The Great Pants Debate

Lately I've been seeing all kinds of parenting blogs going on and on about a certain topic, and it goes in one of two directions.  One side...who is ticked off because parents dare to wear their pajama's to the school to drop their kids off, and the parents who are like screw you I don't care what you think of my pajama's I am going to wear them anyway. 

I land...somewhere in the middle. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some good cozy pj pants, night gowns, or leggings and big floppy t shirts.  LOVE them.  Who doesn't?  I mean they are cozy and just awesome.  Now, me...personally...I've never been one to want to wear any of that outside of my "bubble" as in my home or my yard.  I've only ran to the store in my pajama pants and a t shirt on a couple of VERY rare occasions.  I was super super sick and needed meds, or my kids got sick in the middle of the night and I needed something for them ASAP and frankly at 2am if I need Tylenol or ibuprofen to bring down a fever I am not going to take the time to put on jeans and dig trough my closet for a 'nice' shirt.  I'm going to jump in my car and drive as fast as I can to the store and get what I need for my children.  (Pedialyte, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough medicine, allergy meds whatever the case may be). 

Now, when it comes to things like grocery shopping, or taking my kids to school, going to the library, going to the park, going on a trip, going to a restaurant, going to a friends house, taking my kid to a birthday party, or taking my kids to sports activities/practices, scout activities, doctor appointments etc...you better believe I am going to be dressed a heck of a lot nicer. 

A lot of the times, my kids ride the bus.  They have to be at the bus stop at roughly 7:50am.  We walk out the door at 7:45am.  We wake up at 6am (sometimes 6:30am).  That's still over an hours worth of time to get three kids ready for school. 

My daughter is eight and a half.  My  twin sons are going to be seven the end of April. 

They wake up, they go to the bathroom, they eat breakfast (they argue with me over wanting oat meal or cereal or which kind of cereal they want instead and blah blah blah).  I have one child who hates EVERYTHING and EVERYONE of a morning.  He is NOT a morning person, and no amount of anything that I do is ever going to change that for him.  I cannot "make" him be a morning person. 

We set out all their clothes the night before.  Jeans, shirts, socks, underwear for my sons.  Their back packs/jackets (umbrella if they are going to need it) are all hung up by the door on their designated hooks.  Their shoes are directly under that, untied and ready to be put on.  BAM.  Doesn't take long...in theory. 

My daughter, also sets her stuff out the night before.  Leggings (she has sensory issues and jeans and her...are mortal enemies, so at this point...I'm just happy she's wearing pants and not wanting to wear a skirt or dress in the middle of Missouri winter, so I'm just done fighting the jeans battle that we've been fighting for 7 years now).  Leggings.  Fine.  I'll go with it.  She sets out her pants, shirt, socks, underwear etc the night before, and her shoes, and her hair bow and all that razzmatazz. 

Backs packs are ready to go.  Folders signed, library books in and ready to go.  Assignments completed.  Check, check, check.  We're good to go. 

Baths are done at night before bed, so we don't have to worry about that of a morning. 

They just have to wake up when I ask.  (hahaha). 

They just have to go to the table and eat (hahaha, yeh...after they collapse on the couch saying they are too sleepy to find the table...) 

I already have little plastic storage bowls on the table with cereal PRE POURED into their bowls, with lids on them, spoons out, their favorite cup sitting there ready for some juice to be poured.  They *usually* tell me the night before if they want oat meal and I will pre measure out the oat meal into their bowls so we just need to add water and put in the microwave. 

Days when they suddenly change their minds and then have melt downs when I don't go along with it "because we don't have time for this, eat what's in your bowl, NOW that's what you said you wanted last night!!"  often gets said. 

Love those morning time melt downs. 

Then they argue over who is going to be ready first (because it's always a race until one of them starts losing then suddenly "I'M NOT RACING!!!"  gets hurtled across the house by the one losing.  And the chase ensues.

In the midst of all of this...I'm attempting to slurp down a cup...or two, of coffee.  Washing up any breakfast dishes.  Laying out anything that needs to be put out for supper that night.  Double checking the calendar to make sure I didn't forget anything for later that day, making sure I got everything the kids need for school.  I am also trying to get MYSELF dressed.  (Showered, because I can't do anything with my hair if I wash it the night before, so I have to take my showers of a morning).  So I have to shower (while yelling through the shower curtain for the kids to get done eating and get their clothes on, and STOP FIGHTING over whatever it is they are fighting over and NO you cannot watch a cartoon!!) 

