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Showing posts from June, 2010

The Understatement

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"Mom, there are mosquito's outside!" Bite count on the Mischievite (as of Sunday June 27th) thirty-nine.

On Sleeping

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My sister once told me about a study that was done regarding the sleeping habits of married couples and the strength of their relationships. I've always found the study to be slightly humorous and often wondered whether or not children and life were taken into account when the study was done. In my opinion there are just too many complexities in life to break down a relationship into how one sleeps next to their spouse. Take us for example. Ralexwin snores when he's on his back, so I rarely sleep with my head on his chest. I love to sleep on my belly, so cuddling up into my husbands side means I have a hard time falling asleep. Ralexwin is like Jacob from Twilight... he's always hot! Sleeping curled up with him is like putting myself in an oven and trying to doze off. (It might be noted that this is a nice thing in the winter) I toss and turn, Ralexwin sleeps very still. I have to have one leg out of the covers, Ralexwin is fine the way he lands. I also

Dandelion Wishes Blog Swap

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I got my blog swap package in the mail on Monday! I was so excited. So were the kids, I could barely keep them at bay. In fact the picture is blurry because I was trying to wrestle the kids back while I took it! Here's what I got: * Sunglasses .... totally cute. * Hot Tamales Candy .... disappeared with the Mischievite. * Three glow sticks, red, white and blue .... used that night by the kids. * Magnetic notepad that says "Things to get on my 19th run to the store this week."   I LOVE IT! * Two vanilla candles ... my favorite smell. * Bath Salts ... I need to use. * Aqua Fresh toothpaste .... just in time, my toothpaste was running out. * Cake mix with red and blue bits in it .... yum. * Gum ... Kids tried to run off with this. * AquaFina chap stick ... I have to tell you I hid this one from the kids, I love chapstick and they always demolish mine. * Super cute water bottle ... I had almost bought one at the store the day the package came but d

Tuesday Blog-Hop

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Welcome Blog Hoppers! Whilst visiting my special place may I recommend a few posts.... Common Characters is a great place to start so you can get to know everyone. Then you have to meet the Mischievite and hear what my kids have to say . And finally, if I still have your attention-- try out one of my newer posts. If you find yourself wanting more click the follow button! You won't be disappointed. -Cannwin

All About Kisses

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Before I had children I was told that the best love you could give a child was 100 kisses a day. That advice has stuck with me and although I frequently fail at this kisses have become a common and wonderful aspect of my life. I love kisses! Smoochy kisses, and slobbery kisses (only from babies), and crazy throw themselves on mommy kisses. I love the cuddly kisses, the singing my kids to sleep kisses and the middle of the night drowsy kisses. I also have my favorite places on my babies to kiss. Their chubby little necks or puffy, fat cheeks. But my absolute favorite place to kiss is the bridge of their noses. My lips fit oh so perfectly into that sweet tiny space between their eyes. I have to get real close and cuddle up. Sometimes I even have to wrestle them to the ground, but it's worth it. It's the softest, sweetest spot. Worth every single gentle kiss my kids can stand (and then a few more). You should try it sometime. Now, I'm off to go kiss my kids!

He's Home!

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Two days early and he shows up on my door, ringing the doorbell like a would be suitor. I love it when he does that. I get to walk up to the door and see this soldier standing there smiling at me. It makes me feel like I was 19 years old again leaning out my apartment window to smile at the man I hadn't spoken to for two weeks. It makes me think of being five months pregnant with our first child and him showing up at home, hopping the fence and coming in the back door, which scared me enough to scream for my brother-in-law (and then roommate). Then realizing who it was I jump up and run across the room only to have him hold me back in wonder at how much my belly had changed in those two weeks. Me tying white ribbons on his duffel bags so that he could identify them among the masses. Him driving his motorcycle through the night (and day) from Missouri to Phoenix (stopping only once) to see me before he was deployed to Iraq. Me wearing his second best pair of dog tags as i

