Good Lord, Can We Slow DOWN, Please?

I haven't forgotten about my blog...seriously. It's just that life has become even crazier than before (I didn't think that was humanly possible). I've said this before, but as the boys age, life gets more and more hectic. Now that the holidays are approaching, QUICKLY I might add, our daily crazies have increased 7 fold. The boys are fighting more, Toblerone is whining more, Triscuit is spazing out more, and Mommy? Mommy is losing her hair.


Update on Triscuit


Triscuit is doing beautifully in school. He flew through his 2nd grade math in less than a semester. He has now officially been moved up to 3rd grade math. He received his books mid week last week and will be starting it on Monday. We also took him to an orthodontist to get evaluated for braces. He will be getting his braces put on next Wednesday (and yes, I will be posting pictures. I know...I'm so mean). Triscuit now stands at 4'4. I haven't weighed him in a while, but he's eating everything in sight. This morning he had 2 pop tarts and a muffin (the muffins we buy are HUGE). Two hours later, he's hungry again. It's awesome to see him eating so much! Each day that goes by, I see him maturing more and more in every way. His communication skills have greatly improved and he's not having meltdowns nearly as much as before. He'll have a few here and there, but that's only if he thinks he's going to fail at something. He's a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to certain aspects of his little life. Physically speaking, he's getting taller, his face is changing and he's becoming a "little man". I will be searching for an aluminum baseball bat soon. I'm going to need it to keep the girls away!


Update on Toblerone


Forget terrible two's. He didn't go through that...but he IS going through the impossible three's (or throttling three's). Forget trying to help him do anything. Mr. Independent will YELL at you if you even try to wipe his nose. He has suddenly lost his ability to hear right. If I say, "Toblerone! Stay out of Mommy's purse!" He hears, "TOBLERONE! Take everything out of Mommy's purse and spread it all over the house!" He will, deliberately, do the exact opposite of what you are asking/telling him to do. I know this is a phase, but it's an annoying one. Toblerone has, of course, grown too. He's currently standing at 3'11 and weighs 70 lbs. Yes my friends, he's huge! On a very positive note, he is fully potty trained! WOOT! No more diapers! And no, we will NOT be having anymore children (unless God unties my tubes, there isn't a chance in Hades).


One last thing before I go. We have had a change in our dog family. We have officially adopted my sister's dog, Eddie. She (yes, Eddie is a she) is part Chihuahua, part Jack Russell and part little booger. She's a puppy (9 or 10 months old), so Weenie and I have training to put her through. Even though Toblerone is potty trained, my mad skills at helping potty train are still needed (Drat). She's a really good little doggy, but must learn her place. Our 12 year old Pomeranian, Bear, isn't too happy about our addition. He's such an old fart who is stuck in his ways. He isn't thrilled with her puppy-esque enthusiasm, either. He'll often grunt and growl, mean-mug and bare his teeth at her. It's quite funny to watch, yet pathetic at the same time.

Here she is...Eddie.

She looks like a Fennec Fox, doesn't she?

Stitches Are NO Fun!

While making dinner last evening (10/15/09), I was watching the boys play outside through the kitchen window. Triscuit had this (pretending it was a hockey stick),

while Toblerone was riding his scooter. Obviously, this looked like WAY more fun to Toblerone, so he hopped off of his scooter and went running up to Triscuit....at the wrong time. I looked up from grilling my lemon pepper chicken just in time to see Triscuit highstick it and smack Toblerone right in the mouth. The following ensued:

Triscuit: "MOOOOM!!!! It was an accident! It was an accident!!! I swear, it was an accident!"

Toblerone: *Wailing in the background and running around like he was in excruciating pain*

Mum: "Toblerone! Let me see!!!"

There was blood EVERYWHERE. Weird thing was, most of it was IN his mouth...not pouring out of the wound. I KNEW this was more than a normal hit. As soon as Triscuit saw the blood he completely melted down.

Triscuit: "MOOOM!!! HE'S BLEEDING! GET HIM A BAND-AID! MAKE IT STOP!"

Mum: "TRISCUIT! YOU HAVE TO CALM DOWN! The more YOU freak out the more your brother is going to freak out...PLEASE stop screaming!"

Triscuit then disappeared and hid. Poor Triscuit. I couldn't consul him at that moment...I had to get Toblerone inside to assess the damage. When I got the bleeding to subside, I looked and saw THROUGH his lip to his gums and teeth! Crap...this is definitely going to warrant a trip to Urgent Care.

We reach Urgent Care at 5:30pm. There are 3 people waiting and ALL of them are coughing WITH fevers. GRR! I check in and 20 minutes later, he's called back for the initial nurse check.

Nurse: "Step on the scale, honey...we need to see how big you are."

Mum: *Snicker*

Nurse: "Whoa! 66.4lbs! You're a BIG boy! How tall is he, Mom?"

Mum: "3 foot 10 as of last week."

Nurse: "And he's THREE?"

Mum: *Sigh*..."Yes"

Then she starts asking questions...

Nurse: "How did this happen?"

Toblerone: "Tithtan bit me."

Nurse: "What honey? He bit you?"

Mum: "No...his older brother was playing hockey with a hollow metal tube that had plastic ends on it. He highsticked it at the wrong time and he smacked Toblerone in the mouth."

She looked at me...HORRIFIED. She had this condemning look on her face as if to say, "And just HOW did he get a hold of a metal tube?" I just had to brush it off...I wasn't going to feel any worse than I already did.

Nurse: "OK...there is a 90 minute wait before he is seen by the doctor."

Mum: "What? There are 3 people out there! If that's the case, I want to wait outside. There are way too many people out there that are coughing with fevers. I don't want to expose him to something while we are waiting for him to get stitched up."

