You can call me a wimp...

...you can call me a wuss.

You can even call me battered and bruised.

But what you will NOT call me is spider-bitten!

It all happened when I went to take a shower. (No wise cracks, ya hear!)

I looked up and I saw the spider. On the ceiling. And struggling.

It seemed to be slipping from the condensation that was forming from the shower steam.

I'm not some big skeerdy cat when it comes to spiders (normally), but this involved me having to close my eyes at times to wash and I just wasn't risking it.

All I could see in my head was opening my eyes after rinsing my hair out or the soap from my face, and staring smack-dab at a spider!

No, I couldn't risk that.

So I did a little holler...

"KID!"

I didn't care which one showed up, but I needed a kid.

"KID!"

No response.

I thought that they probably couldn't hear me over the television being that Raiden thinks that the t.v. must drown out all other sounds including his own thoughts.

Then I saw that darn spider slip off of the ceiling!

I squealed!

It caught itself and clumsily pulled itself back up to the ceiling.

Whew! That was a close one.

I knocked on the wall and yelled a few more times before Raiden finally came to the bathroom door. That's when I did something stupid.

Right before my son came to the door, I thought it would be a swell idea to prepare myself to squash the little spider. I placed my left foot on the side of the bathtub. I began to lift my right foot to the wall of the bathtub.

That's when I slipped...

...but I caught myself as well! (just like the spider, ya see.)

I did bump my leg on the side of the tub, but no biggie. Could have been much worse! I'll just have a nice bruise on my leg as well as my foot probably.

Funny thing was that when I slipped I let out a little yelp and that was the same moment that Raiden was walking in the door. I heard him let out a little yelp as well and close the door back. I didn't understand why, but I thought it was funny. When he came back in I asked if I had scared him when I yelled but of course he said no. He's such a tough guy!

Well I ended up getting my shoe that I needed and proceeded to step back onto the bathtub side withOUT the shower curtain under my foot this time. Yeah, I'm a genius, I know. The spider was squished and all was right with the world once again.

You can call me a wimp...

Five Question Friday

Happy Friday everyone!! I hope all are having a super duper day! (Don't know why I'm in such a good mood so early.) 

Today I decided to get back into Mama M's five question friday. I meant to last week, but forgot by the end of the day. Anywho... I'll copy the rules and junk here (er, down there actually) so that you, too, can play along. Just make sure you link back up to Mama M so everyone else can see your answers! (Just click on the picture link below.)

 

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Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post. Answer them, then c'mon back to link up! If you don't have a blog, but would like to participate, feel free to leave your answers in the comments of this post, or any post along the way!

Questions for Friday, July 2nd: (Special thanks to Sami, Emily, Sarah, and a couple of patriotic questions from yours truly! If YOU would like to be linked in a future 5QF, visit my community, and leave your best question suggestions!!)

1. What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

2. Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

3. Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

4. What is one thing that you think symbolizes America...besides "Old Glory"?

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans?

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Now for my answers:

1. What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

I think I just miss the innocence of being a child. Discovering new things. Doing the things that children do. Not having a care in the world. I miss all of those. And getting to spend time with my mom and dad and sisters. That is something that I don't get to do now and I miss that so much.

2. Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

I am with some of them. I don't live in my home town anymore and a lot of them still do, so that makes it kind of difficult to actually hang out as friends do. There are some that are still really close to my heart, though and I see try to see them when we do go back to Childress. It's been a while though. I miss them too.

3. Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

Something that really bugs me is "my bad". Especially when I catch myself saying it! I don't know, it just sounds idiotic... uneducated. There are more, believe me, but that's just the one sticking in my head right now. I think I heard someone say it yesterday. =/

Not to mention certain curse words that my DH just does NOT know how to filter. Namely, the "f" word. Our littlest one is a toughy and I can just hear her repeating it at the worst times. Like at church or something!

Oh, and there's the slang term for female genitalia. You know, the "p" word. It just doesn't sound nice. Vagina is a weird enough word as it is... do we have to have a worse slang word for it?! It's definitely a word that I cannot stand to hear.

4. What is the one thing that you think symbolizes America... besides "Old Glory"?

One thing that always makes me think "Americana" is a picture. A picture of children playing in a field. Of family and friends enjoying bbq and each others company. Lemonade. A picnic in the park. Okay, that's more than one, but that's what I see in my head when I think of America. I guess that would be somewhere along the lines of family and freedom or something. Sorry, my mind is usually just a jumbled mess and it comes out the same way sometimes.

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans?