Reading, Writing, 'Rithmatic

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It might not come as a surprise to you, but I love the written word. I love reading and writing and crisp clean pieces of paper. In fact I have, at the moment five full book shelves in my house (big bookshelves--not little ones) as well as numerous other books spread higgledy-piggledy through the bedrooms, living space and kitchen. As can be construed by this little obsession I have, I try to instill that same love within my children. Vicbowin has been easy. In fact I can't keep up with her . She reads numerous books at the same time. She reads the same books repeatedly. She checks out at least four books from the Library at a time. She talks her friends into reading the same books. AND she's at a seventh grade reading level (I'm sure I've mentioned that before). But beyond reading Vicbowin also loves to write. She has her own blog (generally used to brag about the books she's read), she has piles of notebooks full to the brim with her ideas and drawings

Logging-Out

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Did you know that by simply logging out of an account you can view your online self the way other people do? On Facebook they even have a little button you can push that allows you to see your page the way most people see it. It so easy. All you do is click a button or two and voila! there you are as you would be for the world at large. Seen for the moment from someone else's perspective. It makes me wonder... What would it be like to be able to click the 'log out' button of life? Often times I find myself wondering how other people see me. What's their first impression? What personality type do they expect me to be? What about my house? My kids? My relationship with Ralexwin? It's not because I'm worried about how others perceive me... I'm just curious. Really curious. As I've grown I've come to better understand how inaccurate first impressions can be. Some of my closest friends were, in the beginning, people I was in no way int

Noise

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I wish I could give you a clip of what my houses typically sounds like. It's something I've pretty much gotten used to, but every once in a while--like early in the morning when the world seems like it ought to be quiet--I notice the sounds more acutely. ---- Albowin will be making exploding sounds as he plays some imaginary game with the broken remains of Easter eggs. The Mischievite will be nearby dancing and singing and harrassing Albowin until the 7 year old finally shouts "STOP IT!" Then someone will start hitting and the screaming will start. Feet will run down the hall or through the kitchen. One set will be the Mischievite's as he tries to stay out of reach of his brother. The other will be, well, the brother. Soon the two will round the corner and find me waiting, annoyed. The tattling will start, one child spilling over the other trying to get all the words out before the other as if being first means you won't get in trouble. ----

Yours Is Not To Reason Why.... Unless You're a Child

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One of my favorite quotes is 'Yours is not to reason why, yours is but to do or die.' I frequently repeat this to my children because their favorite word seems to be 'Why!? ' -Why do I have to clean my room? -Why do I have to get dressed? -Why do I have to bathe? -Why do I have to put my shoes on? -Why do we have to go to the grocery store? -Why? Why? Why?! So I say it. "Yours is not to reason why yours is but to do or DIE! Now get in the car." Obviously my kids aren't to worried about my death threats. They know I'm just being dramatic (where did you think they got it from?) Sometimes their questions lead to extradordinary discussions about politics, medicine, economics, or philosophy. - Why do we have to follow the speed limit? Why do we have to wear our seat belts? -Why can't we just not go to church today? -Why do mosquito's have to suck my blood?  -Why do banks care about your money? (they don't my dear) Other tim

500 and More

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You know, I passed my 500th post two posts ago and didn't even realize it. I guess it goes to show that I hardly count the amount of blogs I do, because I love it so much. In fact sometimes I feel like my zeal for writing, were it not controlled, would have doubled that amount by now. But a friend of mine once told me... one post a day was sufficient and I'm afraid I had to listen to reason. This self control is also what allows my family to eat, I'm sure they're happy. As for other aspects of my little hobby, I have been working on some more things around here. If you haven't noticed I've put up a feed on the sidebar for The Literary Soundtrack . Which makes it much easier for all of you to pick and choose what you want to read over there (I still encourage you to follow me though). I've also gone and done something I swore I'd never do. I got a twitter account. ::ducks head in shame:: I know, I know--hop on the bandwagon Cannwin I think it

