The Comical Chaos of my Life

So today I had a huge head cold. Brianna took a nap, Patrick was at school so I took some cold meds and took a nap myself. I woke up feeling better. Brianna woke up and we snuggled on my bed. Ah, I though this is nice. I love being a Mommy... and then my son came home from school.

We have been having some behavior issues lately. Enough that I have been concerned enough to call a doctor. Though nothing really major until today. My son came home from school with a red light (Bad behavior) for fighting. He and another boy were wrestling in the playground. On the ground woodchips flying, actual fighting. Oh and it gets better. He was the Red Power Ranger, the good guy (at least I know he was the good guy, LOL) and was fighting the Blue Power Ranger, the bad guy. Now I don't know why the blue power ranger was the bad guy so please don't ask, LOL!!!

Brianna is holding "her" kitten by the neck all over. No matter how often we tell her that the kitten needs to breath and doesn't like to be held by the neck she still does it. The look of that kitten before I rescue it is so pitiful. He is getting smart though. He really doesn't come out often if the kids are playing. He also is starting to let Brianna know that he doesn't like to be held by the neck.

Patrick wanted to go to movie night tonight. I knew he would hate it. The movie was High School Musical which is not the Power Rangers (not that I let him watch them, but still he plays that) or a cartoon or short. But there was an ice cream social so he waned to go. He was acting all excited, talking about the movie amd the stars (He never saw it so I have no idea how he knew all that he knew). He ate his ice cream and then was BORED!!!! I mean crawling on the floor under the tables in the cafeteria bored.

So we go into the auditorium to see the movie and he wants to sit next to a classmate. No problem I think until I notice I am only seats away from my evil ex-neighbor. There was a buffer between us so I was okay. Then the buffer left. Patrick of course got bored and actually thought the movie was scary. I am not sure how it was scary but he was seeking comfort and was obviosly upset by it. I of course knew to pack Teddy Grahms in my purse so that along with mommy suggles kept him occupied and quiet until the movie finally ended. Patrick then told me how boring it was.

I get home well after bedtime and Brianna is running around and didn't want to go to bed. Then my cold comes back with vengence!!! ah I remeber as I manage to finally get both kids to bed with stories and snuggles that I really love being a mommy even with scary High School Musicals, Blue vs Red Power Rangers, kittens being held by the neck and children running around after bedtime. This is what I wanted. It is a good thing that I can see the humor in the Chaos of my life.

The Halloween Fairy

I got the idea from one of those parenting magazines when Patrick was a baby. LOL, I never thought I would use it. Until Brianna was born he never collected a whole lot of candy and Daddy and Mommy of course helped him eat the candy. Okay we ate most of it, he was a toddler so we tried to limit his candy intake.

Basically the idea is to at a specific time after Halloween the excess candy is taken by the Halloween Fairy to be given to people who needed it more. I am not sure if that was the original idea I read or a twisted interpretation that I formed in my mind over the years. Oh, yeah - she leaves a present in place of the candy. In our case it is a nice one - about a $10.00 level.

The first time she visited our houses was the first year Brianna joined in. Like before I wasn't expecting much. A small bagfull that would be easy to get through. Nope not my kids. Together they brought home 9 pounds of Candy. To be fair that included a couple indoor events like mall Trick or Treating.



A huge box of candy that would take forever to go through. Of course the kids just wanted to eat and eat it. We allowed them two pices a day each and I had visions of candy still around for the next Halloween. I recalled the Halloween Fairy idea and molded it to my own use.

The night she came the kids were preped. They put the candy in a special spot and wrote her a note that said how they wanted to give the candy to people that couldn't get any. It was real sweet. They were actually excited about it. Each one was allowed to keep a few pieces of the precious candy but the most of it was gathered to give away.

That night the Halloween Fairy came to our house, we used a special in the back yard so she would know to stop at our house. After all not everybody uses her services, LOL!!!! It is like a Halloween Fairy landing strip. She gathered up the candy and left the kids a note to let them know the candy went to the Veterans Hospital in Buffalo and they were so happy with the children's generocity. She left them two wrapped gifts (one for each child). and said she hoped to see them again next year.

She has visited us every year since and I know a few mommy's have invited her to thier house too. She still gives the candy to the Veteran's. It is alwys a night of excitement when we get the word that she is coming. The kids get everything all set up and wonder what she will leave this year. I wonder too sometimes, LOL!!!! Hopefully nothing painted in China. How do you handle Fairy gift recalls, LOL!!!

So now that the kids are in school I wonder how much longer we will get away with her visits. Most people have never heard of the Halloween Fairy and eventullay I expecting some questions. Maybe she is in the Tooth Fairy division and it is new post. Too many sweets could make too much work for the tooth fairies so it was developed to lessen thier load, LOL!!!

I love being a Mom!!!!!

