You sure about that?

So we have had this issue in our house for the past week or so. Every time Bug goes to brush his teeth he has been complaining about the toothpaste being gross. This is nothing new. Getting him to brush his teeth is like pulling teeth (har har) on a normal day. But his complaints got more and more desperate. Like "please don't make me brush my teeth!!!!" So I did some investigating. Went up and tasted the toothpaste myself. It is one of those kids toothpastes that has a base and an easy squeeze middle. When I squeezed the middle, bubbles blew out. It turns out, Sunshine has been doing herself a little science experiment of her own. She had been squirting hand soap into the tube. Just to see what would happen. What happened is she got herself into a heap of trouble. This all played out a week ago.

So time goes by. I buy another tube of toothpaste. All is right with the world once again and I am back to the battle of wills to get my kids to brush their teeth at least once a day. Then Bug comes down yesterday morning complaining about the taste again. "There is nothing wrong with it " I say. "I replaced it and so it should be fine." He squeezes the tube gently and sure enough, out comes more bubbles. I go find Sunshine and interrogate her. She bats her eyes innocently at me and claims no knowledge of the incident in question. I know better with her. She is getting to the age where she is testing her limits just to see how much she can get away with. Not this time sister!

So I ask her how the soap got in the toothpaste. She stairs blankly at me and says she doesn't know.
Me-"You have no idea how this happened?"
Sunshine-"I didn't do it."
Me- "Look me in the eyes and tell me what you know"
She then starts frantically looking all over the room, looking at me here and there.
Sunshine-" I don't know how it happened."
Me- "Ok, well I don't know if I believe you , and telling the truth is a big deal in this family, so why don't you go sit on the stairs and think about your story for a minute."
She sits on the stairs for a long time. Almost a half an hour. Finally she says "Ok I am ready to tell you what happened."
Me- "ok lets hear it."
Sunshine- "Well I woke up this morning and heard something in the bathroom. It sounded like someone was playing in the water, so I went in to see what was going on. That's when I saw Merlyn putting soap in the toothpaste."
Me-"Merlyn?"
Sunshine-"yes! that's who has been doing all of this. Totally NOT ME!"
Me-"Merlyn has been doing this the whole time?"
Sunshine- "Yes"
At this point she is grinning at herself and almost giddy that she came up with such a great story and that I bought it.
Thing is, .....I didn't really buy it.
Why you ask.....
Because this is Merlyn.

He couldn't have done it because he DOES NOT HAVE THUMBS!!!!!!

She managed to spin herself a mighty web of lies, but I gotta give her credit, she put alot of thought into it :) She won herself some pretty awesome punishment, and I think she'll think next time before blaming the cat for something that requires some serious motor skills.

Sorry but I got tagged....

A friend of mine tagged me so I have to do this survey. It's like the bloggy law. So if you have no interest in learning mundane aspects of my life, I suggest you close this up now. If you don't know enough useless facts about me, well then here you go. This is the post for you.

I am : A wife, a mother, a boo-boo healer, a chef, a taxi driver, a blower of sunshine, an accountant, an over spender, a jock, a princess, a brain, a basket case......(obscure reference)

I think : Therefor I am. My problem is I over think most things.

I know : that knowledge and true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing. Those nutty Greeks may have been on to something.

I want : patience to deal with all of my blessings.

I dislike : intolerant people. There IS no moral supremacy. We are all people. We would get so much more accomplished if we would stop fighting amongst ourselves and just worked together toward a common goal instead of bickering over nit picky details and differences.

I miss: My brain function. I miss not being able to hold on to a thought for more than a moment.

I fear : rodents of any kind. Even big ones like beavers and bunnies freak me out. It's paralyzing sometimes and completely embarrassing.

I hear: the pitter patter of little feet in every direction. Silence is a rarity around these parts.

I smell : My shampoo, a fresh grass candle burning in the other room, and I think some one's diaper needs a changin and I will tell you it is not mine.

I crave : many things that are bad for me. My New Years resolution is kicking specific bad habits. But the cravings don't disappear over night. Ask me again in a couple months.

I cry : Nope. Not a crier. I don't think I have had a good cry in about 3 or 4 years. My Mom used to say that I am a Vulcan , void of emotion. Most times I agree with her. I don't know what my problem is, I am just not a crier.