Cannwin's Saturday Secret's

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You know how everyone seems to have those super cute wording on every craft they make? The one's that are for sure made with a bunch of equipment you don't have... and probably can't afford. Well I recently discovered a cheaper method. Maybe not quite as cute... but it works for me. The trick to this project is that, as any artist knows, everything looks different from a distance.... and if you don't mention it, they'll never see the flaws (and if they do they're to polite to say anything). So what is it? Two words: Contact Paper. You can buy it at Wal-Mart... generally in the kitchen storage supplies... and comes in a massive roll that can be used for anything from laminating a piece of paper to covering the bottom of a cupboard. I ♥ Contact Paper. Okay here we go.... 1. Print out the words you want, in the size and font you want. You can get cute fonts from places like kevinandamanda.com . You can also read more about where I get my stuff onli

Mamarazzi's Red, White and Blue Swap

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I'm doing it again... spending money I don't have in an attempt to make new friends and get fun things in the mail. I honestly have to tell you that I've never done any blog swaps but Mamarazzi's. She's nice, she fun and she's safe! So here I go again. Come over and join the fun yourself!

Chairs

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I've been working on and off on several projects for... well, several months. These chairs have been amongst those projects. I am proud to say that I AM DONE! Finite! Finished. Hallelujah. All in all there are six chairs--2 red, 2 purple, and 2 yellow. Four are pictured here. I got the chairs by various means of manipulation (i.e. freecycle , dumpster diving, attic scrounging, and re-furbishable trading). Which is your favorite? The red one is mine. That thing was so beat up we weren't sure it could be fixed. I, had faith in the little gem, however, and through not a little bit of hard work... and more than one broken drill bit...I managed to screw it all back together. One coat of red paint later and I was in love. It's usually the chair I'm sitting on when I write to all of you! I think I'm addicted, every garage sale I go to I now scope out the wood products thoroughly before leaving. I even have started to remember things I passed over last summe

Headache and Heart-Sick

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I woke up with a headache this morning. Oma says that if you feel you have a 'logjam' in your life that you should make a list of ways to overcome it. Since I'm a fan of listing things (and labelling things, I love to label things) I figured that seemed like an easy... anti-throbbing blogpost for the day. 1. Take two Advil. 2. Drink more water. 3. Go on a bike ride this morning. 4. Eat a healthy breakfast. 5. Pick out a nice fun outfit and make sure I'm all dressed up for the day. It's day seven since Ralexwin has been gone. I don't think I've been doing very well at being the strong soldier's wife. I need to change my attitude or the next eight days are going to crawl by. So today I am going to start out right. I am going to get some exercise, get out of the house, run the errands I've been putting off and clean, clean, clean. I think my kids deserve a happy mom. Not a love-sick, lonely one. It's time I stop being selfish and suck

Tea Time

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You  are cordially invited  to attend  Vicbowin's  tea party  on  June 15, 2010. Please come  dressed  for tea... in hats, corsages.... and gloves . Crumpets will be served. Image on invite from: FeedYourSoul

Surrender or Else You Die!

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Yesterday at the dollar store I bought the Mischievite a 'light saber.' The blade was made of styrofoam and lit up when you pressed a button on the hilt. He was extremely excited and for the rest of the shopping trip he kept shouting "Surrender or else you die!" On several occasions, while in Wal-Mart, he died himself. I'd turn around to find that he was no longer with me. Pushing aside a mild sense of terror I would back track five or six feet and find him lying in the middle of the aisle, light saber artfully thrust away from him, dead. It was very cute. It was also the only thing worth smiling about yesterday. The kids were making me insane and I couldn't help but think that the Mischievite's ultimatum had two meanings. "Surrender, or else you die!" Yep, that's how I was feeling. My options with the children were almost exactly that. I could: a) rip all my hair out. b) throw myself into the Missouri River. c) yell some more.

