Recently my 2 year old daughter has decided that a good way to pass time in the car is to scream really loudly. It’s also a really good way to annoy her older brother.
Typically we start driving down the road and she starts making some annoyingly loud noise and then 2 second after she starts, my son starts screaming, “Yell A Little Bit Quieter” followed by, “Mom, she’s not yelling a little bit quieter,” over and over. Not long after this the baby starts mimicking the noises she hears and, well, it gets quite loud. Typically, I just tune it out and keep on driving for at least several minutes before asking them all to quiet down. I can actually go several minutes with this chaotic noise in the background before I realize how loud it is.
Here is a 30 second clip of this circus act. Listen and tell me what it reminds you of.
It reminded me of the scene in Dumber and Dumber when he asks the hitchhiker if he wants to hear “the most annoying sound in the world.” As I watched this clip I found it is quite similar to a ride in my minivan. The petty fighting…. (lately my daughter will say to my son “no Mam” when he asks her something which drives him insane because it should be “no Sir” since he is a boy and they fight about it incessantly) This clip totally brought out a chuckle. I can’t help but think the man sitting in the middle is very much like my poor baby in the backseat silently screaming “Guys, guys, ENOUGH!”
What do you think? Does my daughter do a good Jim Carrey impersonation?
…your son won’t sit on your lap because your legs are “too spiky.”
My four year old son told me yesterday that my legs “are prickly like a cactus.”
You better believe I made sure to get up early enough to shave my legs before leaving for church this morning. They are silky smooth now (a fact that my son and my husband are both glad about).
This week I wrote about my daughter’s hang up call to the local police station. We have no idea how long we were "on the air" before she hung up. I immediately started thinking, "What did they hear during that time?" Thankfully It wasn’t one of those meltdown moments when everyone was whining and crying, but what exactly did we say?
I remember the day we discovered that our baby monitor could pick up the signal of our neighbor’s baby monitor. We immediately changed it so as not to eavesdrop but we also became very concerned that the system would do the same thing in the other direction. After that discovery we became very good about unplugging the monitor when we weren’t using it. I didn’t like the idea of my neighbor being able to hear everything that is said and done in our house. This is of course a reasonable concern since hearing only gives part of the story (consider the sounds while disciplining a two year old). But, there is someone who not only hears but sees and even knows our motivations.
Psalm 139: 1-4
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
When I say I want to live a life that glorifies my Lord that means I need to do it all the time. There is no turning off the baby monitor or hanging up the phone. There is no putting on pretenses when He is concerned. The fact is, if it were not for the forgiveness I received through Jesus Christ, my Heavenly Father would be very disappointed in what He sees. But he has sent his son and he does forgive my sin. I am thankful that God knows the real me. He knows my attitudes, my motivations, my desires, my limits. And knowing all this, He loves me still. This summer, as I spend time in His Word, I want to get real with my Lord. To confess my sins to Him, knowing that "He is faithful and just to forgive me from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
Weekend Thoughts: My posts typically relate funny anecdotes about the happenings here at the circus. While my days are seldom “normal” enough to leave me without a “post worthy” moment, I use my last post of the week to highlight something a little more “thoughtful” and significant. If you had a thoughtful post from this last week, or choose to make a new one, please feel free to add a link in the comments section below. I’d love to hear what others are learning.
My sweet sister in law, Jessie , tagged me with this “Share the Love” award in which you tag the blogs of people whose blogs you enjoy reading.
The rules are to tag bloggers who make your day, make you laugh and smile, and/or leave uplifting comments on your blog. You then include a link to this post , and ask each person you tag to do the same!
Soooo, time to share the love my friends!
Hmmm, well the blogs I read daily, that make my day are typically other stay at home mommies who find humor in what many might consider the mundane. I feel like many of you are kindred spirits and if we lived in the same town, I am certain we’d be friends. Some of you I know in real life, like Sarah – mom of three boys, and Megan mother of two, both of whom I know from college, 2 different colleges, mind you. Others of you I only met in bloggyland, but I consider you friends as I read about your love for your Lord, your husband, and your children. There’s my friend Monica whose been married a little longer than me and has kids about the same age, but her husband is deployed in Iraq while she holds down the fort in Germany. Then there’s Jessica , who lives in a beautiful farm house in Iowa and is pregnant with her third child. I also get to read about life as a mother and preachers wife in “Tinytown” on Sarah ’s blog. And WGM makes me laugh with her antics of life with 5 (and I thought my life was a circus)!
I can’t forget Kristen . Her blog was the first blog I visited with frequency that wasn’t some one I knew in real life. I remember telling all my friends about her, because she was so down to earth and seemed like someone we would hang out with in real life. After about 2-3 weeks of lurking on her blog, I ended up writing my own and then realizing the importance of commenting and thus started commenting on hers.
