Unemployed

A while back I posted this picture to Instagram and Facebook with the following caption.

"If I could get fired from my job I probably would.  It's 1am, I'm going to bed and my kitchen looks like this.  Seriously, I can hear The Donald's 'You're fired!' ringing in my ear."

Today, while feeling overwhelmed by the amount of mess that has accumulated in my kitchen and front room since we arose this morning, it occurred to me that you couldn't pay someone to do what I do.  No one would ever dream of hiring ONE person to take care of their children, clean their house and provide all their meals. There are labor laws against that kind of stuff.  So, I guess I can't really expect to be the best caretaker, housekeeper and cook all the time because expecting that from anyone else would be completely unreasonable.  After this realization, I feel a bit less overwhelmed.  In fact, I think I'll leave the mess for a bit and play with the kids because if I can't do it ALL, I might as well do what's most important.

Evidence That I'm Raising A Grown Up In A 5 Year Old's Body

Duncan The Environmentalist

The other day we were debating about whether or not we should drive or walk to the park. Duncan reminded us that if we walked we would make less pollution.

Lately in his prayers he has been very mindful of the environment. He blessed the animals that they would be safe and able to adapt. Then the other night he blessed the earth that it would have a reason to be good.

Duncan The Communicator

After being kicked off the computer, he had the self awareness to warn me of his impending break down with, "Mom, I'm going to FREAK OUT!"

In the car the other day, Duncan asked if he could play on the ipad when we got home. I said that he couldn't because he had already had enough time on electronics for the day. We argued for a while until a frustrated Dunks explained that he would prefer a schedule so he knew when he could play and for how long everyday. My poor routine loving 5 year old. This won't be the last time he finds himself trying to communicate his frustration with his consistently, inconsistent mom.

He frequently speaks in acronyms. Today he came up to me and said, "MMIPMK?" I looked at him blankly and told him I had no freakin' idea what he wanted (minus the "freakin"). In case you're as lost as I was here's the translation: Mom, may I play Mario Kart? I should have known. He asks for "MK" all day. That and "CM", or "AJ", or my favorite -just "S".

Duncan The Biologist

Wrapped up in his doggy towel, he told me he wasn't able to help clean up because puppies don't have opposable thumbs.

Finlay, the little brother trying to keep up with all this animal stuff, asked me if clouded leopards lived in the forest. I said that they did to which Duncan added, "Yes, in the rain forests of Indonesia." He then went on to list animals and what parts of the world they lived in. He was in the back of the van, so I couldn't hear very well but at one point he referred to Bengal Tigers and Bangladesh. The best though was when I heard him talking about an animal that is found in North and South America and corrected himself by saying, "Or I should say, 'The Americas'."

That kid...or whatever he is.

While You're Still 6 Months

Dear Fatso (said with all the love of an adoring mamma),

You will be 7 months in a few days so lets get on with it already. At your 6 month appointment you were almost 23 pounds! 100th percentile for weight and 95th for height and 90th for head. Conclusion: You are BIG and healthy. You have 2 tiny bottom teeth. Teeth + dimple+fat face = infectious smile. You roll around, sit up and try with all your might to crawl. You get up on your knees every chance you get but have no idea what to do next. I'm sure not going to show you..I prefer to find you where I left you =) You just found your little voice. I love your babbles. You used to be an awesome sleeper but your new schedule means more cartoons and cereal for you big brothers. Ughh. I hate mornings.

***Right after I typed this, you woke up. On the bright side, I got to rock you and enjoy a rare snuggle session with you. Have I mentioned how wonderful I think you are? I couldn't have asked for a better 3rd child. You are a peaceful little guy with a bit of spunk. You have the roundest face that just begs for kisses. I am happy to oblige...all day long =) You are a doll. We all adore you. Can't wait to watch that blonde hair of yours grow.

Love,

Mom

Words With Boys

Finlay: Mom, do leopards live in Canaka or North America?

Me to Finlay: Your buns are cute!

Finlay to me: No, YOUR buns are cute!

Duncan: How can you go from being the nicest mom ever to being the meanest mom ever?

My boys love jokes. Here are a couple knock knock jokes I came up with during our improv comedy session this morning.

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

Europe.

Europe who?

Who you calling poo? (said totally offended like)

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

You love.

You love who?

I love YOU!! =)

Goal!!

Duncan scored his first goal in soccer today. It was so fun to watch and celebrate. He's not the best player out there but it's so fun to see how much he loves to play. He's way more aggressive than Jimmy and I thought he would be. I forgot to take his picture so this blog post will be our little way of remembering this big day for Duncan.

Us, Instagrammed

A Fly on the Wall

Recently, I found a 30 minute long video on my phone. The average length of a video on my phone is about a minute. I couldn't wait to see what was so important. As soon as I started watching, it was apparent this was Fin's film making debut. He didn't realize it was recording, and neither did I when I took the phone from him and placed it on the charger in the kitchen. The video went black but there was still audio; compelling audio. Have you ever wished you could watch yourself at work as a mom, just to gain a different perspective? Well, perspective gained. It just happened to be a stressful Sunday morning, with Jimmy at early meetings. At one point I leave the room and come back to Fin in tears, and I have to figure out which story to believe. I got it right!! And at another point I'm snapping at Duncan to change his attitude and even do my best whiney Duncan voice to show him exactly what I don't want to hear anymore. After Duncan whines (and don't get me wrong...there was incessant amounts of whining) over what cup I am putting his hot chocolate in, I lose it and the anger in my "I'm SICK OF IT!" is shameful. So I've come to some conclusions: I am patient with a lot of things (a lot more patient than I thought) but I have "triggers" that push me over the edge and I get nasty; both boys are huge whiners; Duncan has a real problem with name-calling.