Things I say more times than I can imagine.

-Sit down and eat.

-Get dressed.

-Go potty.

-I don't care if you don't like (x, y, z), you have to do it.

-Please stop screaming.

-Please give me privacy while I (pee, shower, sleep...).

-Get back in your bed.

-Do your homework.

-Turn off the TV.

-STOP SCREAMING!

-Please leave (him, her, ME) alone!

-Put your (shoes, backpack, dirty laundry) where they belong.

-ENOUGH!

-I'm too tired to deal with this.

-My patience has hit its breaking point.

-I love you.

Little things...

Charity: Those Nemayums? (pointing to her plate of trail mix)
Me: What?
C: Those Nemayums?  For me?
M: Yes, Charity, those M&Ms are for you.

________________________

Me: HEY! (as I am watching Charity put soap all over a toothbrush)
Charity: (jump) You scared me!
M: That was intentional.
C: (bursting into tears) You hurt my feelings, 'pologize to me.

_______________________


Me: I'm sorry, the cat died. 
Andrew: (hysterically crying) But I loved him and I took very good care of him....
M: I know you did, buddy.  He didn't die because you didn't love him or because you didn't take good care of him.  He died because he was old and sick.
A: It's your fault.
M: What?!  Honey, I didn't do anything.
A: You brought him to the vet and they broke his insides.  It's your fault.
M: .............
______________________

While having coffee with a friend I receive a text: Fr: Kirby: 911! Call me!
Me: What's going on?
K: I'm taking her to the ER right now. 
Me: WHY?!  WHAT'S GOING ON?!
K: She swallowed a penny....

Yes, before we even got the the ER she was bouncing up and down so hard I was beginning to wonder if said penny had been laced with something...

I miss you!

Yesterday was Andrew and Zachary's first time with their new babysitter.  Kirby and I have always done our best to arrange our schedules so the kids don't need sitters, but as my business grows and since he started driving for the school district, things have had to change. 

We were so lucky to know a young lady who has the time and desire to watch our two monsters for an hour or so after school.  She is fantastic and I am so thankful she was able to make it work with us.

Back to the story.

Yesterday was her first day.  She picked them up at school, brought them home, got snack and started homework.  I walked through the door before 4:30 - they have only been home for 45 minutes.  Andrew runs to the door, jumps in my arms, "Mooooommmyy!!! You're back!!  I missed you!!".  You'd think I had been gone for days. 

God I love that kid.

Little things I want to remember...

Today, on the way to my doctor's appointment, Charity and I have the cutest conversation.

C: You breath, Erica?  The doctor listen to your heart?
Me: Yes, baby, the doctor will listen to my hear.  How did you get so smart?
C: At Grum's house.

________

Last month we went to camp.  At camp the boys are allowed to pee wherever boys want to pee.  A week after returning, Kirby and I were sitting on the front porch and Andrew came flying out the door from the house.  He runs behind a bush and drops his pants.

Me: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Andrew: I had to pee.
Me: You can't do that at home, only at camp.
Andrew: But I had to pee!

_________

Tonight as I am putting Andrew to bed we have a quick conversation about his crazy behavior.

Me: Andrew, what is going on with you tonight?!
A: I'm outta control.
Me: Yes, I see that, but why?
A: Because it's a full moon, or a half moon or a crescent moon.  It's some kind of moon.

_________

Andrew walks into the house last week, sees that it is clean and says "are we having company".  Shit.

SERENITY NOW!

I am trying to be tolerant of my child with autism this evening….as I was working my ASS off on the brochure on tolerance that my non-profit, EANH, the child I am teaching how to use the freaking computer CLOSED OUT OF IT!!! Of course I had not saved it. Of course…..

Feel the burn...

I love www.livestrong.com - have I told you that before?

I love that I can enter my activity for the day and it tells me how many calories I burned.

Sledding burns about 730 calories per hour (for me at my weight). Walking burns about 690 calories per hour.

But it doesn't tell me how much I burn while I am walking, pulling a sled with a 50lb kid in it...

Sigh.

Drama!!

I have come to realize that the networking sites (like Facebook and MySpace) do one thing well: FEED DRAMA.

So if you are wondering if you should join either site (because EVERYONE is doing it) and you don't deal well with drama...perhaps you should reconsider.

I left high school well over 10 years ago and wouldn't go back if you paid me. I certainly don't want the drama that I left behind infiltrating my life today.

I know who my real friends are, I don't need Facebook or MySpace to remind me or to tell me what they are doing every minute of every day.

So I'm taking a break from all things drama related. It's not worth it.

The words...oh the words!

