So without further ado...our pumpkin masterpieces.

enjoy.

Pumpkin Patch...

Yesterday we went out to a pumpkin patch in Tualatin. We've been going to the same one since Bug was a baby, so we go back to watch the animals grow and measure our kids up against different landmarks on the farm.
We drank fresh hot cider, ate fresh cider donuts , pet baby chicks, saw piglets,goats and horses. But there weren't any pumpkins left. So we pretty much went all the way out there just for the farm (in the city) experience. I was still fun though. Here are some pictures of the afternoon.

A real life grown up party!!

Last night Grandparents took the kids and my Husband and I went to a real life grown up party. Ok granted, it was a Halloween party so everyone dressed up, but there were no streamers, balloons, sugary snacks, but best of all, no ankle bitters I had to chase around and monitor!! Don't get me wrong I love my kids dearly, but grown up fun is few and far between these days. In fact we were thinking about it the other day and the last time my husband and I got out together without kids was almost 3 months ago. He and I sort of do things in shifts. Either he goes out with friends, or I go out and do something. It's rarely both at the same time. But that's neither here nor there. That's just what comes with the territory of having kids. I'm looking at you...anyone out there that is reading this who doesn't have kids. Enjoy your time while it's still your own. Don't take it for granted that you can go see a movie on a whim anytime you want to. I wish I had appreciated it more.
Anyhoo back to the party. It was just a low key party that started at My husbands friend's house and then moved over to a local pub. It was your basic seedy dive bar but our entire group (all in costume) sort of took over the place including the jukebox. We blasted our Def Leopard and Dio and blazed in there like a band of renegades in drag.
Which leads me to our costumes. Which already you have seen the pictures. But let me explain a bit. I am clearly the Queen of hearts. Pretty cut and dry. My Husband however, caused the most commotion in the bar. He is not just an ugly woman. Oh no. He is Courtney Love. After a night of rock-n-roll and binging. My sister in law is a witch and her boyfriend is Cane from Kung Foo.
I think the high point of the night was watching these old grizzled trucker looking guys going into the mens restroom, then turning around and walking right back out with puzzled looks of their faces. Only to find my husband in there in full drag hiking his dress up to tinkle. If only I could have been a fly on the wall ;)

**My husband wants me to make it very clear that this is just for Halloween. He doesn't do this sort of thing normally. It is a gag, not a secret life he's been waiting to share with the world.

Today we paint......

Today is a day we have been dreading for as long time. We knew this day would come, we just had hoped it wouldn't come this soon. Three years ago we painted Bug's room in a really cool space theme. As you will note the pictures. We had to do a couple before pictures just to see all the work that went into this. It took 3 coats of really dark blue paint just to get the right shade for space. (Or what we think space would look like) The my husband painted freehand all the intricate characteristics of each of the planets in out solar system. For instance, Saturn has the correct colors that make up it's rings, Jupiter has an eye, etc. He even put in there theorized planet "X". It was behind the door. Then, we got some glow in the dark paint and made constellations all over the walls. Then as the final touch, glow in the dark star stickers. So when the lights go out, it's like a planetarium in there. We were very proud of ourselves. But about 6 months ago or so he started telling us he was a little scared of his room because it is just too dark in there. We had hoped it would pass, but it's just gotten worse. Then we started hearing about how kids surroundings and especially the colors of their walls can have a huge impact on their mood and behavior. It makes sense I guess. But all that work....

Well, so we made a plan, picked out some other colors and the day has come to change it up. Plus he shares a room with his brother Peanut, so maybe it will at least appear less cluttered with a lighter color in there. We'll see.

So far we have just done a couple coats of primer. This is going to be a big job getting this dark covered over.
The kids went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for the whole night, so the fumes don't sent Peanut's asthma into a tailspin. Plus we have a Halloween party for grown ups tonight so I may not get as far as I would like.

Of course if I really wanted this done, I could be doing more painting, and less typing but I just thought I'd take a little break :)

What is up with these Halloween stores?!!

Ok so the past couple days I've put pictures up and talked about things that Peanut and Sunshine were doing. Today I'm going to talk about Bug.
Yesterday I needed a little one on one time with Bug. He's been having some behavior problems at home but more at school. So clearly there's something going on here that he's not telling me. With our house being so chaotic and loud, there's not a whole lot of quiet time to sit and ponder the changing world and the fears we may be faced with. The only way I can ever drag any sort of information out of him is to take him out of the chaos and treat him to some one on one "Mommy time".


Now remember that he is after all a 6 year old boy just entering into the world of public schools. So he's suddenly out of our little protective bubble that we've sort of had him in. The boys he has made friends with at school are way into scary stories about mummies, ghosts, blood and guts. This fascination is normal for a boy his age, but like I said, he has been in a bubble with us. We don't really sit around and talk about this sort of thing. So it's like a whole new world has opened up. Not to mention it's the best time of year for it too. Halloween time. So when I asked him what he wanted to do for our special time out...top of the list....The Halloween store!!!!

