STINKY JOHN JONES

Jumble

Is it just me, or with the time change, does 10pm feel like the middle of the night? 

I have been in bed, exhausted, just after 8pm many times these past few weeks.  Now that it's getting dark earlier, my body thinks I should be hibernating. 

Now for the jumble of happenings....I think it's easier this way.....

Timber:  He is doing fabulously.  We couldn't have hoped for a better outcome.  He is officially done with his medication and pain free.  And we start puppy school at the end of November, so that should be interesting. 

A few weeks ago Stink and I took Timber to meet Chachi at school.  Of course, when kids see a puppy, they go all googly eyed and insist on invading your personal space.  At one point, another Mother asked if her little girl could pet the doggy.  This little girl was probably just over a year old.  I said yes, and held Timber so he wouldn't jump.  Next thing I know, Stink is tugging on the Mother and asks, "Can I pet your baby?" and begins to rub her head. 
Embarrassment was the first thing that came to mind.  Then, I thought about it.  Your child is petting a member of our family, so why shouldn't we return the favor.  Huh.  The kid taught me another lesson. 

Speaking of Stink....this child finally seems to have grown out of the terrible 2's.....at 3.5 years of age. If I didn't know him, I would have thought someone switched him out for a better behaved kid. 

And what's worse is that Chachi has taken over his role as the PITA. 
A Mom can never win. 

Bedtime is still blissful.  Unless I let Dave put the kids to bed.  Why is it that husbands screw everything up?  His way is to put them in bed and walk away.  If they get out, he lets them lay down with him, inevitably falls asleep, and I walk in to a husband and two kids snoring in my bed.

Which reminds me, he put them to bed tonight.  I better go check and see what's happening.  Wanna bet they are not in their own beds? 

Hiddee Ho Neighbor

You know that neighbor who pops his/her head over the fence every couple of weeks with a friendly 'Hi!'? 

Well that seems to be me lately. 

These last couple weeks have been so crazy and I just haven't had the energy to do much else but sleep in the evenings. 

Unfortunately, we lost Dave's Grandmom last week, which consumed a good portion of our time and emotions.  Although that is a post in itself, but I need a little time yet.

And with summer upon us and the garden and chickens needing tending, that sucked up the rest. 

However, I do have a good story to leave you with.....

Tonight, we had great weather.  Slight, cool breeze and clear skies.  As I sat on the porch, Stink joined me on the bench. 

"Ah, FIRE!" he screamed, pointing at the lawn. 
"What?  No fire, Stink." I said.
"No, right THERE!  FIRE!" 

It took a few seconds for me to realize what he meant.

Lightening Bugs!

"Those are lightening bugs, Stink."  I explained.
"Ah, I not like them!" and just like that he flung open the door and ran into the house. 

Guess I need to add Lightening Bugs to the list.
Wonder if that should come before clouds or after on the fear scale?

Crapshoot

This is most likely going to be all mumble-jumble but at least it's something.

Summer is upon us, Chachi has graduated from Pre-K (pics coming soon!) and we are busier then ever. 

The garden's in full swing, weeds are a plenty and it still needs mulching.

The chicken's are a handful, one has a broken toe.  Really.  Have you ever tried to bandage a chicken's foot.  Not pretty. 

We spent last Saturday afternoon in the hospital.  Again.  At this point, we should definitely by stock.

The pool is open which took the rest of the weekend.  After fishing out a couple dead moles.  And the kids cannot stop telling strangers we have rats.  People make strange faces when they hear that. 

Stink apparently has a sensitivity to sugar and is currently going through withdrawl bringing tantrums around the clock.

Everyone is lacking sleep and really cranky.  And I can't find time to do much else but child-rear, clean, laundry and work. 

The van needs a new radiator after $400. worth of tires and more on brakes, not to mention the inspection is up this month. 

But, besides that, things are good.  I am thankful that we are all healthy and have steady jobs in this economy.  That my children have the advantage of private school and other activities.  And that my marriage is rock solid, giving the kids a good foundation in life and great home environment to thrive. 

That pretty much completes this update.  Hopefully I can find time to elaborate on the topics I touched upon in the near future.  For now, this will have to do as I have a small child who refuses to sleep and during the waking hours is bouncing off the walls.  Seriously, I need to go peel him off the ceiling like an over ripe banana. 

Fun in the Sun

Another beautiful Saturday here in Stinkville that we took full advantage of. 
T-Ball game in the morning and laziness in the sun for the remainder. 
What a way to spend the day :)

If you look over ------------------------------------> in each picture......that is where Stink was. 
He had a tummy ache for most of the day and needed more than a little coaxing to be seen on camera.
Fortunately, that ache left him early Sunday morning via the sewer system.

Hope you had a great one too!

