We took the kids out in the boat last night to watch the fireworks. This could have gone one of two ways – it could have been a wild disaster with tired kids melting down and Landon freaking out from the loud noise. It could have been hot and muggy and we could have gotten eaten by mosquitos. OR it could have been perfect, with the kids being absolutely angelic, Landon sleeping forawhile then waking up to watch the fireworks with big, curious eyes and no major melt downs. You can probably guess that the latter is what happened. The kids were spectacular, the fireworks were amazing and the night was all around wonderful. The weather was perfect, there was a nice cool breeze and not a mosquito to be found. We anchored out in the Gulf and all around us we could see fireworks bursting in the air, a kaleidescope of color. When the Clearwater show finally started, the kids were primed and ready and ooo’hd and aaa’hd the whole time. Landon was, of course, an angel baby and genuinely seemed to enjoy the show. Even though we didn’t get back until 10:30 and to bed until 11:00, they were all great. They did wake up a little before 7:00 this morning, which was not ideal, but whatever – it means I’ll get naps today. Sloan was hilarious last night. There were some people parked in a boat next to us that kept yelling and whooping and hollering. Sloan joined right in and yelled over and over, “Yeah Baby – that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” It was great. Hope everyone else had a fun day!

So I’m sitting here listening to the radio, my hair still drying after a nice hot shower to rinse the beach sand off me and the kids. We smell of soap, coconut and chlorine. Our tummy’s are filled with chocolate chip ice cream and we are sufficiently worn out. We’re having a blast. The only challenge has been figuring out sleep arrangements. We’ve got Sloan sleeping on an Aerobed on the floor because Tia moves all over the place when she sleeps and she would probably beat him to death if they shared a bed. Sloan keep waking up at 4:00 thinking it’s time to start the day – not cool. I’m exhausted, but we’re having fun – minus the sunburn. I try so hard not to burn but today was one of those overcast days where you don’t realize how much sun you’re getting. I got some cute pictures of Landon at the beach today. He enjoyed himself, and he ate a ridiculous amount of sand. I’m sure his poops will look great tomorrow. So that’s the update for now. Not that exciting considering all we’ve done is swim all day every day. As soon as I figure out how to get pictures onto this computer I’ll dowload some. G’Night!

I almost busted…
We are here after a rough travelling day. Tia had a terrible afternoon. She did not sleep well last night – she woke up crying at 1:40 for reasons unbeknownst to me, then at 4:30, Sloan came tearing into the room saying she was missing…apparently she’d fallen out of bed and went right back to sleep on the floor halfway under her little bed. So she did not have a good night’s sleep. Combine that with no nap and you get a screaming, litterally uncontrollable screaming, child for the last half hour of the flight into Tampa. Oh, and to the man sitting in front of us who kept shooting us dirty looks and shaking his head in disgust…dude, you chose to sit in front of me so back off!

Anyway, Tia also scared the bejeebers out of me in the airport when we lined up to get on the plane (we were on Southwest). I thought she was lining up behind us but when I turned around she was gone. I started frantically looking for her and could not find her anywhere. My spidey senses kicked into hyper drive as I turned around in helpless circles. Finally Sloan said he saw her up at the front of the line. I ran up there calling her name and someone told me she was boarding the plane. I tore past the lady taking tickets and ran down the gateway and found her almost on the plane! Did no one see her? Geez! She kept me on my toes today for sure.

Now everyone is asleep. I already took them swimming and sufficiently wore them out – something I plan on doing pretty much every night for the next 26 days. I’ll update with zany tales when I can! Until next time – good night!

When I was in about fourth grade, we lived in a great two story house in Hudson, Wisconsin, a small town within spitting distance of the Twin Cities. My room was situated just above the back porch overlooking a vast field and miles of forest. It was an idyllic place to grow up, full of exploration, sledding, and outdoorsy fun! Another cool thing about my room was the fact that I could climb right out my window and sit on the roof, or at least the part of the roof that hung over the porch. I did this on occasion feeling very rebelious and super cool. I’d sneak out there, sit for a minute, then hustle back inside before my mom caught me. I never asked if I could do this because I had the slightest feeling that perhaps she would not think too favorably of what I thought a marvelous idea. I had day dreams of sitting out there, reading one of my new Babysitter’s Club books, breathing in the fresh air that whipped out of the trees and into our back yard. It made me feel just like the little girl in The Secret Garden, who always had a fun and unique place to sit while reading.

Well, one day, I got real balls and decided I wanted to explore further. I don’t know where my parents were that I had such gall to give this a try, but they were apparently a safe enough distance away that all commen sense was able to flee my scrawny body and lead me into the way of stupidity – a common ailment of youth. I tentatively tiptoed down this stretch of roof, past my brother’s window and followed the roof up to the right where it got really steep and really high. My goal was to make it to the chimney and survey the land around me, then go back to my room, victorious. My plan would have been fool proof had it not been for the nest of horse flies that I stepped in on my ascent. Suddenly swarm by giant, hungry creatures, their kaleidescope eyes surveying their next meal, my brain screamed, “abort, abort!” Biting my lip to keep from calling out and bringing undo attention to myself, I made a hasty retreat, nearly sliding off the roof to a certain hospital visit. Luckily, I caught myself and managed to get back into my room in one, albeit slightly swollen from the bites of about 500 flies (okay maybe not that many…) piece. I’m not sure if my mom and dad ever heard that story so if this is the first time, uhhhh sorry I did that?

