great party

You know you had a good time at the party when you come home dirty, bleeding, crying and sweaty, half naked with a popped balloon.

That was my children after the neighborhood barbecue.

Once again I was the bad mommy who didn't remember wipes or extra clothes or band aids. Yes, my kid was the one running around with no pants. But hey, at least my potato salad was a hit.

Goldilocks

The other day I sang my boys a song about "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Because it was stuck in my head, and to distract them from whatever it was they shouldn't have been doing. Naturally (and unfortunately) they loved it and we sang it for almost two days straight. I realized they don't actually know the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and so I told it to them, over and over again, mostly to keep them entertained in the car (and because I will do almost anything to avoid having to listen to the "Mr. Crocodile" song again). I've looked and looked for a Goldilocks book but haven't found one yet; I'm very disappointed in our library right now.
In keeping with our theme, today we acted out the story. Complete with three sizes of bowls, chairs, and blankets (beds). I was impressed with how well they remembered the story and entertained with their repetition of their 'lines.' Earlier I was a bit miffed with my inability to find an actual book of the official fairy tale version. But I like ours better. In our variation, Goldilocks gets eaten by the bears and everyone ends up in a big wrestling match on the floor. Take that, Hans Christian Anderson.

boy's best friend

A couple of weeks ago we had a family reunion in the small town in Idaho where my dad grew up. It was great to see all the family and celebrate my Grandma's birthday. My boys' favorite part? Not the beach or lots of kids to play with or the huge backyard; no, it was the dog.
My cousin Kurtis and his wife brought along their dog, Jax, who as you can see, easily outweighs my children. He is also well trained and loved all the attention they gave him. JJ was especially enamored. He and the dog chased each other around and had a great time. Fortunately or not, JJ was not at all afraid of the dog. And Jax had enough energy to play with they boys long after I was tired. And as I watched them I'm thinking "OK, I get it. They need a dog. They would love a dog. I should get my children a dog." and also "There is no way on earth I can handle one more body with that much energy in my house. Nor do I have the patience right now to potty train any creature that I am not directly related to." Maybe someday when we are not living in a little apartment and I could have some help with the training and all that - then it would be fantastic. For now though, I am just grateful to Kurt. Thanks for sharing your dog with us, my boys had a blast. And thanks for taking him home with you.

Things I said to my boys this week

(Chapter2)

• Don't bleed on my carpet!

• I don't know, what did your bum say?

• I'm fairly sure that aliens didn't eat your cereal.

• Sometimes it hurts when you jump off a high place.

• Which dump truck are you looking for? The big yellow one? The blue and red one? The orange one? The new one Grandma bought you? or the little yellow one?

Now, I grew up with four sisters, but I've never had daughters. So I can't say this for certain, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the conversations around our house would be a tiny bit different if I were having them with little girls instead of little boys.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

You need to go here: http://www.drhorrible.com/. Like, now. http://www.drhorrible.com/ and watch the three act musical about a super villian.

A new project by Joss Whedon, one of my favorite writers of all time. Witty, intelligent, funny, yes, all of the above.

And picture my husband singing the "Stop the World" song. Hilarious.

I need to get the man a freeze-ray.

I mean it, go here. www.drhorrible.com