Today I had lunch with Spencer at school since his birthday is tomorrow. While we walked to the lunchroom and as we sat down, a fair number of kids said "Good job, Spencer!", "You were great!", and "You were really good, Spencer!"
Odd, I thought.
So I asked him what it was all about.
"Oh, I played a song for morning announcements." As nonchalant as can be.
"Wait, you played a song? On what?"
Rolled eyes. "On the piano. I played a song on the piano."
"What?! What song did you play?"
"Jolly Old Saint Nicholas."
"But why? Why did you play it?"
Shrug of the shoulders. "Because. I could."
"Wait, did you know about it before?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you practice it this morning, then?"
"Because I'm really good at it."
This went on for another good 5 minutes at lunch and then again at dinner, and I never really did get a straight answer as for how/why/what exactly went on.
What I do know is that Spencer had a concert during morning announcements, which is broadcast for the entire school to see. He did well.
And to him, it was no big deal.
He can't remember to turn in all of his school assignments, but can play a piano piece from memory in front of the whole school and not think it's even important enough to tell his mom.
This kid is getting interesting.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Facebook Signs
Not a lot of blogging around here lately because December is a crazy month, what with all the activities and parties and editing of papers about ducks infected with a flu virus and trying to keep up with Cole and all of his shenanigans and whatnot.
So tonight was driving home and I saw one of those signs they have in front of churches. You know, the ones that always have clever sayings on them? And random side note - I don't know what kind of church this is. I mean, I know it's Christian, but I can't tell out what denomination. (Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.) I even went to their website and still can't figure it out, which is kind of a bad sign for a church, right? We'll just call it a nondenominational church.
Anyways, the sign tonight said "Sign broken. Come inside for more inspiration." Which I thought was funny. Hah! But hey - maybe if I went inside I could tell what they believe in, because I certainly couldn't from the website.
And then I wondered for half a second about why Mormon churches don't have signs like that, and then decided it would just be a bad idea because heaven only knows what kind of problems that could cause. And then I tried to come up with some funny Mormon signs but couldn't think of anything because my brain was still kinda mushy from editing a paper about ducks with the flu. (You think I'm joking. I'm not. Someone actually wrote a paper about it. And then paid me to edit it.)
And then randomly I wondered what it would be like if we all had signs like that in our front yards. What would we put up there? And then I had an "ah-ha" moment and realized that most of us already do have something like that - it's called Facebook.
And then I really got to thinking about whether or not what we would put on those signs in front of our houses would be any different from what we put on Facebook. Because really, if you think about it, aren't they basically the same thing? In fact, more people probably see what you post on Facebook than if you just had a sign in front of your house.
But I'll admit that what I would put on my sign and what I post on my Facebook would probably be fairly different.
Anywho, no real point to all of this. Just something to think about.
Now, off to edit another paper. Oh joy - this one's about South Korea's economy after WWII.
I kinda miss the ducks.
So tonight was driving home and I saw one of those signs they have in front of churches. You know, the ones that always have clever sayings on them? And random side note - I don't know what kind of church this is. I mean, I know it's Christian, but I can't tell out what denomination. (Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, etc.) I even went to their website and still can't figure it out, which is kind of a bad sign for a church, right? We'll just call it a nondenominational church.
Anyways, the sign tonight said "Sign broken. Come inside for more inspiration." Which I thought was funny. Hah! But hey - maybe if I went inside I could tell what they believe in, because I certainly couldn't from the website.
And then I wondered for half a second about why Mormon churches don't have signs like that, and then decided it would just be a bad idea because heaven only knows what kind of problems that could cause. And then I tried to come up with some funny Mormon signs but couldn't think of anything because my brain was still kinda mushy from editing a paper about ducks with the flu. (You think I'm joking. I'm not. Someone actually wrote a paper about it. And then paid me to edit it.)
And then randomly I wondered what it would be like if we all had signs like that in our front yards. What would we put up there? And then I had an "ah-ha" moment and realized that most of us already do have something like that - it's called Facebook.
And then I really got to thinking about whether or not what we would put on those signs in front of our houses would be any different from what we put on Facebook. Because really, if you think about it, aren't they basically the same thing? In fact, more people probably see what you post on Facebook than if you just had a sign in front of your house.
But I'll admit that what I would put on my sign and what I post on my Facebook would probably be fairly different.
Anywho, no real point to all of this. Just something to think about.
Now, off to edit another paper. Oh joy - this one's about South Korea's economy after WWII.