Aaaanyway, my point is that today as I was watering my plants and Sloan was supposed to be having rest time, I suddenly look over and the little Houdini is standing in the landscaping outside his window all proud and beaming. He figured out how to unlock his window, push it open, push up the screen and climb out. Thankfully, we live in a ranch so this is not that big of a deal, save for the fact that I have no doubt he will do this again, and likely at a time when we are not watching because doggonit if the kid isn’t just like me! And if we ever move into a house with second story bedrooms, you better believe there will be some kind of alarm attached to it because I know a little too much about what Sloan is thinking in that adorable little head of his. Of course, I’ve no doubt he will outsmart me at some point and that someday he will probably share a story with me of the dumb things he did as a child while I unknowingly went through my day thinking my little angel was in his room reading. What goes around comes around huh?

We’re having Sloan’s 5th birthday party today. His birthday is not for a couple of weeks still, but since we’re going to be out of town we’re throwing a party early. One thing that drives me nuts is my complete lack of ability to make a nice cake. Martha Stewart would probably melt into a puddle of bitter tears if she saw some of the dreadful concoctions I’ve made, including this one:

At lunch today, I told the kids that after naps we would spend a little time cleaning up. Sloan’s response:
“Mom, I don’t think I can clean up today. Sorry. My knee hurts, and it’s telling my tummy to hurt a little bit too and I think my heart is also a little bit hurting so I just think that I can’t help you clean up today. I think I will just go play outside and ride my bike and you can clean.”
Me: “Well, if you have that many things that are hurting you, I don’t think you should go outside. You should probably just lie in your bed all day.”
S: “Weeelllll…it’s just hurting me to clean, not to play.”

Later, when Lee and the kids were wrestling, Lee gave Sloan a good shove. He fell over laughing, shook his head and said, “That’s phenobulous.” What a kid.

I am overwhelmed. “Why?” you ask. Well, to start, my house is literally a pig sty. Seriously, we are living in filth. And I am frustrated that it’s so totally nasty in here. “Well, why don’t you just clean up?” you say. My answer to that is this: I don’t know how to clean with three screaming kids under my feet. I really don’t. I am a person who gets overwhelmed easily. Too much noise stresses me out. I can’t have a conversation if music is too loud. TV commercials make me feel like I need a dark, padded room to escape to. And crying kids make me crazy. I just don’t handle too many sounds meshing together very well. And for me to concentrate on a task, I need some peace and quiet. Thus, my severe issue with cleaning. I just can’t get my house cleaned with the kids around. Vacuuming is fine and I can clean the occasional bathroom. Dishes are okay, though not easy, and getting dirty laundry into the washer is pretty basic. However, getting said laundry out of the washer, into the dryer, folded and put away is not my strong suit. I blame it on the basement laundry – I don’t know what I’ll do when we live in a house with a first floor laundry. Mopping – pretty much out of the question unless I can have a few solid hours of no kids. Which leads me to this post. I don’t remember the last time I mopped my house. There-I said it. Here is a picture of what my pile of dirt looked like after sweeping the kitchen last night.

“Not too bad,” you say. Well, thanks, but the picture doesn’t do it justice – there was a crapload (pardon my french) of dirt and that was just the kitchen pile. That was not the piles from the other three rooms I swept and I didn’t even get to the bathrooms or our bedroom. Combine all the dirt in our house together and I think we could re-landscape the front yard.
What were the kids doing while I swept? Well, the older two were actually, miraculously, playing together in the basement. Although Tia ended up wetting her pants for the umpteenth time. I think she’s digressing in potty training. Landon sat in his high chair and screamed his head off as I frantically swept, feeling like crying the whole time myself.
Lee, trying to be so helpful, got a bunch of laundry out and started folding and putting it all away. What I really wanted him to do was hold Landon so he would stop crying. But that’s the difference between men and women isn’t it? A crying baby does not phase Lee. He just tunes it out. I, however, literally feel like I’m going insane. I ended up grabbing Landon and holding him while I ran the vacuum through the house, at least getting some of that nasty dirt up off the floor. But then I couldn’t get the vaccuum back into the closet because it looked like this: So I just left it sitting in the hallway.

I ended up with a massive migraine. I think my brain was swelling in an attempt to break away from the craziness of overload. So I went to bed early with visions of dirty floors plaguing me all night long. And now I am awake, still with a headache and still with dirty floors. What will I do today? Probably go somewhere to escape the mess. Out of sight out of mind right? In other news, we’ve had tons of fun the last few days, though that’s what’s contributed to my messy house and headache. Lots of playtime at the park with friends, plus a trip to Six Flags water park for me and the big kids (so fun!), plus a trip to the Zoo yesterday, combined with Lee being out of town for the weekend makes for one tired mama. So, I’m off to start another day, but I think it shall be a little more low key because I need a break from all the fun!