Nurse: "That's wise. We will come outside and get you when he's ready to be seen."

We go outside and wait. And wait and wait and wait. An hour goes by. Then another hour. Finally, he's called back. We are taken to a procedure room with all sorts of cool things a 3 year old could get into! Gauze, tongue depressors, syringes (w/o the needles), and cotton balls. Toblerone was in HEAVEN.

Toblerone: "Whath thith?"

Mum: "Cotton Balls."

Toblerone: "Why thothe there?"

Mum: "To clean owies."

Toblerone: "Whath thith?"

Mum: "Sticks to hold down your tongue so the doctor can see down your throat."

Toblerone: "Why?"

Mum: "Just in case they have to check your throat for sores or something honey."

Toblerone: "Why?"

OK...I could go on with this little conversation for PAGES and PAGES, but I'll stop there. Eight o-clock rolls around and the doctor FINALLY comes in to see Toblerone.

Doc: "So...you got hit with something, huh big guy?"

Toblerone: "Yeth. Tithtan bit me."

Doc: "What? He bit you?"

Mum: "No. His older brother was playing "hockey" with a metal tube...DON'T ask me WHERE he found it...but he did. He highsticked it and WHAM...hit Toblerone in the mouth."

Doctor: *addressing me* I have three boys...I know what it's like to wonder HOW things happen and just WHERE they find the tools to hurt one another...accident or not. It's a part of life, Mom. No worries...he'll be just fine.

Doctor: *addressing Toblerone* "He's your EX-brother now, huh? Hahahah!!! Just kidding! OK...let me take a look."

He takes out his little pen light and looks at the wound (which looked like this, by the way):

(Gruesome, I know)

Doctor: "Wow...that goes all the way through! Let me check his teeth and gums."

He pulls out a tongue depressor. The SECOND that thing hit Toblerones tongue...the gagging starts.

Doctor: "Eh oh...we have a gagger. Just one more look honey..."

Toblerone: *BIG gag*

Doctor: "OK. Here's the plan of action. I'm going to have to put him on Keflex (Cephalexin) for 7 days since the wound is on/in his mouth and there is a high risk of infection. I'm going to put a topical anesthetic on it so the S-H-O-T won't hurt as bad. I have to warn you...this is going to be a rather emotionally draining experience...so I need your help as much as possible. I have to put 4-5 stitches in his lip. We're going to have to use a "papoose board" to hold him down, so if you could explain to him what that is and what is going to happen, it will help greatly."

Mum: "...I'll do my best."

I'm thinking to myself..."What the H-E-double hockey sticks do you want me to tell him???" But...being that I'm his Mom, I needed to soften the blow and explain what was going to happen so he's not freaked out at the get-go. I decide to take Toblerone on a tour of the room. Thank GOD I have worked in the medical field and have been to the ER enough to know what everything is. I found the papoose board and told him what that was used for. I showed him the thread that was going to be used to stitch up the hole and showed him the cover they were going to put over his face so things would stay clean. He understood...as well as a 3 year old could.

Around 9:00pm is when the real fun began. Toblerone was just fine laying on the table...and even went through 2 papoose boards with no problem (the first one, designed for toddlers, was of course, too small). Then...the needle came out.

Doctor: "Mom...you're going to have to hold his legs...this isn't going to feel good."

I'm holding his legs down...but even I forgot just how strong he was! OOF! He KICKS me in the stomach.

Doctor: "MOM!! You're going to have to put your whole body weight on him....he's a strong one!"

I wanted so badly to scream, "DUH!" but I was still trying to catch my breath from being kicked.

In the meantime, Toblerone is SCREAMING his head off saying, "MAMA!!! It hurts! It hurts! Make him stop! STOP, STOP, STOP!!!" It's so hard to hear your child say those words and not be able to make it better.

What seemed like forever was only 15 minutes of torture. The doc did a bang up job! Don't you agree?

As soon as that doctor said "All done", Toblerone hopped off that table got his shoes on and RAN out the door....not even WAITING for me! After getting Toblerone back into the room, the doctor said the following.

Doctor: "Toblerone...you were a BIG boy for us! Thank you for doing your best and being so brave!"

Toblerone: *gives the doctor the evil eye, then looks at me* "Mama? Leth go...I hungry."

Doctor: "Well...I guess that's that! Hahaha! Mom...you did good, too. With you being a mom to two boys, I'm glad you can stomach these things without too much trouble. You're going to face these kinds of things on various occasions. Just remember, boys will be boys. You can teach them to watch out for others and to be careful, but accidents happen. I hope your oldest isn't too upset. (If he only knew how upset Triscuit really was. Come to find out, he cried on and off the whole time we were gone.)"

After Toblerone drags me out of the Urgent Care office, we head out to Walgreens to get his prescription filled. When we walked in, there was a rather large (tall) African American guy talking on his cell phone to someone while trying to pick out a vitamin. He smiled at us as we walked by. I gave the pharmacist the script for the med and then walked to get Toblerone a chocolate milk. I turn around and the same guy had followed me to the drink coolers.

Guy: "Can I ask you something?"

Mum: "Sure!"

Guy: "How old is your son?"

Mum: "He's turned 3 last June"

Guy: "Ahhh...I thought so. You realize he's going to be a big boy, don't you?"

Mum: "Yes." At this point, I proceeded to explain Weenie's genetic history and how he has 6'8er's way back in the geneology.

Guy: "He may be bigger than that. My nephew was a little smaller than he (Toblerone) was at 3. He's now 7 ft tall and weighs 270lbs."

