The Firetower

Sunday, December 7
We get to church late and then spend an hour and a half trying to keep our kids quiet. James was amazing, but we were still handling two others. It didn't help that sacrament meeting - our first hour of church- went over by 20 minutes. Then Katherine went to class. Every LDS church in the United States used folding chairs, the same folding chairs. The adult chairs are a metal brown and the children's chairs are metal with a faux wood seat. We fold up the chairs after church. Katherine's teacher was teaching how to work together as a group. The teacher tried picking up the chair with one hand by the leg and couldn't and asked the class how she could pick up the chair with one hand. The answer was that everyone helps and they can together. Katherine said, "I'll show you how." She proceeded to fold the chair up and pick it up with one hand.
Then during the children's group meeting, she was asked what gift she could give to Jesus. She paused, thought for a minute, and said, "Well, I already do everything my mom asks me to, so I think I'll give him a kitten."

We get home from church and I have a message from the Festival of Trees that I have "won" something... I like how they tell you you won although you have to pay for whatever you bid on. Kevin and I have gone to the Festival every year for five years. If we bid on Saturday, we never win. People come on Sunday and always outbid. That is how it has worked for FIVE years. Some background info:

I wanted to give Katherine an American doll for Christmas this year. I have planned on it for a while and so I had the money for it. I know she is young for it but this isn't about her. It is about me wanting her to have it. Kevin was less than thrilled with the idea, but I had planned it and I bought it.

Every year at the Festival, a woman buys an American doll and then sews and knits five or six outfits for it. She quilts a baby blanket and a pillow. She puts it in a sleigh and it is gorgeous. This doll goes for $250-300 every year. It has never gone for under $250 for FIVE YEARS. I decided to bid on it. I thought how much it was all worth and I bid $150, knowing I would never get it because it has NEVER gone for under $250 in FIVE YEARS. I won. So now we have two dolls when Kevin wanted zero. I would have been in trouble except for what Kevin had done.

Kevin likes to bid on trees that have only one bid on them or trees our friends have made. He has done this every year and the only way we have ever gotten a tree is going back on Sunday right before the end of bidding. So Kevin bid on two Twilight trees as a joke, a flamingo tree because James liked it and then on a tree that had a model of the firetower built over it.

The firetower is a town landmark that was built after Helena burned down. They built this bell tower on a hill and people would watch for fires and ring the bell. I'm not sure why someone would build a miniature firetower over a tree and then they put a plastic train track and train around the whole thing. There is a lot of styrofoam and the tree is three feet tall and four feet wide and fits nowhere. Kevin won it. I apologize for anyone who made it but it is one of the ugliest trees ever. It isn't pretty or cute with little ornaments. It is really just a big wooden tower that takes up my whole kitchen table. I want to take the train off of it but then it would just be a tree under a firetower. He didn't bid much for it but he bid way more than it is worth. He should not have been shocked he won.

So I may have bid more on the doll, but it is a doll with clothes and shoes and a brush and ribbons and a necklace. It is usable. It is fun. Our daughter will love it. Kevin bought a model of a bell tower to warn us when there is a fire. Until we decide what to do with it, we cannot eat dinner at our table.

That was Sunday. How am I supposed to face Monday when that was our Sunday?

Bad Idea

I may have done something stupid. Boggles the mind, doesn't it? A Kirby vacuum person called and said I could get a "free room shampooed" if I listened to how great a Kirby is. I own a Kirby. The vacuum repair place here sells them, but he takes old parts and builds new ones so instead of costing $2000, they cost $200. That 0 changes things.

So the representative called and I paused. I had to think things through. I had to weigh getting my carpet cleaned to listening to the spiel. Last time a Kirby person came by, she had a sweatshirt on and torn jeans and dirty nails and there was no way I was buying a cleaning product from her. What can I say? I'm a judgmental person who believes if you are selling a cleaning product, your person should be clean. We will see what happens and if they really shampoo it, or just vacuum it. I think the Kirby now has a shampoo attachment which would be nice but I'm planning on getting hardwood floors. I am entered into a drawing to win $1000 off a Kirby, but I think I will be telling them that until I get new floors, I see no reason to buy a new vacuum.

I think this may be a bad idea. If I have to figure out how to get the guy out of my house two days before he actually shows up, it may be worth paying for it next time. Maybe I can fake labor.

