Just for you

I've got a suprise for you! When you're having one of those days where your kid is being the most whiny, cranky & misbehaved kid ever, feel free to refer to THIS story & use it. Go ahead. Pass it around. Tell your friends. Whatever. I'm a giver. Merry Christmas. Happy Birthday.

My 2 oldest boys decided to quickly jump in the shower. I should have known something was up right there. After several minutes Reagan emerged from said shower crying & talking about pee. Yes pee. A few seconds later Reid jumps out of said shower & begins trying to defend himself. From what we still had no idea. We were still trying to decipher:

Reagan-"Reid..sob...sniffle..sob..he...cry..sob..pee..."

Reid-"But..but..he.."

Now I had two brothers & heard stories. I'm thinking maybe someone peed in the shower & the other one slipped in it. Which is gross in itself but better than what actually happened.

So we make both boys get dressed & sit down to explain. Both boys decided to see if you could fill a water gun with pee. Then undecided on how to then rid the gun of pee got the brilliant idea to take turns shooting each other with it. I know. I know.

You're welcome.

Report Cards

As a student that struggled with grades, especially Math, I have looked at the report card as more of an ongoing progress chart. That's not to say I have no expectations. I expect each child to perform within their spectrum. No conduct issues are acceptable.

Reagan has maintained a steady stream of S's. Which is Satisfactory. Meaning great for 1st grade. Reid has struggled with Math & Science. Boy can I relate. Tutoring has helped & so now we have all 80-100's with our math grade being the best improvement. Going from a 65 to a 90!! I know how hard he worked for that 90 so it means more to us. Going in early everyday for 6 weeks paid off well. Reid is proud of himself too which is the most important thing.

Reagan is the Student of the Week at school. Which means we made a huge poster outlining his interests & fun facts. He gets special attention from his friends & teacher. I get to read his favorite books to his class & he will get an awesome crown made of cardboard. Yay!! So all in all a great week for the Howard clan.

Normal

"There's a new kid on our bus Mom, and he sits by me." Great, I thought while I listened to Reid describe this child. He seemed like a very nice young man. Every day after that Reid came home to tell me something else he'd learned about his friend on the bus ride to & from school. He was in a car wreck, his brother is still in the hospital, his Mom is in jail, his Mom was driving drunk & caused a wreck that almost killed his younger brother, he lives w/ a new foster family. The story kept getting worse as the week went on.

I talked to Reid about it & of course he had a ton of questions. I checked on the family to ask if they needed anything since they are indeed a foster family & had just inherited a couple of boys. They said they were OK & were actually happy that their new "son" was talking to someone since he says nothing at home. The stories this child says are true & so much worse. After 2 weeks this child had unloaded all of his burdens & was finally able to talk about something else.

After learning what foster care meant Reid was sad he may one day lose his new friend. He asked me one night if we could ever adopt his friend & his brother, like The Blindside movie. I explained life isn't like a movie. There are laws, rules & circumstances beyond our control. I told Reid that God had chosen this certain foster home, this bus & him to help this child heal. To listen, learn & be grateful. Saturday when I looked outside Reid was playing with this child & they were both so happy. So normal. I said a silent prayer that this precious child get as much "normal" as possible.

Holidaze

Every year it's the same thing. I can't wait for the holidays & begin the countdown after Halloween. Then it gets here & passes in a blur of parties, presents, shopping & eating. Of course with 3 kids everything is a blur but you get the point. This year we're waiting on 2 babies to grace our large family, Keith is finally home for good & the boys are all healthy. I truly couldn't ask for more, so I won't.

One flu over the cuckoos nest..

The flu hit us hard this week. Reid had to go to the hospital for fluids & a little rest. His temp reaching 106.1 was scary for all involved. The body does some strange things to compensate at that temp. Anyway, Reagan was next. His fever was never that high but he joined his brother in violating the poor toilet/sink. Forced to do double duty while the other sibling was occupying the toilet, our sink has been scrubbed & sanitized to the max. Laundry has also doubled since towels, clothes & blankets are in high demand when kids are sick. Being forced to stay inside has made me a little loopy. I was talking about cabin fever & Rowan ran to me & touched his little hand to my forehead & exclaimed "Your cabin fever is really high Momma. You should go to the Doctor." **Sigh**. Good thing kids are cute...

That which does not kill me...makes me really fun to live with.
**Glad my hubby was home & could help.

Friday Fill-ins

1. He was a turkey this morning..(Reagan).

2. October is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend is new.

4. I promise to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be totally accurate.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was Reid & Reagan @ the bus stop.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to burgers- Martha style, tomorrow my plans include family and Sunday I want to get ready for the week.

