Our Nighttime Adventures from Last Night

I think I've mentioned before that The Princess sometimes has bad dreams & will walk in her sleep. She will whimper & cry while pacing around in circles. So that she doesn't wake The Saint, who sleeps in her room, we will take her into our room & try to rouse her from her sleep. If we don't calm her down, she'll just keep getting up & pacing. We know that she's alert enough to go back to bed when she can tell us who we are & what her name is. It usually only takes about five minutes to calm her.

Well, last night, she got up while Casinodad & I were downstairs watching Smallville on the computer. (We're trying to catch up since we got three seasons behind!) Casinodad thought he heard footsteps upstairs in our room. He went to the stairs & there was The Princess walking down. He held her hand & brought her over to me. She sat in the chair next to me & gave me the most precious, innocent smile I've ever seen. Her eyes were wide & bright...it was as if she had just woken from the best night's sleep, refreshed & ready to start the day (at 10:30pm!)

I talked to her & asked who we were. She answered correctly, all the while w/ that precious grin on her face. She looked sooooo sweet! Casinodad took her back up to bed & she went right to sleep again.

Shortly after we went to bed, The Saint woke up & came into bed w/ us. He usually does this every night & we've given up trying to get him back to sleep in his bed for now. It's just not worth the loss of sleep on our part...we're picking out battles!

Around 2am, he woke up terrified. He was crying & staring at the corner near my side of the bed w/ a frightened look on his face. Neither of us could calm him down. He kept saying something that sounded like scapular. Finally I asked if he wanted me to take him back to his room. He nodded yes. It tucked him in & sat in his room for a bit to make sure he was okay. He was still saying that word & I asked him if he meant caterpillar. Yep, that was it. Apparently he'd had a scary dream about one.

This morning, he, The Archangel, & The Princess were sitting on my bed w/ me. He started telling them about the caterpillar, pointing to the same corner by the bed. The Archangel held his hands about 6 in. apart & asked if it was that long. The Saint held his arms out as far as he could & said, "No, it was dis big!" For the rest of the morning, the caterpillar's size got bigger & bigger, and it kept changing color! Such an imagination.

I did explain that caterpillars can't hurt him & that they turn into beautiful butterflies. Of course tonight he'll probably dream about huge butterflies chasing him...LOL!

Wordless Wednesday - January Snow Fun (2nd Post Today)

I Am "MOM OF THE YEAR"

(...or at least "Mom of the Day!")

About an hour or so ago, we had a pop-up rain shower while the munchkins were playing outside. I went out to tell them to stay in the garage until it passed. The Prophet had already taken one of the bikes & was flying around the cul-de-sac. He did come when I called, then when I went out to check again, they were either in the driveway or running around the sidewalk puddles. Oh well...it wasn't thundering, so I thought I'd let them be kids for a while. I even took The Saint out to join them.

The Saint's footprint on the sidewalk

Sitting in a large puddle

The Princess in yet another pose! (I think that's the only way she knows to have her picture taken!)

The Archangel & the legs of a neighbor boy (They were lying at the end of the driveway in the puddles that formed.)

Sitting in a puddle in the cul-de-sac

The Prophet & The Princess

I LOVE toddler toes!

The Saint didn't venture out until the downpour stopped. Once he got into the puddles, it was splash-time!

So, do you think I earned my title?

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things in life really helps me get through the rough times. It makes me feel like I'm still accomplishing something, even if it is small. So, here are this week's successes...

1) We rented a cabin in Hocking Hills (southeastern Ohio) for a couple days last week. It was a fun family vacation, even if only for a couple days. We hiked through Old Man's Cave & the Rockhouse, played at a nearby park, & just enjoyed life as a family w/out cell phones & computer. (That is why I missed last week's successes!)

2) Upon our return, I didn't go straight to the computer! We unloaded the van, unpacked our stuff, & I even threw our dirty clothes in the washer.

3) After the initial shock wore off, I did not freak out when The Archangel cut The Princess' hair last week! I even managed to laugh about it.

How about your successes? Check out Faith & Family Live for more.

The Evolution of The Princess' Hair

Over the last month, The Princess has had several changes in her hair. The first picture below shows her just after she begged me to cut her hair. As much as it pained me, I did it & it did looked very cute on her.


This next picture was taken last Monday after she & The Archangel were once again playing "Beauty Shop." I was downstairs working w/ The Prophet on some of his schoolwork. All of a sudden, she calls me from the top of the stairs & says, "Look, (The Archangel) cut my hair!" And indeed he did! She told me that she asked him to, but he was supposed to use her play scissors, not his school ones! So, off we went to Grandma's for an emergency haircut.