And last, but definitely not least, my dear family members. Both of my sister in laws, whom I love like sisters, check my blog daily and comment with frequency. They boost my self-esteem when I wonder if anyone is reading this. Jessie is married to my brother. She writes with humor about the joys of being married to my little brother and raising two beautiful little girls. I married Karen’ s brother. She writes of life as an army wife and shares her crafty projects (which make me jealous that I am not so talented) and fun anecdotes.
So, thanks dear bloggers for writing so faithfully. You are all in my google reader and I eagerly look forward to reading about your lives each and every day. So consider yourselves tagged.
I was shopping at BJ’s the other day with the kids when we passed the jewelry counter.
My son asked, "Why is there jewelry at BJ’s?"
I responded, "So people can buy it."
He then said, "Yea… I guess if they were getting married and didn’t have a ring they could come here."
Hmmm…. clearly this Mommy doesn’t wear much jewelry, since my son thinks wedding rings are the only kind of jewelry one wears. It’s not that I don’t appreciate jewelry. I do . But my morning routine is typically a race. I put the baby down for her morning nap and the "big kids" get to watch one show from our TiVo while I take my shower. I’m racing the clock to get showered and dressed because once the show ends they wonder down the hall and my time is up. I’m happy to shave my legs and put on deodorant, let alone “accessorize”…
How about you? Do you wear jewelry everyday or just on special occasions?
Its Thursday again and time for me to go into that box in the closet under the stairs and find another picture that didn’t make it into a photo album. I found a classic that is truly timely. This is a picture of me opening gifts on my 13th birthday (I think, might be 12). Can’t tell what I am unwrapping, but my brother behind me is definitely interested. Like my dangling shell earrings? How about those bangs? They were a work of art don’t you think? There was something else of note about my 13th birthday. It was the year that I got my first phone for my room. Yep, it was a memorable moment – I was a teenager and yes I was the stereotypical type that monopolized the phone all day long. I guess you could say it was a coming of age of sorts.
Here is another picture I have and this one shows the phone. Wow, to think of the hours I have logged on that phone. The girlfriends and boyfriends I spent hours talking to (and my brother will tell you they were always, “very important things”). Ahh the memories.
This is the phone that keeps on giving too because there is something else noteworthy about that phone picture. It was taken this afternoon as it sat as the only working phone in our circus of a house. Yep, it was only two days ago that one of our two portable phones made their blogging debut in this post involving my youngest daughter and her new friends at the police department. But alas, they have been claimed by the circus. I looked away for a moment and tuned back to see my middle child “wash” both of our portable phones in a basin on the deck. I found her holding them up, with water dripping out the bottom. Nice, huh? These were the only phones we used in our house. I knew when I had two girls with my genes that we would have our share of issues over the phone but I had no idea it would start so soon!
I was temporairily left with no land line at my house. Then I remembered my old faithful phone from middle and high school. I remember when I got this phone over 15 years ago, I thought it was “so cool” because it was clear and you could see all the wires and bells and stuff but now, after using nothing but portable phones for 4 years, this hand held one felt so huge! I didn’t realize how often I used caller ID until I didn’t have it. How strange to pick up the phone and have no idea who was on the other end! I thought talking on the phone with three kids awake and clamoring for my attention was difficult, but not being able to walk around (or out of the room) with the phone made it even more of a challenge!
This week I flashed back to the days of nothing but land lines with no call waiting, and no caller ID. For more musings of days gone by, check out Sincerely Fro Me To You at We are THAT Family.
When my oldest daughter was born my son wanted to get her this musical turtle he saw at Target for her crib. Every time we went to Target he would push the buttons to make it play music and he would ask if he could get it for his sister. We didn’t think it was necessary.
He was still insistent about it when our third child was born so we decided to let him get it for his sister for Christmas.
He was right, we were wrong. She loved it instantly. She’d play with it when she woke up or as she was falling asleep.
I always played a cd of lullaby music for my other two kids as they fell asleep. This can sometimes be a pain when we are away from home, especially camping, and we don’t have access to a cd player. With the baby we lay her down in her crib, push play on Mr Turtle, and it plays a little song for approx 15-20 seconds. If she wants more music she hits it once or twice more. It is portable, so we have brought it with us camping or on other over night trips. It’s easy for her to use so if she wakes up in the morning and can’t fall back asleep she can push the button herself. (Doesn’t need Mom to get out of bed and come hit play on the cd player). This fact alone makes it worth the $20 we spent on the toy. I often hear the music playing in her room before it’s time for her to wake up. (Now that the crib is lowered and Mr Turtle rests on on the bottom, she sometimes rolls into it while sleeping and once we heard it playing continuously because her head was against it. Didn’t seem to bother her a bit though).