Then I rush to put on my work clothes (jeans and a T shirt).  Not generally a difficult task to do.  Until you realize you washed that load of laundry that all YOUR jeans were in last night before you went to bed and your husband was going to toss them in the dryer for you so you could go to bed a little earlier that night and not have to stay up late waiting for the washer to get done, only  he accidentally fell asleep and forgot, so now your jeans are still soaking wet. 

Ooops. 

So then you grab a pair of PJ pants.  They are clean after all.  They will do to get your kids to school. 

You go ahead and toss your jeans in the dryer that you need, and throw your hair up for work (make up?? What's that?)  You make an effort to throw in some earrings that are dangly and cute, but put on your work shirt or another T shirt that is nice ish but not so nice that if it gets ruined at work you won't be sad.  You throw on your tennis shoes because they are comfy, and you need them for work. 

Meanwhile...only two of your three kids are dressed.  The other is hiding under a blanket on the couch screaming at the other two because he's mad he "lost" (and he never even started getting dressed....)  You ask him why he's not dressed he responds with "I want you to help me, I can't do it"  You try to gently remind him that he is almost seven and that YES he can dress himself he's been doing it since before he was TWO, and that he is FULLY capable of putting on his own clothes like a big boy.  He won't budge. 

You look at the clock.  20min left before you have to be out the door to the bus stop. 

You know you still have to help your eight year old daughter get her thick crazy hair into a pony tail, and tie your other sons shoes (he hasn't quite got the hang of tying yet, but he's almost got it).  Plus, you notice he has a strip of hair NOT laying flat that needs to be dealt with.  Oh, and is that a milk mustache?  Make a mental note to wipe that off their faces before they go out there. 

You rush to help your NON morning child get his clothes on (because if you wait for him to do it, it will end up being bedtime and he'll STILL be setting there on the couch refusing to do it, and you know this for a fact). 

He is dressed, shoes, jacket, back pack, coat, gloves, hat.  Yay! So is your other son.  *whew*

So you have five minutes left to help your daughter.  She screams and throws a fit the ENTIRE TIME you brush and put up her hair even though you are using the special expensive as hell tangle brush and being as gentle as a feather she still thinks you are trying to scalp her.  You get her hair put up (because she has PE today and NO you can't just wear your hair down, plus their is an apparent lice pandemic at the school, and Mama is NOT taking any chances your hair will be PUT UP until it's "all clear" and the school is no longer putting everyone's coat and back packs in trash backs for "lice reasons" every day.  (thank God for things like Lice Shield and Tea Tree oil to help keep lice at bay, but well...you never know, so the hair goes UP!!) 

Meanwhile...your sons are standing at the front door pushing and shoving about who is going to be "FIRST" and there is screaming and crying and he hurt me and blah blah blah and you are trying to get them to stop, while your hands are full of your daughters hair as you are attempting to gently and quickly get it up in a pony tail.

All of them are FINALLY ready to go right as the alarm on your cell phone goes off to "GET OUT THE DOOR!!" 

Then you realize.  Where are your work shoes?? You got them out, but forgot to put them ON.  So you rush to get your shoes on, and then all THREE kids are fighting. 

GO!! Get out the door, GO GO GO!! To the bus stop, NOOOOW!!

You make it to the bus stop, on time! Yay!! (barely) However, as the bus pulls up you notice that you forgot to wipe off their very noticeable milk mustache's and oh look you are pretty sure that kid failed to brush his teeth.  That one still has a wild strip of hair sticking up, and that one is still crying...over what?? What happened now???

Too late.  They are on the bus, waving and off to school. 

You are standing there with the other bus stop mom, and you are wearing your Pj pants and a hoodie because you didn't have time to grab your coat.  The other mom is in her PJ's too.  You both wave bye to the kids and go home. 

The other mom is home all day and cleans her house all day long, runs errands, prepares supper for her  kids and gets her kids off the bus stop later on that day.  Likely, still in Pj's. 

You, rush home, toss on your still slightly damp jeans, realize you forgot to let the dogs out this morning so you rush to get all three dogs out to potty, feed the cats, run the vacuum, sweep the floor, sack up the kitchen trash and set it by the door so you can grab it on your way out the door for work.

