Day 46

 I took the kids trick or treating last night.
(The base had theirs on the 29th, the city will have it on Halloween. Which is the exact opposite of last year.)

My children haven't figured out that most kids get to choose a costume from the store each year.
They think it's normal to just go to your dress up bin and put something together.

Alex decided on a fairy, and Derek went as the worlds most adorable firefighter. He could put out fires with his cuteness.

 A few days ago the high reached 80 degrees, but last night was downright cold. Go figure.
The kids didn't seem to notice, in their rush to collect the goods.

Brooke joined us, just like last year. 

(Ignore Derek's plastic bag. He left his pumpkin sitting at home.)

So typically what happens after Halloween, is that my kids eat a few pieces of candy that night, and then I do the usual mom-thing and parcel it out one piece at a time over the next several weeks.

This presents a few problems. Namely, I have no willpower and I will eat the candy after the kids go to bed. And also, ever since Alex had her cavities, I'm trying to be better about limiting sugary treats. Dragging out the candy eating for the next month didn't seem prudent.

So we tried something new last night.
We got home, I put on an episode of Mickey Mouse, and I let them go to town on their candy.
They ate and ate and ate until the show was over, then after a thorough teeth-brushing, I sent their sugared up bodies right to bed.

Then first thing this morning, the eating resumed. Sunday morning cartoons and a breakfast of sugar.


I regretted that about 15 minutes later when I realized I couldn't send them back to bed.
So instead I sent them outside to run it off and we ended up with a new family member.

His name is Don and he's living in my dining room, of all places.

But I happen to think my family is just perfect the way it is. No Don necessary.

This is the last thing I see every night before I climb into the very middle of our queen sized bed.

I miss my husband.
(But I do like hogging the bed.)

Day 44

Meet the Schore family comedy duo. They think they are very funny.

If I recollect, this "photo session" before Awanas last night ended with an exasperated mommy who wondered why it is impossible for two children to stand still for 10 seconds with a semi-normal face on.


What they didn't know is that the joke was on them.

Check out their jeans:

Can we say, last season's pants?
I obviously need to purchase my children some properly fitting jeans for the winter.
There is only one small problem-- shopping with the two of them drives me batty.

And they never go away.

So shopping without the two of them doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon. 

I don't really see a resolution to this, so they might just have to wear short pants until I deposit them on Pat the Bunny's porch steps in 3 weeks and drive off without leaving any contact information.

Don't worry, PtB, I'll mail some jeans. You do not want to take them to the mall.

I think my trip north will be right in the nick of time.
Alex was writing in a special book that she received for the deployment to help her get ideas for writing letters to Josh. This particular page had a "sunny day" portion and a "rainy day" portion. She was supposed to write the best part of her week into the sunny day, and the worst in the rainy day.

I can't remember what she came up with for the best part, but I distinctly remember her telling me that the two worst parts of her week are that:
1) Daddy's gone
and
2) Mom usually yells at me.

I refrained from telling her that she usually deserves it (and that she gets her exaggeration skills from her father), and instead told her that I'm sorry if I've yelled at her.
But if she understood the feminine cycle she would just give me a break from her incessant talking, aggravating her brother, and do what I tell her the first time.

Methinks my patience is running a wee bit low this week.

I did move school on Tuesday to a location where we could snuggle up with some hot chocolate, and she was very happy about our "date."
Of course she doesn't remember that when it's time to tattle on mommy, eh?

Alex also told me today that she was going to count all of her Halloween candy when she went to bed to make sure that I wasn't sneaking it while she was sleeping.

When did she get so smart?
And also, she knows me really well.

Day 42

For some reason I can't watch The Biggest Loser without having a snack. This seems counter-intuitive, but nevertheless true.

Don't worry, I've settled for grapes.
I'm triple-tasking- TV watching, eating, and blogging all at once.

What talent!

Yesterday I took the kids to get flu shots. I didn't tell them what we were doing until we got into the clinic. Then Alex asked and I was forced to fess up.
They both were doing this whimpering thing all the way down the hall. There was much moaning from my oldest, until we were checked in and they said that everyone eligible would be getting the flu mist instead of the shot.