Mr Turtle has provided a simple way for my baby to listen to music as she falls asleep, self sooth when she wakes up in the middle of the night, and easily provide the continuity of her normal routine when we are away from home. It works for me!! If your looking for more helpful tips, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.
Kids like buttons. At least ours do. Our son was the first addict. We could keep him happy quiet for long periods of time by giving him the TV remote (with the TV off) and letting him just pound away. Him being the first, we were always careful when he got the phone. Wouldn’t want him to call someone unintentionally and have someone listening to uncensored Life at the Circus. He never really called anyone though, because life with one isn’t quite a circus, he just hit buttons. Naturally, when it came to baby number two we got a little more lax with the phone. Our daughter was a less enamored by the buttons, but she knew that the shiny one in the center made it light up and bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. We’d just periodically hit the off button. By child number three, we are quite a bit more lax. We’d just give her the phone and go back to our business. It’s not like she’s really going to call someone anyway, right?
Thursday morning we received a call from the police. Seems little miss figured out how to dial 9-1-1. (I wonder how long we were “on the air” and what circus noise they heard during that time) Ooops! Mommy’s going to be a little more careful now.
It’s just a down to earth action shot of us all eating dinner. It’s me and my one, two, three, four?, five?…. wait a minute, that’s too many. Your right, I only have three kids but we gained two new members to our circus cast this weekend as we watched the children of our very good friends while they went away for their anniversary. I got to experience life with 5 under 4 for a day and overnight! It was a ton of fun. There was one moment when I had everyone melting down at once, but I have moments like that with 3 and it was only a moment. It’s really true what they say, once you get used to having 3, adding more isn’t that much different. You (and your kids) are already accustomed to the fact that you can’t meet everyone’s needs immediately. Also, having friends for the kids to play with actually makes things easier in many ways rather than harder. I will say I had way more poopy diapers than I am used to. In addition to having two extra kids to change, my baby decided to go 3 times what she normally does in one day. I wonder what I fed her? Also, I didn’t attempt any errands or trips out of the house with the little ones. I wasn’t quite ready for the stares I knew I’d get at the store. (yea… that’s why I didn’t go to the store with 5 small children… not because I was outnumbered 5 to one, or because I couldn’t fit them all in the cart or because I knew it would take 30 min just to get them into the car…not at all) Instead I saved my milk run for after Scott got home from work.
It’s was a delight to have our friends here and we were sad to see them go.
(Ok – you know who you are and I know what your thinking. Scott and I are not pregnant nor are we thinking about it. We are happy with the three we have – at least for now
You know I’ve complained before about having nothing to eat. I posted a picture of my fridge and said it was “the end of the world as we know it.” But the truth is, I know nothing about going hungry. When I look at my fridge and complain about making dinner, there are millions of mothers who would look at the contents and shout with joy. I can’t even begin to imagine the heartache of watching my baby go hungry. Watching my children suffer as they literally waste away, while I am helpless to do anything is something beyond my comprehension. If my kids go to bed hungry, it is because they decided the food I prepared for them wasn’t to their liking.
Millions of children in the world are going to bed hungry tonight. According to the Compassion International website, “The higher prices are forcing people who survive on just $1 a day to spend upwards of 80 percent of their budgets just on food.” I’m sure we’ve all noticed and felt the toll the rising food costs have taken on our family budget. But while many of us are having to give up some of our luxuries, readjust our vacation plans, or think about how we’re going to “make our trips count” so many in the world don’t get to enjoy these options. Instead they are making choices such as which meal to skip, or even worse, deciding who in their family will go hungry.
On June 25th, Compassion International is having a day of fasting and prayer for the victims of the Global Food Crisis. I confess I am too often self absorbed and I typically focus on my day and my family. Lately though, God has been placing the poor and impoverished on my heart. As I reach in the fridge to fill up a sippy cup with milk, I think about the moms who have nothing to reach for when her baby cries for food. It breaks my heart and humbles me. These poor moms did no more to deserve their situation than I did to deserve mine. Please join me and others in praying for these individuals on June 25th and remember when you sit down and say grace before your meal, to truly thank God for that food and not just mumble the words we’ve been saying since we were children.
Weekend Thoughts: My posts typically relate funny anecdotes about the happenings of a stay at home wife and mom with three kids. While my days are seldom “normal” enough to leave me without a “post worthy” moment (i.e. read here), I intend to take some time on the weekend to highlight something from my week that’s a little more “thoughtful” and significant. If you had a post from this week, or choose to make a specific “Weekend Thought” post, please feel free to add a link to your post in the comments section. I’d love to hear what others are learning.
My roles as wife, homemaker and mother of 3 feel much like a circus with 3 rings constantly vying for my attention. Life is often chaotic but I'm loving every minute and wouldn't want it any other way. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I won't let you miss a thing.