This picture was taken on our Hocking Hills vacation this past week. See how short her hair ended up? It does look cute, but to go from her long hair to this almost pixy style in less than a month was very difficult for me.

So We Know He Can Dance!

Do you have a special song that, whenever you hear it, you just have to start moving? Well, this Mark Anthony song is mine! Casinodad bought me the CD for our anniversary years ago, after I had heard the song on the radio. I still listen to it frequently. It even has the song in Spanish too! It's great for housecleaning.

Today I found that The Saint likes the song too & just can't help dancing to it, either. He was on his knees under the kitchen table when it came on & started jiggling. A few minutes later, the phone rang. As I was talking to my dad, I happened to look at The Saint again & had to laugh out loud - he was now standing under the table dancing away w/ a big grin on his face. I played it again this evening for Casinodad to see if The Saint would dance again & sure enough, he did. So cute!

More from the Munchkins!

The other night, I went into The Princess' room to tuck her into bed. All of her stuffed animals & dolls were strewn about the floor, so I had her put them away. She did so w/ no complaint. However, as she was putting them back on the shelf, the following conversation took place:

P: These dolls are giving me a head-ack!
ME: Why are the dolls giving you a headache?
P: There are just too many of them.
ME: Well, if you see any that you'd like to give away, just let me know.

She gave me one & put the rest away. While she was finishing, I happened to notice that her fitted sheet had pulled away from the mattress. As I was fixing it, our little conversation took a different turn:

P: You're the best Mommy in this house.
ME: Thank you! But, I am the only Mommy in this house.
P: If there were more Mommies & Daddies in this house, I'd get a head-ack!

Am I not giving her enough Tylenol or does she just have a sensitive head?!?

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On to The Saint: A few days ago, he was sitting on my lap while I was eating some of Aldi's nacho chips (think Doritos, but about 1/3 of the price & they don't taste much different either - just as addicting!) He watched very carefully as I was eating each chip. Soon, after each bite, he would place his hands on both my cheeks, pull me towards him, & lick my lips -- the same way a puppy laps up its water. I guess I didn't need that napkin after all!!

I Think He's Ready

Last night, Casinodad went out w/ a co-worker to dinner & to see the new Star Trek movie. While he was gone, I let the munchkins stay up a little later & watch a Scooby-Doo movie. I put them to bed about 9:15. The Archangel & The Princess fell asleep right away. About 9:35, while I was watching TV & nursing The Saint, the Prophet came down, unable to fall asleep. He occasionally has trouble sleeping - nothing serious, just a typical 8 yr. old w/ a lot of thoughts running through his head. Sometimes we let him stay down w/ us for a while, so I did that last night.

I turned off the TV & asked if he wanted me to read his new book, Joseph & Chico. So, as I continued to feed The Saint, I read a part of the book. (It's really cute so far!)

Afterwards, we had a nice talk. I had decided to talk to him about something I'd read in both Rediscovering Catholicism & Raising Better Families (both by Matthew Kelly). A recurring theme in his books is to ask yourself it what you do/say/think/etc. is helping you become a best-version-of-yourself. So, The Prophet & I talked about thinking before acting. I used various examples of his siblings accidently hurting him & whether he should retaliate or not. We also applied this to food (esp. Mommy & her chocolate - which, I think does help my sanity & stress levels!!) I started to mention another example when he said that he knew of something that would help make us the best-version-of-ourselves - The Body & Blood of Jesus.

Yep, I'd say he's ready for his First Holy Communion on Saturday!

P.S. - After some more interesting discussions, I took him & The Saint up to bed. I came back down & was writing out the above so that I would remember it this morning. I heard a couple of thumps upstairs & went up to investigate. When I got into the boys' room, The Prophet was sitting on The Archangel's bed tucking his covers between the bed & wall. The Archangel had fallen out of bed & The Prophet thought tucking the covers in would help so he wouldn't do it again.

There are times when these munchkins drive be so crazy & I question whether we're good parents (like our shopping trip to Aldi today). Then, there are these moments of tenderness & compassion that bring tears to my eyes. Somehow, something is going right!

Candid Shots of the Munchkins

"Wait till the girls see me in this set of wheels!"

"Wow! Great book; great weather - what more could a girl ask for? Okay, maybe some chocolate too!"