You wake up the husband who goes and jumps in the shower (He does NOT sleep well at night so you always let him sleep in of a morning which he greatly appreciates, and he apologizes profusely for forgetting to put your jeans in the dryer. 

You've both gotten the house straightened up, dogs are back in the house and back in their kennels,= and you are both ready for work in forty five minutes after the kids got on the bus, and now your alarm is telling you it's time to leave for work, so you rush out the door (and you DO remember to grab the bag of trash you sat by the door and set it out for the trash guy).  You make it to work (barely on time, but still on time enough to count, ha!) 

You work, and then get home an hour to thirty minutes sometimes, before the kids get off the bus.  That gives you enough time get supper started and on the table before you have to take your kids to either A:  A sports practice or B: A scout meeting. 

Either you or your husband gets the kids off the bus and gets them home. 

Home work and supper and chores and off to whatever activity that they MIGHT have that day.  OR if you are in the "all clear" then you can do extra reading and math together because they really need it.  And you MIGHT get to watch a movie or play a board game with them before it's time to put them in bed for the night (unless it's bath night then it's bath, then bed).  And you try to cuddle with them as long as you can before you REALLY have to pry yourself away to get supper dishes done, sweep, vacuum...again...make sure the dogs go out to potty again and make sure the kids remembered to feed the dogs. 

Even when I was a stay at home mom this was my routine.  I personally didn't want to wear my PJ's, but if it happened that way...then it did. 

Once in awhile I will have over slept and on those days I drive the kids to school.  We don't leave the house then until 8am.  Schedule still follows the same, I just over slept so everything is a little bit later (FYI I don't over sleep often and when I do it's completely MY OWN FAULT).  So when I DO over sleep and I am truly in a "get your kids ready and to school NOW kind of panic) you better bet your sweet potatoes I wear my PJ's to drop my kids off at school and I don't blink an eye about it.  While I may be embarrassed to wear my PJ's out of the house, I am MORE ashamed that I OVER SLEPT and my kids missed the bus and now I have to DRIVE them to school (not that my kids mind they LOVE when I drive them to school, they hate riding the bus).  Thankfully school isn't far away. 

No one sees what I'm wearing.  No. One. 

No. One. Cares. 

I don't care what other parents are wearing.  I'm not looking at the other parents standing outside the school door with their kids.  Yeh, I know there are some parents there standing with their kids (walkers).  I have seen a few moms walk their kids to school wearing their jogging clothes and jogging strollers all ready to go.  As soon as their child goes in the doors the mom takes off running, stroller rolling ahead of her.  I never think twice about it.  It's just another mom.  Getting her kid to school.  Doing what she does.

I see moms looking exhausted wearing scrubs, like they just got off work or are maybe just going in but didn't get anywhere NEAR enough sleep the nigh before.  Some people have to drive 30-45min away for work around where we live so some of them get home JUST in time to take their kids to school because the other parent is getting ready for work or getting ready to leave for work.  That's ok to.  I just see a parent getting their kid to work. 

I see parents in uniforms dropping off kids in a hurry so they can get to work. I see parents in jeans, sweat pants, shorts, dresses, skirts, leggings WHATEVER.  I just see parents.  I see kids.  All going to school. 

What the parents do after their kids go into that school...I have no idea. 

All I know is I see PARENTS who are lined up at that school, or bus stop, EVERY SINGLE DAY getting their kids to school ON TIME (or yes, even straggling in a little late).  Maybe someone had car trouble that morning?  Maybe the babysitter canceled, maybe they had to call in sick, or maybe they were up all night with a sick child, maybe they are pregnant and miserable from morning sickness, or maybe they are just miserable from being ready to have that baby, maybe that moms suffers from depression and getting herself up and her kid to school was LITERALLY the only thing she could get herself to do that day. 

I guess the next time someone worries about what I wear to take my kids to school, I should bust out the Girl Scout cookie costume I wore for a parade??


MY concern as a parent, is to worry about MY CHILDREN.  Did my kids get enough sleep?  Are they feeling ok?  Did they get all their home work done?  Did I sign their folders?  Did they have any project due?  Will my NON morning child have a decent day at school, please for the love of all that is holy do NOT let the school call me again, TODAY to come pick you up early from school, I can't afford to keep leaving work like this.  PLEASE let it be a good day for ALL of my kids.  Lord, watch over these kids.  Help them learn.  Help them make good choices, keep them safe.  I hope they know how much I love them with all my heart.  I pray nothing bad ever happens at their school, I pray the principal and their teachers have patience and love for all of the children.  I pray my children have a good time at school and learn and do their best and try. 