Reid

I knew I had a strong emotional tie w/ Reid. If he's sad I know it, if he's having a bad day I can feel it. Most mothers have this w/ their children, it's nothing special. But when you have a child like Reid it comes in handy. He's been "fine" on the outside. Made a new friend, happy about school & got new clothes for school. But last night as I was about to get in bed I had a strange feeling I needed to talk to him. It was overwhelming actually. He was already coming to my room. He layed in my bed & just poured his little heart out. He's sad & doesn't know why. He told me he's grateful for everything he has but his brain tells him to be sad & mad. He tries to feel different but he just can't anymore. It gives him a headache. His medicine for Asperger to control his tics & his other meds to stabilize his mood can cause depression so we're making a Dr. appointment to change those. I'm so happy he felt he could talk to me & let me know how he is feeling. I'm always proud of him but last night he proved to me again just what an amazing kid he is.

Back to school

All around the world parents are shopping & praising God this week. No, it's not Christmas. It's time for kids to go back to school!! Yay!! I can honestly say I will miss my kids. I enjoy the lazy days of summer & their friends running in & out. I enjoy play dates where they can all be present. If I was a black belt in patience like a good friend of mine I would home school. Don't get me wrong I would love to. But my kids would learn nothing & I'd become one those moms that drinks..during the day. Spending more time w/ Jennifer has afforded my kids the chance to see home schooling up close & personal. It's an all day, every day thing. Kids are always learning, we know this. So every experience is turned into a learning experience. So this year my kids have voiced several times they'd like to be home schooled. When I laughed out loud they stood their ground. "Jennifer can teach us. We can go to the Coppock Academy." (Yes that's what they call her house) Wanting to save my friendship I had to let them down easy. "She has a 3 person class limit," I lied. Groans & whines wafted through the air reminding me maybe I'm ready for school to start....soon.

Breakfast Shmeakfast

I saw this idea on another blog & as usual..ran with it. Using waffles to make a breakfast quick, easy & healthy..sign me up. Here is what we made our first go round: Elvis Special. Peanut butter & banana. While I was heating the waffles in the toaster I supervised the boys cutting their bananas using a butter knife. We spread the peanut butter on one waffle & placed the teeny tiny pieces of banana on top. We then placed the other waffle on top & PRESTO! Waffle Sandwich, Elvis style. It was easy, new & the boys ate very single bite!! I think it will be a great solution for those busy mornings!! Here are a few other toppings we are going to try:

Jelly
strawberries
cream cheese (all different flavors)
blueberries
egg, cheese & turkey
honey
cinnamon & sugar

It's awesome the way the boys are thinking of things to put on here & try. I'm thinking it would be easy to eat in the car as well. Anyway, they loved it & it made their morning. Mission accomplished.

Off the wagon

I fell off the bloggin wagon. But I'm back. So many new things to report I'm not sure where to begin. Reid is about to be a 5th grader. Both him & Reagan won 1st place in baseball. Although I was extremely proud of their trophy's I was more proud they recognized there is a reward for effort. Because they did work hard for those trophy's. Reagan will be in 1st grade & is learning more every day. Rowan has continued to amaze me. He is still the most stubborn child known to man. I pray he harnesses that power & uses it for good rather than evil. This summer has been fun & several lessons have presented themselves. We've met new friends, lost some & learned family is always there. A week ago we all lost my grandmother. She was the most generous, loving, christian example of a woman & my heart truly aches for my mothers loss. But I know she's home & dancing w/ my Papa. Football is about to begin & I will post pics as soon as we get Reid's pads & helmet. We're enjoying the lazy days of summer as I'm sure most of you are.

Ladies Man

As I watched Reagan strut to the car I noticed something was different. He slammed the door & threw a gun shaped piece of paper @ me & exclaimed
"Grace said to call her."
There it was in hastily scribed pencil. "Call me Reagan. Heart Grace." The number is written so huge, it can't be missed. Subtle. Reagans goofy smile was evidence of how pleased he was.
"So, can I use your phone?"
"Easy tiger, she's probably still here waiting for her mom. Later maybe."
This seemed acceptable so he sat back & relaxed. Upon hearing the big news Reid is rather disappointed it's his birthday & he hasn't been given such a gift from the universe.
"He's only 5. It's not fair."
After we get home & I endure a few rounds of "Can we call her now?" we call Grace. Her mother has been expecting us. Grace wants Reagan to come play. She just loves Reagan & talks about him all the time. He has his first "date" next week.

