Childhood dreams...poof

So my "tween"...a child between the ages of 8 and 12 for those of you too young to have a "tween"...Madison has believed in Santa since she was little. Now, I know there are a lot of people out there who don't want their kids believing in Santa. John was one of them. I however love, no really love, no really, really, really LOVE Christmas!! And that means everything that goes with it, including Santa. Not, however, to the exclusion of Christ. He is the center of our Christmas. Always has been and always will be. But I wanted the kids to experience the fantasy that is Santa. So we have been a Santa family from the beginning. (With Santa only filling the stockings so John could get credit for the big presents...men!)

Now Madison will be 9 in March and I knew her fantasy would be ending soon, if not from the influence of older friends, from her own intellect. It happened today. Darn-it. This morning she was asking me if Santa was real. I averted her question by saying I was concentrating on my email and we'd talk later. I ran upstairs to call John almost in tears. He of course calmed me down as he always does and reasoned with me. I sighed and hung up. Then she asked nothing all day. I was so happy. Until just about 10 minutes ago. In front of Marshall. Thankfully I could honestly tell him to get to bed while Maddy and I had a "girl talk".

She said she could kind of believe that Santa was real but found it silly (her word) that reindeer could fly. Why she thought an elderly chubby man could get to almost every house in the world in one night but reindeer couldn't fly is beyond me, but there you go. So I had to tell her the truth. I couldn't lie to her. And I had never lied to her before about it either. She just never asked the right question before tonight.

She said she was a little disappointed but that it did make sense to her. She promised she would not tell the little ones. She will act her part when she opens her stocking on Christmas morning. Then she realized it was John and I who had been eating the cookies all these years and cried foul!! Of all things to make her upset. That and the reindeer food that gets kicked off the porch instead of being eaten by reindeer. She's some kid that Maddy of mine!

Will update sooner or later...

Well, it's been kinda crazy around here. I haven't been around to blog too much lately. We were on vacation and while on vacation I received the news that my maternal grandfather had passed away. It wasn't a shock, he had been in hospice care for about 6 weeks, but it's still hard none the less. Harder still was the fact that my parents were on a mission trip in Mexico and I was tasked with getting a hold of them and passing the news on to my Mom...very sad. Then I had to call others in my family as well. I actually made John make most of the calls...I'm very weepy with that stuff.

Even harder than that is I'm not sure he was saved. He never showed evidence of it in his life, nor showed the desire for Christ. My parents and I would try and talk to both my grandparents when we would see them on vacations and such, but they never wanted to talk about it. Now I wished I had tied him to a chair and made him listen...but then it's not my job to save, it's God's, and He has a plan bigger than mine thankfully. His funeral was quite sad in that I think their pastor is not saved either...at least there was no evidence in the "message" he gave.

So anyway, I haven't felt much like blogging lately...although much has happened in our little world so I should. And I will. I just need to get back to my little home school world and our schedule.

So, until then...

New invention please!!

I really need someone to invent something for me. Would someone kindly invent disposable clothes? I mean, someone came up with disposable diapers...thank you very much Mr. Man whoever you are! Can't we apply the same principle to clothes? It wouldn't be as difficult as disposable diapers cause you don't have the need for absorbency. Well, maybe in the pits area.

I am so tired of laundry. I do like a trillion loads (and yes, it is a trillion cause I've counted as I've done them) and then 2 days later (and yes, it is 2 days later) there's another trillion loads waiting to be done. I'm staring at the stinkin' stuff right now. Ew. Don't want to. Wish the kids were old enough to. At least I've got them folding and putting away the clean clothes. That's a huge help. And no, the clothes are not folded perfect but I really don't care if I go around wrinkled. The fact that I can find A) clothes that fit B) clothes that are clean and C) clothes that match is HUGE in my book!!

Maybe I should just have the kids run around naked and only get dressed when we go somewhere. Hmmm. That's a thought I'll have to give serious consideration to. Although then there'd be all these naked butts on my couch. Ew. Gross.

So, I'm back to asking someone to invent disposable clothes. Seriously. Please.

That's my Marsh-Man!

Conversation Marshall and I just had...

Marshall: Mommy, see my ears?

Me: Yeah.

Marshall: Did you see them move?

Me: (looking closely)Yes, I guess they did move.

Marshall: Yeah, I'm like a dog. A dog can move it's tail. I can move my ears! But I can't move my butt cheeks. I've tried. But I just can't. And my penis. I can't control my penis.