I search : for rare, vintage Tupperware. It's the first thing I scan for at a garage sale or a second hand store. I'm a junkie like that.

I wonder: if my daughter's hair will stay blond or if it will turn darker like her brothers'. I wonder if my kids will still have fun and be close when they grow up and leave the house. I wonder if I will ever tire of swimming and being in the water; even when I am old and wearing my purple "old lady" swimsuit. I wonder if my husband truly knew the extent of the runaway train that is my mind when he married me.

I regret: little. I make it a point to not regret anything. But sometimes it is unavoidable. I have 2 things that I regret that come to mind. I regret not going out of state to go to college. I kept close to home because of a boy. The dumbest reason of all. I also wish I had gone into a career in travel and seen a little more of the world before I settled down and had kids. I don't regret settling down, but I am far more limited as far as seeing anything outside of my small bubble of existence.

I love: my family and my animals.

I care: about many things. It's hard to come up with something clever with such a vague statement.

I always : tap a soda can before I open it, sing along to the radio when I drive alone, have to talk to animals that come up to me (I don't want to be rude), I swear up and down that I hate shows like Funniest home videos claiming it drops your IQ. But I secretly watch it and find myself giggling despite myself. I always cook for 94 even though there are only 5 in my family. I love leftovers and I panic that someone won't get enough to eat.

I worry: about very little. Most would say that I am quite irresponsible. However, Jesus said to "let tomorrow worry about itself" and I find that very liberating. I have seen way too many people work themselves into a froth worrying about things that they have little control over. I have made it to a point to actively "let go and let God". It has taken a lifetime to learn and I still have things that sneak in, but that is just how I roll.

I am not: a princess or a beauty queen. I am not a girly girl that has her identity wrapped up in appearance or the opinion of a man. I am not a very good shoulder to cry on as I don't handle girly emotions very well. Also, I am not good at math.

I remember: alot. My memory runs deep. I have a quick recall so I can pull up useless knowledge on a dime. You don't want to play jeopardy with me. It's not that I am any smarter than anybody, it's just that I can recall facts really quick. We all have a superpower I guess.

I believe: that Jesus died and rose on the third day. I believe in the fun of Santa clause. I believe that JFK was shot because he was trying to lead the country in a new direction. I believe that Han Solo shot Greedo first, and I believe that Bigfoot lives in the forests of the Northwest. Weirder things have happened.

I dance: to techno, house and club mixes of 70's and 80's music. I have no shame and I love to dance. The catch is I rarely dance sober. So I don't do it nearly enough.

I sing: any chance I can get. In the car, at home along with commercial jungles, along with the muzak in the grocery store. It completely embarrasses and annoys my husband. I try to keep it to a minimum around him, but sometimes you just get a song in your head and you can't shake it until you sing it out loud. Although it is truly unfortunate that I am apparently tone deaf and can't carry a tune. So I usually get self conscience. But sometimes, like I said, little can be done to hold it in.

I argue: far too much. I am constantly reminded that not everyone cares what my opinions are. Over the years of repeatedly sticking my foot in my mouth, I have learned to get better control of my mouth. I am still learning though. Every now and then I am reminded about humility.

I write: mostly to keep a record of my day to day life. I am surprised just how much I write down in my blog that I wouldn't have otherwise written down, but would have been forgotten in a couple of years. I am really glad I wrote down trivial details. Even the bad things. It helps me remember things more accurately.

I win: sometimes. But in all honesty, I am in no way competitive. I don't like competition because it brings out the worst in people and creates conflict. No thank you.

I lose: hand fulls of hair every morning in the shower. I have always had really thin hair and this is why.

I wish: that I had a maid service, a landscaping service,an in ground pool, a bedroom for everyone in my house, free airline tickets to go anywhere we wanted to go, family that lived closer, and more hours in the day. Is that too much to ask?

I listen: to my kids sleeping at night. Each one of them has their own rhythmic breathing pattern that lets me know that they are deep asleep. It's just something that I like to do.

I am scared: that my kids will finally realize that I really don't know what I am doing. It's only a matter of time before they discover that I am making this up as I go.

I forget: simple details of everyday tasks. My brain after 3 kids has turned to bubble yum at this point. I find myself trying to make a pot of coffee without putting water in the pot. Or running through all the kids names and the dog's name before the right one lands on the right child.