My Soldier

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Ralexwin is off to train his fellow soldiers how to be better warriors. And of course as he was leaving something happened that I'll have to deal with on my own. That's always the way it works. When he was in Iraq our condo in Phoenix flooded (I was gone to Idaho). So while he sat there all cozy in the desert, I had to remodel our condo. This time it's a tree in our back yard blown over last night in a storm. ::sigh:: But that's okay. It's the sort of thing us soldier's wives have to deal with in order to see our men in uniforms. Which is a definite perk. Abigail Adams once said " I would not only have submitted to the absence I have endured, painful as it has been; but would not have opposed it, even tho 3 years more should be added to the Number... I feel a pleasure in being able to sacrifice my selfish passions to the general good." I couldn't have said it better myself. Besides, I have a list of chick flicks I wan

Summer Morning

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I stayed in bed this morning waiting for Ralexwin to get home from his run. I dozed in and out of sleep wondering if I would be sleeping better if the Mischievite would stop harassing me about 'watching a moovee.' Finally I was forced out of bed by Remewin's supplications for nourishment. The sky was still dark outside and I wondered, sadly, how early I was rising. So I checked the clock before going to her room. 8:30 I stood there slightly shocked and finally recognized the sound of rain outside...it was overcast. Ralexwin was already at work and I had absolutely no recollection of him leaving. The kids were all in the family room staring at various screens. I was still wishing I could go back to bed. 8:30? It's an hour later now and I'm still in my bathrobe. I still feel like it should be 7AM, but I have to get up now and clean because the house is a mess (per the usual) and it needs some serious attention. My mom used to tell me that when the Lo

So Far So Good

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We're about two weeks into summer now and so far it's gone pretty well. The kids have done all the things on their chore charts for an entire week (and received a dollar for their hard work) and we've managed to stick to the schedule fairly well (minus yesterday when I slept with Remewin all day). The munchkins have played in the water, camped outside with their dad, tormented librarians, gone to softball games, toured the water treatment center and made lots of meaningless crafts. But they have also screamed "I hate you" at each other, tried to strangle one another, been grounded to each other (they had to hold hands all day), and caused my angry, ugly voice to be heard throughout the neighborhood. Today, as a consequence of excessive bickering, I am taking them on a bike ride. Hopefully the fresh air and exercise will do them some real good. Next week I am going to start them on a little project called the WinKid's Field Guide (a little knock-off of

Ornery

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Vicbowin had her first ever softball game last night. She was very excited. Before we left for the game we had a talk about 'sportsmanship' and how we could be good sports. i.e.: No crying No throwing a fit if you lose No rubbing it in if you win No crying We had a little trouble finding her hat and some trouble with finding the right ball-field, but we had started getting ready early enough that we were still able to make it to the game on time. Things seemed to be going pretty well... for Vicbowin. Albowin was another story entirely. He was convinced he was going to be able to play in the playground that lies just around the Parks and Rec building from where we thought her game was. I wasn't so fond on this idea, but I kept my mouth shut figuring I was just being a paranoid mother. That was until he raced out into the street, in front of a motor home, the Mischievite hot on his heels. Moments later we realized we were at the wrong field. That was all the excu

Giveaway Winner!

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After waiting ALL day for Blogger to decide it wanted to love me again I have finally gotten into my posting screen and am ready to announce a winner for my 'boredom busters bucket.' I was planning on doing a real post today, but Blogger has thrown off my entire schedule for the day by making me sit here and wait all morning. I finally just gave up and went about my routine... scrambling to save what was left of my day. Now my schedule is wonkis and I'm sitting in a living room staring at a pile of dishes and thinking to myself how glad I am that I took the chance to prepare the boredom bucket over the weekend. So who won!? Are you dying to know? Are you wishing, that with the odds being really in your favor that for once in your life you might actually win something! Well for everyone except Jackie I suggest not buying a lottery ticket anytime soon. That's right. Jackie won my boredom bucket! Hooray for her! But don't worry, I'm going to email a

Cannwin's Saturday Secrets

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  Last reminder to join my 'Boredom Busters' giveaway. Every follower of mine is welcome! Go here to enter. I've decided to start a new (not every week) theme called-- Cannwin's Saturday Secrets. Essentially these posts are about what I do to get around things that I don't have in my home. My friends constantly tease me that I produce random objects at will and use them in ways they weren't intended so as to get the results I want. So, I figured, maybe you guys would like to know some of those things. Today we're going to talk about the Anti-Distressing Ink method that I use all the time. I've never bought Distressing Ink and sometimes I imagine myself actually using it, but you know what... it's $8 a pop and I just don't have that sort of money sitting around waiting to be used on an ink pad. Do you? So I'm going to show you what I do instead. (note: my camera is getting old and is having trouble focusing--maybe I should get it gl