So Alex and I were going to receive the mist, but poor Derek had to have the flu shot, plus two other immunizations that he was needing.
(Since he has reactive airway issues, he can't have the live virus that's in the mist. Oh, and he's not really supposed to have the shot either, since it's egg-based, but he's starting to tolerate eggs better so I figured it was worth the risk. Mama can't handle the vomit.)

All the sudden, Alex was quite nonchalant about shots. "Don't worry Derek, it's no big deal. It will help you stay healthy and it will only hurt for a second."

Ha. Funny how one minute earlier she had been the one on the verge of tears. ;)

Fast forward to Monday night, and my little guy started to have his usual reaction to immunizations-- fever, chills, and just plain not feeling good.
Poor kid. His body overreacts to everything-- milk, eggs, peanuts, illness, vaccines, you name it.

So I moved him into my bed because I wanted to keep a close eye on him.

I saw literally every hour on the clock throughout the night. He whined, whimpered, tossed, turned, and shivered all night long.
And that boy MOVES all the time.

Once, I reached over to feel his forehead to see if he needed another dose of Motrin.
Instead of his head, I found his little bum.
He was everywhere.

Mama had a big 'ol cup of coffee this morning.
And a nap in the afternoon.

We were up from naps just in time for Taco Tuesday.
Which is not colorfuel approved, but you gotta live a little, right?

We've been able to skype with Josh a couple times over the past few days.
He's still doing really well, which in turn makes the deployment easier on me, too.
If he were miserable, it would make the sacrifice of being apart that much harder.

I'm married to a man who is smart, brave, loving, and who has really good taste in women.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I love him.

The playhouse (hours of painting entertainment!)

 I have no reason...

Josh, I tried twice. Messed it up twice.

Sorry.
I was looking a little rough anyway. I still need a haircut.


Happy Tuesday People.

Day 39

Today is Saturday.

This morning, some friends and I threw a surprise baby shower for our friend Ashley.
My primary job was to bring the sandwiches. (They give me the easy tasks, because they know I'm no Holly Homemaker.)

I ordered them early in the week and arranged to pick them up at 9:30 this morning, because the shower was starting at 10:45 and the girl who was hosting lives about 25 minutes from my house.

I was totally prepared this morning. Thanks to my cleaned out closet, I had even chosen my clothes last night. My friend Amy did the dirty work and arranged for the babysitter, so all I had to do was get the sandwiches, drop the kids off at Amy's, and head to the shower.

The plan was going smoothly until 9:31 when I was standing in front of the deli counter and the workers were acting like they had no earthly idea what I was doing there asking for sandwiches.

Do you know how long it takes to slap together 4 feet of subs? I'll tell you-- twenty minutes.
Twenty long minutes.
Twenty minutes of the kids running circles around my cart.
Twenty minutes of thinking I could do it faster myself.
Twenty minutes wondering if I was going to get the sandwiches to the party before Ashley arrived for the surprise.

I made it.
But my morning of zen was ruined.
This is what I get for making an attempt to be on-the-ball.

I thought that might be the lowest point in my day, until 4:30pm when I had a temper tantrum in the driveway.
Not the kids.
Me.

I was simply trying to replace the tube in the tire of Alex's bike. But I could not get the darn old tube out of there. I tried everything, and it just wouldn't come off the rim.

I realize now that this is really not a big deal, and I can certainly ask someone for help or take it somewhere, but it was just frustrating and I really wanted to throw the whole wheel across the yard.
The kids wouldn't stop trying to "help" me and Alex kept asking when she was going to be able to ride her bike again.
I may or may not have told her that she can ride again in the spring when daddy is home.

Sometimes I just want my husband to be home.
Maybe even more than sometimes.

Overall we are doing really well, but there are always those moments that remind me of how long we still have to go.
Going to church without him is always one of those times, and many days I think I would be a much better mommy if there was just someone else to step in now and then and deal with an argument, give a bath, or wipe a tushie.

39 days down.
About 4 weeks until I head north and get a reprieve from grandparents, aunts, & uncles.

I miss you, Josh Schore.
I might even kiss you with that mustache if you were around.

Maybe.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, my love. I'll do better.