"Look into my eyes...you will give me another cookie!"

"Shhh! I need my beauty rest!"

"Mom, Can I Scrub the Toilet?"

"Can I mop the floor?"

"What else can I do?"

"When can I shovel the driveway?"

"I like scrubbing the toilet!" (exclaimed by The Archangel just a few minutes ago)

These are some of the comments we've been hearing around here lately. "Have all your munchkins been taken over by aliens?" you ask. Nope, we've finally found some motivation to get them to help out around the house more.

We have been selling stuff on ebay lately. Casinodad happened to see that Lego figures (not sets, just the people/characters) were going for some incredible prices. He took a little of his Christmas money to buy a bunch of Star Wars Lego sets. He lumped about 20 figures together to put on ebay & almost doubled his investment, & still has more figures to put on!

"What are you going to do w/ the rest of those sets?" I asked.

He wasn't sure at first, but suddenly it came to him - get the munchkins to do some housework to earn the sets! So, we sat down & brainstormed household tasks that were doable for their ages. Each task was assigned a certain amount of money (not real money, just credit that we would run a tab on). Once they reach a particular level, they earn the Lego set of their choice. To get a set, they have to pay 1 1/2 times the amount of the retail price. For example, they can get a $9.99 set for $15.00. For The Princess, who isn't as into Legos, I found some dolls that were mine when I was a little girl & assigned a price to each.

They still have regular chores that they don't "get paid" for doing - making their beds, cleaning up their toys/rooms, etc. This is just a little motivation to help out more around the house. They won't always get stuff for doing these things. As they get older, we'll change to an allowance type program, but for now it's nice to hear "Why does he always get to vacuum? When do I get to do it?"

PS - For some reason, no matter how many spaces I put between each paragraph, Blogger is not accepting them. Sorry all the paragraphs are jumbled together. If you know how to fix it, please let me know.

Has There Been a Recent Alien Invasion?

The munchkins were in their "Quiet Time" this afternoon. The Archangel & The Princess were in their rooms while The Prophet stayed downstairs in the living room. This gives them a chance to be alone for a while each afternoon. They don't have to nap (although The Princess usually does at some point). They just have to be quiet for about an hour & a half.

Well, I went upstairs to put The Saint down in his crib. The Archangel was thumping around in his room, so I went down the hall to tell him to be quiet. I walked into the room & saw him scooting on his knees, pushing a box across the floor. What was he doing? He was cleaning up the room that he & The Prophet share - all by himself w/out even being asked to do it. I knelt down & gave him a big hug, thanking him (w/ tears in my eyes) for doing it w/out being asked. He even said that later, he might even help The Princess clean her room.

This is the second time this week that he's cleaned w/out being asked. A few nights ago, he & The Princess worked on the basement (more him than her). Now, I know a lot of children do extra good deeds at this time of year, persuaded by Santa's visit. We, however, do not use that tactic because I don't think it's fair.

So, to the question in my title - has an alien taken over my munchkin? And if so, how long is he staying?

Use No. 100 for a Purple Marker

I just went upstairs to put a few things away. At the end of the hall, The Princess was in her room w/ her door open just a crack. I could see her standing there & as soon as she saw me, she shut the door. I opened it & asked what she was doing (you know that feeling you have when your precious little one is into something?!) Her response: "I'm 'tending it's nail polish!" as she holds up the purple marker & her freshly "painted" purple nails!

Halloween

A bit belated, but here is a picture of the munchkins in their Halloween costumes. They got to go twice this year. My in-laws' neighborhood always has a parade & Trick-or-Treating on the Sunday before Halloween. It's a lot safer in the daylight & there are more houses than our neighborhood. The Prophet was a Clone Trooper from Star Wars, The Archangel was a firefighter, & The Princess was a Fairy Princess. They looked so adorable & had a great time.

Casinodad took them in our neighborhood the night of Halloween, but not many people were handing out candy this year. It seems like the numbers have dwindled in the past couple years. So, luckily they got to go on that Sunday. They're still working through the candy supply. (The parental supply is just about depleted, but fortunately, our munchkins like to share!)

The Lost Tooth

The Prophet lost his second tooth yesterday. It's been loose for quite some time, however, it wasn't completely ready to come out. He asked at least twice daily if it was ready & finally it was. He had lost his first tooth the same day as his dental appointment back in May & the dentist had given him a little treasure chest to put it in. He used the same one this time & the Tooth Fairy left him a "whole dollar!" He came running into our room this morning, waving it around.

