Cheap clips??

Does anybody out there know what it's like to do a marathon hair cutting session with 4 (soon to be 5 once Simon needs a haircut...I've been putting it off!) boys/man that need haircuts all at once? Picture if you will a freshly washed floor that I was hoping would last at least for 2 or 3 days and then it happens...."honey, do you think I could get a hair cut today?"....then Son #1 "Mommy I need a hair cut too!"...then Son #2 "Mommy I really need a haircut too and please don't cut it like Troy from High School Musical cause I really don't like my hair tickling my eyes and it's not appropriate for school!"...then son #3 "Mommy my hair is really long too and it tickles my ears can I go before Gavin?"

And then the mayhem begins, trying to keep the 16 month old out of the hair that's piling up without success, having little particles of hair that have now become needles poking into my shirt and pants (and I've already showered!), trying to keep heads steady, making sure my husbands is PERFECT he is quite a stickler...despite the fact that his increasingly grey hairs have a mind of their own, and of course I am left with all the hairy clean up and suddenly my clean, sparkling floor is no more. To any woman out there that knows my plight my heart goes out to you. But when I think of the thousands that I've saved us...well, I'll be doing it again in a couple weeks.

The power of popcorn!

Every Friday I take my boys to the library where they pick out a movie and IF, BIG IF the family room and their rooms are clean they get to have......MOVIE NIGHT! Elated are they to consume massive amounts of homemade popcorn (no matter how big a supper they had) while watching a rousing episode of the Flinstones! Friday nights always finish with a sleepover in the family room crashing on bean bags, couches or in homemade forts...the joy of being a little boy!

New Years Eve with monkeys and yellow snow!

In my efforts yet again to make the boys' Christmas vacation memorable I decide at the last minute that I really should do something special with the boys for New Years Eve even though Stephen is working. The difficult thing is that I had to work at 9:00pm also and that meant everyone had to be in bed asleep by 9pm so I could start my shift...a little stressful. I took the boys to the zoo for "zoo lights" a very cool light display with every animal you can imagine encapsulated in a twinkling display. The boys were on their BEST behaviour which I was grateful for although Simon did not like the cold and there was a LOT of walking to be had. The boys were a little disappointed that most of the animals went "home for the winter and will be back to visit in spring" but they settled for the odd cougar, bobcat or tiger slumbering in the snow. Good sports!

I also have to point out the gorgeous hats that my darling mother made for me and the boys! Isn't she amazing? She would be proud to see them all keeping them on, especially Simon! Love you Mom, thanks for the treasure! Any creative juice I have running through these veins I owe to my mother, she is the queen of making a gourmet meal out of nothing and an evening gown out of a brown paper bag.

On the way out the door of the zoo my 3 year old says "thank you mommy for to taking us to the zoo!", the older two chime in "yeah mommy you rock our world, thanks I'm exhausted but it was fun". Music to my ears, guess it was worth the stress and the 18 bucks!

Only after we get all the way to the car (which was not an easy feat!) Simon crying all the way, (he was so beyond exhausted)did Seth inform me that he needed to go potty and it could "definitely not wait". We were parked quite a way from the zoo and consequently the bathrooms. What did I do? Just what every resourceful mother would do, found an empty cup and placed it underneath his parts and said "ok, pee"...he was so shock that he had a little difficulty producing the goods but eventually relinquished, only to my surprise did I realize that the 'tumbler size cup from Costco' might not hold all that was inside this little 3 year old. I was freaking out (inside...never let them see you sweat!)...relieved I was to find that he finished with an inch from the top of the brim! Phew! I promptly disposed of it on a snowbank, moral of this story? Don't eat yellow snow! Hope you and yours have a very happy New Year!

moonlets and prospectors!

In the name of creativity....The other day the boys built a rocket ship in the living room and donned their impressive explorer paraphernalia. I asked them what they were doing, to which they replied: "We are moonlets, little boys that explore the moon and other planets. First we are prospectors that dig for gold and then we use the gold to buy supplies to use on our mission!" Maybe I should not have asked :)

As they were playing I was in the kitchen trying hard not to laugh at the intensity and seriousness of their mission. This is what I heard:

G1-"On some planets they say that it is raining cats and dogs but in this case its actually raining lizards and frogs! Pray for us and give us your well wishes as we explore this new planet! There is some excessive damage but our 911 crew will fix it, we need to go and explore...."

G2-"Look, I see a flying crocodile in the sky!"

G1-"That's not a flying crocodile it's a purple Maggi, he has unusual powers, do not attack or he will throw thunderbolts at us! Remember flying crocodiles travel in herds!"

G1-"Where is our astronaut that is scouting for food? Oh, there you are...what took you so long young astronaut we were so worried about you!!"

S1-"I was getting food for the winter here is the banana pie and the garlic stew!"

G1-"Great young astronaut, could you please organize the beans, salad and chicken for the winter?"

It's moments like these that I realize that I really have the best job in the whole world...being the mother of these fabulous boys and watching them grow and become best friends. Priceless!