Shopping For Halloween

So I finally (mind you after years of looking) found a plus size witch costume I liked. So I decided that we would stop into the store to check it out. I went up to the wall of options and found the number of the costume I wanted. There were actually two that I was decided between so I tried on both. Amazingly the moment I got them both dressing rooms were free. I tried on both and the one I wanted first was the one that looked better on my. Dennis REALLY liked it. It was of course the last one at the store so I bought it.

Since we were already buying the costume we decided to buy the kids costumes too. (We have already been in the store for about 15 mins, what were we thinking!!!) Patrick immedietly decided on the RED Power Ranger. He has never seen The Power Rangers, nor have I. I am sure the colors mean something but I have no idea and neither does Patrick. He was so happy that we let him get the costume that he was literly bouncing up and down.

Now getting Brianna to select a costume was not nearly as easy. I think she eventually chose every costume in the girls selections and even a few on the boys, including the Red Power Ranger right after Patrick picked it. It took some effort to pick another one. Even though the cost was right I could only have one Red Power Ranger in the house.

So in the end Brianna firmly stood by her choice to be the Wonderful Witch. A frilly pink, purple and black witches costume. One look at her in the costume and I knew it was the perfect costume for her. She was just adorible in it. Now remember when I tried my costume on and both dressing rooms were free. NOT ANYMORE!!!! All of a sudden it was like shopping for a deal on the day after Thanksgiving and the doors just opened.

It was maddness. People were everywhere and the line for the dressing room was LONG!!! We had the kids try the costumes on over their clothes and thankfully they fit so I didn't have to wait to get different ones. Then came the long journey to the door. It was like being the ball in a pinball machine. Though on the way out I managed to find a spider to put on the cobwebs we decorated the front of our house in.

This is the first Halloween both kids have been really into it and the first year Patrick has found the scaryness of it fun too. I am looking forward to all the parties. Not so much the candy. It is a good thing tha Halloween Failry comes about 10 days after Halloween to collect all the leftover candy and leave a gift in place for each child. How much longer will we be able to get away with that one?

"Do you know where my mommy is?"

Today we went to the Fall Festival. I had never been before and was pleased with how nice it was. There were games for the children and a nice sized craft fair for me. Okay not much for the dads but there were fire truck rides. The only disappointment was they ran out of pumpkins before we picked ours. Oh I tried earlier but hubby thought the .50 price was too high. MEN!!!!! So by the time I convinced him that that price was a steal, they of course were all gone.

After the festival ended we all went to the playground and the kids had a blast. How is playground this nice is so close to my house and I didn't know about it? There was a merry-go-round, huge slide climbing set, a smaller slide climber, a jungle gym shaped like a train, two swing sets and bouncy toys to ride. WOW!!!!! Patrick and Brianna had a blast!!! We even made friends.

Well while sitting there watching the joy of my children I noticed a little boy wandering around and asking the grown ups something. When he got close enough I could hear he was lost and looking for him mommy. He was asking everybody "Do you know where my mommy is?" He knew what color purse she had. One woman tried to help him but had two little ones of her own that needed her attention. Dennis was watching the kids so I helped the boy.

Okay the park is a nice size but not big enough that I can't see most of it, maybe all of it. No parents are franticly looking for a child. I know I looked around. I took the boy to the area with the highest concentration of workers and adults. The food pavilion, on the way I got some description of the mom and luckily ran into a police officer. I left the boy with the officer. Before I left the police officer asked the boy what his mom's name was and he didn't know. I asked the boy what his daddy calls his mom and we did get a name out of him then, but as I left a last name was still unknown (?).

I kept an eye on him and also noticed a woman sitting at a picnic table talking on her phone. As she got up the color purse she had was I thought the same color the boy said his mom had but she was far away and I wasn't sure so I watched her. She walked to her car, opened a door did something, closed it, walked slowly back toward the playground. She was still on the phone.

Meanwhile the police officer is walking up to groups of people and asking if anyone was the little boys mom or knew who she was or where she was. Finally the boy saw the woman on the phone and happily announced this was his mom. He ran to her and he was so happy. She still was on the phone and really had no idea why he was so happy. The officer walked up to her and said "Mom, your son was lost." I didn't hear any more but the impression I got was the woman was very unaffected by the incident. The police officer shook his head and walked up to me to thank me for my help. He said this was common; many parents just don't get it.

What if I didn't lead him to that officer? The boy was walking in the complete opposite direction than his mom was sitting at. We were close to the river, close enough that he could have wandered there. Plus there was a creek near by. Not to mention anyone could have been there. If that boy followed me no questions asked to the pavilion he would have gone with anyone I think.

