YES! MICHIGAN

Every summer I take the boys up to Michigan, to spend some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa. I drop them off and squeal out of the driveway, laughing like The Joker!!
On the four-hour drive up, I usually have the boys bring their video games and some books to entertain them. Kyle brought his World Records book. From the front seat, over the sound of the radio, I overheard Carson sharing items from the book with Kyle. He said, “Kyle, look at her boobs. They’re big and chunky.” Carson then broke into song…”Big and Chun-ky, Round and Fun-ky!” I vowed, right then and there to no longer listen to rap music when the boys are in the car!

One Sock

“You’ve only got one sock on,” I pronounced the other morning. Kyle looked at me with one eye still partially closed and said, “I know.” The “I know” was said with a small amount of “duh-ness” so I tried to let it go. Kyle sat on the sofa and began watching Spongebob or something with Carson, still wearing only one sock.

So I sat, took a couple of sips of my coffee and tried to come up with a good reason he may be wearing only one sock. Perhaps one sock came off while he was sleeping. But, wouldn’t most people just take off the other sock when they got out of bed? Maybe Kyle was trying to come up with a new style. With all the Michael Jackson, one glove stuff going on….

I continued to sit, drink my coffee, and watch the one sock. For me, everything has to be equal. For example, you can’t rub one foot without rubbing the other. It feels…off balance. Life is upset by the nature of the inequity and must be righted. Kyle, obviously, does not share my obsession. He continued to sit, mindlessly unaffected by the disruption in my universe caused by wearing only one sock.

Finally, I could stand it no more, “Why….why are you only wearing one sock?” His answer, “I couldn’t find another one in my drawer.”

Welcome

Welcome to any new readers!!

I am so excited to have you here. I love sharing the stories of my family's crazy days. Raising two boys was an unexpected turn in the road for me. The detour has been quite scenic, to say the least! To fully understand where this blog originates from, it may be important to read my very first entry...Let the Fun Begin. Click here to read it...
http://busybee1027.blogspot.com/2009/06/let-fun-begin.html

Please also check out some of my other favorite entries (just click on the links):

• Boyz in Da House http://busybee1027.blogspot.com/2009/07/boyz-in-da-house.html
• What to Expect When You are Expecting a Boy http://busybee1027.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-to-expect-when-you-are-expectinga.html
• One Question at a Time...Please http://busybee1027.blogspot.com/2009/06/one-question-at-time-please.html
• Thank Heaven for Little Boys and Joys http://busybee1027.blogspot.com/2009/06/thank-heaven-for-little-boysand-joys.html

Returning readers, what was your favorite posting so far?? Let me know in the comment section.

Please put me in your favorites and visit me often. Also, please feel free to share. I LOVE to hear your stories as well. Thanks so much to everyone!
Enjoy,
Melissa

Steps to Manhood!

As I woman, I am going to admit that we (all woman) know what men do. They pretend they DON’T know how to do something just so they can get out of doing it. My dad is a great example (sorry Dad!) He pretends he doesn’t know how to turn on the dishwasher. He fills it and empties it. But claims he had no idea how to turn it on. I don’t know why we go along with the charade because he is clearly a brilliant man. This is a man who can take a 57 Chevy apart and put it back together again. The dishwasher is not rocket science.

So, with that prefaced, Scott, the boys and I sat down for a VERY informal little lunch yesterday. Along with sandwiches and drinks, I just put three bags of assorted “chips” on the table. This is a timeline of what followed:
1. Carson said he wanted the Cheetos.
2. Scott handed him the bag.
3. Carson looked at it like it was a foreign object.
4. Scott told him to open the bag.
5. Carson acted stupid and tried to dump the contents of the bag without unfolding the top.
6. Scott unfolded the top and opened the bag, nice and wide, for Carson to reach in and get the desired amount of Cheetos.
7. Carson proceeded to grab the bag by the bottom. This indicated he would have the entire contents of the bag on his plate.
8. Scott stopped him, “Just reach in, buddy, and grab what you want.” (This was funny because Scott was “showing” Carson how to grab food out of a bag.)
9. Again, Carson grabs the bag by the bottom to dump.
10. Finally frustrated, Scott just grabbed a handful of Cheetos and put them on Carson’s plate for him.

It was a first step toward manhood for Carson. It was something he really didn’t want to do himself (probably because his hand would emerge from the bag with orange powder on it!) I believe learning to grab objects was something learned in those first 8 months of life or so. He quickly and cleverly learned that if he pretends he doesn’t know how to do something, it will be done FOR him! Way to go Little Man!

SMILE!

Have you ever tried to give a cat a bath? Ever wrestled an alligator? If you are a mother of boys, you know this is exactly how it feels when trying to get them to take a shower or brush their teeth. I’m not sure why there is such an adversity to cleanliness. I love it when I tell Carson to brush his teeth and he says, “Awwww! I just brushed them yesterday!”

If I don’t tell them to brush their teeth or shower, they won’t. Our routines were off this past week because we were out of town. One of the boys smiled at me on Friday and I swear I could see green! I immediately told both boys to get into the bathroom and brush their teeth because I couldn’t remember the last time I told them to do so. Carson proudly remembered, “It was Tuesday!!!” (That’s three days!)

