As of today (7/25)...

I will not longer be updating this blog, please visit me at:

http://jms124.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Father's Day

Father's Day is this weekend. How do you celebrate?

My dad and step-dad get phone calls. However, if Dad is at the shore house this year he will be eating really great food. I have turkey burgers planned for supper on Saturday and a big breakfast of eggs, fried potatoes, bacon and toast for Sunday morning.

For a few years, the kids and I took Hubby to Philly to go to Wizard World, but after the third time, I told him we needed to find something else to do.

This year, we are going to the beach. Hubby and I are HUGE beach bums and luckily the kids are too.

I'll let you all know how the weekend goes!

Happy Father's Day to all the dad's, step-dad's, and grandfathers out there!!!

Broken nose, again

Both of the kids have managed to break my nose over the last year.

The first time happened when Bubba and I were watching TV in our king-size waterbed. I didn't have my glasses on...and I have very little depth perception without them...and we rolled toward each other.

He caught me on the side of my nose. I bled for a bit and really hurt for a few weeks, but my nose was just slightly off so there was no need to get it fixed.

I was so worried that when Hubby called the doctor about it there would be a domestic violence officer over at the house.

Thankfully, this doctor is not only my doctor, but also Hubby's, Bubba's and Diva's so he knows Hubby isn't violent and the kids can be rowdy.

Then, a few weeks ago, I'm sitting on the grass playing with Diva and WHAM she runs head first into my face. CRUNCH goes my nose!

I bled and had a slight black eye, but that was it. It still hurts but I think that has more to do with the fact that my glasses sit right on what I believe is the break (thanks to the lump I can feel).

I have found that I can't sew a straight line yet, but hopefully in a few days I'll be able to :*) (That's the broken nose smiley face, my sister said I needed a new one until it heals)

Free Range Kids

I remember hearing about Lenore Skenzy on the news one morning. She's the woman who let her 9 year old son find his way home, alone, with no cell phone and no one following him...in Manhattan! (insert big gasp here) She was dubbed “America's Worst Mom”.

You know what I call her? Normal.

Really, “America's Worst Mom”?!?!? I love this woman. I mean, I didn't really know that there was a term for how Hubby and I were raising our kids. We were just parenting the way our parents did.

Bubba is only 4 and Diva is 2, but we still try to give them freedom. We don't follow them around when they are at the park. We encourage them to talk to the other kids and invite them to play. We (gasp) encourage them to talk to people...strangers!

For example, one nice spring day the 3 of us walked up to the store that is only a few blocks away. As we were leaving we almost bumped into an older man (I have a huge double stroller, it drives like a boat). I apologized and he and I started chatting. We wound up walking and talking together for most of our walk home. I encouraged the kids to join in the conversation.

This nice man and I parted ways only a block from our house, but I hope the lesson will stick with my kids. I mean, the more people you know, the less strangers there are, right?

You know what else?

We let the kids drink from the hose today. We also let them play in the dirt and get each other wet with the same hose they were drinking out of. Oh, and we did this in the front yard.

I remember doing that as a kid. While watching Hubby and the kids play in the front yard today, I wasn't worrying about who might be waiting to take my kids...I was committing the evening to memory, hoping the kids were doing the same.

Lenore, I love your blog (found at http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/) and I love your views. If you are ever in my area, I want to shake your hand.

Mommy, Can You Just Shoot It?

Bubba comes out of the kitchen saying "Mommy, there is a bee buzzing in your kitchen"

I said "no, that's a fly". I know this because it was out in the living room bothering me earlier.

Bubba: "Think you can just shoot it?"

Me (laughing): "no, I can't shoot it."

Bubba: "shoot bee, shoot bee" This is where I figured out he meant 'shoo' and not 'shoot'.

Next thing I know, he's running out into the kitchen yelling at the bee "shoot you bee! My mommy gonna shoot you!"

Yeah, he's too funny.

Ever try to re-invent who you are?

I have an itch that I need to scratch, but I can't. It's not a physical thing, otherwise I'd go get the anti-itch cream :0)

I'm getting bored with who I am. I have a great husband and 2 great kids. My husband works hard to provide for our family, especially now that I'm out of work. He supports my desire to turn my sewing and crocheting hobby into a business, too. But I'm still bored.

I feel like I need a change of scenery, I'm restless.

I have plans to grow a large garden with my kids, we will be planting in the next 2 weeks. I'll have that to tend to everyday. Once the produce is ready, the kids and I (ok, well mostly me) will can and pickle them...bake things with them and then freeze them. But I still feel like I'm missing something.

My sisters call to me as “the good one”. Maybe that has something to do with why I became a paralegal? But sometimes I'm too ethical (or good) for my own good!

I can't even do simple things like leave the shopping cart in the next spot if it's too far to lug the kids back to the cart bin. Yup, I will unload the cart, walk the cart and 2 small kids to return the cart, then lug the kids back to the car.

I don't want to be know as the person to go to if you need a contract written.

I don't want to be know as the person to go to if you need something baked or cooked.

I'm so sick of being stuck in this too small house...I'm sick of being out of work...I'm sick of my back hurting all the time.

I want to move somewhere warm...somewhere that it doesn't snow (yeah, almost 4 feet of snow this year, normal snow fall amount? Less than 6 inches)

I want something different...but I'm not sure what that is.

Heat Wave!!!!!

For the third day in a row it is in the 80's here.  It got so hot so fast that I spent Tuesday and Wednesday fighting a migraine brought on by the heat!!!

I refuse to put the air conditioner on in April but man, I got close yesterday!  Bubba and Diva kept laughing at me because I had a bag of frozen veggies on my head to try to ease the pain :0)

We are supposed to have some storms come through later today and they are supposed to cool us down about 20 degrees...I just wish they'd get here!!