Mum: Well, at last height calculation, it says he will be 7'2."

Guy: "I believe it. Get him into sports now....he's built for it. Oh...and good luck!"

Hmmm....I wonder what he meant by good luck? I know I've said this before, but should I start body building now to keep up with him? Honestly...how do you parent a child that is going to be a foot and a half taller than you??? Seriously! Leave a comment...because I'm open for suggestions!

Now that all is said and done, I can (from experience) say stitches are no fun...for either child or parent. A little advice to other mom's reading this. Unless you are an emotional Hercules, try to take your significant other or another adult with you if you have to get stitches for your little ones. It's emotionally draining...and in MY case...it was physically draining, as well!

Santa's Not REAL???

Each parent/set of parents are different when it comes to Santa Claus. Some parental units don't want their kids to believe in Santa...because it takes away from the true meaning of Christmas...Jesus' birth. Some parental units allow the belief in Santa as well as teaching that Jesus is the real reason for Christmas.

This issue was a small source of contention between Weenie and I when Triscuit was smaller. Weenie didn't want Triscuit to focus on Santa...he wanted Triscuit to understand WHY we celebrate Christmas, and Santa wasn't it. But, because I wasn't allowed to believe in Santa Claus when I was little, I felt I missed out on all the fun. When I was smaller, I remember laying awake on Christmas Eve listening to every noise...just HOPING to hear a sleigh bell or a "thump" on the roof. I even remember looking out my window up towards the sky to see if I could catch Santa's sleigh flying over the house. I wanted SO badly to prove my parents wrong! As I grew older, I understood why my parents did what they did. I understood the point. But, when I finally became a mom, I realized that I had a VERY valid point, too. Your children get just ONE shot at childhood. Santa represents love, goodwill, giving and teaches youngsters to be on their best behavior! Santa is a part of growing up. So, let your kids be kids and have fun! With a little explaining and persuading, Weenie caved in. We started the Santa ritual when Triscuit was about 3 and oh, how we had fun with it! This past year had to have been the best one. Weenie had gone out and bought a bunch of Transformers action figures. He got them out of the package and set them up on the living room floor, as if they were having a battle. It was GREAT! Triscuit came down all wide eyed and excited! Just as I had hoped, he had lied awake for a while on Christmas Eve...listening for noises and questioning how Santa was going to get into the house, since we didn't have a fireplace.

Unfortunately, as with every child, they grow up (and too quickly). Weenie has been wanting to tell Triscuit for the past few months about Santa's mortality. Because I'm the typical mother, I wanted just ONE more year. To tell a child that Santa isn't real is forcing us mom's to come face to face with the realization that our children are growing up. I kept putting Weenie off, telling him, "Let me think about the best way to tell him", just hoping Weenie would get the fact I didn't want to let Santa go. Well, our niece B-Boo accidentally let the cat out of the bag.

While the kids were out back playing last evening, the conversation turned to Santa. B-Boo told Triscuit that Santa was a myth. And, as you can probably guess, Triscuit was rather upset. He came in from outside and said,

Triscuit - *Tears in his eyes* "Mooom! B-Boo said Santa was a myth!"

Mum - "Uhhh...Weenie?!?! You need to have a talk with Triscuit."

Weenie - "About what?"

Mum - "Santa."

Weenie gets this rather pleased look on his face, grabs Triscuit and takes him outside to talk to him. Apparently things went better than I had hoped. Weenie comes in from outside LAUGHING.

Mum - "Did everything go OK? Why are you laughing?"

Weenie - "Oh yeah. He understood. You want to know what his main concern was?"

Mum - "What?"

Weenie - "While explaining to him that you and I are really Santa, he said, 'Then, can YOU guys get me the toys I want?'"

I think Triscuit was ready to let Santa go (even if Mommy wasn't)....just as long as he still gets the loot. TYPICAL KID!

Hey...at least I still have Toblerone. I just need to make sure Triscuit gets caught up in the fun of playing Santa. This year, I'll be taking Triscuit out Christmas shopping...just the two of us. I'll let him pick out the toys for Toblerone, let HIM set up the toys in the living room, stuff the stockings and write the note from "Santa". Hopefully, Triscuit won't be naughty and tell Toblerone too early. I think letting Triscuit do this for his little brother will help ensure he does the same for HIS kids when he grows up.

My Butt'th Bwoken!

Some of my readers know that I'm still struggling with Toblerone to potty train. I have tried many things and am starting to think that maybe he just isn't ready yet...OR he's just too busy to take the time to try. Nevertheless, I keep trying. After all, he's 3 feet 9 1/2 inches tall now, 60lbs and we can't find diapers in his size...what choice do I have???? At this point, I have 3 choices:

A) Use "Goodnights" as pull-ups.
B) Use underwear and cloth diapers
C) Let him run around naked

I've tried option A and can't afford to buy those suckers every week. We're currently doing option B and I've tried option C a few times. But there's a problem with option C. It's messy and Toblerone HATES to be naked. The first time I tried him all-natural, he cried for 5 minutes and kept following me around with a Goodnight pull-up BEGGING me to help him put it on. The second time I refused to put clothes on him....THIS happened:

Toblerone: *Feeling vulnerable, he runs and grabs a pull-up* "Mama...help! Don't like being naked."

Mum: "Sorry Toblerone, but you need to go in the big boy potty."

Toblerone: "No. Don't like it."

Mum: "Well, you need to learn, honey. You're a big boy now. Big boys go in the potty."

Toblerone gets a thoughtful look on his face. Here, I'm thinking he's actually pondering what I'm saying. Nope....next thing I know, there's a puddle of pee on the floor. At least I know what his "pee face" looks like now.

