Saturday, July 24, 2010

MER

I have several friends who have marriages that are shaky. Like, house of cards ready to collapse shaky. It saddens me so deeply to watch their struggles. It also makes me pause to think about my own marriage. I think I've totally underestimated how lucky I am to have an uncomplicated husband. In the ways of love that is. Believe me...he has other issues but THAT will be saved for another blog. My husband (he will be referred to henceforth as MER) is such a simple man. Basically if you feed him, he will love you forever. In the early days of our marriage I used to try to get him to be deeper than he was and is. Why didn't he write poetry and declare his undying love for me in iambic pentameter every day? Or least once a week? Heck, I would have even taken once a month! No flowers, sonnets, romantic evenings with wine and candles for me. Nothing. Nada. But, it has taken me 9 years and 3 kids to appreciate the simplicity that is MER. I've realized the majority of what makes it work is that we've stopped trying to make each other something we're not. I know his issues and although they still bug me from time to time, I've learned to deal with them (for the most part). The same goes with him. He lets me be me. The neatest thing is...we have each grown towards the others way of thinking. He is still not incredibly romantic but does tell me every day he loves me and that I am beautiful. I am not such a sappy romantic anymore and don't require all of the extra gestures that I once did. Heck, he makes me swoon when he unloads the dishwasher now! Forget the flowers, they die. Pour out the wine, it makes me sleepy. I would still love to hear him recite sonnets but that dream is slowly dying, too. I used to get so angry with him when he made me laugh when I was sad or upset about something. Now, I look forward to it.

I went to bed so sad last night after talking to a dear friend who had just told me she and her husband are separating. Sick at heart for her I crawled beneath the covers and snuggled up to my MER and as we chatted quietly about this and that, I realized...most of all, I know he is steady. He is my rock. God knew exactly what I needed in a husband even though I had something totally different in mind. As I drifted off to sleep I thanked God for his wisdom. I thanked him for my wise cracking, rear slapping, fun loving goof ball of a husband. Without him I would be lost and not nearly as complete.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

little boy humor

I'm finding a theme in the humor in my house. Booty's and toots. Yep, I said it. The potty humor is raging around here, lately. This morning Abram says to me, "Mom...want me to tell you a joke?". "Sure", I say. "What did the airplane say to the astronaut?". "Hmm, I don't know sweetie", I reply. I could see the sly little smile on his face. He took a deep breath and I thought, " here it comes". "Oh my booty coo coo!", he chortles. Does it makes sense? Not even a little bit. But, it is supremely hilarious to him because he found yet another way to include the word "booty" into something he was saying. We've discovered that when he is has run out of things to talk about (which is rare) his old standby line is to sigh and say "I hate my booty". Huh? The punch line to every joke is booty. I don't get it. I have to admit I'm stumped. Why in the world is that so funny? Perhaps boys were manufactured with a little extra compartment in their brains where booty humor specifically sits just waiting to spill forth. Even my 8 year old will go into fits of giggles at the mention of booty's and toots. The baby is a veritable treasure trove of humor in that area, in fact. He is in fact, a gassy little thing. He could power a speed boat all on his own. The funniest thing in the world to his older brothers is when he dirties a diaper with the loudest of grunts and even louder fire power from within. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever understand these strange little creatures that are my boys. Even at this age it's amazing how different boys and girls are. Don't get me wrong, I know little girls find bodily functions hilarious, too. Usually they outgrow it though, right? Looking at my husband I've come to realize, boys never do!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

zombies

Zombies have taken over my household. As summer continues my children get less and less creative with their abilities to entertain themselves and more and more reliant on video games to keep from being "bored". Let me be clear, I don't let them constantly play the video games but everytime I turn around they are wanting to play one or I am having to take up a Nintendo DSi and tell the user to "go use your imagination!". Yesterday Abram (my 4 year old) tried to coax me into just a few more minutes of Wii time because he "forgot how to use his 'magination", he even claimed, "I yost it". Hmmm. When my children play video games it looks like zombies have taken over their bodies. They sit and stare straight ahead and nothing moves but their fingers. *Shiver* I see their "brains" being eaten up by electronics. The problem is that we have too many forms of electronic entertainment. We have a Wii, a Playstation, an iPad, two DSi's, and of course the computer. In a pinch they will go hunt my iphone to get a fix. All of this comes with another set of problems. Abram has become terrified of zombies. Thank you daddy and your iPad game of Plants Vs. Zombies. Which, by the way, Noah (my 8 year old) is OBSESSED with. My poor little guy now will no longer go to the restroom by himself because he is afraid a "jombie" will get him. No longer does he go into his own room and play with his Batcave and Army guys by himself. If I leave a room with him in it, he practically crawls up my pant leg in order to make it out of there with me.
And...alright, I have a confession to make. I'm a zombie, too. No, no...not because of video games. It's because I have an almost 4 month old that doesn't sleep through the night consistently, yet and a husband that snores like a chainsaw. I get up in the mornings and stumble through my day red eyed and sluggish. In fact, I probably looking like something out of "Night of the Living Dead". So, you see, zombies have taken over my home--enter at your own risk!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