A little while later, The Archangel came up to our bathroom while I was getting ready & said that The Prophet gave him the dollar. When asked about it, The Prophet said that he felt bad for his brother because he hasn't lost any teeth yet. Wasn't that just the sweetest thing?! We've been talking about The Beatitudes in Religion this week & we'd had a big discussion about putting others before ourselves. It really does my heart good to see & hear that he is using his studies in life. I pray that he will continue to grow in his generosity.

Peace, Munchesmom

It Was Bound to Happen...

...I just thought it would be one of the boys first! We spent about two hours at Children's Urgent Care this evening to get stitches for The Princess. She has a Little Tykes dollhouse in her bedroom that she likes to climb onto. She's always needed someone to get her down, until this evening. She decided to jump off & ended up hitting her head on the bed frame. I was downstairs & when she came to me she was holding her foot, so I thought she'd just twisted it. After about five minutes of crying she started holding the right side of her head. I lifted up her hair & saw a bubble gumball-sized bump with a 1/2 inch cut on it - not a scratch, but not quite a gash. I called my dad & he said it would be a good idea to have her looked at. So, I called Casinodad at work & asked him to meet me.

Once there, instead of using a shot to numb her temple, they squeezed a cold, gel-like substance on & wrapped gauze around her head like a headband. Then we waited for about 20 minutes for it to be numbed & were called back to get three stitches put in. She was very brave for the most part. She sat very still when the nurse took her temperature & blood pressure. She cried when the gel was put on, I think because it was so cold on her cut. Then she cried during the stitches, not because they hurt but because she didn't want to be laying down.

To top all of this off, she's just getting over a stomach virus that left us w/ quite a few not-so-pleasant diapers. Her little bottom is so sore from the rash the virus left for her.

Peace, munchesmom

Well, it Wasn't The Princess This Time

One of The Archangel's favorite things about turning four was that he can finally chew gum. One of the things I've been struggling with him on is that he likes to play w/ it - pulling it out of his mouth, stretching it, etc. Today he decided to stretch it all around his neck. Well, in the process, he got a line of it stuck around the back of his neck. Not a pleasant thing to pick off of a child! I picked off as much as I could w/ my fingers. He was screaming all the while. I finally grabbed a bottle of canola oil, poured it on my hands & rubbed it onto his neck. Once his neck was well-oiled, I took a wet wash cloth & got the gum off. Think he learned his lesson? Hmmm! We'll just have to wait & see.

So, What Has Your Two Year Old Been Up To???

Well, we are quickly finding that The Princess is quite an adventurous sort! In the past several weeks, she has done numerous things to keep us on our toes.

1) I went down to the kitchen one afternoon while the munchkins were watching TV (or so I thought). As I walked by the fridge, I noticed two little feet sticking out from one of the cabinets. Upon opening the door I found The Princess sitting there, her mouth full of gum (five sticks to be exact)! She had climbed up onto the stool to reach an unopened pack of gum, proceeded to open it & all five pieces, stuff them in her mouth, sat in the cabinet, closed the door & chewed away.

2) She's officially out of her crib. I had set her in the crib one day w/ the door open as a sort of time-out because she had hit one of her brothers. After I went back downstairs, her crying seemed to get louder. Hmmm! She had managed to climb out of her crib, by way of the bed next to it. Well, I thought that moving her crib farther from the bed, she wouldn't try it. Boy was I wrong! I caught her a few days later climbing on the side rail of the crib, standing & jumping the foot & a half to the bed. Yep, the crib came down shortly afterwards.

3) At my mom's last week: We were all in the family room & kitchen. After a bit, I realized that The Princess was quiet & went to find her. I walked down the basement steps & there she was, sitting on the floor among about four empty bottles of spices & candy sprinkles, 3 bottles of partially filled spices, & a huge pile of spices & candy sprinkles. "Mommy, me eat!" she says. And sure enough, she was eating the candy sprinkles. I think she'd tried a few peppercorns too.

4) At my sister's a few days later: She came up from their basement showing me that her hands were messy. Yes, she had gotten into her extra shampoo sample bottles, poured them onto the floor & proceeded to play in them. This was after she had gotten into my purse & dumped the entire contents all over my sister's dining room floor.

I could go on & on with these escapades. She's definitely more adventursome than the boys had been. My mom suggested putting bells on her. Then when the bells stop, we go find what she's up to. Yes, a great idea that sounds better each day!

Peace,
munchesmom