As I was sitting on the toilet yesterday (and on the phone with Nicki - sorry, Nicki) A came into the bathroom:

A: "what's a predicament, Mommy"

Me: "well, it's a sticky situation"

A: "ewwwww, a STICKY situation"

Me: "well, no, not STICKY really"

A: "oh, it's just an expression"

Me: "Yup, just an expression"

Where does my child come up with this stuff? Of course, I can deal with "predicament" and "expression", whereas the OTHER words he has used in the past...eh, not so much.

On another note, Z is working on his Pinewood Derby car. Any suggestions? We tried baking it tonight. I guess it is suppose to dry out all the water from inside the wood, making the car weigh less so when you add the weight to the back (because it should weigh 5oz in the end) it will go faster...didn't work for us. The car didn't lose a single pound (or ounce, as the case may be).
Although, the house smelled like really nice, warm pine for a good couple hours.

And on a completely different note (VERY WAY DIFFERENT) my "blogga from anotha' motha'" over on the west coast is having a contest. I warn you - THIS IS NOT FOR THE PRUDE AT HEART OR ANY OF MY SIBLINGS. If you can't deal with anything that has anything to do with anything referring to your nether regions DO NOT CLICK THE LINK!! If you are one of my siblings (or Nana Sue who recently started her own blog) DO NOT CLICK THE LINK! I SWEAR, it could burn your corneas!!

Otherwise, go check her out here!

GREAT NEWS!

The CPSC released a clarification today on the new lead regulations to take effect 2/10/09.

According to the CSPC, "The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards."

For more information: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

This is AWESOME news! I am so thankful!

A few quick thoughts...

• I hate undecorating from Christmas almost as much as I hate decorating for Christmas. But I have discovered that Kahlua helps...
• Z is a lot like his mother when he plays games. The trash talk is unbelievable and he is determined to win.
• A is a lot like his mother when he eats. If it looks edible he eats it (I can't assume that the fake gingerbread ornament on the tree tasted all that good - but it looks like A only tasted his foot but by tasted I mean too a bite out if it...).
• Those little mittens that they have for kids that allow the top half of the mitten to pull down and it exposes a half glove (while the kid's hand is still covered)...yeah, they pretty much suck.
• Dick Clark makes me cry every year. I can't watch him anymore since his stroke without breaking down.
• Any person that would stand in NYC amongst millions of people in subzero temperatures should be checked for a severe mental illness.
• I sent out my Christmas cards late this year. The majority of my family probably didn't even get them until after Christmas AND I don't feel badly about it.
• I should probably never blog again after having a drink...

Happy New Year!! I hope you all have a healthy, happy, prosperous year full of family, friends and good food...and Kahlua :)

Blogger stinks tonight

My blog roll isn't working. That really grinds my nerves.

So if I have missed any of your wonderful posts I will be by tomorrow to check them out.

I think I depend too much on the blog roll...maybe I am just lazy...

Pepper and Milk

Can someone please tell me which one of those monsters poured pepper in the milk jug? And can you tell me why I found it AFTER I had already poured it on my cereal? And why now I have this HUGE craving for a nice bowl of cereal but we don't have ANY milk? And why it is snowing like crazy and the weather reports are telling us to stay indoors and off the roads so I can't even get a jug of milk?

Seriously! This is how my day begins...

I'm just thankful it didn't take a big spoonful for me to figure that one out.

Oh yeah, if you are here about the contest scroll down. I am too P.O.ed right now to bother with putting it all up there.

Pure Joy.

I stole this from Tiffany who stole it from someone else.

If you need a smile, if you want to experience pure joy, if you want a laugh...even if you don't: WATCH IT!


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Miss me?

I am sure that I only have to say two words and the majority of you will understand why I have not been blogging as of late:

Twilight Series.

I started a week ago and am currently working on Breaking Dawn.

I can't imagine what took me so long to jump on the wagon....now I can't get off.

I'll talk to you all soon enough - don't lose hope! I will finish this evening and need something to fill the void that Edward and Bella will leave me with...

This is when I bow down and kiss his shoes...yuck!

I have the funniest story EVER. But I can't tell it.

You see, the funniest story EVER causes a bit of embarrassment to Kirby (even more embarrassment then when I was messing around with him on the stairs last night and wouldn't let him get to the bathroom and he nearly peed himself...of course, Karma got her bitch on and threw me down the stairs afterwards...) and he has told me that, under no circumstances, am I allowed to share said story.

Seriously, when did I get to be all nice and thinking about his feelings and crap?

Seriously?!

Who falls down the stairs twice in less than two months? Apparently I do.

Karma is a bitch and my knee is killing me...

Oh, it is TOTALLY RIGHT!

Have I told you that I am going to see NKOTB in concert on Friday in Boston with some awesome friends and (soon-to-be official) family. Don't be jealous - you know you want to go too. Ask me if I am excited...go ahead, I dare you!

I AM NOT NESTING!

Enough said!