I'm free and I gotta pee!

Ethan has been riding the bus for some time now. I started out being too protective of coarse and was at the road when he got home, then I slowly stood at the top of the driveway. Ethan argued that I needed to stay inside. "No other mom's are out there mom!" he would argue. So, now I open the front door, pop out and wave to the bus driver, watch him get off the bus then go inside. I suppose this is a compromise. He's happy that he gets to walk up the driveway all by himself and I guess I am satisfied. So last week I noticed it was taking him longer to get up the driveway. I wondered what he was doing.

Yesterday was a beautiful day so Brooklynn and I waited outside for him. She colored with chalk and I took advantage of the nice weather to lounge and drink some tea. The bus comes and Ethan hops off. He doesn't come right up, so I wonder what he's doing. Then I hear:

"Mom, go inside!"

"No E, we are playing. Come on up here."

"I gotta pee mom!"

"Don't pee down there, someone will see you."

"I always pee here when I get off the bus."

So, now we know. He apparently hops off the bus and pees down near the road. **head shake**, I had to explain to at least get up the driveway and near the house before you relieve yourself.

Allowance and Chores

We recently started giving the kids an allowance. They have a chore list that is just for them to do. I thought this was be good for them. They will learn to save for things, understand when you don't have enough money for something and so on. The kids have been doing well. Brooklynn had one week where she didn't get her full allowance since she would not clean her room on Saturday. So, she understood she was losing some of her allowance.

So Saturday while out and about, the family stopped at Wal-mart. I asked both kids if they wanted to spend their allowance. Brooke jumped at it and picked out a mermaid barbie that was on sale. Ethan had to think for a little while. Finally after a little more walking around, he said he wanted to look at the nerf guns. So we went over there. He found a gun he wanted but he was $1 short.  Yes, we could have been those parents that spotted him the money, but we didn't. I explained that he didn't have enough money and next week he would. He stalled a few minutes, hoping maybe we would change our mind. I explained that you save to get things you wants and you don't always have the money. He was satisfied. So we moved on.

Before leaving the store, Ethan turns to us and says, "Will I have enough money next week to get my gun and a coke?"

Alex looks at me and says, "Do we deprive our kids of soda that much that they want to spend their allowance on it?"

Have a great Monday!

Snowed In & New Pet

Well the big snow did come and it hit Georgia. We had about 6 inches here and more in some spots. That was late Sunday into Monday morning. It is now Friday and in some spots we still have 4 inches. My yard is a sheet of ice now and my driveway is still unusable. Thankfully our neighbors yard is flat and abandoned! So if we have needed out, we drove through the back yard and down the driveway next door. If you want to see photos of our snow there are HERE on my FB. The kids loved the fact that you could not see our driveway. I thought it was pretty cool too. This is a lot of snow for us; 5 days later and its still here! There has also been no school. I do still currently have my hair, however we are about out of wine!

So, I am going to leave you with picture of our new pet. We got him from my friend. His name is Puff and we are enjoying him. He fits in well since we love long haired animals and who knew you could get a hamster with long hair!

Have a great weekend!

Hair Cut Time!

Brooklynn turned 4 in December. She was blessed to be born with hair and it has been growing for year. Despite what many people thought when they saw her length, we have been cutting it since she turned one. Every 3-4 months I would cut an inch off. She also had been to the hairdresser and had layers put in it. However, her hair finally hit her butt! Yes, her butt! So, It was time for more then an inch to leave. We asked Brooke is she wanted it cut and she jumped at the chance. That ment she no longer had to get those massive rat nests in her hair. Some of them were bad and would take 45 minutes to get out. She was tired of it! She jumped at the chance. We asked where she wanted it cut too. She said her chin. However we did not cut it that short. We cut off about 6 inches. Her hair is now nicely in the center of her back. She looks so different. My eyes still have not adjusted to seeing her hair so short. Enjoy the pics.

She is happy, so we are too. Don't worry about the shiner on the middle of her for head. She got that head butting the cat. LOL....I feel more sorry for the cat!

Last Day Of Winter Break!

We have made it through. There were a few days I was slightly worried; especially with one particular child of mine. We made it though. So, we should knock this day out with a bang, right?! Chuck. E. Cheese here we come. Yes, I  must be crazy to go there. For some reason that is the one kids place that I just dislike! Sad, I know. Maybe it was because I always went to this one wild and crazy one near my parents where the kids and parents were all plain out rude. We aren't going to that one. We are going to one that at least the few times  have been there, it has been pretty quiet. Hope it is today. I think kids running everywhere and trying to keep up with mine is what stresses me out. Hopefully it won't be too stressful since the kids in that area returned to school today.

We had some great moments and a lot of family time over the holidays. Here are what the kids said their favorite moments were.

Ethan: Playing wii.

Brooklynn: Getting presents.

Wow, they sure were talkative.  I guess that's what I get asking an impromptu question at 9:00 am.

Oh well, off to get stuff done before heading to that crazy place. Tomorrow morning will be a little more normal. Ethan will hop on the bus to head to his school and Brooke will ride in the car to school (just one day this week!) to her morning preschool. At least I will get 4 hours of quiet time...maybe the hubby will be home!

Happy New Year!

Its 2011, can you believe it?! 2010 was an excellent year for us. I don't think we really have too many complaints. Oh wait, I didn't blog as much as I had in the past. However, that's what the new year is for right, to make resolutions. This year I am not really making any resolutions. Just going to try to stay positive and look on the bright side of everything. The only goal I have this year is to take care of the one goal I had last year, and I didn't accomplish it. Yes, I am hanging my head in shame. I didn't get my kids christened. I had a whole year, I know, and it didn't happen. Ugh! So, this year, it is going to happen. In fact, I have shortened it to it has got to be done before July! Ethan is now 6 and Brooklynn is now 4. Geez, when did this happen?! In fact, my nephews are huge now too. Kainan is 14 months! Grayson is almost 11 months.

So, I am not going to write every day. Maybe a few times a week. I can't make too many promises. My book blog still takes up a lot of time. However, I am happy to report it is a success, or at least in my eyes. I get tons of free books on the mail all the time and tons of free e-books to review for my e-reader. I really don't know the last time that I bought a book. I have discovered some great authors that I might never have found otherwise.

Happy New Year to you! Here is to hopefully a year of more family blogging!

New dollhouse furniture.

Who needs doll house furniture when you have daddys old tshirts and markers?