Complaints....in writing

I'm in a perfect mood for this post, a compendium of complaints.  I just have to get it off of my chest.

Dear Hasbro,
Please make your Star Wars weapons and accessories tinier.
While you are at it, provide each figurine with more tiny weapons, 9 guns for Snow Han Solo just doesn't seem like enough.

Thanks! Mama Lou

Dear Toys R Us/Babies R Us Peeps,
Clean your parking lots.  Gross.  And buy some more garbage cans for your parking lots.  It's not rocket science.
I'mNotComingBackUntilYouDo. unless of course I have to.
Mama Lou

Dear Toys R Us/ Babies R Us Patrons,
Please stop using the parking lot as your garbage can.  Hey! Lady dumping the huge box in the parking lot! I'm talking to you!  Mom, dropping a dirty diaper, this means you.
Gross, share the planet! ML

Dear Clothing Manufacturers,
How about a sizing summit.  While I appreciate the low prices, I can't understand why 4T Boy Shorts range from Daisy Dukes to comically large weight loss waist.  And my baby? She has arm rolls.  Arm Rolls + tight elastic? Not so great.
cheap mama lou

Dear Retail Website Designers,
Three words: Sort By Price.

Dear Fresno Drivers,
I've been known to roll a stop sign or two.  The trick is that you didn't see me because I was the only one at the stop sign!  Just stop!  And those of you that want to wave me forward while you are rolling the stop sign?  Just stop!  Fresno stop sign intersections are 30 seconds of hell.  And I'm not even going to start with the Roundabouts.  Don't stop!

Dear Solicitors,
It really doesn't matter what form you take, I'm not going to buy anything from you.  You can call, knock on my door, send me mail, send me emails, send me text messages, walk up to me in parking lots.... It's not happening.
Leave me alone!
Mama Lou


Phew.  That's better.

Happiest Place on Earth

What does this picture mean?  It means my boys were waiting at the front window for Grandma to pick them up to go camping.  This post could be about how much I will be missing my boys for the next five days but chin up Mama Lou... this post is about going to Grandma's House.

Waiting to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house is like standing in line at Disneyland.  You are ready for fun and excitement but you have to wait.  My boys often stalk around the house for hours with their backpacks on their backs in anticipation.  If you happen to be a parent who has had the ultimate pleasure of waiting with your kids for... let's say, The Toy Story ride.  Then you know what I'm talking about.  Time stands still.  The things around you that are meant to keep your kids entertained FAIL.  Your turn to ride the ride just cannot come soon enough. 

I've learned to not tell my children anything.  Because the sooner you tell them, the longer the wait.

When I got home from Sarah's baby shower today and found the stool in front of the window, my blinds and drapes slightly askew, I knew it.  My boys are off on their ultimate Disneyland. 

p.s. while Patrick's gone who will feed the dogs and tell me how to parent Lauren?  Any volunteers?

Best Buddies

Patrick and Keith~Summer '11

Yesterday I sat quietly by the pool (before the bee attacked my baby...another story) listening to a story unfold.  Two kids (non HR residents.... another story) were befriending my boys and a game was evolving.  They were picking teams and everyone wanted to be on Patrick's team.  Patrick wanted Keith.  Perfect.  No parental intervention, Keith hadn't even asked to be on Patrick's team yet, but Patrick chose Keith. 

Around my house this summer I'm hearing a lot about "best buddies."  My boys can play for hours and hours with little or no arguing.  It feels a little miraculous and I hesitate to speak of it.  During the school year Keith waits (practically at the door) all day for Patrick to get home.  Now that its summer he has his brother all day long and he is happy. 

They still manage to fight over silly things, including the Lego magazine, yogurt, swords and their sister (She's MY best buddy not yours!  Mom asked me to play with Lauren!).  It could be worse.  Some nights they stay up all night reading in Patrick's room.  Some days they create improbable Star Wars scenarios that carry on for hours.  Some mornings they make sure they are dressed alike.  Everyday they are brothers.

Games we play

I've been secretly waiting for the time when the boys were both interested in playing card games.  I come from a family of intense game playing.  My Grandpa Keith taught all of us how to play cards at a very young age.  My mom's second favorite question to ask is: what game do you want to play?   While I was waiting for my wedding to begin I played cards with my cousins.  We like to play games.

Until now, Keith has been too young and wily to play games.  Now we have officially broken the seal.  Candyland has been replaced with UNO, complete with Mom and Dad strategy consultations (To play the high counters or hold them for the perfect moment... that is the question.) 

we love family game night day!

Today we went to the library

It was Keith's first trip.  I have a vague memory of taking Keith and Patrick a few years ago.... it wasn't fun.

This morning when I announced that today was (finally) library day, Patrick was excited.  Keith? Not so much.

In the car ride there Keith made up a song about not wanting to go to the library.  It was a catchy tune.  The chorus was "let's just go home, let's just go home."

Once we got there he started to warm up to the idea of picking out his own books.  And then he found not one but TWO Star Wars books.  How does he do that? 

Things got a bit dicey when I wanted to look for books for myself.  There was quite a bit of loud SHUSHing.  I shushed Keith once and he proceeded to shush himself, his sister, and pretty much any other noise.  Do you still have to be quiet in the library?  Because we weren't.  Then he announced that he had to go to the bathroom... AGAIN.

Then it was time for the best part of the trip: Keith got his very own library card! 

"Keith, do you want to go back to the library?"
"YEAH!......no."

Look Mom!

 Hey! There!

 Look at me!

 No hands!

How do you like me now?

Oh Patrick, my Patrick.

Five things about Patrick

1) This summer is the summer of reading (and a little bit of math).  He's already finished one Harry Potter book and is half-way through another one.

2) He's saving up for a Kindle.  He's been earning extra money by picking up dog poop, cleaning base boards, scrubbing toilets, etc.  He should have it in the next couple of weeks.

3) He's swimming in the "deep end."  Swim lesson success..... I'm holding out for more, he's completely satisfied.

4) Take a look at his eye. Boo!  A stye that has been so swollen and painful for over three weeks.  It is finally doing better... the eye in a picture below is a huge improvement.

5) He's my absent minded professor.  Case in point; I spent most of the day on Tuesday catching up on laundry.  I asked my almost 7 year old to put his clothes away at the end of the day.  On Wednesday, I asked him to ring me his dirty clothes.  What I thought would be a few items (since I had just done laundry) turned into a large pile.  Somehow all of his clean shorts ended up in the dirty pile... head shake.