I hope they aren't hungry.  I hope they ate enough for breakfast.  I hope my  kids like what is for lunch today.  What is for lunch today?  Is it something my daughter can handle? (Sensory issues, spaghetti sauce and noodles is a huge texture issue). 

I hope there is no sub today and I hope nothing happens to throw off my NON morning child's routine, or it could be a rough day for him.  Did he have a good morning??  Good enough to keep him in a good mood all day? 

THOSE are the thoughts in my head every morning when I send my kids off to school. 

Not "What is that mom wearing?" 

If I DO actually make eye contact with another mom at the school, I smile and wave (which is basically like a freaking HIGH FIVE in the mom world, haha).  It's like saying "Hey, you made it here, you got everyone here alive and dressed and on time, or close to it!! Way to go!!" 

Now, I'm sure there are some moms who have no problem waking up at 5am to shower, do their hair (do you have any idea how long it takes me to straighten my hair??? Ugh.)  To put on make up, find the 'cute' little out fit and shoes. There is nothing wrong with that.  If you can do it, that's great! I'm happy for you! I don't judge you!

However, if you are the mom struggling to get even three hours of sleep at night, I don't judge you either.  I don't judge you mom that might have a newborn baby and had to have a C Section and the ONLY thing you can wear 2-3 weeks after that birth is your PJ pants, you rock those pants! To that mom who may have been up breast feeding at 1, 2, 3, 5, and then had to be up at 6am to get her other 2 or three or one kid ready for school...whew, mama.  Mad respect to you sister! I don't care if you are wearing the same PJ pants you've had on for 3 days.  You haven't showered in 4.  Your hair hasn't been brushed in a couple of days, and the circles under your eyes are so dark it's crazy. 

It doesn't matter.  You are here.  You are putting forth an effort to be PRESENT for your child.  You are getting your child up and off to school to get an education.  Your clothes do not make you any more or any less of a parent.  Your child loves you whether you've been wearing those Winne the Pooh PJ pants for three days straight. 

I could understand judging someone based on their clothing when they go in for a job interview.  I mean, you are going to want to dress nice for a job interview.  PJ pants, are NOT acceptable for that.  It's probably not a good idea to wear PJ pants to the PTO meeting, or to the school Christmas concert, or the school parent teacher conferences.  I don't think most of us would wear PJ pants to church. 

I've read that many of these "same parents" are still in PJ pants when they come to pick their kids UP from school. 

Again.  Is that what REALLY matters?  I'd rather a parent show up ON TIME to get their child and be in PJ pants than show up late. 
There has been a few times where I have gone home and changed out of my clothes and I was exhausted and sore from a long day at work and I wasn't feeling well so I threw on jammie pants and a T shirt.  I smelled like cigarette smoke (and I don't smoke but my work place always smells like cigarette smoke, and I hate that smell as do my kids)   so I will often change out of my clothes and if I DO NOT have anything to do outside of my house you bet your sweet potatoes I am going for cozy clothes.  Like my daughter, I'm not overly fond of jeans, and want out of them as soon as I can.  Sometimes, I have to drive to the school and pick up my kids. (That non morning kid, is sometimes a non afternoon day kid too, or a non any time of day child...)  so that requires leaving the house rather quickly.  Pj's and all.

I'd rather be in my PJ's not smelling like cigarette smoke. 

You can judge me if you want to.  You can judge me on a lot of things.  The house I live in, the car I drive, the clothes I wear, the clothes my kids wear, the back packs they have, their hair, how we look, how we talk, how we act, whatever.  There are a MILLION and one different things you could make snap judgments about. 

Go ahead. 

If it makes you feel better.

At the end of the day...my kids know I was there for them.  Mom got them to school because she cared.  Mom fed them breakfast, mom made sure they were dressed and did her best to make sure they looked perfect for school and made sure to review spelling words and math facts for the tests.  Mom remembered you needed X item for this project or that practice is tonight and you need to bring this or that.  My kids know I want them to learn.  Get an education.  That is so important.  Clothes, are clothes.  They don't MAKE a person.  They cover a person.  You have no idea what goes on in the day to day of people's lives, NO idea at all.  What you see, what you guess is going on is not always the truth.  It's silly to try and "ban" parents from wearing their pj's to drop their kids off at school. 

