I Declared a Holiday

We missed the bus.

I stayed up way too late designing adorable oversized T-shirts with glitter-glue painted artist's palettes and the kids' names on them for art session in school (picture to follow), and eating Dove Chocolates with Caramel. Word of warning -- if you ever get a bag of these, take out two or three chocolates for yourself, then hide the bag and forget where you put it, immediately. When I woke up this morning, every time I shifted, all I heard was the "crinkle crinkle crinkle" of tiny tin foil wrappers with inspirational messages like "Go ahead, eat another, you could USE a little more junk in your trunk."

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Well, we had our first practice run this morning for getting ready for school. Last night, putting the boys to bed, I told them that they were starting school in one week, so this would be our practice week. I told them they had better go to sleep right away, because I was going to wake them up early in the morning to get ready. They have an alarm clock in their room, so naturally they wanted it set so they could get up by themselves, then come wake me up. The conversation:

What time do we need to get up?
I'm going to wake you up at 7:00. Maybe 6:30.
What if we wake up at five o'clock?
That's too early (little did I know.)
What if we wake up at one o'clock?
I'll set your alarm for six-thirty.

The boys are adamant that they are going to wake up before me, then come wake me up. I don't know where they got this idea, as I am usually on my third cup of coffee by the time they feel their way down the stairs. Chris usually wakes up ready to catch a tiger (and sometimes dressed for it, as well.) John always needs more time to clear the cobwebs out of his head and flatten down the hair that's sticking straight out on the left side of his head.

My alarm didn't go off this morning, but Jeff caught sight of the clock at 6:38 this morning and let me know (he was visibly shocked last night when I told him of my plans to practice getting ready for school and asked him to set the alarm for six-thirty.) I hopped out of bed (this is my story -- I hopped -- practically sprang!) I went directly to the boys' room (do not pass coffee machine, do not collect 200 mg of caffeine) to see that their own alarm clock had not phased them in the least. Without turning off their alarm, I began trying to wake them (admittedly, not something I have done more than a handful of times.) Let me tell you, this was no easy feat, with thoughts of Shaken Baby Syndrome floating around in the back of my mind. I managed to get a breakfast order out of them, and told them I expected them at the breakfast table in five minutes. John came down with me immediately.

At this point, some of you may be thinking it would be more efficient for me to decide on breakfast myself and slap it on the table rather than play short order cook. Trust me when I tell you it takes much less time to prepare two breakfasts to order than to try and convince a child (let alone two!) to eat something he doesn't have a taste for. Once I had breakfast on the table I had to go upstairs and pull the old "whisk the covers off the sleeping child" on Chris.

They were at the table eating breakfast by 7:00, not too bad. Chris wanted to be graded on his breakfast eating performance, so I gave him a B+. He didn't eat a lot, but enough, and he didn't get out of his chair once. They were dressed in their "handsome clothes" and socks by around 7:30. Again, not too bad. I don't know what time the bus will be picking them up, but right now I am estimating 7:40. We just need to add brushing teeth, putting on shoes, and fixing bed head. Maybe I'm over-confident, but I think we're going to have this nailed by Wednesday. I also think it's going to be pretty easy to get the boys to sleep earlier this evening, considering I woke them up a good two hours earlier than they're used to. Bonus!

At the end of today's time trial (can't you just see me crouching next to the breakfast table, pony-tailed hair in baseball cap, stopwatch in hand?) we talked about riding the bus. Chris talked a lot about making friends and sitting with friends. I talked them into finding seats in the front of the bus, close to the driver (because the big kids always head straight for the back.) Say, why don't school busses have seat belts, anyway?

So. That's this morning's excitement. Stay tuned for tomorrow's report. John has pole position, but I don't know what's going to happen once Hannah joins the pit crew.

We're Outta Here!

We're loading up the... minivan and heading off for a fabulous weekend excursion in the beautiful mountains of Northern Virginia. Hopefully, we'll get to visit with Uncle John before we leave. We'll be back Monday with tales of our trip, so...









Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Here's New Stuff To Read

Overheard recently:


Chris: My Spider-sense tangled, so I dumped down real quick!

Hannah: See ya later, crocodile.

John: What’s a “panty ray?”

Hannah: (Playing with her toy horsies) Run, Diarrhea! Run like the wind!



The beginning of school is getting closer and closer, faster and faster. We did our school shopping this week, for supplies and new clothes. It seems like a large enough list of things you are required to bring, but when you multiply that by twins, it’s downright daunting. Twenty-four gluesticks? A hundred Ziploc bags? Six boxes of crayons? One and a half quarts of glue? HOW many pencils? What do you mean, “Already sharpened?!?!” OK! Fine! But send my kids home ALREADY GRANTED A SCHOLARSHIP TO AN IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL!

So, we got the boys new duds for kindergarten. Their first button-up (all the way down the front) shirts. Belts. Chris is loving it. As soon as he saw his new clothes hanging in his closet, he wanted to wear them, and told me he wishes he could go to school NOW. I suggested he wait until school to wear his school clothes, so they wouldn’t get dirty. He had other plans.

Later that day, he came downstairs dressed in his new slacks, button-down shirt and belt. He had that flirty look in his eye -- the look that says, “I feel SOOOOOOOO good-lookin’!! Don‘t you wish you could marry me?” He spent a few minutes with us to let us tell him how wonderful he looked, then went into the bathroom, climbed up on the counter to reach the hairbrush, and emerged minutes later with a suave hairstyle and his collar turned up. His collar turned up!! Where did he learn that? And didn’t people stop doing that about 15 or 20 years ago? He leans in close to me and whispers, “I think I am going to wear this when I go on my first date.” The night before, after a shower and a fine job brushing his hair, he informed me that I may call him “Chris The Handsome Boy” if I like, sometimes. Today, he has decided that he would like to be called “Christopher” from now on. He was dressed in his finery again today, and had to keep “going to work” all day long.




My little boy is growing up, and soon graduating from lifeguards to teachers, I think.

Dr. Seuss, Move Over!

That Mom-I-Am.
That Mom-I-Am.
I'm hungry now,
My Mom-I-Am.

Oh,no. We're out of white bread. He wants Dipping Eggs with Toast, and we are out of white bread. What to do, what to do?

Would you like Dipping Eggs with Toasted Bagel?

I do not like Toasted Bagel.
I will not eat them, you can't finagle.

Would you like them here or there?

I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like Toasted Bagel.
I will not eat them, you can't finagle.

Would you like them at the sink?
Would you like them next to Link?

I would not like them at the sink.
I would not like them next to Link.
I would not like them here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like Toasted Bagel.
I will not eat them, you can't finagle.


Would you like them served on tip-toe?
Would you like them watching Krypto?

Not served on tip-toe.
Not watching Krypto.
Not at the sink.
Not next to Link.
I would not eat them here or there.
I would not eat them anywhere.
I do not like Toasted Bagel.
I will not eat them, you can't finagle.

Would you? Could you?
With Danny Phantom?
Eat them! Eat them!
Don't throw a tantrum!

I would not,
Could not,
With Danny Phantom.

You may like them.
The Hero of Time
Eats them every
Morning at nine.

Mom!
If you let me be,
I will try them.
You will see.



Say! I like this Toasted Bagel!
I do! I like it! What's a dreidel?
And I will dip them in my eggs!
And share them with Daddy Long Legs!

And I would eat them served on tip-toe.
And I would eat them watching Krypto.
And at the sink.
And next to Link.
They are so good, so good, I think!


And I will eat them here or there.
Say! I will eat them anywhere.

Mom-I-Am,
They are so yummy.
May you please
Make more for my tummy?