I am happy: Just that. I am happy.

I tag: Shanna, Kristen and Meez. You have to do it....it's the bloggy law!

At long last

So I know my last post was a sad excuse, but like I said I have been busy. So without further delay I give you my photo diary of what we did this weekend. Which as you can see it was a whole lot of beach combing. But to us, that is really relaxing. It was a great weekend.

My in laws rented out a big beach house on the coast. My sister , mother, and father in law plus my family all fit nicely. We split up the meals and just enjoyed each others company. We had phenomenal weather. It was clear as a bell and in the 60's. Sometimes we don't get that lucky in the middle of summer. So for January it was really rare. We spent most of the time on the beach in just light jackets or t shirts.
This is something we look foreword to every year and once again we had a great time.

Yeah, Yeah I know!

I know, I am a crummy blogger. I let my pesky life get in the way of the blogosphere. (Yes it is a real word) I have been busy what with my addiction to all things Twilight and the whole back to school routine.

Also, my husband's family rents a beach house every winter around this time so we were out of town for the past 4 days.

Yeah.....that's my excuse.

I have a ton of pictures that i fully intend on putting up either later tonight or tomorrow, but for now, just know that I have not forgotten you. I am just wicked busy.

But for now I will just give you a little taste.

So many fashion faux pas going on here ....where to begin? I call it Oregon coast chic.

Ninja post - This is a cry for help!

This is Jaqui's husband asking for help.



She is way too obsessed with this Twilight series.



We need to instruct her in the proper ways of the vampyre.



Help me explain that one of these following vampires doesn't belong:























Help me explain that even these:








Are better then this:







We still have 3 movies to go, people. I don't know how much more I can stand.

An embarassing confession

Ok so I have this confession.

Apparently I have turned into one of THOSE girls.

I had a friend turn me on to this book. I had heard about it, but had little interest. I bought it and it sat on my nightstand for almost a month until I picked it up and my new obsession began.

A little book called Twilight.

I had heard how this book has swept the nation in the 9-18 year old girl demographic. I clearly am nowhere near that demo. But I thought I'd just see what all the hype is about. I have a deep love for Anne Rice and the vampires she created. It almost felt like I was cheating a bit as I started reading it.

Once I started though, it was like heroin. I could not put it down. There are 4 books in the series. I tore though all four of them in 6 days. When I was not reading, I was thinking about reading. It had turned into an intense obsession.

I saw the movie last week and then I turned my friend Molly on to the books the other day and she had the same response it it I had. So at least I'm not alone in this weird little world of fantasy. She called me last night and in a spur of the moment thing we decided it was out of our control and we had to go see the movie again. So at 10:30 at night these 2 obsessed thirty somethings sat in a theater with over hormoned teenagers and watched the movie.....again.
I can't even put my finger on what is so darn appealing about these books either. They are meant for teenagers, there is no language or sex. Aside from the obvious vampire stuff, they are completely clean.

It is all very bizarre.
My husband thinks I have lost my mind, but then this is not a new thing for him.

I can't be sure, but I think Molly and I may go see it again tomorrow afternoon.


Help!~ I am in love with teenage vampires! Glittery ones at that! :)

New years eve

So I know I have been behind the ball as far as posting in here. I will talk about that later today and explain what has been holding me captive.

But first... here are some pictures from our awesome New Year's eve party that we went to.

We went over to my friend Erin's place for just a low key night. Nothing raging or anything. In fact almost everyone there had kids. We just hung out, talked and played wii. It was nice.
The older kids even made it to midnight for the ball to drop. I was amazed. There were no meltdowns or anything. There were enough other kids to play with that I think the peer pressure to stay up over took the fact that they were super tired.

The noise level in the house made my husbands ears coil in pain. Considering his ears are pretty trashed from years of concerts and band practices. He is very diligent about ear protection when he goes to places that he knows he will need it. He didn't think that he would need it at a party. He was wrong, so wrong. He was cringing while my 3 friends and I were playing doubles tennis on the wii. He said..and I quote..." being in the same room with you guys playing this is painful. It sounds like chickens are being raped."
I guess we got a little overexcited while we were playing. It happens.

Anyhow, we all lived another night and brought in the new year with champagne and fireworks (provided by the neighbors of course)

The kids watching over the fence to see what kinds of fireworks the neighbors would dish out.