I know a few parents who literally cannot afford to go out and by themselves new jeans.  They just can't.  They might be down to ONE working family member due to lay offs or illness.  Any "extra" money goes on food, bills, things that the KIDS need.  If that means, mom has to wear these ratty jeans another year, that's ok.  Or wear her PJ pants as much as possible to keep her "good" pants looking nice, then fine.  It doesn't mean these are lazy, class less, nasty, horrible people. 

As long as you are showing up for your kids, I don't care what you are wearing as long as you are dressed and you won't end up in jail and on a sex offender list or something for wearing it or lack there of.  Wear a bat man costume for all I care.  Wear your footed PJ pants.  Wear your crocs, wear your leggings, wear your yoga pants, wear your jeans, wear your dresses, skirts, high heels, tennis shoes, flip flops....just BE THERE for your children.  I'd rather see a parent show up and be present at the school and be wearing mis matched pj pants than to see a child at the school NEVER EVER have a parent or family member present for them. 

School, is not a fashion statement for the parents.  Your kids, are not accessories to make you look good.  YOUR JOB is to get your kids to school, to HELP THEM get an education.  Your clothes do not make or break your ability to be a good parent.  I don't care if you are wearing Wal Mart clothes, Good Will clothes, clothes handed down for your second cousins younger sisters, sister in law.  I don't care if your clothes are brand name and from the hippest store in the mall.  I don't care if your nails are done weekly by a professional, or your hair.  As long as your kid is healthy, happy, and being taken care of...that's what matters. 

I would rather see a parent show up in pajama pants than in no pants at all!! You aren't an "unproductive adult" simply because you are wearing PJ pants. 

Mom Circus

New Beds!

A new year is in, and this month is actually almost over! Where does the time go?  All I know is it goes very quickly.  What's that saying...like sand through an hour glass or something to that affect?  That might be the beginning of a soap opera I do believe, Day of Our Lives?  Hey the only reason I know that is because every day at work that show starts to come on and I have to change the channel.  I work at a family centered place, and well...soap operas aren't exactly child friendly, ya know.  Then again, neither is CNN or FOX news honestly. 

I was NOT among those that made new years resolutions.  I never have been one to set those.  Personally, I think they are dumb.  That's just my opinion though.  If you can set them and go for it,  then that is fantastic.  If not?  Eh, don't sweat it. 

Our house has grown by two kittens.  Yeh.  Seriously.  You can thank my husband (the cat man) for that one.  However, they also happen to be the daughters of our late cat Hagrid who passed away around the same time they were born.  One of them looks and acts just like her Dad, cept she is gray and white instead of black and white.  The other one is more like her mom but she's still so pretty and sweet! I only have a photo of the one kitty, the other one won't sit still long enough she's all over the place. 

Above:  This is the new kitten, well one of them.  Her name is Bandit.  In the background, is her Dad, our cat Hagrid that passed away in the fall.  We also have Bandit's sister, Hermione...who is the spitting image of her dad, she's just gray and white like her sister.  She's also a lot BIGGER than her sister too!!