dreaming

I had a really strange dream last night. In my dream, my mother pulled my legs off (they were detachable) and was using them and wouldn't give them back to me. No matter how much I pleaded. She said she needed them more than I did. Okay, aside from the fact that it was a FREAKY dream it got me thinking. Doesn't it seem like as moms we get blamed for just about everything? When my oldest was a little bitty guy he would randomly trip and fall (he's as graceful as his mother) and then turn and blame me for it. Even if I was on the other side of the house! "Mommy, you pushed me!" , he would accuse angrily. No way I could convince him that I was in fact folding laundry on the couch at the time of the alleged shoving. My 4 year old accused me just this morning of my brain making him act naughty. I didn't actually realize I had that kind of power but I'm thinking it may come in handy someday. Can you imagine what we, as mothers, could do with that ability? My house would always be clean. Not by ME of course, by my mind controlled children. Stressful shopping trips would be a thing of the past! No more whining for toys and crying for candy in the checkout line. Nope. My mind controlled children would be the most well behaved kiddos in the store. No more wrestling, hitting, biting, or pinching each other. My little angels would sit lovingly together reading books and conversing of their love for me and each other. Yeah right, and then I woke up!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Boys

God has something really special in store for me. How do I know this? It's simple, really. I am the mother of 3 boys. If you're thinking "big deal" right now, you must either not have a son or you must have one of those really rare species of boy that does what he is told, is calm and quiet, and doesn't wrestle with his siblings like little bear cubs ever chance he gets. Yesterday exemplified the typical day at my house. My middle son is part billy goat, of that I am convinced. As we are getting in the car and buckling his car seat he says to me, "mom...there was something green sticking out of my shoe and I ate it". "WHAT?", I say. "Uh, yeah...there was something green, probably a plant (pwant is really how he says it), sticking out of my shoe and I ate it. Will I die?". Of course I give him the whole speech about NOT putting things in our mouths, we don't know where they come from, etc. I tell him no, he's not going to die but some plants are poisonous. You know the drill. As he fell asleep in his car seat on the way home I thought to myself, "Yep...I'm in BIG trouble". He is going to be the one who will buck every rule. He is going to be the one to question everything. This boy is going to break my heart. I can already see it. But, he will be the one to pick up the pieces, too. He is the one that reminds my husband to buy me flowers on Valentine's Day. He is the one that tells daddy he needs to take mommy on a date. He is the one who lobbied for a cake for my birthday. He picks flowers and gives them to me because I'm a "bewiful girwl wif my hair down" (translation-Beautiful girl with my hair down). He holds my heart right in his grimy little hand. You know what, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

moving

So...my husband wants to move. Not just move down the street, mind you. We did that...just this past December. Nope, my man wants to pick up and move to the Washington, D.C. area. Yeah. Did I mention we live in Texas? Did I mention that I have never been out of the south for anything other than vacations? Did I mention that I am terrified to my toes at the thought of moving 20 hours away from anyone I might even remotly recognize, let alone love? Hubby is not nearly as nervous. HE was in the Air Force. HE has traveled all over Europe. HE has lived in Germany and Turkey. HE thinks it would be an adventure. HE is also the one who would be going to work each day doing interesting things whilst I stayed at home sad and lonely. Well, at least that's the mental image I keep conjuring up when he mentions moving. I don't want to squash his dreams so I've agreed to consider the idea. With one condition...HE is the one who tells his mother! That'll teach him. Besides, getting this southern girl out of the South would be an act of Congress. Pun intended.

Me

I've decided the time has come to try my hand at blogging. Maybe because I have a lot swimming around in my head right now. Maybe because I want to jump on a cool bandwagon. Maybe because I'm up half the night with a 4 month old baby and it gives me time to think. Who knows? So, I guess I should just start with the basics. I'm a 31 year young mom of 3 beautiful, rambunctious boys. My husband and I have been married almost 9 years and I couldn't be living more blessed. I have a teaching degree but have been teaching part time for the last 4 or 5 years in a wonderful local preschool. Talk about a hoot. Kids really do say the darndest things! I guess I'll wrap this infomercial about me up because I'm sure you'll get to know ALL about me if you decide to journey with me down my bloggy path. Baby steps, right?