Stupid Toy

Here is a warning for those of you who are thinking about getting let's go Thomas! for your kids: The sound sensor does not turn off. I thought it was a really cool toy. It looks like Thomas is talking and it will follow you around. When you see it in the store, it will talk to you and the lips move and the cheeks light up. It occupied Seth around the store and I thought it would be a great Christmas present. I stuck it into the back of the van in a bag, under some stuff so Katherine wouldn't see and then headed to Home Depot. When we opened the door, I heard, "Let's go Thomas." When we shut the door, I heard, "Let's go Thomas." When we picked up katherine and she entered the car, I heard, "Let's go to Sodor." Whenever we went over a bump, we were either "going" with Thomas to Sodor or he was saying hello. No way to surprise anyone and katherine started to ask to play with Thomas although she couldn't see him. Then when we got home, she found him. I figured if I tried to hide him, every time we opened the closet, we would be invited to Sodor.
So we now have a Thomas toy 4 weeks before christmas. I found the off switch, by the way. You need to unscrew the train from the box first and then it is right there, next to the Try Me option. Sodor owes me $40.

BEST PURCHASE: wooden eggs. Seth is having a blast and we can actually eat eggs for breakfast now without tears.

Being Myself

Normally, I write about my deficiencies in the arts of homemaking and child rearing, but today I a going to praise myself. It was parent/teacher conferences last night and James wrote that he is good at being himself. How awesome is that? A lot of that is just him, but I am giving myself kudos for allowing it... I try to let him be who he is even though I am so scared for JR. High that I have thought of moving to get into a different school (k-8) to skip the whole jr. high thing. So while I have been sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth completely neurotic, it has not affected him.

I am not the mom who makes perfect cupcakes with sprinkles, but when I try, then end up looking like someone has taken a dump on a plate... I am not the type of mom to come up with fun activities and to play with my kids or teach them to read before they are in school. I am just an average person whose main goal is that her kids are fed, dressed (clean clothes are a plus), and who occasionally bathe. I haven't gotten the H1N1 vaccine not because of political, ethical reasons but because I don't want to have three screaming kids all at once. I just try to make it to bedtime without yelling too much or saying something that will come out as changing their lives for the worse in counseling or drug rehab.

My kids learned the ABC's from Elmo and now Seth knows Spanish from Dora; I think he also believes everyone who speaks Spanish has triangular hair, but we will work on that later.

So I am average. I am also really tired and usually guilt myself into everything else I am not doing for my kids. But last night, I realized I am actually a great mom because my son "is good at being myself!"

Now if I could just find the eggs.

I quit

Let's face it: I am not cut out to be a mom. My son's lizard just died - 2nd one in 2 weeks - and I freaked out. He was blaming his little brother, when his little brother couldn't get in the cage and then I found out that he had left the lid off and so I told him to not blame his brother for something that was his fault. To make matters worse, I went even more ballistic when I realized there were live crickets in the cage that hadn't had a lid on for an hour. I then told my heart broken son to go get the vacuum and clean up the broken crackers on the floor that the crickets could be attracted to and then I took the cricket cage and threw it outside. I then made everyone wash their hands and I vacuumed the floor and the upstairs because it had egg shells all over it. Then I gave my son a cookie and told him I was sorry that his lizard died as he cried that he would never be a good animal protector - his dream in life. Never mind that he hates going to the science class on animals he is in... I wasn't really sorry, though. I was glad that stupid disgusting thing is dead. I don't want a lizard in my house with the required crickets. And my two year old was crying the whole time because he couldn't hold the lizard and I just didn't care he was crying because the thing was dead and disgusting... Instead of comforting anyone in their time of need, I freaked out due to dead lizards and live crickets. My kids deserve an understanding and loving mom who doesn't care about dead lizards and live crickets, but whose only concern is the feelings of her children.
Then I sit on my bed and I moved a pillow and found...

an egg.

I quit.

Disneyland

On Wednesday, Kevin said, "Let's go to Disneyland because hunting is cancelled." I made the plans. On Wednesday afternoon, hunting was back on and I was going to Disneyland with the kids still. My friend Annie came with us and Seth had one on one with Grandma Rencher and here we are. We drove to Billings Thursday and came back on Tuesday. Katherine met Snow White and was so much better behaved after. James fought Darth Vadar and is now a Jedi. We went on a treasure hunt and met Mickey Mouse. We spent three days with Mickey and by the end the kids were exhausted and so was I. Instead of spending Tuesday night in Billings, we drove the whole way home and the kids were at school on Wednesday. I really get tired of being patient and helping children be patient. I think I am now coming down with the swine flu. I think the new tag line should be: Disneyland: The Happiest Place on Earth (once the kids are asleep)

What do you do with a girl like Maria?

We are having some issues with Katherine. We are open to suggestions.
At the airport on the way to Disneyland:
Mom: Katherine, you need to be good this weekend.
Kath: but I can't mom; It's just too hard for me.
Mom: Katherine, you need to be good.
Kath: but it hurts my head.

At the office yesterday:
Mom: You can have 2 pieces of candy.
Kath: I want 3.
Mom: You can have 3 pieces if you will be good the rest of the day.
Kath: But I want 3.
Mom: Then be good.
She took 2.