I really have no idea. I wanted to go to Childress and see our family, but I doubt we're doing that. Gotta save that gas money! Maybe I can convince Sean to actually get up and do something. I don't know if he just enjoys being lazy on holidays and weekends or he doesn't know what to do so he chooses to do nothing. Either way, it drives me craaaaazy and I'm gonna get him up off of his butt this weekend!!

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And there we go. My answers to the FQF this week. I hope you decide to play along if you don't already. It really is fun!

Everyone have a lovely Friday and a wonderfully festive July 4th holiday!!

Five Question Friday

I'm working on it...

...and this is what it is!

I have been trying to make more time for sewing with very little luck, but I did sit down one day and make Kaitlan this skirt. I think I did a pretty darn good job considering I didn't use a pattern.

I have also made an apron for Sage and a dress for Kaitlan. I don't know what happened to the apron pics and I still haven't finished the dress. Let's just say that a zipper foot really is needed if you're installing a zipper! I found out the hard way and ended up with a broken needle. Now I just keep forgetting to buy the darn zipper foot every time I go to the store!

I hope to really start getting some stuff done and even teaching Sage how to sew. I had not sewn since high school previous to the apron I did, except for sewing patches on Raiden's Cub Scout uniform and Sean really did most of that. Yeah, Sean thinks he is some seamstress extraordinaire just because he used to work at "the cap factory" before we got together. He would sit at a machine, load up the threads, put the front of the cap (pre-assembly) and the machine would stitch up the design on the front of caps. I told him that wasn't really sewing, but he disagrees.

Anywho, I just wanted to share with you all how proud I am of myself. I hope I can get more done soon!

I'm working on it...

Summer so far

My big kids have been out of school for over three weeks now. They haven't started getting on my nerves too badly... yet.

The last week of school was so busy. Especially for Raiden. It seemed that there was something going on every day for him that last week. We had Field Day, the TAKS Test ice cream party, the class picnic, and I don't even remember what else.

It was a great week, though!

The first week out of school we basically just slept in, cleaned the house and chilled at the crib. We also cut Raiden's hair for summer.

 

Sage attempted to give Kaitlan a mohawk as well.

She doesn't look like she cares much for it.

The second week out of school, Raiden had Cub Scout camp. He has been a Scout since first grade, but this is the first time he went to the camp. He had a blast!

Raiden's group doing the opening flag ceremonies one day.


I had to keep the girls occupied while Rai was at camp so we went to a museum one day. Sage thought it was so awesome to see real art by famous artists.


Sage has also enjoyed playing a bit of dress up with Kaitlan!


One Saturday morning we took a road trip down to Dr Pepper, Texas! (AKA Dublin, Texas the other 51 weeks of the year)

They were celebrating the Dublin Dr Pepper's 119th birthday.
The Dublin Dr Pepper plant is the oldest Dr Pepper plant in the world!

Dublin Dr Peppers are different than regular Dr Peppers, though.

Dublin Dr Pepper is made with real Imperial sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.
 
 Some guy did a really awesome sand sculpture.

It looked like a whole lot of work to me!
Despite the look of things here, a good time was had by all. It was pretty hot that day!


And of course, Sage has been taking more pictures of herself.


This past Saturday Sean and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. We went to dinner and then spent a couple of hours together kid-free before stopping for some late night ice cream and heading home. Unfortunately all of the kids were still awake when we got there. We had a really great day, though. We have been through a lot together in this first 12 years of our marriage but look forward to dozens more!

Summer so far

This message is NOT approved!

What does a parent do when they don't approve of one of their children's friends?

I have never had that problem until now.

I have always had an uneasy feeling when my son talked about this boy. Unfortunately, Raiden thinks this boy is the funniest kid ever. Besides his friend Noah, he says this is his best friend. Other kids at school will tell you that he and Raiden are best friends.

A few months ago I was checking through Raiden's text messages on his phone when I come across one from this boy (whom we will call Jason*). Not unusual. What was unusual was what the message said.

Something along the lines of, " you want to have sex with Kari*"

I was not happy. These are eight and nine year old boys we're talking about.

I was even less happy when I saw Raiden's response:

"you want to have sex with Hope*"

Raiden and I had a talk about that. We discussed how he didn't really even know what sex was and how it was inappropriate for boys his age to be discussing sex and including these young girls in their conversation.

Now I feel that Sean and I are pretty open with our children. I believe in modesty, but I believe that there is nothing shameful about the human body. I believe in answering any questions regarding sex and just life in general in an honest, age appropriate manner.

Okay, so I have allowed Raiden to continue to hang around Jason and he even had him over for his birthday slumber party.