Mum: "Toblerone....you NEED to use the potty!!!"

Toblerone says he's sorry then holds the pull up to me. Again, I refuse. He trots off to go play. Not even one minute later, he comes back holding his butt.

Toblerone: "Mama...I got hole."

Mum: *trying to keep it together* "Yes honey. We ALL have holes."

Toblerone then discovers his butt HAS A CRACK. He get's this really worried look on his face and says:

Toblerone: "My butt'th BWOKEN!"

OK...I couldn't keep it together anymore. I LOST it! I was laughing SOOO hard! Toblerone didn't think it was funny....

Toblerone: "Mama!!! My butt....it'th BWOKEN!!! NO LAUGH!"

I compose myself and try and explain to him that EVERYONE has a crack. God gave us ALL cracks...if we didn't have a crack in our butt, we would have one BIG butt cheek and that would look silly (I tried to keep the explanation on HIS level). Then, he started going through EVERYONE we know...

Toblerone: "Witha (Melissa) hath crack? Bewa (Bella)? Hayden? Daddy? Triscuit? Fenther (Spencer)?"

Mum: "Yes, Toblerone...EVERYONE has a crack."

This seemed to calm him down and believe it or not, we have a successful potty training afternoon (yay). Then DADDY comes home.

Weenie walks through the door. I ask Toblerone to tell Weenie what's wrong with his butt.

Toblerone: *walks up to Weenie, turns around and pats his butt* "Daddy...my butt bwoken. Mama tell me Witha, Bewa and Triscuit'th butt bwoken, too!"

Forget trying to keep my laugh lines and crows feet at bay. It's not possible with what my children come up with. The innocence of Toblerone's wonderment is just fantastic! For these moments, I'm willing to live with my laugh lines!

Sarcasm Runs in the Family. Imagine That.

Triscuit has come out with some good ones lately. You already know about the first few days of school and how he ever-so-knowingly shoved in my face that "He KNEW how to do it (math)". Well, it only gets better.

We have the "School Triscuit"....one who has matured greatly this summer. Yes, he's doing fantastic (Thank you God), but one thing I wasn't expecting with that maturity was him coming into his new found personality....Sir Sarcasm. Imagine I'm teaching Triscuit something in Language Arts (otherwise known as "English").

Mum: (Reading a passage from a book called "Clara and the Bookwagon". Mind you, Triscuit has already read the book silently) "What was the main character's name?"

Triscuit: "Seriously?"

Mum: "Yes, Triscuit. These are the questions...just answer it, please."

Triscuit: "Clara"

Mum: "Thank you. Next question...Where did the story take place?"

Triscuit: *rolls eyes*..."On a farm in Maine"

Mum: "Triscuit...mind your attitude please."

Triscuit: "Sorry Mama, but these questions are easy."

Mum: "Good...that just means you understood what you read. Next question. What did Clara want to do?"

Triscuit: "Read"

Mum: "What was her father's attitude towards her wanting to read?"

Triscuit: "He didn't want her to...which is MEAN."

Mum: (Trying to keep a straight face). "Why do you think he was mean?"

Triscuit: "Just because HE couldn't read doesn't mean SHE can't learn!"

Mum: "I know...but that's how things were back then. Work was more important than education."

Triscuit: "Whatever."

I know you all are probably laughing right now, but keeping the Mommy and Teacher separate is REALLY hard. I wanted to laugh too, but I couldn't. WAIT...it gets better. I was teaching History today (the lesson was an introduction to Julius Caesar). Of course, after every lesson there are assessment questions (little quizzes...just to make sure he understood the lesson).

Mum: "Who did we learn about today?"

Triscuit: "Julius Caesar."

Mum: "What kind of person was Julius Caesar?"

Triscuit: "Ummm...nice? *Mumbles* "I don't know...I didn't know him."

OK...At this point I wanted to laugh. But of course, I couldn't.

Mum: "Triscuit. Answer the question with a SERIOUS answer...."

Triscuit: *shoots me an unknowing glance*..."Nice? Hero? Smart? Knew how to fight?"

Mum: "See? That wasn't so hard. Just answer it and move on."

These little things are happening all the time. He thinks it's funny and knows how to carry it off without being too obvious that he KNOWS what he's doing.

Now...on to "Brother Triscuit". I know that sibling rivalry is normal. I also know that because there is a 5 year difference between the two, things can get a little hairy. I half expect Triscuit to understand that Toblerone is only 3. But, he doesn't. He's getting to the point where he "gets it", but he's not quite there. Understand that things are waaaay different with Triscuit now. His room is off limits to his brother and often keeps the door locked (we encourage this...Toblerone has been known to completely destroy Triscuits room within minutes). While playing the other day, Toblerone (who also has become ornery) decides he's going to snatch a toy from Triscuits room and run (Triscuit forgot to lock his door). Toberlone BOLTS upstairs...obviously knowing what he was going for, snatches a Bionicle and RUNS for his life!

Triscuit: "TOBLERONE!!! THAT'S MY BIOLICLE!!! GIVE IT BACK!"

Toblerone: *Squealing with laughter and pure orneriness* ..."HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

Triscuit: *Goes to smack his brother*

Mum: "TRISCUIT! Don't even THINK about it!"

Triscuit: "But MOOOOM! He went to my room and TOOK my Bionicle! He won't give it BACK!"

Mum: "Did you lock your door?"

Triscuit: "No...I forgot...BUT...!"

Mum: "Toberlone...give it to Mama."

Toblerone: *Reluctantly gives it over*

Mum: "Toblerone...go say you're sorry to Triscuit."

Toblerone does as he's told, sits in time out for 3 minutes, and runs off to create more havoc somewhere else.