Bird nest/Kickball

After being on house arrest due to flooding this weekend my boys are all about outside. Fine with me. When I was younger playing outside meant finding whatever I could to entertain myself & doing it for hours. Because if I bugged my parents I had to come back inside. My kids however need a referee & help deciding what game to play. "Where is this ball?" & "I want that bike." They're in & out so much it hardly qualifies as playing outside. It's more stand-at-the-back-door-whine-fest. Anyway, the highly competitive game of kickball began like any other. Soon enough I was called to get the ball out of our neighbor's yard & then it was stuck in a tree. Really stuck. The little tykes plastic shovel wasn't going to cut it this time. Reid found the step ladder & when he lifted his head into the branches he discovered a nest. He knows I collect them so he stuck his hand in it & jerked it back quickly. "Momma the nest has an egg in it." I went up to investigate & saw that sure enough he was correct. One tiny perfect egg. I told them to move away & be careful because there was a baby in there. They quietly stepped back & stared at the tree. As soon as we moved away what I presume was the Mama bird came back quickly. They all took a vote & decided to leave the ball there to provide extra shelter for the baby. And to be honest Mama bird was giving us the evil eye.

Bragging rights

My oldest son Reid is about to be 10. The countdown has begun. In his short life there have been many things for me to brag about. He talked early, he's smart & I've heard many times..handsome. I agree with all of these things. But lately there is one comment I'm hearing that makes my heart leap more than anything. "I had no idea. " It's the response to many people seeing Reid & watching him participate in several activities like a normal kid. After they've learned he has Asperger's. A form of Autism. I have never been more proud of anything in my life. Reid worked so hard & went through so many things in the past 2 years. Physical therapy, ABA & medication changes. If the simplicity of those words imply ease I can assure you it was no small task. Physical therapy was a grueling, everyday task that was a true endeavor. ABA was a necessary evil. And the medication switch sent our family into a year long nightmare. But I can honestly say that my prayers & his were more than answered. For him to be able to play & go to school like "a normal kid" is nothing short of a miracle. Reid being on a 1st place baseball team & making A's is all music to my ears. But having someone tell me that he looks like a normal kid is literally the best thing I could ever hear. Normal never sounded so wonderful. I'll take it.

Locker Room

On any given day at our house you will see random boys in underwear, shirtless & I'm almost afraid to admit...sometimes both. Apparently clothing gets in the way of random activities. The Wii usually has it's competitor's sans shirt for Reid & pants less for Reagan. Rowan has shown no preference yet. However I will say that it does take quite a few moments to wrangle him into pj's after his bath. Sometimes I fell a bit strange. Like for instance the other day Reid was in the shower. Reagan & Rowan in the bath. When they all surrounded me for clothes & lotion I got a little...claustrophobic. I looked around & found I was surrounded by..male genitalia. I know they're my kids & whatever but can I just say sometimes it's a bit much. I also believe that a certain motto must be given it's due. Boys can be gross. Farting in faces, burping, slaps on the butt. All commonplace. It's not their fault though. I had enough boys to create the locker room mentality so I take full responsibility. I look at it as practice. My kids will never be uncomfortable in the locker room, or anywhere else for that matter, when it's time to change for P.E. or sports. I will wait a couple of more years to work on the perfect towel snap. For their own safety.

** For your own entertainment purposes & my embarrassment I've included a list of questions/quotes heard around our house.

1. Who wants to smell my armpit?
2. Did you smell that? I just farted.
3. ______ just farted!! Gross!! (while sniffing the air & rushing towards that person laughing)
4. Come here I have to tell you something (burp in face).
5. Oh my gosh my feet stink. Come here & smell my socks.
6. Can I have more underwear? Just trust me..

Edward has good manners..for a vampire

I let my son watch Twilight. (He had to cover his eyes @ 2 parts.) He didn't notice what I thought he would. Instead he noticed Edwards manners. He caught Bella's apple. He opened doors, bought her dinner & rescued her. "He sure is nice for a vampire," he said. He also liked the way Edward dressed & how smart he was. "Edward is pretty cool & smart." I am pleasantly surprised I must say. Reid is very sweet I shouldn't be surprised. At the beginning of the year a dad of one of the girls in his class came up to shake his hand. "I hear you pull out my daughter's chair everyday, that's great. You're a nice young man." I turned to look at Reid & he just shrugged it off. Apparently a few weeks later she didn't like it so much that he did this for every girl. Reid also noticed that Edward is different & some people don't like him. People are mean to him. He has experience with that as well. I guess out of all the role models I can think of, Edward isn't so bad. He is handsome, smart & well groomed. All in all, he's pretty nice for a vampire.