Sean was very unimpressed (I don't think that's a word. oh well!). He felt that Jason acted a little uncouth to be in the house of a friend that he has never been to before. Now don't get me wrong. I know that boys will be boys and I did expect them all to have fun. I suppose I just hope that my son behaves the way I expect him to behave when he stays over at other peoples homes. Not the way Jason behaved that night.

So now to the text message that Jason sent to Raiden at 5:30 this morning. Yes, you read that right.

He first sent a message that said he was camping.

I looked at it, ignored it and put Raiden's phone on the kitchen counter.

A couple minutes later I had walked back into my room and sat on the bed while I waited for Sean to finish getting ready for work. That's when I heard Raiden's phone going off again.

I figured I would just text him back telling him that Raiden was still asleep. I didn't expect to see the message I saw, though.

Once I clicked on it, I saw that it was a forward. No biggie. Then the picture popped up.

I just stared, jaw agape.

There was a va-jay-jay staring me straight in the face.

I know, right?!

It had been edited to sort of look monkey-ish (like a snow monkey IMO --TMI?) and had an attached message that read: "this is what happens to white girls when they have sex with black boys."

I was floored!

I doubt the kids mom knows he has this on his phone. I only met her when she dropped off and picked up Jason for the sleep over. Then again, she may know. I don't know how she rears her children. All I do know is that she appeared to be a young mom, though I don't know how young, and is not with his dad. I am definitely not knocking young mothers being that I am 30 with a 12 year old. Nor am I knocking the fact that his parents aren't together. Things happen. Plus, it's not my place to judge anyone.

I am concerned of my son's relationship with this kid, though.

I am also a little concerned about what else this boy is exposed to.

I immediately deleted the message in order the keep Raiden from seeing it and went straight to Sean to tell him.

Am I over reacting if I tell Raiden that I don't want him talking to Jason anymore?

I will tell you that the first thing I thought was how relieved I am to know that Raiden will not be going to public school next year. In fact, I am about to print off the paper that I send to the school to let them know.

I want to protect my children and keep them innocent as long as possible. 

*not their real names! duh!

This message is NOT approved!

What is this all about?!

As mom to an almost-teen girl, I've noticed a big change in my daughter of the past year. One of those changes is how she seems to take tons of pictures of herself mostly in the bathroom making goofy faces. You know, silly teenage girl faces. She posts them to her Facebook and Myspace. Some of her friends take these same kind of pictures and I've seen others as well. I'm sure most anyone who has been on the internet has for that matter.

Here is one just before the goofy faces started:

Now they're all so ridiculously funny! I'll let you judge for yourself:

I find them hilarious! There are many more that she has taken on my cell phone, but I have either deleted them or I'm just too lazy to send them all to my email and then blah blah blah. I have told her that she should wipe the mirror down before taking these crazy shots, but I guess she "forgot".

Does anyone have funny self photos of their children? I could do a whole 'nother post on my son and his up-nose shots. Kids.... Gotta love 'em!

What is this all about?!

No One's Happy

What can I say... I tried.

For more than 20 months now, we have been co-sleeping with Kaitlan.

Go ahead, call me a hippie. I don't care. =)

For much of those months, my husband has been trying to get me to start putting KK in her crib. Here lately I have been trying to do that. After all, it would be nice to sleep on more than a corner of the bed.

Can we say bed hogs? Yes, the both of them.

I was doing pretty good at getting Kaitlan to sleep and then putting her in her own bed. It may be 11pm when I get her in there, but heck, I had space to sleep! She may wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning, but I can handle that. Just bring her back to my bed and nurse her back to sleep.

Yes, I am still breastfeeding a 20 month old kid. Call me a hippie again... I still won't care.

You think Dad would be happy about this.

Right?

Well imagine my surprise when we're laying in bed after I put Kaitlan in her crib and he mumbles from his pillow:

"I want my KK back in bed."

You're kidding me.

All I could muster was an "oh really?" and left it at that. I was too tired to ask him what in the world he was thinking.

Where do you think she's been sleeping since?

If you said with Mom and Dad, you got it right!

Since that night, we have moved in Sean's brother who is a truck driver and mostly only here on weekends, so he sleeps in Raiden's room when he's home. Kaitlan's crib is in Raiden's room so we don't even worry about putting her in there when Uncle Jake is here. I try to at least put her in her crib for naps, but she seems to sleep so much better in "our" bed. Actually, I wish we had a king size bed so we could fit all 3 kids in bed with us. I know, I know. I just love all of the togetherness, though!

No One's Happy