Mum: *Handing the Bionicle over to Triscuit* "Triscuit...remember, Toblerone is only 3."

Triscuit: "That's no excuse."

Mum: "What?"

Triscuit: "He knew what he was doing...why didn't you spank him? Why didn't you ground him?"

Mum: "He's not old enough to understand "grounding" and his actions don't require a spanking. (my kids only get spanked when it's a SERIOUS offense). A time out and an apology worked just fine, Triscuit."

Triscuit: "It's not FAIR! It's SOOOOO not fair!"

Mum: "Let Daddy and I decide what's fair and what's not. OK?"

Triscuit: "If he was MY kid, he'd be in BIG trouble."

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I wanted SO badly to say, "Come talk to me about that in about 20 years", but I didn't.

Then, there's the "Son Triscuit". Ooooh....THIS facade of Triscuit is getting REALLY mouthy. About a week ago, he almost lost his privileged to speak. Triscuit was brushing his teeth (and him being a typical boy, does a half-cocked job). The dentist asked me to go over his teeth after he's done brushing until he can understand how IMPORTANT it is to keep them clean (again, this is part of the ADHD thing). Here's the conversation.

Mum: "Triscuit...where did you put your toothbrush?"

Triscuit: *Glances in the direction of his toothbrush*

Mum: "Triscuit...answer me. Where is your toothbrush?"

Triscuit: *gives me a LOOK*

Mum: *I give him a LOOK back*

Triscuit: "It's right there. What? Did you think it was invisible?"

Oh no he didn't! My mouth dropped. LUCKILY, Weenie was there to hear it, too! We both just looked at each other...we were DUMBFOUNDED!

Weenie: "Where do you get off talking to your Mother like that????"

At this point, Triscuit knew he went from being funny to crossing the line.

Triscuit: "But Daddy...!"

Weenie: "That was RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL! Do you want soap now or later? Tell Mama you're sorry.....NOW."

Triscuit comes over and hugs me, says he's sorry and that he didn't mean to be rude. I KNOW this is going to happen again. After all...he IS my son and he comes by his sarcasm honestly. I just didn't expect it to be this early in life!

I'm BAAAAAACK!

I guess I should have warned all of you that I was going to take the summer off. If was an impromptu decision. Basically, I needed to brain fart for a while (plus, it doesn't help that I'm addicted to Farmtown on Facebook). After last school year, the summer was a welcomed break. Fighting with Triscuit over school everyday was really wearing me out. Plus, having to keep Toblerone busy all the time during Triscuits schooling was also pretty tiring. The older Toblerone gets, the faster he gets bored. I was having to come up with new strategies everyday to keep him quiet and busy! But alas...I'm back...and we're back to school. *sigh*.

Triscuit began school again on August 3rd. If I remember correctly, I did inform you all that Triscuit was going to repeat 2nd grade. We have begun this process...and it's turning out to be excellent! The first day back is usually the hardest. Getting back into the routine can be rough...getting up, getting breakfast, taking his medication, having a bit of playtime (also allowing time for the medication to take effect) THEN buckling down. It was a little difficult, but not TOO bad. Then, the "blow away" began. The second day he started off with, "Mom, I want to start school". When he said that, I about fell over! So, instead of letting him have playtime, I got his math book out. He sat down, took his pencil out and looked at his lesson. I began to reteach the lesson (basic addition). He gives me this look:


and says:

Triscuit: "Mom...I KNOW how to do this."

Well...EXCUSE me! Usually, I would be upset with him taking this attitude with me...but I'll let this one slide. Triscuit finished 4 lessons in an hour! Then, we went on to Language arts. Mind you, THIS subject is NOT a repeat. Because he was always a year behind in Phonics and Language arts, we are now doing all work at grade level. He BLEW through an Aesop fable...he read it SILENTLY (which is a HUGE thing for him), answered ALL the questions correctly AND told me the moral of the story (without any help). He went on to read on his own, then practiced his handwriting for 30 minutes. Science was next. He was able to name all the scientific tools I showed him...again, with no help. I swear...it's like teaching a totally different child! It's AWESOME! If you think this happened just once, you're mistaken. This has happened EVERYDAY since. We are now on our 8th day of school...and it's the same. He would rather get school done and over with. He sits down, blows through his math in NO time flat...blows through his Language Arts with almost no problems (yesterday, he had a slight meltdown...but that was only because after he read a story, they asked some "critical thinking" questions...something he isn't used to), then blows through History and Science. He is really amazing me!!!! The whole purpose of him repeating his 2nd grade year was because, honestly, I didn't think he retained that much last year and he didn't complete all required lessons to continue on to 3rd grade. With all the problems he had sitting still, focusing, listening, reading...ANYTHING that required concentration, it just didn't seem he learned much. BOY...was I WRONG! YES...I said it...and I will say it again...I WAS WRONG (mark that on your calendar...because I won't admit it again for a while)!!!

So, that's what life is like right now. Back to the school grindstone....all I have to do is figure out what to do with Toblerone. HE'S a whole other post I will try and get to later today!

Thank you to those who were kind enough to ask "Where the heck I went". I appreciate the fact you guys care! Oh...and I promise the next post will be WAAAY funnier!

*Sigh*....Not Even Three and The Questions Start...

Before I get to my Imperial Beach post (yes, I know I'm late, but we had a family emergency that came up), I HAVE to put this little gem up first.

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to do your everyday tasks without being interrupted by a certain Toblerone. Whether it be the daily constitutional, the hourly trip to the bathroom for tinkle time, or taking a shower....he's ALWAYS there....lurking. It doesn't matter if I lock the door or not, he will sit outside the bathroom and either pound on the door because he wants to flush the toilet for you, OR he will lay on the floor looking under the crack of the door. THOSE conversations are always interesting....