But I do have this-- Alex reading a story she wrote for school. It had to be about a bug, and needed to show personification.

Can I just say that I'm re-learning a lot of things I'd forgotten? This is alarming, as she is in first grade.

I love that the wings were "bright and colorful." Have you seen her wardrobe? Of course they were :)

Sister Wives

I decided about a couple of seconds ago that if I have a title for a blog post then I'm going to go ahead and use it, and save the day numbering for when I can't think of one. 

Aren't you glad I'm keeping you informed of the minutia that goes through my brain on a moment to moment basis?

Today we will be discussing Sister Wives.
Not the TV show, because I've never seen it.
Not because I'm not interesting in seeing it, but because I basically rely on my husband to help me do things like search for and record shows on the DVR.
And when he's not here to remind me, those things fall to the wayside.

Other things that fall to the wayside: replacing blown light bulbs, shaving my legs, and having sexual relations.


Now that I think of it, I suppose I could do something about 2 of those issues.

Moving on.

Today after Bible study a couple of the gals were planning to run over to Sam's club to grab a few items and to dine in their uber-classy cafeteria. So the kids and I joined them. As we were walking in, my friend commented that we really looked like sister wives with our crazy brood.

3- 30-somethings
1- 6 year old
1- 5 year old
2- 4 year olds
1- 3 year old
1- 2 year old
2- 5 month olds

It was a hot mess. All of the tables were full until we arrived and suddenly folks just started to clear out. Wonder why?

I wanted to stand on a table and say "I'm sorry we are about to make your dining experience unpleasant. This is what happens when you eat lunch at a warehouse store. Stop feeling sorry for yourselves, and feel sorry for us. Our husbands are in Afghanistan and this is our idea of a good time."

We hadn't even gotten the kids settled at a table yet when Derek had an urgent need for a potty break. Then one of the twins had a leaky poopy diaper. Then she threw up all over her mom. There was pushing on the bench seat, admonitions against potty talk, tears over a dropped hotdog, and big sisters getting hit in the head with little brother's cup.
All of this was followed by the processional out to the parking lot.

Me pushing a cart with a three year old and bulk quantities of diapers and formula. One mom pushing a double stroller with two infants, one mom holding on to a two year old, and three "big" kids hanging from the cart.

Total success.

There really is something special about the bond you forge as a military wife, especially in a fighter squadron. Because our guys all deploy together, we rely on each other for just about everything.

Including cleaning out each other's closets.

So my friend Katie, who will be moving in about a month to California (boo!) and who just had a new baby (yea!), heard me say that I planned to clean out my closet while Josh was gone.

Now.
Some of you know this about me, and others, like Katie, just choose to believe the best about me against all reason.
I am a procrasterbator.

I mean, procrastinator.

Yes, my closet did need to be cleaned out. Yes, there might possibly have been an item or two with shoulder-pads in there. Yes, I've had clothes in there that I haven't worn in over 5 years.
But when I said that I was going to clean out my closet while Josh was gone, I meant that I was going to talk about cleaning out my closet for about 4 months. Then I was slowly going to motivate myself to do it during the 5th month. Finally, about 3 days before he returned home, I was going to spend about 15 minutes in my closet, purge an item or two, and pat myself on the back for a job well done.

But.
Apparantly closet-cleaning is near and dear to Katie's heart. She quite literally begged me to let her help. She set the day and time, and I knew it was inevitable.

Ladies and gentlemen. She is serious about her closet cleaning.
If I so much as paused to ponder whether I would actually wear an item of clothing, it was an immediate no from her and she snatched it from my precious little hands.

Goodness, would you look at that pile?

Guess who has a lot more room in her closet these days?

Love me some sister wives.


Disclaimer: No husband sharing ever has, or ever will occur.
Keep your hands off, ladies.
He's all mine.

Disclaimer's Disclaimer-- I promised Josh that if I used that photo, I would tell you that it was an attempt at being ironical and that he does not, indeed, actually think he looks cool in the oversized sunglasses, a shaved head, and a pedophile mustache.

How's that, honey?

Day 36

Let me finish up recapping my weekend in DC before this turns out like my Disney blog posts.
You know, in which I detail every ride, meal, and bathroom break for the first two days, and then wrap up the remaining 5 days with a sentence like: "Mickey, Princesses, Funnel Cake, Yea!"