Today my children got their new beds.  So it has been SUPER exciting around our house.  Considering the last time my kids got a BRAND NEW NEVER BEEN SLEPT IN BED OF THEIR OWN....well, that was my daughter, and that was her baby crib, and bassinet.  Everyone else??? Has always had a used bed.  My sons used their sisters crib, and then one also slept in a pack n play, and then they had used toddler beds, and my daughter had a used toddler bed, and she's always had a used twin size bed, the boys had used twin sized beds until we switched to bunk beds, and then even their first bunk bed was used too.  So sad, that sucker was literally duct taped together to keep the railing for the top bunk on.  Talk about embarrassing! The mom who duct taped her kids bed together.  Laaaame.  When my Mother in law lived with us and she shared a room with my daughter, their bunk bed was given to us too.  So we figured that it was high time the kids had NEW beds.  NEW mattresses, NEW frames.  Just...new.  Just for them.  They are all plenty old enough to take better care of their stuff.  My sons have never been the kind of boys with a "cutsey" little boys room.  NEVER.  Why?  Because they destroy EVERYTHING.  Not for lack of watching them either.  You turn your back on one to grab the other from destroying something and the other is destroying something.  I don't think there is a wall in this house they haven't marked on (thank GOD for Magic Erasers!!)  It didn't matter where I hid the pens, pencils, crayons, markers, whatever...they would SOMEHOW find one that they could mark on the walls with.  Little stinkers even picked the WALL PAPER off of their wall by the bed.  Why??? Because they were BORED one night while they were supposed to be going to sleep.  They have destroyed numerous adorable shelves because they wanted to play with the shelf, or whatever was on it.  So I just gave up trying to make their room cute.  Apparently they wanted a boring, crappy room.  I'm giving it ONCE LAST DITCH EFFORT now  that they are going to be seven in April.  Starting, with new bunk beds.  They already had adorable bedding sets so I didn't have to replace those.  I already had curtains that I loved too.  We need a TALLER dresser (the one they currently have is just too long and isn't working for me anymore since we had to rearrange the room to get in the new bunk beds since THEY wouldn't fit where the old ones were GRR).  I have a toy shelf I want to put in their room all picked out, and then I want some wall art, and a clock and a new area rug for their room.  Eh...plus I want to paint.  But painting is dicey as I don't enjoy doing it.  And we rent, sooo meh...I'm not too hip on painting in a rental property.  HOWEVER....I probably will anyway.  Later. 

The boys LOVE the fun little shelf on the head board of their beds!
They can store all of their little treasures there!



When you walk into their bedroom all you smell, is the smell of fresh wooden bunk bed! That fresh wood in there smells awesome. 


My daughters room has come together pretty nicely too. We just have to get her new desk put in and she will be a happy little clam.  She'll be 9 in September, and is slooooowly but surely leaving behind the "little girl stuff"  or the "baby stuff" as she calls it.  She wants a desk to do her home work at, and her art stuff.  She got the prettiest little white sleigh bed tonight, and she loves it.  Unfortunately...I think my girl is coming down with the flu so she wasn't feeling up to being too excited.  She crawled into bed and was out like a light.  Don't like seeing my girlie sick.


Hopefully the excitement of their new beds doesn't wear off too soon.  I already warned them I had better not find any stickers, or any pen/pencil/crayon/marker marks on their beds, or any other marks for that matter.  Take CARE OF YOUR STUFF. 

One of these centuries my husband and I will get a new bedroom set.  Maybe, after the kids are out on their own.  The husband and I have never had a matching bed set.  In fact our full size bed is a busted up piece of junk.  No head board, no foot board.  Just a metal frame, with ancient box springs and mattress that REALLY needs to go.  Our dresser is weird, and doesn't even hold everything we would like for it to.  Not even close.  Our night stand??? Is the same freaking night stand we won at "after prom" our senior year.  It's really super wobbly and the only thing holding it up right now is all of my high school year books that are stored on the shelf below.  (Just praying my kids never get ahold of those hahaha).  Once upon a time we had a head board that I actually kind of liked.  It used to be his moms, but when we moved out of an apartment once he didn't feel like carrying it so he left it behind and we haven't had a head board since.  Bummer.  For most of our fifteen years together our furniture has been hand me downs.  When we first moved to town we had all of his moms old stuff.  ANCIENT metal kitchen table and chairs, old yet VERY solid coffee table that I kind of wish we still had.  Busted up couch that an arm was fall off of. We had one rickety dresser, a full size bed (with head board, the one my husband left behind).  And a super old washer and dryer.  That was literally all the furniture we had.  Over the next four years we worked our butts off to get new furniture.  By the time we got married and had our daughter we had a NICE used kitchen table, a matching computer desk and entertainment stand, and it had a matching smaller entertainment stand for the bedroom, two dressers, same washer and dryer (because if it ain't broke don't fix it!) and some other little book shelves and things.  Then we moved.  *sigh*  Furniture was put into storage, or it broke during the move (wal mart furniture, boo!)  all of our hard work...ruined.  At least our daughters stuff was in great shape.  Until she out grew it and it was put in storage and then covered in mold, and we had to start all over again (cept her crib, it had never been put in storage).  So again, everything was second hand.  We've had several different couches off and on, all ugly.  But they worked.  Personally, I miss those hide a bed couches the most!! Heavy as HELL to move, but hey when you have company staying over these are awesome, or if the husband just irritates you for the night either you or him can go sleep on it, ha! Too bad they made those hide a bed couches to be so UGLY.  Ick.  Not enough sheets in the world to make them look good.  Now we have a "new used" couch and love seat, the last ones we had were already 5 years old when we got them, and we had them for another 4 years and by the time we were done with them...they were done for.  Our couch was on it's last leg and the love seat had already been kicked to the curb a year before, so when we found a great deal on the "new used" couch and love seat, we took it.  Still, most of our furniture is second hand, and most of the time I'm ok with that.  Because, well if the kids break something...I know we didn't just waste a fortune.  Plus, it's already got character.  Of course the added bonus of BEING AFFORDABLE! 