Toblerone: "Mama? What doin'?"

Mum: "I'm going potty honey. Go upstairs."

Toblerone: "Mama...Toblerone fwush toiwet."

It never fails...the SAME conversation.

When I take showers while Weenie isn't home, (I try and do showers while he's here) I have to keep the door open and conversation engaged with Toblerone, otherwise, the little tornado destroys everything that isn't kept above reach. Because I'm a modest person, I try to grab the towel before I get out of the shower so he doesn't see any girly parts.

While taking a shower a few days ago, I did the usual....engaged Toblerone in conversation (usually answering questions about what I'm doing in there). BUT....I made a HUGE mistake. I didn't tie the towel tight enough around me when I got out...and WHOOPS! Down it falls. Thinking to myself, "He's not even 3 yet, he won't notice anything different." Ohhh....how wrong I was. Obviously, I didn't pull the towel up fast enough, because THIS look crossed his face....

And out of his little mouth, pops this question.....

Toblerone: "Mama? Where'd Mama's Pee Pee go?"

Thinking to myself..."Surely, he's talking about me going to the bathroom..."

Mum: "Mommy doesn't have to go potty right now, honey."

Toblerone: (pointing with his little chubby finger).."No...Mama's pee pee...Bwoken?"

Oh my....he WAS talking about that. The look on my face must of been priceless. I imagine something along this line....

I HAVE to think of something better than tying a towel around me, because I CERTAINLY can't start locking the bathroom door when Weenie isn't home.

Maybe for Mother's Day, I should request a terry cloth robe (oh, how sexy).

Happy (Belated) Easter!

I FINALLY figured out the video option on my new camera I got for Christmas....JUST in time for Easter! WOOT!

The first video is of Triscuit and Toblerone after their Easter Egg hunt. Since it was my first attempt at video-ing, it's a little off center.

The second video is Triscuit giving a short (yet sweet) reason for Easter. His FIRST answer (in the car on the way up north to my parents house) was "to find eggs". We had to remind him of the REAL reason. Then, he says hello to his 2 Great Grandma's in Nebraska. He didn't realize he was being videoed until I told him. Check out the face after I tell him. LOL!!!

The third video is of Toblerone. I tried to get him to talk during this one, but he was really only interesting in stuffing his face (I shouldn't have let him eat that much candy...you'll read why in a minute).

As SOON as I shut the camera off, he decided to talk more. I quickly turned it back on and caught a few snippets of him talking about what he had and where we were.

About 2 hours after the snarfing video was taken, he woke up rather abruptly from his nap (he fell asleep on ME) CRYING, then "FREW UP" all over. Guess where it ended up? Yup...all over me. I was SOAKED with puke! My shirt was soaked, my pants were soaked, it went down my bra and in my hair! Thank God my Mom had kept some of my grandmother's clothes after she passed away last year. Minus a 9 inch height difference, we wore the same size. I ended up having to take a shower at my parents house. After that whole fiasco, I was done and ready to go home. After these past few weeks, I could go the rest of my life without seeing throw up. The Sister's birthday is this week and she wants to go back to Imperial Beach for her birthday. We will be leaving early Friday morning and returning on Sunday night. I'm ready for a break!

It was a REALLY good Easter. The kids had fun and we had a nice, relaxing day (up to the puke fest).

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Ith Thuck

We are still working on potty training Toblerone. Because he's such a huge child, the potty chair quickly became too small to accommodate his rather large behind. The regular toilet frightens him, so we are stuck right now. Ren Ren found this on the Internet....I'm thinking seriously of talking to Weenie about it. It will save the questioning of the "fur" later in his little life....

What brought me to this subject (yet again)? Well, last night, while changing Toblerone's diaper, he looked at me and said:

Toblerone: "Mama...ith thuck"

Mum: "What's stuck?"

Toblerone: "Mama...Toblerone's pee pee thuck."

Mum: "No...your pee pee is supposed to be there. It doesn't come off, Luv."

Toblerone: "No...pee pee thuck. Pee pee off."

Mum: *laughing*.."Your pee pee doesn't come off, Toblerone."

Toblerone: *trying to pull his pee pee off*

Mum: "Toblerone! Leave it alone! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Toblerone: "Mama. Toblerone pee pee thuck...Daddy fithit (fix it)."

Whenever something gets broken or needs to be put together, Weenie is the handy man and hero to all that is needing help...plastic and flesh alike.

During this conversation between Toblerone and I, Weenie was putting together yet another Lego Star Wars ship at the dining room table. He looked up from his instruction manual with this look on his face.




Mum: "Yeah Daddy...Toblerone's pee pee "ith thuck". Daddy needs to "fithit".

Again, Weenie gives me this look.

Mum: "Little does he know that this is a valuable appendage."

He smiles, shakes his head and resumes Lego-ing. He's a man of little words...especially when he's fulfilling his Lego addiction.

Meanwhile, I put a new diaper on Toblerone and fully expect him to get up and run off. He just laid there....looking at me as if to say, "Well???"

Mum: "Toblerone....go play."

Toblerone: "Pee pee thuck."

OK....how many times do you have to say, "IT DOESN'T COME OFF!"

Mum: *Deciding to talk on HIS level* "Toblerone. Pee pee no off. Pee pee stay on."

Toblerone seemed to except my attempt at toddler speak and ran off.

The next thing I knew, he climbed up on the chair in the living room, then up on the arm of the chair, flapping his arms like a bird and saying:

Toblerone: "Toblerone fly! Toblerone AMATHING (amazing)!"