I kinda miss the ducks.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Mobile Tessie
As you know, Tess has been in therapy for the past few months due to the low muscle tone in her legs. I am happy to announce that it's been a complete success! She's been taking a few hesitant steps here and there for a couple of weeks, but just in the last day or so she's really be cruisin around the house. Just yesterday she walked the entire length of our basement! (If you've never been in our basement - that's far.)
This morning before church I snagged a few videos of her walking. They aren't the best, mainly because she had 3 crazy brothers running around and getting in the way. But she's dang cute walking, and you can tell how proud of herself she is! (I would have put the two videos together, but Lance didn't put the video editing software on my new computer. And I'm too lazy to look for an online program or to bug Lance about it now. Lazy is as lazy doesn't do.)
I also tried to get a few pictures of her in her super cutie-pie new church outfit today. Doesn't she just look darling? (Yes, yes she does!) In true Tessie fashion, she refused to smile for any of it. Punk baby. (But darling punk!)
I tried to take a picture like I did with the boys for my birthday, but she would have none of it.
Then I thought she might behave if her brothers were there to show her how.
No dice.
I'm really hoping we can recreate this picture some day when they're teenagers or adults. Wouldn't it be awesome?
She then proceeded to be an unholy terror during Sacrament Meeting. Her cuteness was the only thing that kept me from selling her to the highest bidder.
This morning before church I snagged a few videos of her walking. They aren't the best, mainly because she had 3 crazy brothers running around and getting in the way. But she's dang cute walking, and you can tell how proud of herself she is! (I would have put the two videos together, but Lance didn't put the video editing software on my new computer. And I'm too lazy to look for an online program or to bug Lance about it now. Lazy is as lazy doesn't do.)
I also tried to get a few pictures of her in her super cutie-pie new church outfit today. Doesn't she just look darling? (Yes, yes she does!) In true Tessie fashion, she refused to smile for any of it. Punk baby. (But darling punk!)
I tried to take a picture like I did with the boys for my birthday, but she would have none of it.
Then I thought she might behave if her brothers were there to show her how.
No dice.
I'm really hoping we can recreate this picture some day when they're teenagers or adults. Wouldn't it be awesome?
She then proceeded to be an unholy terror during Sacrament Meeting. Her cuteness was the only thing that kept me from selling her to the highest bidder.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
35th Birthday
My birthday this year was pretty good. Hey, it must have been better than last year's, seeing as how last year I didn't even blog about it! The thing is, as you get older your birthday just doesn't seem to matter as much, unless someone else makes a big deal out of it. And when you're older and you're a mom of small kids and your birthday is on a weekday? Forget about it. Life just gets in the way.
And what's one part of life you can never get away from? Dentist appointments. No, really. Our whole family had dentist appointments that afternoon. I like to schedule them altogether just to 1) get them out of the way, because, geez, what a production, 2) if any of us have to come back then I can schedule those for the same time and save a trip, and 3) our dentist is awesome and does it so that Lance and I go in at separate times; while one is with the dentist the other is in the waiting room with Tess and Cole. Since I had already had to reschedule our appointments once, I felt like I had to take the next ones they offered even though they were on my birthday.
Only this time it didn't really work that great and through a series of rather unfortunate events I found myself getting my teeth cleaned with a fussy Tess on my lap and a curious but belligerent Cole in the room. It's a long, boring story I don't even want to bother to write. Anywho, what usually takes just over an hour took two hours because Spencer had to have some weird thing from his mouth removed. Tired and starving, we finally got home at 5pm.
This is what I came home to:
Isn't that awesome?! My friends Heather and Kanien decorated the door and left flowers. It was so nice. And the kids were so excited about it, it was a bit nuts. I really like surprises like this, especially on my birthday. That's because there are very few (good) surprises on your birthday when you're an ancient 35 years old!
Anywho, we got inside and told Spencer and Josh to quickly do their homework so we could go out to eat. Only to discover that Spencer had a BOATLOAD of homework - meaning that he hadn't done much in class that day. Grrr. Then I discovered an assignment that he was supposed to have finished three weeks ago and STILL hadn't completed. GGGGGRRRRRR!!!! Boy, was I ticked. I mean, seriously, could he have just tried a little, just for me, just for my birthday? I know, it sounds petty and mean, but seriously, this kid and his behavior is driving me nuts. And the kicker is that he's been doing pretty well for the past couple of weeks. But he decided to have a relapse. On my birthday. Growl.
Anywho, we set him down to work while Cole and Josh and Tess ran crazy around the house with the balloons they got from the dentist. Although we had warned them not to untie the balloons from their new toothbrushes, that's exactly what they did. Within 10 minutes all of the balloons were up on the ceiling, and the kids were pretty put out that we wouldn't get the ladder out to retrieve them.