I usually steer clear of these types of stores, mainly out of damage control purposes. I don't want to be up half the night with kids having nightmares. Plus so much of it just seems so over the top unnecessary. Like why do people feel they need to recreate the entrance to Hell on their front lawn? Or have poles with severed heads sliding down them? When did this become acceptable holiday decorations? Not to go on a whole Andy Rooney rant, but what ever happened to good old fashioned jack-o-lanterns? What more do you really need? When did it become no big deal to make it look like you are conjuring Satan in the driveway? I mean really! I'm all for trick or treating, and cute costumes, but come on!!......But that's where he really wanted to go. So I braced myself and took him.

However I did bribe him first. I told him I would only take him if we could go and get his pictures done at the mall while we were there anyway. Plus, that he had to trust me and if he was looking like he was getting too scared, when I said "it was time to go", then it was time to go.

So we went and he touched everything and saw that it wasn't scary at all, just a bunch for things that looked gross made out of rubber and latex. I think I made it a bigger thing that he did. Sometimes he surprises me.

But we did get his pictures done. I can put them up here, but they have a watermark. Just so nobody can print them up for free. They need to make some money off me :)

Uhmmmm.....?

Ahh the joys of motherhood.

She thought her nose might get hungry. Her words not mine.......for I have no words for this. Other than ewwwww.


And in case you were wondering....that one got thrown away.

Pear juice vs. product...

I really don't have anything witty to say about this, other than this is what happens when you give a baby a very ripe pear. It was really good, but REALLY juicy. It's now bath time, I just wanted to document this moment.

Did you just eat a spider?

My 3 year old , Sunshine has this deep love of all creatures great and small. We have a hard time getting her to keep her hands off of some of God's creatures...like slugs, dead birds and spiders. She has a knack for finding the grossest things on planet Earth to squish around in her hands.

We have a giant hobo spider that has taken up residence in the front corner of the overhang on our front porch. One day Sunshine asked my husband if that spider had a name. He thought about it for a second and then decided that "Paul" was the perfect name for a spider. Well....that name stuck. Now all spiders ARE Paul. She doesn't quite "get" that there may be more than one spider in our area. In her mind...they are all the same one that lives on our porch.

So today at lunch, Sunshine and Peanut were eating their perfectly crafted PB&J, while I was checking some email, as my computer is in the dining room. She casually asks...

Sunshine-"Does Paul like Peanut butter?
Me-"Probably, who doesn't like peanut butter?"
Sunshine- "I think I'll share my sandwich with him"
Me-"Uh-huh....(not so much as listening, but more replying to an email)
Sunshine- "I think Paul got stuck in the jelly but he couldn't get loose"
Me- "Uh huh....(click,click,click)
Sunshine- "I'm done can I get down?"

At this time I realize that not a crumb is left on her plate. Then I recall the conversation that I was barely present for........eeeewwwwww!

I then proceed to call my husband and tell him about it. For a quick laugh.

His response....."Ok we need a bird, a cat a dog and a horse..."

I love his warped sense of humor!

Jaxon five....

Ok so I had someone ask "what is up with the name?" It seemed pretty explanatory, but let me break it down.

My name is Jaqui, but was nicknamed "Jackson" by my dearly departed Grandpa. It was one of the many nicknames I had over the years. It was one of the only ones I liked.

Skip ahead 15 or so years and I had a great friend in college (whom I am still close with, in fact he introduced me to my husband, but thats a pretty funny story for another time) that one day started calling me Jax. For whatever reason...it just stuck and that circle of friends still call me Jax to this day.

So it's sort of a combination of the two.

Five....well...figure it out :)

I just wanted to clarify..We are blond, blue eyed and above all....LILLY WHITE!!!

This is us....

Not to be confused with them...in case you were :)

The price of fame...

My husband stayed home today.

He is in a pseudo/punk band that had a practice last night. He's always very conscience about wearing ear plugs as we both have extensive hearing damage. Both he and I have seen countless rock shows when we were younger (long before kids even became a topic of conversation). Plus on top of that, I was a club kid, and he was in the Rave scene. It really is shocking how normal we both turned out :)

Anyhow, between the concerts, and the ear bleeding volumes that most techno can only be played at, we are both really hard of hearing. So whenever he's going to be somewhere that the music is going to be loud...like band practice, he'll wear earplugs to salvage what hearing he has left. But apparently the pair that he used last night, one of them wasn't in all the way, so he's got a really bad ear ache in one ear. Any loud noises really hurts as I can see him cringe with every screech that Peanut makes. Today was the day that all of our neighbors decided to mow their lawn, Bug thought it would be a great idea to chase Sunshine until she screamed.

Truth be known, we were all out to get him. That's how it had to look at least. If it still hurts tomorrow, I'm going to make him go see a doctor. We have way too loud a household to try and be quiet. We're just loud people. Take us or leave us :)

I'm ready to go slip into a hot bath and read a book.

Jax out...

That which doesn't kill us....