However, I decided the kids just needed new beds and mattresses.  The others were in rough shape.  The kids need a good nights sleep to learn and grow at their best.  I don't care if I sleep on my own busted down bed and mattress for a hundred years as long as my kids all have a nice, comfy, cozy, safe bed.  If their bedrooms look great, that's all that matters to me.  (Ok well obviously I'd like my whole house to look NICE, but I'm always trying to spruce up the kids' bedrooms to make them cozy and whatever). 

Right now I'm on the hunt for the perfect bed side lamp, and alarm clock for their room, as well as a cute analog clock to go on the wall.  I also want to find some wall art to go on a big wall in their room.  We'll get there, we'll get there.  Now fingers crossed they don't break anything....

Getting everything moved into their room was a night mare.  The new bunk bed and the old bunk bed were not the same width, sooo we couldn't put it on the wall where it was originally.  Had to scoot it down to the opposite wall, fun times.  Had to rearrange their bedroom to make everything fit and again...that was a night mare.  We made it all work though. Barely.

** Getting this blog posted really late!! Everything has worked out great in their rooms, everyone is happy and snuggly!! Yay for new room stuff**

Mom Circus

NERF Guns and Sight Words

Happy February folks! The Groundhog did not see his shadow, sooo that means an early spring.  Well, if you believe that kind of thing anyway.  I'm of the mind that winter is going to do what it wants to do whether we want it to or not.  I cannot complain though, we've had a VERY mild and awesome winter (for the most part) around here.  We had some super cold weather but it didn't last too long.  We've only had 4in of snow at the most here.  It's been a wet winter, with lots of rain, and we had a small thunderstorm the other night, or thunder snow?  Only we didn't have the snow, just rain.  It has been super windy lately though, and it has gotten colder again so we'll see what winter does in the next six weeks.  I don't put much faith in a furry ground hog. 

Speaking of groundhog.  One of my sons had an assignment today at school where he was supposed to use three adjectives to describe a groundhog.  This assignment stressed him out a bit and he didn't want to do it.  He used one of his allowed breaks that he can have, and then when he went back to do the assignment he decided he didn't want to.  The focus room sheet said he "threw" a chair so I had him show me what he did with the chair.  What he did to the chair was not throwing it.  He knocked it over, there is a difference there.  Was it right of him to even knock it over out of frustration?  NO not at all.  That was not ok.  However, he still did not THROW the chair.  Anyway, he was sent to the focus room (fair enough, I agree with that he needed to calm down). 

In the end, I asked him why he didn't want to do the assignment.  He looked at me and told me that he didn't want to do it because he didn't know what a groundhog LOOKED LIKE so how could he describe it? 

Valid reason. 

If I don't know what something looks like how am I supposed to describe it?  I know he's seen drawing or cartoons of a groundhog but he had not seen a real one.  So he and I sat about looking up groundhogs on the internet.  He got a good look at groundhogs, real ones.  I asked him to describe the groundhog, and he easily described him as small, fluffy, brown, fat.  All he needed, was to see what you wanted him to describe. 

**Not my image**

He's been struggling in school this year with staying focused and handling his emotions when he is frustrated.  First grade can be tough, my daughter struggled big time last year too.  She had massive anxiety issues last year, and this year now that she's in second grade she's doing fantastic anxiety wise.  (I had massive anxiety issues in third grade).  He has a fantastic teacher, the same one my daughter had last year.  Very thankful for the amazing teachers and staff that work with my kids.  They are with my kids for basically 40 hours a week give or take.  As well as many OTHER children too, so yeh, they definitely get my respect! I used to want to be a teacher, until I actually shadowed a teacher.  While they said cute things that made you go "awww" quite often, I also decided teaching...was not my thing.  I didn't have the patience for it.  So yes, teachers...serious respect for you!