What do the two have in common? I have no clue, but one occured right after the other. What was going throught his mind? I don't know, but it was funny!

Frow Up!

During this recent wave of sickness (which involved basic cold symptoms and a really nasty, juicy cough), Toblerone was coughing SO much that he was throwing up. While trying to calm his cough a few days ago, he gagged just enough to get a little of the "ick" inside of his mouth. This look of sheer disgust comes over his face (kind of like this...minus the hat):

Toblerone: "Toblerone no like."

Mum: "I know sweetie....I'm sorry"

Then, he completes the experience by actually throwing up...in his bed. Through tears, he says,

Toblerone: "Toblerone frow up. Toblerone no like frow up. Mommy change gankets (blankets)."

While I'm changing his sheets, I hear this "splash". Then, I hear another "splash". Yup...the poor kid threw up twice on his floor. Again, through tears, he says:

Toblerone: "Toblerone froooooow up! Toblerone no like frow up! Toblerone sowwy Mama!"

As gross as it is cleaning up puke at quarter to five in the morning, I don't want him to be sorry! He couldn't help it!

He's feeling better today...thank GOD. Still has a slight fever, but he's running around as usual asking for "joo-wes" (Juice).

INCOMING!!!!

*sigh*....We have survived yet another wave of sickness that barrelled through the household. Triscuit got it first, then Toblerone....now MUM is fighting it. Oh well. Such is life!

DADA!! A BUGGY!!!

Have you ever seen these?

They're "Crane Flies". We refer to them as "Mosquito Eaters". They are HUGE mosquito-like bugs...but they feed on nectar. These suckers are ALL OVER the place right now. Toblerone has a fear of bugs...and especially these things. I don't know why...it's not like they can hurt him, but HE doesn't know that!

Because it's been so nice here, I was working in the yard and left the back door open. Little did I know, I let about 5 of these things in the house. I didn't realize this until it was time for their baths. Because Toblerone is so big and strong, I have to have Weenie give him a bath. He freaks out when you pour water over his head. He flails about and it takes every ounce of strength to keep him IN the bathtub! Well, this particular evening, Weenie put them in the tub for them to play for a while. While bringing his diaper downstairs to dispose of, we heard Toblerone SCREAM a blood curdling scream then we hear:

*Squeak* *THUD THUD THUD*

The next thing we know, there is a wet, stark naked child stomping around upstairs saying:

Toblerone: "DADA!!! A BUGGY!!! GET IT! GET IT!!!!"

We were BOTH cracking up SO hard! Weenie, being the hero that he is, grabbed the thing by the wings and set it free outside. We managed to calm him down enough for him to get BACK into the bathtub. Again, Weenie steps away for a second to let them play, when we hear it again....

*SQUEAK*....*THUD THUD THUD*


Toblerone: "DADA!!! BUGGY!!!!! GET IT!!!!"

Weenie runs back upstairs, but THIS time, no bug. BUT...we spy a Triscuit in the bathtub LAUGHING his head off.

We calm Toblerone down again and put him BACK in the tub. THIS time, Weenie stays there. Then, Triscuit does this...."

Triscuit: "Toblerone! Is that a BUG???"

Toblerone doesn't even stop to LOOK. He starts SHRIEKING again and cries:

Toblerone: "DADA!!! BUGGY!!!!" All the while trying to scramble out of the bathtub.

Ahhh....we found the culprit. An annoying Triscuit fly that likes to scare the crap out of his little brother.

Stinker!

The Continuing Saga Of Sir Spaz-A-Lot

I took Triscuit back to the behavioral specialist a little over a week ago. Things are better regarding his attention span/focus, but towards the 3rd week of him beginning his medication, I noticed it wearing off 4 hours after he took it. Since it takes about an hour for it to kick in, he only had 3 hours of focal ability. That wasn't working...considering he would only get a few hours of schooling in before he started jumping around like someone was putting coals down his pants. His behavioral specialist increased his dosage from 5mg (the lowest) to 10mg per day. The concern is now his weight. The kid is shaped JUST like Weenie. Tall/Lanky and skinny! He really couldn't afford to lose any weight, but he did. He lost 3 pounds. When they lose 10% of their body weight, the docs start getting concerned. He only had 2 and 1/2 pounds to go before that 10% benchmark was reached. The decision was made to put him on a high fat/high calorie diet along with an increased amount of the med. Triscuit gets a milkshake LOADED with junk right before he goes to bed. Whole milk, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Syrup, a packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast and a few scoops of peanut butter. Blend together and you have a chocolate peanut butter shake! She instructed us to give it to him right before bed. Not only with the Tryptophane in the dairy help him sleep, the full tummy will, too. Along with the decreased appetite, he was having problems falling asleep again. Good thing he had Spring Break the week the increase in med started.

He couldn't fall asleep until after 11:00pm...and a few nights after 1:00am. Then, he would wake up at 6:00am raring to go! A few hours later, he would be really tired. I don't know many adults who could handle getting only 5 hours of sleep and be happy...so what follows is extreme crankiness. Of course, when he gets cranky, he takes it out on Toblerone. The ONE thing Triscuit hasn't gotten through his head is Toblerone is almost his size...as a matter of fact, there is only a 2 pound difference between the two of them now. Triscuit is 56 (almost 57) pounds and Toblerone is 54 pounds. I don't know how many times Weenie and I have to tell Triscuit..."DO NOT TAKE YOUR FRUSTRATIONS OUT ON YOUR LITTLE BROTHER". But does he listen? No....of course not! So, what follows is this....

Triscuit: "Toblerone! Move your head! I can't see!"