Another day in paradise I guess. We went to church this morning and all went ok I guess. We started a new Sunday school class specially for people with kids called "sowers". The lesson was mediocre at best. Really bland. Then the sermon was really trying, but just wasn't there either. So basically it was a morning of fluff. Like almost 4 hours of it. I'm really trying hard to give this church a chance, but I'm starting to loose interest. My husband is ready to move on and find another one, but I just hate change and drag my feet at the thought of it.

Then,... it mush be a full moon or something but my 6 yr old was in rare form all day. He has been trying to pick a fight with all of us since we got home from church. Finally he picks enough that we begin to lash out at him and snap back. He's really good at painting you into a corner to where you have no other choice but to snap at him. We always set him down, apologize, explain how it's not ok to loose your cool. I grew up in an abusive home and personally have a really hot temper. Which already is a recipe for disaster. I've had to work hard keep it in check all my life. I need to go into another room and count or something to settle down. But my little bug will follow me into the other room and not let me get the space I need. All the while poking at me. I hate it when it becomes the battle of the wills at my house . We all can be really stubborn.

So in short...screaming matches were had, a couple of spankings, many timeouts, both for him but mostly for me, many angry words , but many more "I'm sorry" and "I shouldn't have....". It has been a really emotionally draining day.


The worst part of all of it, as Bug and I were at odds most of the day, Sunshine kept curling up in a corner. Whats more...she kept sneaking Peanut's binkies. She hasn't needed a binkie for over a year, but the overall stress of the household made her need a little bit of security. Sort of pitiful. Pretty depressing though.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Perpetual motion.......

So I had my first Tupperware party last night. I sort of stumbled my way through it but made the best of it. I had 3 people come. Two of which were related to me. They helped me through and we made the most of it. My Mom was there and she prodded me through the sales speech. Which in my mind was the worst part.I seem to have a hard time thinking people don't know all the great things Tupperware is and does. It really is the greatest invention next to the slinky. I assume everyone has grown up with the obsession of Tupperware ingrained in their DNA as mine was. My mom sold Tupperware off and on while I was growing up. Then my Grandma (Dad's side) still sells it now. Has for years. So most holidays Tupperware was always on the wish list. My mom and I have joked for years about how she has spent most of her adult life building up this truly outstanding collection. All her bowls nest, and everything in her pantry has been modular mated. Everything has it's place. She's a tough act to follow, I'll tell you that. So anyway it's been the running joke with us that there's no inheritance money, but the Tupperware is all mine.

So anyhoo...the skinny of it is the party last night went well. A good time was had by all.

Then there was today......
I for some reason thought it would be a great idea to schedule a 9 am Tupperware party for my mother in law. It seemed like such a good idea.... which meant I had to get everybody (kids) up, dressed, fed and quieted down and watching something mellow so that my husband would be able to wake up early on a Saturday (his only day to sleep in) and watch them. Along with me showered, out the door and in my mother in law's living room setting up at 8:30. Did I mention this SEEMED like a good idea? Once I got about 3 pots of coffee in me, I kind of got into my groove. The party went well, although we were in the middle of an autumn wind storm and the power went out about 10 minutes before I was about to give my big sales speech. Thanks to my trusty father in law, we had plenty of Coleman lanterns available. So I gave a Tupperware party entirely by propane lantern :) There could be worse things I guess.

Then later this afternoon, my daughter , Sunshine was invited to one of her friend's birthday parties. We pained cookies, and played with balloons. We had a good time. I think I enjoyed it the most. I forget what it's like to be around other moms. I really miss it. I need to find something where I can get out of the house more. I'm starting to get a little isolated. I used to go to a morning bible study at my last church, but since we started going to a new one, I just haven't really gotten connected yet. Maybe I'll make a bigger effort. Tomorrows Sunday. I'll nose around and see what I can find as far as groups or something. If I can't find anything,...maybe I'll just need to start something. Maybe that's why God put us at this church. Who knows.
Ok long day...time to read a good book in a undersized bathtub.

Just getting started in here....

Hello. Is anybody out there? Well this is an attempt at my very first blog post. I've never really done anything like this before. But I have become addicted to myspace so I figured this can't be all that different :) As mentioned in my about me section....I'm a mother of 3 maniacs. Currently I'm playing the role of bad mommy and they have been glued to Nick Jr. most of the morning. As I am becoming obsessed with putting this blog together.
I really don't have much time to sit down and write this out, but here I am :) I just stared selling Tupperware and tonight is my first party that I'm doing all by myself. So naturally I'm terrified. As if the pressure of having people over to your house wasn't enough stress, what with the cleaning and the hiding of toys, then there is the fear of public speaking. Those of you that know me, would think that public speaking may come naturally (as I have a very big mouth that rarely stops to draw breath) but it totally freaks me out.
But before all of that, I have to meet with my 6 yr. old's teacher. Of course the day I have to plan out all this Tupperware stuff is the day that parent teacher conferences fall on. Which means I have to drop off my kids with somebody, go get my husband from work and then hear all the horrors about how my perfect little angel had terrorized all the other kids into tears. It has already been a rough school year and we are only into October. but thats another post on it's own.
But for now....it's 11 am....and I still haven't gotten a shower. My window of opportunity is running out as the baby will be up from his nap soon. So until next time....