Seriously....This DOG!

O.k...seriously...Scout is killing me. She does nothing for me these days. NOTHING. She brings me no joy. She is semi-cute and I occasionally pet her, but other than that, she serves the purpose of a canine vacuum for me at this point.
In fact, I spend most of my attention on her CLEANING UP after her or getting her to stop annoying kids, etc.
I took her for a walk on Saturday and was TRYING to feel the love with her...and then she poo'd on our new basement carpet this morning while we were gone (to her defense, I think she must be ill to do that).
Even still...RIDICULOUS!
Hey there...need to feed two hungry kids, get one in quiet time, change a diaper, one in a nap, switch out laundry, shower and empty the dishwasher? Well SURE..I would LOVE to clean up poo and pee off the basement carpet, as well!
I LOVE MY DOG!!!! I wish I could send her off to a lovely farm..if such a place existed. But the guilt would get to me...

Random side note that has nothing to do with my annoying dog: This morning, as the kids were waving to Matt leaving for work out the front window...Lucy busts out, "Bye Dad! Be brave out on the streets!"
Where the heck does she think we live...Flint?

When I Love Them The Most...

I love them the most when they are just being who they are. When their clothes don't match, they have crud on their faces, and they are just doing their thing.
I love when she needs 1,000 accessories before she leaves the house and when he starts dancing when no one is looking.
I like when I try to control everything, and they have a plan all their own (o.k. not always...but I can appreciate their plan...really, I can).
I love when he says, "Ta da!" after he does something he's proud of...
I love when she is working hard on coloring just the way she wants it...
I like when they are just being them.
A couple of friends have said to me this week, "Lucy is such a spunky kid." and/or "She has always got something going on, doesn't she?"
It's at those moments that I think I feel most proud.
She's her own person and a really interesting and funny person, at that.
I don't like to feel like they aren't being what they "should be" or "need to be" for anyone.
I have been hard on her this week, and hard on myself.
This next week will be better.

Always Lookin' Out...

This morning on the way to school, we were listening to the two songs the kids like played over and over and over and over again...
"Happy Face" and "Zippity Doo dah" (thanks, Maria! Best CD ever!!)

Me: Lucy, did you know there is a ride in Disneyworld where you get to listen to this song the whole time? It's called Splash Mountain!

Lucy: Can we go there right now?

Me: No, we'll go later this summer. I can't wait either!

Lucy: Can I hug Minnie? And when I hug Cinderella she will say to me, "All your Dreams have come true!" and then when you see Snow White all your dreams will come true, too?

Me: Yes! Thanks for remembering that Snow White is my favorite!

(Side note: She always remembers...she draws/colors me special pics of Snow White and brings them to me and when we see a picture of her in a store, she'll say, "Look Mom, your favorite!" ha ha...)

Me continued: But really, all my dreams will come true when I get to be at Disneyworld with you guys.

Lucy: Butt happy smile on her face looking outside.

Me: Butt happy smile on my face watching her.

Thank God We Got That Figured Out...

Lucy: Mom? When you go to the hospital to have a baby...do you get a nightgown or pajamas?

Me: You can have both. They give you a nightgown or you can bring your own jammies.

Lucy: What did you do when you had me?

Me: I brought jammies so I would feel at home.

Lucy: O.k. That's what I will do too...

The Worst One Yet...

...Tantrum, that is. It has been a while since Lucy has had an old-school drop-down, drag-out, horribly, terribly naughty tantrum. She made up for it this afternoon.
After saying "hi!" to her best neighbor buddy, Annie, and realizing she couldn't go inside to watch Cinderella with her, she proceeded to hit me, push me and then spit.
Yeah, I call that the triple-wammy naughtiest of naughty. The trifecta of worst-case scenario behavior, if you will.
So with Tommy happily on his bike, I have to try and get Lucy home for time-out, while sweating and pushing him back as well.
Without giving all the gory details, let's just say it involved 10-15 minutes of so much sweating, drama, screams in the new neighbor's yard (who I have YET to meet and who I am sure is currently emailing Oprah to award me "Mother of the Year") that it ended with Lucy in her room, me covered in sweat and shaking from anger and frustration, and Tommy stressed and crying.
And this is all before noon, people....
Not a great "mom moment" for me at all.

Fast forward one hour later.
Things have calmed down, we have talked through what happened, where things went wrong, what we'll do better, etc.
Me: "Even though we have troubles, Luce, I will always love you forever."
Her reply, "Even though we have troubles, Mom, I will always love you forever, too."

And now I can officially put it behind us and try and all do better next time.
Geez...

Lookout Molly Ringwald...

What a busy week it has been! I can't even tell you why...but it has been a jam-packed week. I think that the warm weather (FINALLY!) has got us all crazy...I can barely drag the kids inside to eat a meal or go to bed. In the meantime, we are playing, splashing, playgrounding and just generally enjoying the outdoors. I am also deep into the "meaty" portion of my race training (less than 3 weeks to go now!).
Another fun week is coming, with a close friend from Chicago visiting...a field trip for Lucy to a horse ranch...and some work for a new client I am excited about!

What else happened this past week? Our good friends hosted an 80's theme party...









So, until I have a moment to write something witty and meaningful...HAPPY SPRING!!! Gotta get back outside!

Lucky Her, Lucky Me...

I found this t-shirt for Lucy this past weekend. It is a vintage Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs t-shirt. I am seriously jealous. One thing I haven't mentioned here is my love for everything Snow White. I know...I am 34 and it is, in fact, creepy. However, I must tell it like it is and the truth is...I love me some Snow White paraphanalia. Always have - ever since I saw the movie at 2 years old. I wish they made this for grown ups...