I believe I left off with some pictures of our time on the Mall. Here are a few more taken in the Natural History Museum:

 

They had a "Discovery Room" with a lot of hands-on things for the kids to do. 

Of course I only took a picture of one thing, because I was busy not losing my children who like to run in opposite directions.

Alex ogling the Hope Diamond. She is a princess, after all, you know.

This isn't a good picture, but we had made it a point to stop by the mummy exhibit. Alex has been learning about ancient Egypt in her schooling, and it was neat for her to see a real mummy.
Well neat, and kind of gross.

When we were too tired to explore any more, we took the Metro back to the van and drove a few miles to my friend Melissa's house. She and her husband Mike had so kindly offered to host our little reunion at their home. They live in a beautiful neighborhood in Virginia, and the fall colors were really starting to turn.

We spent the next two days catching up, eating, watching football, and playing Words with Friends online while sitting next to each other.

We always were a little strange.

Here's the crew:

Left to Right: Mike, Melissa, Nicole, Me, Dana (holding Stella), and Karen.

We were smiling because it was still halftime when we took the picture and we hadn't lost the game yet.
It was not a good weekend for Michigan sports. First our beloved Wolverines lost, then the Tigers, then the Lions.

Lions and tigers and wolverines. Oh my.

Poor Mike was surrounded by a bunch of gals for the weekend, but he was a great sport. And Alex took to him right away. Maybe a little too much; she wouldn't leave him alone.

We had fun getting away for a little bit, and it was a good practice run for our drive up to Michigan next month.

In other news, Derek has regressed in going through the appropriate steps to a pleasant bathroom experience.
Thrice since Josh has left, my sweet son has forgotten the final stage of preparation, in which he must rectify any sticking of penis to scrotum. Thrice he has peed down his pants and onto the floor directly in front of the potty.
I'm getting a little tired of it.

So now we're back to the rather undignified reminder as he runs to the bathroom. "Please make sure your penis isn't stuck to your balls."

It just doesn't feel right to yell that across the house as he jets past, but it seems it cannot be helped.
I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Tonight was Awanas night again. I had to forgo my usual dinner date with the other temporarily single ladies in favor of running a few errands sans children.
Funny thing about those kids-- they never go away. I must carefully ration my 1.5 hours a week of kidlessness to get the optimal amount of errands accomplished.

Do you live near your family? Does said family ever watch your children for you? This is just a friendly reminder to appreciate that. Because it really kind of stinks to have to get a babysitter so you can get a haircut, or go to a baby shower, or even worse, go to the dentist.

This post is really getting away from me.

I'll leave you with my moment of awakening that I had tonight while in the dressing room of The Targets:

I am going back on Colorfuel.
Like, tomorrow.


That is all.

Day 35

Josh really likes it when I have a new post with pictures for him to see when he gets up in the morning.
Though I'm really not sure when exactly he gets up. Time differences have never been my strong point.

But it is 10:40pm and I promised myself to be sleeping by 11 tonight so I don't have time to finish up my DC trip recap. So he'll have to settle for this:

Derek ready to get on the bus this morning.

It was very sunny.

But Alex and I were prepared for the sun with our matching paparazzi sunglasses.

Disregard the fact that my hair looked like a wet mop.
It was wet. And I assure you I was only moments from grabbing the pony-tail holder.

I need a haircut.

And here's something to wrap this post up.

The other night Alex got out of the shower and was looking at herself in the mirror.
She said: "I don't think I look as pretty as the princesses."
Me: "Don't let Daddy hear you say that! He thinks you're the most beautiful princess."
Alex (pouting): "Do you think I'm as pretty as a princess?"  (Vain much?)
Me: "Well I think when you're pouting you're not as pretty as when you smile."
Alex (VERY disgruntled): "You hurt my feelings. You said I wasn't pretty. I'm going to tell Daddy."

I defended my comment to no avail.
The next morning Alex brought me this to send to Josh:

(Translation: Mommy said last night I am not a princess. This is me last night. I cried. Love Alex.)

For the record-- that is not what I said.

It's 10:47. Good night.