Me: (Laughing my butt cheeks off!!)Well, yeah, I can tell that from the bathroom!

Success!

Couch cushion covers clean.

No shrinking, shredding, or shriveling.

Lots of sweat getting them back on!!

Children given speech about no eating or drinking on couch anymore.

Will give hubby same speech later.

I rock!

(Okay, I know y'all are probably thinking, "what's the big deal? I've washed my couch cushion covers a million times"...well, I didn't know you could. There I've said it. I know they have zippers on them, but I just thought that was to get them on in the first place. I didn't know you could wash them. I'm glad that's off my chest. I feel much better.)

Let's Pray...

...that I haven't ruined our couch.

It's been getting pretty dirty what with five messy, sticky, drippy children running around. Not to mention the dog and 3 cats.

I decided that I should try and wash the covers of the cushions. They are in the washer about to be put in the dryer and I am praying they don't shrink, shrivel, or shred. If they do come out as they were before...although clean of course...pray my children don't hear any words come out of my mouth that shouldn't as I'm trying to squeeze the cushions back into the covers. They make those suckers tighter than a frogs water-proof behind!!

Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out. My hubby won't be too happy if I tell him we need new couches!!

All is quiet

That's right. It is quiet around here. Well, there is still the yelling, running, laughing, fighting, whining, loud talking, wrestling, and what-not-nonsense that has always been around. But the crinkle is gone.

Almost as quickly as Marshall...see previous post...Cooper has conquered the toilet. No more diapers except at night. He refuses to wear one anymore. Not even in the car when I'm sure he's going to let it flow, let it flow, let it flow. But he doesn't. He just lets us know when he has to go, and does. Sometimes he just brings us his underwear and lets us know he's just gone...see previous post.

Just wanted to let the world know that after 8 1/2 continuous years of changing wet, stinky, sometimes downright nasty pants (and sometimes other body parts as well, depending on how nasty the pants were), it's over. Sad. Happy. I don't know which one to choose.

Whoever said...

that potty training girls was easier than boys is full of...well, full of what goes in the potty!!

I've been delaying potty training Cooper just because...well, I don't know, laziness? Knowing he's my last baby? Thinking this is the last little tushy to make that cute crinkling sound as he runs around in a diaper? Everyone telling me to "he's a boy, wait until he's at least 3!"?

Well, whatever the reason, I just decided that I should at least try. I mean, Marshall (and I am NOT exagerating at all people) potty trained himself. He said he wanted to use the potty one day at church...before he was 3...I rolled my eyes and said, sure honey. He went and that was all she wrote. No accidents. None. Not one. Ever. Used the potty from that day on. Don't know why he chose that day. Don't know how he did it. Don't really care. It was over before it began in my book! So much easier than Madison had been since she pooped her panties til she was 3 1/2.

So with the Coop, on Monday I put him in his big boy underware. Told him what to do. He sat there. Did it and he got his candy that I promised. I have to say, I was slightly shocked that at the first try he accomplished his goal. 45 minutes goes by. Same story. It has been 4 days, and he has had about 5 accidents, but in my mind, that's pretty darn good. And he's been going when I'm not even in the bathroom with him. I'll be in the basement and he calls to me and says he did it. I go check, and yes, the evidence is there that he has indeed relieved himself by hinself.

Today was huge because he hadn't yet pooed in the toilet. But I was again in the basement and hear his little voice calling to me saying he had done his business. I go upstairs and find (faint of heart should stop reading here...seriously...last chance) a huge stinking poo bomb. I didn't know he could do such a large doo-doo. I'd never seen anything that big in his diapers before. But there it was. I made such a racket over it oohing and ahhing that the other kids came running...my other four and the three friends we had over...that's 9 people all crowded into a teeniny little bathroom. Cooper starts high-fiving everyone out of joy and pride.

My baby is growing up. And I'm ready to be done with diapers...I think!

I'm Ba-ack!

This is really just a test to see if I remembered how to do this...I didn't. It took me forever. Well, and the fact that the whole system had changed, and I had to create a new account or something like that. I'm not sure what I did exactly. I'm computer illiterate. I don't know what I'm doing most of the time.

Well, it's late and as I said, I just wanted to do this test. I don't think anybody even reads my blog...maybe a few did at one time here and there, but really, how long could I expect those few to continue checking after a few months has gone by.

And Karen, if you are reading this, please excuse all of the mistakes I've made in grammar, punctuation, etc...it's REALLY late for me and I'm not all that good at that stuff when I'm not tired!!