Spencer worked and whined and cried about his homework. We had no mercy and told him to get back to work. Cole got super-hyper. I love this picture - it's not doctored in any way. He's just So. Busy.
Spencer FINALLY finished his homework. Sheesh. By this time everyone was starving to death. So we loaded up the minivan and headed out to... Tepanyaki Grill and Buffet. Much to the delight of the kids. I know what you're thinking. "Maren, it's YOUR birthday! Why didn't you choose somewhere else to go?"
My reasons were many: 1) I knew the kids loved Tepanyaki, 2) Tepanyaki is the only restaurant we've been to in recent memory where all of the kids actually behaved; while I really do enjoy a good meal, a meal with awful children is no fun, no matter how great the food tastes, 3) the food, while not gourmet, is actually pretty good for a Chinese buffet, 4) they have lots of shrimp, and I loves me some shrimp, and 5) I didn't want to have to go somewhere where we'd have to order and then wait for our food - that would have been a disaster.
So anyways, we went and lightening struck twice - the kids actually behaved! That in itself was a pretty good birthday present! We ate and ate and laughed at how much Jell-o Cole and Tess ate and ate. It was really quite impressive.
We finally headed home. Usually we go to see this amazing light display after my birthday dinner, but because we had had such a late start we skipped it this year. Maybe we'll go on Spencer's birthday.
Anyway, we got home and put poor Ms. Tess to bed. She was so stinkin' tired. But during that I got a few good shots with my favorite boyos.
Cole didn't want to hold still. Shocker.
Finally it was time for cake and ice cream. Only no cake, because I like brownies better. (Plus, I don't believe in making your own birthday cake. Brownies, yes. Cake, no.) Specifically, homemade chocolate orange brownies. So yummy.
And Drumstick ice cream. Because I was curious, that's why. (It does taste like Drumsticks!)
I got some really awesome gifts this year. I am truly, truly blessed. And grateful. Dad and Susie bought me a Blendtec blender, which is the KING of all blenders!!! WOO-HOO!!! Actually, this was supposed to be my Christmas gift, but I decided to open this instead and put my birthday present under the tree. I've discovered that one of the very few perks of having a December birthday is deciding which gift you want to have for your birthday and which for Christmas. (My mom used to take me on long shopping trips and we'd negotiate which things I wanted for when, and then I'd always change my mind. I'm sure she loved that. Ha.)
I also got a Kindle Paperwhite. Actually, this wasn't really a birthday gift. My old Kindle died, so Amazon gave me a rebate I could use on a new Kindle. I decided on the Paperwhite, not really knowing what it was other than that it wasn't a Kindle Fire, which I knew I didn't want. Well, right after I ordered it (which was right before Thanksgiving), Amazon told me that it was back ordered until December 24th. WHAT THE WHAT?!??! I was ticked. I told Amazon as much. They were sorry, but there wasn't much they could do. Some time passed. And then this weekend I got an email saying that my Kindle would come on December 4th - and then it actually came on the 3rd. WOO-HOO!!! I haven't had a ton of time to read lately, but let me tell you: the Paperwhite is AWESOME. I luuuurrrrve it already.
My really big present was a new laptop. My own personal IT guy, Mr. Lance, picked it out and set it all up. He even put some darling daleks as my wallpaper. Not only that, but he had already copied all my desktop stuff and programs and Firefox bookmarks and everything for me, so I didn't have to move anything from my old computer to the new one.
Having my own personal IT guy definitely has some perks. The fact that he's just so dang handsome just icing on the cake. (Or brownies, as the case may be.)
All in all, definitely the best 35th birthday I've ever had. :)
And what's one part of life you can never get away from? Dentist appointments. No, really. Our whole family had dentist appointments that afternoon. I like to schedule them altogether just to 1) get them out of the way, because, geez, what a production, 2) if any of us have to come back then I can schedule those for the same time and save a trip, and 3) our dentist is awesome and does it so that Lance and I go in at separate times; while one is with the dentist the other is in the waiting room with Tess and Cole. Since I had already had to reschedule our appointments once, I felt like I had to take the next ones they offered even though they were on my birthday.
Only this time it didn't really work that great and through a series of rather unfortunate events I found myself getting my teeth cleaned with a fussy Tess on my lap and a curious but belligerent Cole in the room. It's a long, boring story I don't even want to bother to write. Anywho, what usually takes just over an hour took two hours because Spencer had to have some weird thing from his mouth removed. Tired and starving, we finally got home at 5pm.
