This morning Hula Boy was teasing the cat. I told him that Pooter was 15 years old. He needed to be able to rest in peace. So of course knowing that peace was in order he went right back over to the kitty and started bothering him. Hula Girl from her own experience re-informed him that the kitty does bite. Needless to say, he ignored us. Now I am not an advocate for letting the pet be bothered and them striking out, but I knew for Hula Boy it was his time to learn. This cat has dealt with 2 1/2 years of “loving” from Hula Boy and I always intervened.
I told him not to touch the kitty. I got him busy doing something else. I went to go pack Hula Girl’s lunch for school. Suddenly I heard Hula Boy do his silent scream. Now I know it seems a bit strange to say I heard it but it is this breathy silent scream that sends shivers down my spine because it generally means that he has been really hurt.
I picked him up to see what had happened. That’s when he informed me that the kitty had indeed bitten him. I explained that I told him no and not to touch the kitty. At that moment he broke down even more and laid his head on my shoulder and said,…
“Mommy say no to me. No mommy no say no to me. *sob sob cry* Mommy you say no to me!!”
Um..yes I said no. What about “No” and “Don’t Touch” does a 2 year old not understand. He was more heartbroken that I had told him no than the kitty biting him. After he calmed down from the no incident, he started crying about the kitty bite. My response, “When Mommy says no there is a reason. I knew the kitty would bite you.” He then got out of my lap and tried to give the kitty a hug and say sorry. Too bad Pooter was not in the mood for his lovin’! Oh natural consequences. Sometimes they really BITE!

**I know I wrote this as a comment on Ben’s blog but I wanted it for my blog for posterity!!

Hula Boy and I were playing tickle monster and was tickling him until he got the look of desperation on his face. I gave him a moment break and said, “Mommy wants to tickle and kiss you all day long!!” So I started to kiss his tummy.
In desperate attempts to get me off of his he started yelling, “Mommy. MOmmy, MOMMY!!” I of course stopped to ask him what was wrong. He said, “Mommy, NO TOUCH MY BREAD!!” *look of confusion
“Your bread?”
“Show mommy where your bread is.”
With that he smacked me in the chest. AH BREAD. Got it!

It has been a week of chaos. Hula Hubby is in the great debate over whether to change jobs or not. He actually was offered another job a few weeks ago BUT on Friday it seems that their company had a little issue by puffing up their books by um let’s say…200 million. Just a small puff! Anyway we’re not sure what we are going to do now.
So both of us have had little to no sleep while the great debate goes on…should he stay or should he go. There are pros and cons both ways.
Last week Hula Boy was up most nights and this week is now this situation that has us both up at nights. I need a good massage with a glass of red I believe. *yawn

Most of you don’t know this, but there is another man in my life. He has a secret name. It’s something like this…”My name is Bond, James Bond.” Oh heaven to hear that whispered in my ear with that lovely accent. Oh la la I’m on fire.
Now I would not give up my husband for the world, but Pierce Brosnan in his debut as Bond sent shivers down my spine. I loved Bond before then, but when he came on board as “James” I knew I could not miss a single Bond whether it stunk up the box office or not.
Now granted I am not usually one to have crushes on celebrities because obviously they are untouchable so why even dream, BUT Pierce blew that all to pieces.
One would argue who was the best Bond. I have my favorite. I personally thought Pierce baby was the BEST. Here’s why.
1. He had the looks and the suave to be the lady killer
2. He had the stylish yet handsome hunk next door look (I just wished he did live next door!!)
3. He could actually get the girl!
4. He could wear a swimsuit rather nice in any shape or form
5. His voice and his demeanor encompassed Bond.
I was seriously CRUSHED when Brosnan announced that he would not be penned in and was going to pass on the torch. WHAT? No Way. Say it isn’t so. I hear there is talk of a new British hunk that is up for the job. *sigh I do not know how he will measure up to Pierce.
I just have to say too bad Mr. Broccoli passed away. He was an AWESOME producer and did an incredible job on the Bond movies. He made the character of Bond come alive.
Now I know there are many Bond fans out there that would disagree with me about Peirce being the best Bond. Some feel that Sean Connery set the stage. Yes he did. Although if you watch the old movies, sometimes the villains are a bit corny. Sean was ok then. I must admit, he’s getting better with age. Just my opinion. Then of course there was Roger Moore. He is actually my second favorite Bond. Timothy Dalton tried. That’s all I have to say about that!
Pierce takes the cake.
So should anyone ask, James is my other husband!