Toddler fight Club

I always told myself I would never tell my kids it's ok to hit someone. Fast forward through several years & different incidents & as usual, I lied to myself. My nephew is a serial hitter. I love the kid but he hits all the time, for no reason & thinks it's funny. He also likes to throw things at people's faces. Like trains, metal cars, etc. When he's at my house I always did the whole 'No hit, hands to yourself" that works on most kids at least once. So after the third time Reagan came to me complaining & nothing was working I committed the mother of all parent sins. I told him to hit back. Mostly because I got sick of watching my kid take it upside the head & smile it away. Something snapped & I remembered how some kids/people never learn. My kids know when he comes over, they're gonna get hit so they hide the heavy stuff. If nothing else I taught my kids they don't have to smile as they're getting smacked in the face with their own toys. My nephew didn't mind. I brought old karate equipment & a kicking bag & let them go at it. I wouldn't normally recommend this method but I can report the hitting is less severe & less frequent.

Thomas Addiction

Rowan has always liked Thomas. It is truly his first love. He knows all the trains, their names & colors. He can spot Thomas on anything a hundred yards away. Thanks to a wonderful marketing strategy Thomas is indeed on anything now. Stickers, plates, clothes, pillows, band aids, toothbrushes, blankets, socks, lunch boxes & backpacks. Which we have. All birthday presents from loving grandparents, aunts & uncles. Rowan likes to rotate his favorites. One week it's Rheneas (pronounced Ru-nay-us) to you novices. The next week it's Billy. Thomas is getting hard to escape. Nowhere is safe. Target & Walmart have a section devoted to Thomas. I went to a christian bookstore last week & was drug to a certain area after Thomas blue was spotted. In order for everyone to get out in one piece we purchased Mavis. It was also a bribe because we had several places to go that day. I'm an enabler. I know this. The sad thing is my only wish is that Rowan had a cheaper habit.

He's touching me!!!

We all know this game. Played in the backseat on many a family trip. Short or long. If this was an Olympic sport I hate to brag but MY kids would take home Gold. I assure you it's an artform they've mastered. Coming so close to an arm or leg without actually making physical contact is a gift. I'm so happy they've all found their gift & yet so disappointed because there's no bumper sticker for it. I would slap that sucker on the back of my car so fast. "My kid came dangerously close to actually touching his brother, but didn't." Not so catchy when in fine print, huh? I swear today the middle child actually raised his shoulder to allow contact just so he could make contact of his own. It was in the form of a 5 year old punch to the leg. Annoying like a mosquito. But the damage was done. Reid screeched & howled like Reagan was performing ancient Mayan brain surgery through his nose. I realized a sacrifice had to be made for unity so I took away every one's privileges for the evening. Soon the togetherness was back on as chants of "You're so mean, You can't do that to us" floated through the house. "Us" was the two people that were just pummeling each other. Faced with the loss of precious TV, DS's & PS2's brought them back together. It continued through dinner as my apparent lack of compassion was discussed at length. The whole time getting along marvelously. The only touching was high-fives & bumps given to show camaraderie.

Jonas Brothers

I'm deaf. 74,000 fans were at Reliant Stadium & I promise you over half were girls. Girls scream. Loud. A lot. Especially when anything Jonas is involved. They were fun. Sang all the faves. The boys had a blast, which was the whole point.

Fuggiddabout it

I want to know how it's possible for children that can memorize video game levels to forget what to do every...single...morning. Here's the deal. They stagger out of bed every morning & go to the couch. I remind them breakfast is on the table. They proceed to stagger to the table. Protests begin. "I wanted cereal, not waffles." "I wanted apple juice, not orange juice." I remind them I don't care. They decide to eat. After that is over it's time to brush teeth, put on clothes & go to school. What happens is they disperse in every direction. I threaten to take away privileges. They start putting on clothes; aka wrestle time with your brother. Stealing socks, laughing at stuck heads in shirts. Good times. Always a bonus if farting is involved. With three boys that is frequently the case. I take away a privileges & we're back on track. Then it's medicine time, hair fixing, lunch passing out & backpacks. This always makes me question WHY they even put the yellow gummy vitamins in the container? I have like 3 bottles w/ nothing but yellow gummy vitamins. I use it as a secret punishment. Whichever kid has been the biggest problem gets it. Moving along, whoever is line leader announces so several times as they elbow their way to the front door. Now it's time to go to the car. Who could forget that? My kids. Running like a wild herd to the car they drop stuff, try to pass "the leader". I'm still locking the front door & round the corner into complete chaos. By now I'm cursing myself because they don't ride the freakin' bus. I could be rid of them by now. While I buckle Rowan in his carseat Reagan has forgotten how to buckle his seat belt. I explain it...again. Reid is jacking with the radio & laughing at Reagan. Rowan is upset that he dropped his train & nobody can reach it. Now we're in the home stretch. I take the kids to school silently telling myself it's almost over. They hop out @ school & I exhale. If I could peel out I would. Instead the mental count down begins & Rowan & I head home. What are your mornings like? Better, worse or the same? If they're better, please lie.