They didn't have Disney Stores or anything like that when I was growing up. But one time, for some random reason, Sears department store had Snow White night gowns. My mom snagged me one. I think it was a size 4 or 5 but I wore that dress everyday with joy and glee for many years. I even remember the very day I tried to squeeeeze my arms into the luxurious Snow White puffy sleeves for the last time, realizing that I couldn't fit into it anymore. I sobbed and sobbed...

Another thing going on in my world? I am eating cookies. Lots of them. I have already had 5 today and that is just ridiculous. Hey, I have to indulge in something when I am in training! ha! Here is the recipe for the best cookies I have ever had but I warn you...they will call to you from the kitchen in a high pitched, creepy voice...
"I am good for you! There are oats in me! Do not be afraid! Have another!"

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups peanut butter
3 eggs
4 cups old fashioned oats (See? Very healthy, indeed!)
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 bag mini chocolate chips

Mix together the 1st 4 ingredients. Mix in peanut butter. Add in one egg at a time. Mix together oats and baking soda and add slowly to mix until stiff. Gently mix in chocolate chips.
Make into small, spoon-size balls at least 2 inches apart (they expand!)
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
LUXURIATE WITH THEM WHILE STILL WARM!!

Imagination in the House...

It's a cruddy weekend here. A nice, cold drizzle that doesn't want to stop. How do my children break away from the bad weather blues? Lucy proclaimed there was a "book sale" in the living room, of course!


For about one hour, they worked furiously on lining up the books, organizing the books, chasing each other with the books, and "reading" the books.
Yeah...not one customer. No one seemed to mind that part.

It reminded me of the things I would pretend in my basement growing up. We created many a grocery store (me on register, sister as customer, of course), classroom (me as teacher, sister as student, of course), stage show (me as cute guitarist, sister as plg drummer, of course), and library (me as book stamping librarian, sister as lame-o reference desk worker)...

Another big thing I loved to do was create "tickets" to "shows" being performed in our basement. I found one such ticket in my parent's photo album a while back...

gRATe ShOW
4 p.m
PLEeSe ComE (if you can)

We'd just hand it over to my dad raking the leaves and then bad ass it to the basement (as it was 3:55 p.m.) and giggle and wait and see if he could make it to the show.

Ahhh...good times. Some of the best memories I have of growing up.
So I'm happy to see the book sale is underway. The best moment was when I heard Lucy tell Tommy to organize the books and he looked at her all butt serious and started moving books around the couch on some sort of mission.
Nothing like a 2 and 3-year old running the store...

Holding It Together...

Yesterday, the kids and I packed up for a marathon visit to a friend's house 2 hours away. A day trip that began at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 8:30 p.m. It was a great day - all the kiddos got along splendidly and the grown-ups got to visit.
But...as we got in the car at 6:30 p.m. to begin our car ride home, Lucy started to look a little stressed and weepy. Then the wimpering began. Then the ridiculous requests. Then the full-on sobs. Poor little thing.
At first I felt bad for her, and then mad that she was being so obnoxious with her fake crying, then back to feeling sorry for her. I tried to talk to her but realized that made it worse.
She just needed to work it out after her big day of "holding it together." She didn't know her playmates very well because I don't see my girlfriend as often as I wish. But she never had an issues or troubles or acted worried at any point. Clearly, she held it all in until this plg hour of sobbing she let out.
At one point, I asked her, "Why are you still crying?" and she responded,
"I am so tired I just can't stop," with big red eyes. Poor little girl. At least she could articulate what she was feeling.
I actually remember that feeling myself. Getting home from school or work after a big day and just letting it all out...breathing a sigh of relief, without even realizing I'd been holding it in for so long. Working so hard to be "on" for people all day. And then, just laying there in zombie-land.
It was just her 3-year-old version of coping with that same feeling.
PLG...

Girl's Weekend...

My mom, sister, Lucy and I just enjoyed 2 days together in the beautiful Metropolitan Detroit area. I could speak of the arts, the lovely food, or the stupendous site-seeing we had.
But no...
Instead, I shall sum it all up with a clip of us enjoying all the weekend had to offer us. I feel it really expresses the feelings we all shared over that magical time together...

">

Busy, Busy...

We have been "extracurricular Johnsons" the past few weeks (ha ha...you love it), and I am excited to say that our spring classes are winding down this week. Both kids had swimming lessons at the local pool. Tommy went with Daddy (and Boppa, when Daddy was traveling for work) and Luce went solo! Both kids have done great.

In six short weeks, Tommy went from clinging to Matt's neck to actually smiling and splashing around. Not that he is doing any of that in this picture. In fact, he looks a bit stricken, but just trust me on this.


Lucy went from having no fear, to having even less fear (not sure if this is good or not!) - but gathered some basics that I think will be helpful this summer...


Twelve weeks of dancing class also ended for Lucy this past weekend, with a dance recital! You might recall, about three months ago, me blogging about her previous performance meltdown and running off stage. Well fast forward three months later and the girl was on fire! So brave and into it...sat with her class quietly without me (in the dark, no less), followed her teacher on stage and actually did the moves really well! Ta da!


She even asked if she could stay for the other 20 performances by the bigger kids and loved every minute...bless her heart...


And now the weekdays open up more, and for this, I am a bit relieved. Now get some freakin' spring weather going so we can head to the park! Ridiculous!!!