Toblerone: "NO! Triscuit take a nap!"

Triscuit: "NO! YOU take a nap!"

Toblerone: *runs over to Triscuit and hits him*

Triscuit: *screams* "OW!!!!!!!!! MOOOOOM! He hit me!!!!"

Mum: *spanks Toblerone for hitting and puts him on the couch*...."Now...Triscuit! How many times do we have to tell you to be NICE to your little brother!"

Triscuit: "But Moooom! He's in my way and he won't move!"

Mum: "If you don't change your attitude, you're going to go take a nap."

OH BOY! You would have thought I crushed his world. Oh no! I said the "N" word to a 7 year old....

Triscuit: *begins WAILING*..."NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I don't wanna take a naaaaaaaap!"

At this point, I try and explain to him what the medication is doing to him and how IMPORTANT it is for him to get some sleep. Needless to say, it doesn't work.

Mum: "If I catch you ONE more time being mean and talking to your brother like that, you WILL go to bed. Now...repeat what I just said to you."

Triscuit: "Be nice or I will go take a nap."

Not even an hour later, it all starts again. Toblerone wanted to sit next to Triscuit and watch "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". Triscuit wasn't having it.

Triscuit: "No Toblerone! Get down!"

Toblerone: *gives him a confused look*

Triscuit: "I want to be by myself! Leave me alone!"

Toblerone: *sensing Triscuits hostility begins to react in a normal 2 year old fashion* "NO! Triscuit MEEEEAAAAN! *SMACK*

Mum: *sigh*

I stop doing dishes and break up the fight. Toblerone got spanked...yet again...while I sent Triscuit to his room for a nap. On his way up the stairs I hear....

Triscuit: "You don't love me! You don't want me around!"

WHOA! Where did THAT come from???? It made me feel bad but it also made me MAD. I understand that he's not in his right mind because he's tired and not eating a whole lot, but COME on! That was a LOW blow!

I follow him upstairs and while remaining calm, explain to him...YET AGAIN...that I told him ONCE to be nice to his brother. I reminded him of what the agreement was...if he was mean again, he would be taking a nap. He understood the "nap" thing, but here was his statement....

Triscuit: "You always send me away when I'm in trouble. You just don't want me around. You love Toblerone MORE than me!"

Ouch. That hurt. NO mother wants to hear those words. So, I tried to explain to him WHY he gets sent to his room. Not only to calm down, but to separate the TWO of them. They BOTH needed to cool off. I also explained that NO...I DO NOT love Toblerone more than him. I love them BOTH. There is enough "Mommy" to go around. I punish Toblerone in a way he can understand and then punish Triscuit in the way HE understands. I am not "wanting" him to be away from me, but instead, wanting him to think about what he did. My explanation seemed to calm things down....for now, anyway.

One of the things I've noticed since he's been on this medication is he's becoming more in tuned to his emotions. Instead of just crying when he feels an overwhelming wave of emotion, he's starting to express them with words. He seems to be a LOT more sensitive now when it comes to specific things (like the whole "you don't love me" thing). I am SO happy that he's able to recognize his feelings and express them appropriately, but imagine how HE feels. All those years of not really being able to express himself...then all of the sudden...BOOM! I don't know if it's a relief for him or more of a frustration. Only time will tell. I will be talking to his behavioral specialist about this at the end of the week. Hopefully, it's a positive thing and not just a side effect from the med.

Anal Retentive? Who....ME???

OK OK....I know....stop yelling at me. I've been absent, yet again, but I have resolved to catch up on my blogging duties.

Ever since Toblerone got sick, I've caught the cleaning bug. I've been using Pine-Sol in laundry, disinfecting bathrooms (hurp hurp), anally cleaning the kitchen every time there are dishes, etc..etc. Need I go on? I feel as though I'm "nesting" (minus the bun in the oven, of course). And no...there is NO chance of that happening again. Having a Tubal Ligation was one of the better decisions I've made!!!!

So...on to my blogging. It may take me a few days to catch up, but I will get there!

Klutzy Much?

Both boys have been EXTREMELY klutzy these past few weeks. I think I've kissed more boo boo's in the last few days than I have in a LONG time.

Triscuit has been tripping over his feet and bumping his head quite frequently. I thought "Hmm...maybe it's the medication that's thrown him off", until he put his pants on (the SAME pants we bought for him in December). It looked like he was expecting a flood! He's also been complaining that his shoes are hurting him (yup...we bought THOSE in December, too).

As for Toblerone...well, he's just clumsy because he's 2 and 1/2, but lately the klutziness has been a LITTLE more prevalent than usual. He's mastered the stairway, but tonight, he must have either miscalculated or twisted his ankle on the way down....THUD THUD THUD...SMACK! Right into the hallway door. A squeal, a breathless cry and wailing followed. Don't worry...he's alright. No boo boo's to kiss that time, although if I could have kissed his ego, it would have done a WORLD of good. Honestly, I think he hurt the door more than he hurt himself!

So...that got me pondering..."Is there something WRONG with my children?" The answer? Well, yes, because they have Weenie and I for parents, but that doesn't account (fully) for the uncoordination. AND...since Triscuit's pants would have suited him well during a flood, I thought I should measure them.

Ready for this?

Triscuit

Age: 7 years, 6 months.

Weight: 59 pounds

Height: 4'3 and 1/2 inches tall.

Toblerone

Age: 2 years, 7 months.

Weight: 52 pounds

Height: 3'7 and 1/2 inches tall.

TRISCUIT was a few inches taller than Toblerone at the age of 4!

We're in for it....

Now accepting canned goods and monetary donations to feed my beasts (Yes, I'm kidding).