He didn't know important information. His moms name, phone number or address. I try to make sure my kids know that information, but this really showed me how important that information is. I was most upset by the moms seemingly lack of concern. I watched her. She never, even after her son found her, no idea that he was lost. He child was missing for about 15 - 20 minutes and she was happily talking on the phone and obviously not watching him.

This has obviously affected me to write about it. I am full of panic if I don't see my kids for a minute and I sometimes think I am to paranoid. Now I know that I'm not. I teach my kids what to do if they get lost or separated from up. I also do all I can to make sure that doesn't ever happen. I never want to be that mom talking on the phone who has no idea that her child is missing!!!!!!!!

My Kitten-Napper

Today Brianna decided she didn't need a nap no matter how much I tried to convince her otherwise. The kittens have decided to start exploring dispite mama's objections. I guess swe both have children issues now. So Brianna was loving watching the kittens wander around and was occupied. I had a friend over and we were talking and I noticed that mama cat was being more vocal than usual and wandering around. I got up and saw the door to my room was closed so I opened it since the kittens and mama reside under my bed where no one can reach. I figured she was just upset that she and the kittens were not in the safe place and a new person was in the house.



Mama ran inside and I went back to talking and Brianna was happily in her room NOT napping. Once my friend left Brianna was telling me all about her kiiten and how she loved it and how it was so cute sleeping. Mama was still looking all over and making all sorts of noise. I asked Brianna where her kitten was and she told me it was in her room. I follwed her into her room and snuggled in her dresser drawer nestled in her clothes was Butterscotch.

No wonder Mama couldn't find him. So "rescued" the kitten and returned him to Mama and she was so happy. Meanwhile Simba was nestled under the bed in the farthest corner happily away from the kitten-nappers reach. Three and a half weeks was all it took for her to pull of this capper. I wonder how much longer it will take before Simba gets smuggled into the drawer too.

It's a Small World

When I was in High School I had a best friend that I did everything together with. Margie and I were like two peas in a pod. When she feel for one of the guys in our class I knew it was real and would last. It has!!! Over the years I have spend the night at their place a few times. I was there for her when her children were born and we had roles in each other's weddings.

Over the many (way to many) years since High School even with all our effort to stay in touch we started to slip away from each other. Oh I still talked about all the fun stuff we used to do. I would chat with Dennis, my hubby about her and her hubby. We always agreed that we really missed them and really needed to get in touch with them again.

The last time I saw them was when Brianna was baptized. That was a little over two years ago. Why didn't I ever contact them? She just likes one city over. I could have but picked up the phone and called her. I could have written a letter. No I have gotten LAZY.

I use the computer. If I don't have an email address for you or can't contact you through a website or messaging group I won't contact you most likely. I am a computer snob, LOL!!!

So why am I announcing my snobbiness to the world?

Today we went to a Wildlife Festival. I knew one of the professors I was friends with at Buffalo State College would be there so I sought him out. I walk in the tent and there is Margie and all grown up family. I turn around and there is a family that Dennis knows that we have a little of contact with. So in this Festival attended by thousands of people both Dennis and I encountered friends from our past and reconnected.

So now I have a new phone number and at last an email address for my friend. Did I write this on a scrap of paper or into my address book. No, The computer snob that I am entered her contact information into my new cell phone, that I can email messages from.

I love the World Wide Web!!!!!!

We went to a playground after the fest ended and the kids got to run amok. We got to catch up on old times and reflect on how small this world is that we all were in the same place at the same time today.

Watching the Kittens Grow

Well the kittens are about 2 1/2 weeks old. They have open eyes and are walking. If you have never seen a kitten just starting to walk you really need to. Yes, kittens can fall down!!! They have these jerky little steps that they take then all of a sudden BOOM, down they go. It is adorible to watch. It is not like watching a child learning to walk. Maybe because they have four legs and are covered with fur. Of course they have a short stubby tail and they hold it straight out. You never see an adult cat walk that way.

The cutest thing is to watch them raect to Brianna. No one else gets this reaction. She gets with in visual range of the kittens and they run to her. Now this is not a cat run. It is a jerky kitten run, but it is fast. It is almost like they are being dragged against their will to her it is so fast. She of course is delighted to have the kittens come to her.

Mama cat is not so sure. It is the same for cats as humans. Once the babies become mobile all bets are off. She moves them around trying to keep them hidden. Brianna always manages to find them and they come running. Boomerang just gives me a helpless look and I try to explain that kids will do that, LOL!!!!

Butterscotch (he looks like butterscotch topping on an ice cream sundae) is the adventurous one. He is always exploring beyond were mama wants him to go. Simba (think the baby version of the Lion King) is a mamas boy. He is happy staying with her. Funny that seems to be like my children. Brianna (who has claimed Butterscotch as HER kitten) is the one I caught ridding her bigwheel down the street today. Patrick is the one who is always clinging to me to the point that he climbs behind me on a chair to be with me.