Neglect

Whoever came up with "Have your cake and eat it too" was a freakin' moron......or a man....take your pick. 
Because when I have a free moment in the evening, I need to pick what is most important to accomplish. 
Blog?  Or finish preschool project for child?  Read blogs?  Or bathe the children? 
And one can not very well send their child to Pre-K with either 'the dog ate my homework' excuse or smelly. 
Hence, blog sits on the back-burner. 

Which led me to ponder........

Husbands. 

They seem to never have to pick.  Honey, I'm tired.  And off to bed he goes.  No worries.  Wifey will take care of the children, dinner dishes, laundry, cleaning, and the million other tasks that need to be completed.  You just go get your rest dear.  NOT! 
When do I get to hit the sack early?  When it does happen, once a year and usually when I either have a terrible migraine where I can't see straight or the flu, it's never peaceful. 
Honey?  Where are the kids pajamas?  Honey?  We don't have any clean towels?  Honey?  Where is the dryer? 

And another thing, while I'm on the subject......

Does it take YOUR husband FOREVER to fix things?

Take, for example, the light in our laundry room.  For TWO YEARS I actually had to pull over a stool and twist the freakin' lightbulb because the chain broke.  TWO YEARS!  And it wouldn't have gotten fixed had it not undergone a complete remodel. 

Or the outside lights.  They sat on the porch for 4 months, in the winter when it was dark at 4pm and I actually had to carry a flashlight to open the front door.  Until I threw a fit one day that he either hang them or live in his car. 

Or, or, cable hook-up in the new playroom.  The cable is run in the walls and even has outlets.  HOWEVER, it is not connected in the box.  Wonder how long that will take?  Although, I have been threatening to call the cable company, so it may happen sooner than you think. 

Even better.  One of the kid's bikes.  The handlebars have been crooked since last summer.  I even made him watch the child trying to steer the wobbly thing that inevitable ended up veering into the grass and tossing said child off.   He tightened it.  With his hands. 
Needless to say, the bike is still crooked as hell.  You should have seen the neighbor kid riding it which provided me a good laugh.  Which is why I am not harping on him to fix it right. 

How about you?  Have the same problems in your house?  Do you have to twist a lightbulb to see? 

*I need to add a defense....because my In-laws read this. (Hi!)  He does work very hard, and often late.  And he does spend most of his weekend time with the kids.  So I kinda understand.  Sorta.  Kinda.  Maybe*

Economics

With summer approaching, although not quick enough, my thoughts are moving towards family fun days.
You know, weekends at the beach, water parks, amusement rides, fairs, great museums, days leisurely wandering around the zoo, just about anything that involves the outdoors and well.....lots of money. 

And if you are anything like our family, you can understand the fact that with our current financial status as a nation, our pocketbooks have become slightly lighter than usual. 
Speaking of which, my wallet actually creaked when I opened it at the pharmacy this evening.  And I may have saw a moth fly out, but it could have been the lighting too, who knows. 

My point being here, is what can we do to still have fun without losing our shirts in the process?

I have a few ideas that I would like to share: 

1.)  Take advantage of free. 
Our local newspaper has a section called Happenings.  Listed are whats happening, hence the title (I know, how original.) around town.  For example, each Sunday the local Nature Center has a free guided walking tour and each week it's a different topic. 

2.) Day trips to the beach. 
We live close enough that it's only about an hour drive.  We can pack a lunch, hang at the beach and be back in time for dinner. 
Tiring but workable. 

3.)  Discount, discount, discount.
I know it still requires cash, but at a reduced rate.  Our local municipal building offers discount tickets to just about all the area parks.  And when you times that savings by 4, it really adds up. 

So what about you?  Are you cutting out the family vacation to Disney this year?  Staycation anyone? *BTW...have you seen In the MotherHood?  They had a Staycation episode, however the one family cheated and went to Hawaii which really pissed me off.  Not the cheating part, but that they can afford Hawaii!*
Have any great family fun ideas that are either free or at least pocket friendly? 

The Great Mom Debate

I have a ton of blogs in my reader.  A ton. 
I am a quick-fire subscriber.  There, I admitted it.

However, it comes with its own drawbacks.  One, being, that there is no possible way to read each one on a daily basis.
And at times, my favorites get lost in the pack, only to be rediscovered. 

Which is what totally happened today. 

Jaci over at Ravings of a Mad Housewife (who is awesome!), wrote a post that really struck a cord.  And got me thinking. 

Spanking. 
Effective discipline?  

If you asked me this a month ago or even a week ago, I would have given a definite thumbs up.  I believe(d) spanking to be very effective in certain situations.  Child runs into street, barely being missed by a passing car?  During a shopping excursion, you turn your back for a split second and child is gone?  In both these instances, spanking can be effective to quickly make you point on just how dangerous of a situation that can be. 