I LOVE SATURDAYS! I love that on Saturday mornings Hula Hubby lets me sleep in. I am awakened from my not so restful slumber (because the children are running around like crazy) to the smell of bacon and pancakes. I love it when someone else cooks!
The children wake up about 7:00 no matter what happened the night before. The time they go to bed determines their attitude, not when they wake up. Wake up is always pretty close to 7.
The issue with them waking up at 7 and hubby getting breakfast together is that Hula Boy is starving by the time he wakes up. He gets grumpy when he is not fed according to his schedule. Then comes the whining and the hanging on your leg. Then the time outs prevail because he’s being grumpy and needs may be a little break. By that time so does daddy so he can get breakfast going.
All in all it is a three ring but it is a lovely thing to lay in bed and listen to the chaos and know that I don’t have to take care of it at that moment. Daddy’s on board and doing just fine.

Just in case you have not figured this out for yourself, mommies and daddies are different per Hula Girl and Boy. This was their list of differences!
HB - “Daddy builds a better train track than mommy”
HG - “Daddy can fix anything”
HB - “Daddy can do puzzles really fast and really good”
HG - “Daddy is twisted around my little finger”
HB - “When daddy is home it’s great happy”
HG - “Daddy closes the door when he showers or gets dressed”
HB - “I like daddy’s fuzzy kisses”
HG - “I love daddy but he can’t sing worth beans”

Now to list mommy’s attributes!
HB - “Mommy is squishy”
HG - “Mommy sings good”
HB - “Mommy puts me in time out!! Bad MOMMY”
HG - “Mommy sits outside with me when the weather is good and reads and sings”
HB - “Mommy builds bad trains”
HG - “When mommy is stressed she goes downstairs and cleans naked!” (How did she know that I did this???? I did it after she would go to sleep???)
HG - “Mommy is nice to anyone she meets.”

So there you have it. HH and I according to our children. You can see who’s the disciplinarian and who’s the push over. AHEM AHEM. They both rounded the car discussion up with, “BUT MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE ME.” That would be a big YEP!

If only I knew then, before children how drastically my life would change. Would I still make the choice to become a parent? That is a simple question to answer. Of course yes.
Some of the things I thought I knew before I became a parent, I realized shortly there after that I knew jack diddly. Of course I had read and re read the books. But when it came down to putting it into practice I realized that I felt sorely unprepared. This responsibility was far bigger than I ever imagined. It was even bigger than my heart could handle at times. Especially when they would make wrong choices and natural consequences would happen. My heart could barely stand the sobbing.
I always knew that my children would be a part of me and that they would own a piece of my heart. I just never realized that they would own my heart completely in a totally different capacity than I had ever experienced. The love that I feel for them is something that I can’t even describe. It is beyond measure.
If only I knew then how much joy they would bring me every day and how crazy they could make me at times!!! I could not imagine my life without them. They are a gift I never expected to have, but have been blessed enough to receive. I have been grateful every day for being entrusted with their care.
I often read them the book, “Just In Case You Ever Wonder” by Max Lucado and pray that they never wonder about their importance in our lives. I hope they never wonder about their importance to us or to the ultimate plan that is laid out for their lives. Not our plan mind you but the Ultimate Planner’s plan. (wow say that 10 times fast!)
I think as parents sometimes we get caught up in their accomplishments and failures that undo pressure gets put on them to perform. GUILTY. I also think that our children will go the direction that they choose their lives to go. We can only give them guidance, support, training in the early years and then offer them their wings later on and let go.
I am blessed beyond measure. I feel very unprepared and unworthy of the task that lays ahead of me. It will surely be a labor of love. If only I would have known what truly lay ahead of me, I would still make the same choice to become a mother.

I love today because I love the rain. I love rainy days. I am not a hot weather gal. The hotter it is, the grumpier I am!
Rainy days make me feel alive and vibrant. Although there was the exception when I was in Brussels. When I was in Brussels that was not rain. That was freezing drizzle.
So far today I have cleaned my house and dusted. I have spent 1 hour playing chase with HB and putting together trains and puzzles. I have done 3 loads of laundry. (but not put away yet) Flylady has NOTHING on me today. I am Super Sonic lady today!
I think I’ll take a chill pill and cuddle with the little man for a while. I love that I have time to do that today without feeling guilty about how much I need to get done! YAY!

What’s small and fits perfectly into the funnel speaker of the new stereo system??
(more…)

This was a conversation between Hula Boy and me this morning.

Him: “Mommy you look pwetty. You look so so pwetty!”
Me: *quizzical look
Him: “See!! You have Thomas the Tank Engine sticker on your shirt. It is pretty!”
Me: “So I’m not pretty but the sticker is?!”
Him: “No mommy, you’re the prettiest.”

Nothing like a little love from a two year old to make you feel like a million bucks while you’re wearing old jeans, t shirt and a Thomas sticker!