What the Kids Have Been Up To

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Monday I'll announce the winner of my first ever give-away. You're odds of winning are really high so don't miss your chance! Here . Conversation between Ralexwin and Albowin: R: "Why did you wet your bed last night?" A: "I didn't wet my bed!" R: "Then why were the sheets wet?" A: "Because my underwear was wet?" R: "Why was your underwear wet?" A: "I don't know!" R: "I do.... You need to get up and go to the bathroom if you need to go." A: "I don't want to!" R: "Well Mom doesn't want to change your sheets every day either." ------- At the Vicbowin's school waiting for her play to begin: Mischievite to another parent: "Hi" Parent: "Hi" Mischievite: "What your name?" Parent: "Jane." Mischievite: "Hmm. What your daughter name?" Parent: "Samantha." Mischievite: "What you

Purple and Yellow

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(don't forget to enter my first ever give-away here ) There are no words to describe how absolutely wonderful it is to have my babies run their fingers through my hair. Last night, as I lay there with little Remewin, I tried to come up with some words for what I was feeling. Everyone one of them fell short. Each word that entered my mind felt dull and inadequate. I concentrated a little harder. Trying to come up with something that would contain my feelings. The only thing I could come up with was yellow... and a little purple. My babies sweet fingers stroking my hair, the way she immediately reaches up for my scalp when she begins to nurse as if stroking my hair is part of the whole process of recieving food. All of it is like a bright yellow with accents of purple. Yellow like a field of sunflowers on a warm spring day. Purple like Irises in full bloom. That's what it feels like. It's one of the most beautiful feelings in my world, one that transcends human word

Giveaway!

Forty followers... Whew that was easier than I thought (don't stop now keep on clicking that follow button). Okay so I'll make a copy of the boredom ideas and I'll send it out (email style) to anyone willing to leave their email address in the comments. Rules are that you have to be a follower of my blog. Then at the end of the week I'll draw a name and that lucky person will be the recipient of a boredom bucket... made by me. I'll, obviously, send that one in the mail. How does that sound? Okay.... comment away!

Boredom Bucket

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 I've seen the 'bored' bucket  idea online before but have disliked it because people generally come up with a huge list of chores kids can do when the fateful words "I'm bored" pop out of their mouths. Since I'm generally a grumpy mom by nature (I'm sure none of you believe me, but it's true) I like to give my kids every opportunity to have good memories of me. So I decided to change the boredom bucket up a little bit by adding fun things for the kids to do. Thus far it's been a smash hit! I suppose that means that I hear "Mom, I'm bored!" a little more often than most but usually it's accompanied by a twinkle in the eye and an upturn of the lips. The absolute plus side about this variation is that they don't whine when they have to do what's on their slip of paper. So basically it's been great fun for all of us. Now all I have to do is come up with MORE things to put in the bucket (it's only about 1

Buckle Up!

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               I turn the ignition and the truck roars to life. "Okay, buckle up guys." I chime. No one moves... of course. "Guys, please." Albowin pauses in his never ending dialogue long enough to grab his seat belt. I smile, "Thank you." Vicbowin is still ignoring me. "Baby girl...." She rolls her eyes and grabs her seatbelt as well. The Mischievite is struggling with his own, so I ask Vicbowin to help him out. She tries to reach over... behind his back... obviously that doesn't work. The Mischievite spots something on the floor of the truck and hops down to inspect it. "Munchkin, you need to sit down and get your seat-belt on so we can go." No response. Vicbowin is still struggling with his seat-belt (I'm not sure why, since he's not in the seat). She growls in frustration and unbuckles herself. I sigh. "Mischievite you need to sit down." Holding his recent find in his hand, he sits.