But, and this is a fairly large but, I may have changed my mind. 

You see, Chachi never really needed to be spanked.  Of course, the above instances have happened and she did get a quick swat, but she was always my 'you hurt Mommy's feelings' regarding discipline child.  Reasoning with her has, most times, worked much more effectively. 
Even today. 

Now, Stink on the other hand, is a different story. 
As my Dad so lovingly says, "He is thick as a brick".
Lessons don't sink in.  It is very hard to penetrate that brain of his.  I'm not saying, by any means, that he isn't intelligent.  Just the contrary.  He is smart as a whip. 
It's the things he could care less about that don't stay put in that tiny little head of his. 
I guess you can call him....selective. 
Take for instance, the refridgerator. 
I can't count how many times he has been told to stay out.  We even have a lock on it.  Which lasted a good few days, until he found how to operate it.
One time, Dave got up at 4am to find Stink in the fridge sticking his finger in all the puddings. 
4am! 

So, after many many warnings and time outs, we resorted to spanking. 
Which worked. 
Temporarily. 
He began to listen.  Was heeding our warnings.  I didn't need to say the same thing over and over and over again. 

Now, remember when I say I may have changed my mind?
This is why.

We have had some pretty nice weather here these last few days.  And all the neighborhood kids have been outside playing. 
The other day, a couple older boys from up the street, maybe age 8 or 9, where a couple houses up fooling around.
Stink rides his scooter towards them.  Hops off.  And begins to chase them down yelling 'fight! fight! fight!'
To the point where they were running into the street to get away from him.  He's two remember. 

Of course, I called him back and disciplined him verbally.

After things settled down, I asked him why he did that. 
Stink answered, "Because Mommy, they were bad and I needed to spank their butt." 

I almost fainted. 

Our 'disciplining method' just backfired. 

How am I to explain to an almost 3 year old the difference between spanking and hitting others? How can I tell him how wrong it is to hit when I hit him?

Which is what I am left with.  How? 

What is your take on this debate? 
And have you found a good alternative method?

For more opinions visit Jaci's comment section!  Each offer great insight!

Is it just me......

......or would life without kids be boring?

I know.  I complain a lot of the time, and wish for more sleep, more room in my bed, time to myself, a shower in peace with the curtain shut, etc.

But, for some reason, tonight I had an epiphany. 

Life without kids would suck.

Imagine coming home from work..........to nothing.  Or worse. A snoring husband passed out on the couch because he is now able to hit happy hour at the bar each night after work.

Imagine waking up in the morning..........to nothing.  No kisses, hugs, morning romps on the bed with the kidlets.  No one screaming for you to get up and make them Spongebob shaped pancakes.

Imagine the holidays.  No Santa, no toys under the tree just waiting for that special someone to open them with wide eyes and glee.  No Easter bunny or tooth fairy.  No anticipation. 

Imagine dinner time.  No conversation.  No milk out the nose as they laugh and snort.  No one to curl up on your lap and share your dessert. 

I just can't imagine life without the joy the kids bring.  To get to watch them discover new things.  That first snow.  Or the first time they see mountains.  Or even the first time they taste something hot, like cocktail sauce, and their little noses shrivel up as they scream for juice. 

I just can't imagine. 

Now git, go kiss your kids.  I am going to take a page out of Stink's book and slobber on mine. 

Truth be told......

......I am avoiding chores. 
And not just, ho hum maybe I need to vacuum.  Real stuff.

Like, there is a bug on the kitchen window that resembles a beetle only with a soft shell and wings.  I have no idea what it is, but have been avoiding it like the plague.  I have walked into that room no less than 5 times and it is still in the same spot. 
I think I will ask hubby to shut the curtains and let him find it. 

I currently have a load of laundry in the dryer and one in the washer.  The dryer dinged about an hour ago.  I am pretending I didn't hear it. 

Currently, the pig is residing in the same room as my computer.  She keeps coming out of her little hut and giving me a little squeal.  I know she wants food.  Maybe if I don't look in her direction she will think I am deaf. 

And finally, the kitchen floor really needs to be cleaned.  Only, the bug is in there.  Which leads me back to the beginning. 
Life really is a vicious cycle. 

I think I'll just go to bed.  

Goldilocks and the 3 Snoring Bears

We have four people in our family.  A Mom (me), a Dad (Dave) and two children. 

We have three bedrooms.  Chachi's bedroom, Stink's bedroom and MY bedroom. 

We have a couch.  Dave's bedroom.  (well, that is usually where he passes out at 7pm anyway)

Now that we got that out of the way, you would think I would have a bed to sleep in. 

NOT!

Too soft.

Too firm.

Ah, just right.
Crap! What's that?!?!

Oh. No,no,no,no........not again!