Well, we went to the dentist today. Shockingly, NO ONE HAD ANY CAVITIES!! How can I defend myself when I tell them that if they don’t brush their teeth, they will get cavities???? I have no proof! They have hard teeth AND heads!!

By the way, the dentist told the boys that they only needed to brush their teeth on the days they actually ate. She then told me all kids go through this but boys are much worse. She also assured me they would start being more concerned about fresh breath, hair gel, and half hour showers when they discover GIRLS…and then the problems really begin!

THEME SONGS FOR BOYS

Just a fun list of song titles that fit boys well!

I Touch Myself by the Ramones
I'm Into Something Good - Herman's Hermits
Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf
I Fought The Law (and the Law Won) - Bobby Fuller Four
Maniac - Michael Sembell
The Good The Bad and the Ugly - Hugo Montenegro
Street Fighting Man - Rolling Stones
My Way - Frank Sinatra
Eat It - Weird Al Yankovic
Mama, I'm Coming Home - Ozzy Osbourne

Dog Days of Summer

The first time someone told me I had to get a dog was, I believe, when I was pregnant with Carson, “Two boys!!! Now you’ll just need a dog.” I’ve heard it many times since, “Every boy needs a dog!” We already have two cats and two fish and I am the ONLY one who feeds any of them. I understand, boys can’t play with a fish, but I have seen them playing hide and seek with our one cat, Daphney, (she hides in a panicked state while they run around looking for her) and holding the other cat, Cali (by the neck or tail!).

I’ve almost succumbed to the pressures of getting a dog, even checking out the cute little buggers online and at a local store. Puppies are almost impossible to resist. I once heard, or read, that God gives us our children as babies because if He gave them to us as teenagers, we’d give them back. Dogs are the same way. You fall in love with them when they are cute little puppies. Then, when they "have an accident" on your floor, it’s just a little one and who could be mad at THOSE eyes!

Dogs do seem to be an effort, though. I just got two boys pretty well trained and don’t feel like training a puppy. Plus, there’s the guilt-factor. We aren’t home a lot during the school year so the pup would be home alone much of the time. Isn’t there enough guilt over just being a mother??

In an effort to continually resist the pressures of purchasing a pup, I offered to have Kyle and Carson dog-sit while my sister-in-law was out of town. The dog, Allie, is really sweet, blind and diabetic, but sweet as pie. She is an unbelievably easy dog to take care of. Kyle has been very good about leading her down the deck stairs, and back up again. He took her for a walk and I even heard him refilling her water bowl without being asked! He had told every neighbor that we now have a dog and invited all neighbor kids to see her. The other night, he took Allie’s bed and placed it next to his. Kyle was giddy at the prospect of having the pooch sleep next to him. Allie promptly lay down and both were asleep quickly. I have to admit, it did seem fitting to see the black lab sleeping on her little brown plaid bed, next to a boy’s bed, all among the baseball cards, matchbox cars, dinosaurs, etc.
But, the reality is, neither boy is willing to clean the yard without… 1. Gagging and 2. Asking for money. Carson wants a dog but really wants NOTHING to do with the maintenance. Kyle is willing to do some upkeep but will only retrieve dog doo-doo if he gets paid. I think, for now, we will just stick with our fish, Jesus and Chicken Nugget, and our tormented cats.

Sweet Allie with the boys!

Boyz in da HOUSE!

The following is a pictoral evidencing the presence of boys in the home:



No, a grizzly bear did not break into the Frosted Flakes and Chips Ahoy. Take special note of the tearing of the Sam's club-size box and vain attempt to close the cereal bag...making large quantities of food stale very quickly.

These are not the dirtiest feet I have seen in the past week...just the most recent.

Nerf bullet firmly secured onto the front storm door. By looking at the trajectory, it can be assumed the bullet was shot from the warehouse...or the top of the stairs. There is NO telling how long it was there. Guilty parties cannot be identified.

Tragedy in living room! Monster truck hits semi-tractor trailor injuring coffee table. Crews refuse to clean up accident making foot traffic difficult for local homeowners.

Hey Batter, Batter, Batter...

I avoid playing any kind of sport…at all. It’s uncomfortable and I am not competitive athletically. Scott and the boys are all about sports, in particular, baseball. Carson just finished up his second season in t-ball. The highlights for him included being the first one to the concession stand for every game and getting a participation trophy at the conclusion. (One team member licked his trophy upon receipt. Sorry “A”…It was too funny not to mention.) Whatever makes them happy, makes me happy!

Things were a little more serious for Kyle in the minors and although I know very little about the sport, it was very exciting. The team reminded me a little of the Bad News Bears, complete with the only girl in the league, a player whose camouflage underwear hangs out while he catches, and coaches who like to drink beer (not at the games though.) I feel a little bad for Kyle and his teammates that they didn’t experience victory in the tournament after the season was over. Kyle wanted it bad and practiced for hours, daily. He worked on having a positive attitude and convinced himself they would be victorious. I’m quite certain he was not alone. Even though they weren’t the best team out there (little league politics dictated that,) any shortage in aptitude was made up with 200% heart. Sports at any level should really be about the love of the game, helping others, and a desire to better oneself. Despite the losses and broken hearts, it was a fun season for the kids and I would rather my children be part of a fun team than a winning team!

Also, thanks to all the coaches for Kyle AND Carson. It takes a lot of work and patience to teach kids the sport. A sense of humor is helpful too. Thanks for your efforts!