The past couple of weeks have been especially frustrating at home during home work time because it's DRA testing time.  Yipppeee...and by yippee I mean open another bottle of wine and shoot me in the foot please.  It's difficult enough to get my kids to do home work on a good day.  When DRA testing is coming up and I am really amping up the at home work trying to make sure they are "getting it" it just seems to be torture for all of us, no matter how FUN I try to make it.

Tonight, I attempted to mix something my kids LOVE with something they hate.  They HATE sight words.  However, they love NERF Guns! So I took a dry erase marker and drew a giant target on the door of my fridge.  I wrote sight words in side the bulls eye until all the words were in it.  Then the kids got to shoot at the bulls eye and whatever part of the target  the NERF bullet hit they had to read the words within that circle.  I thought it was brilliant.  (it was an adaptation to an idea a friend sent me from Pinterest where the words were written on index cards and taped to the wall and the kids got to shoot the words with the NERF guns, I adapted that idea to fit my own kids).  Unfortunately, my children didn't see the "BRILLIANCE" of it.  I mean, my daughter thought it was pretty awesome.  She enjoyed laying on the ground and pretending to be a "sniper" so she could shoot better.  (FYI my daughter would make one heck of a sniper). 







One son threw a fit that it was "BORING" he was mad I wouldn't let him play a video game (HEY no video gaming until the WEEKEND MY SON! You know the rules, and even then it's only for a total of TWO hours on each day of the weekend and it has to be spread out through each day not two hours straight playing a video game.  Also, you have to spend an equal two hours doing some kind of school work like reading, math, writing, sight words.  Then the rest of your time is spent playing outside weather permitting or playing in your room).  I know, I'm totally harsh. 

The other son just flat out didn't want to do it and kept throwing tantrums and so I finally let him hide under the kitchen table to pout and I ignored his fit and focused on the other two, and told my son under the table that when he decided to quit throwing a fit he was more than welcome to join us.  I even got into it and was shooting at the target and reading sight words too, that way it was a game for ALL of us.  Eventually all my kids were participating again and we did have fun.  Eventually we had to move on to reading and fluency and then on to math.  I have a lovely collection of math work books and they had to do several pages in those tonight.  I've started timing them on fluency and math.  The school always wants them to go "FAST FAST FAST"  I don't really agree with making kids do things quickly.  The faster you go at something it does increase your risk of error, I would rather my kids go slower and get it done correctly than rush through it, my kids need a little extra time to read, write, and think about things, they cannot do it as fast (though they are improving and that's good).  I also do not over pressure them at home.  I think accuracy is more important than speed.  I'm also not the school though.  So if the school wants them to be fast...I guess they just have to learn to be faster. 

The faster my kids are told to go, the more anxiety they have and the worse they do.  That's when my one son flat out shuts down.  He does NOT handle being rushed at all.  He literally just cannot do it.  It frazzles him so bad he has a break down.  At home if I even say "hurry up guys we have to get out the door, hurry hurry"  He panics.  He doesn't know what to do, and he freezes, and cries, and shuts down.  THAT slows us down a million times more.  I give him numerous reminders well in advance and go one step at a time and he is able to focus and get things done and is usually ready and out the door with everyone else.  Too bad his dad hasn't figure that out though.  Dad still struggles with figuring out what works for our boys.  He has our daughter fairly well figured out, but the boys are still a ball of constant mystery and headache for him. He'll get there though, he's trying to figure out what they need and how to help, he's a good dad.  I'm glad he's my husband and glad he's their dad. 

(to be fair I'm still figuring my kids out most of the time, ha!)

We added two new fur members the family recently.  They are daughters to our dear cat Hagrid who passed away this fall.  Their Daddy was a good cat.  His daughters however...are a wee bit psychotic.  Anyway, tonight they ended up in the middle of all of the school stuff while we were working on home work.  One minute the school stuff was next to them, the next it was on top of them.  One of the kittens looked mildly annoyed, but it didn't stop her from going back to sleep. 






We still need to work on Valentines cards for the class party next week at school, and for my daughters girl scout troop as well.  That's a lot of cards.

I'm trying to keep track of all the lists of names, and who chose what cards, and who needs a box to put their stuff in and yeeeeesh.  I don't know if I'm going to make it, ha!

We will make it through the week, we're almost to the weekend! We got this!

Mom Circus