This is what I came home to:
Isn't that awesome?! My friends Heather and Kanien decorated the door and left flowers. It was so nice. And the kids were so excited about it, it was a bit nuts. I really like surprises like this, especially on my birthday. That's because there are very few (good) surprises on your birthday when you're an ancient 35 years old!
Anywho, we got inside and told Spencer and Josh to quickly do their homework so we could go out to eat. Only to discover that Spencer had a BOATLOAD of homework - meaning that he hadn't done much in class that day. Grrr. Then I discovered an assignment that he was supposed to have finished three weeks ago and STILL hadn't completed. GGGGGRRRRRR!!!! Boy, was I ticked. I mean, seriously, could he have just tried a little, just for me, just for my birthday? I know, it sounds petty and mean, but seriously, this kid and his behavior is driving me nuts. And the kicker is that he's been doing pretty well for the past couple of weeks. But he decided to have a relapse. On my birthday. Growl.
Anywho, we set him down to work while Cole and Josh and Tess ran crazy around the house with the balloons they got from the dentist. Although we had warned them not to untie the balloons from their new toothbrushes, that's exactly what they did. Within 10 minutes all of the balloons were up on the ceiling, and the kids were pretty put out that we wouldn't get the ladder out to retrieve them.
Spencer worked and whined and cried about his homework. We had no mercy and told him to get back to work. Cole got super-hyper. I love this picture - it's not doctored in any way. He's just So. Busy.
Spencer FINALLY finished his homework. Sheesh. By this time everyone was starving to death. So we loaded up the minivan and headed out to... Tepanyaki Grill and Buffet. Much to the delight of the kids. I know what you're thinking. "Maren, it's YOUR birthday! Why didn't you choose somewhere else to go?"
My reasons were many: 1) I knew the kids loved Tepanyaki, 2) Tepanyaki is the only restaurant we've been to in recent memory where all of the kids actually behaved; while I really do enjoy a good meal, a meal with awful children is no fun, no matter how great the food tastes, 3) the food, while not gourmet, is actually pretty good for a Chinese buffet, 4) they have lots of shrimp, and I loves me some shrimp, and 5) I didn't want to have to go somewhere where we'd have to order and then wait for our food - that would have been a disaster.
So anyways, we went and lightening struck twice - the kids actually behaved! That in itself was a pretty good birthday present! We ate and ate and laughed at how much Jell-o Cole and Tess ate and ate. It was really quite impressive.
We finally headed home. Usually we go to see this amazing light display after my birthday dinner, but because we had had such a late start we skipped it this year. Maybe we'll go on Spencer's birthday.
Anyway, we got home and put poor Ms. Tess to bed. She was so stinkin' tired. But during that I got a few good shots with my favorite boyos.
Cole didn't want to hold still. Shocker.
Finally it was time for cake and ice cream. Only no cake, because I like brownies better. (Plus, I don't believe in making your own birthday cake. Brownies, yes. Cake, no.) Specifically, homemade chocolate orange brownies. So yummy.
And Drumstick ice cream. Because I was curious, that's why. (It does taste like Drumsticks!)
I got some really awesome gifts this year. I am truly, truly blessed. And grateful. Dad and Susie bought me a Blendtec blender, which is the KING of all blenders!!! WOO-HOO!!! Actually, this was supposed to be my Christmas gift, but I decided to open this instead and put my birthday present under the tree. I've discovered that one of the very few perks of having a December birthday is deciding which gift you want to have for your birthday and which for Christmas. (My mom used to take me on long shopping trips and we'd negotiate which things I wanted for when, and then I'd always change my mind. I'm sure she loved that. Ha.)
I also got a Kindle Paperwhite. Actually, this wasn't really a birthday gift. My old Kindle died, so Amazon gave me a rebate I could use on a new Kindle. I decided on the Paperwhite, not really knowing what it was other than that it wasn't a Kindle Fire, which I knew I didn't want. Well, right after I ordered it (which was right before Thanksgiving), Amazon told me that it was back ordered until December 24th. WHAT THE WHAT?!??! I was ticked. I told Amazon as much. They were sorry, but there wasn't much they could do. Some time passed. And then this weekend I got an email saying that my Kindle would come on December 4th - and then it actually came on the 3rd. WOO-HOO!!! I haven't had a ton of time to read lately, but let me tell you: the Paperwhite is AWESOME. I luuuurrrrve it already.
My really big present was a new laptop. My own personal IT guy, Mr. Lance, picked it out and set it all up. He even put some darling daleks as my wallpaper. Not only that, but he had already copied all my desktop stuff and programs and Firefox bookmarks and everything for me, so I didn't have to move anything from my old computer to the new one.
Having my own personal IT guy definitely has some perks. The fact that he's just so dang handsome just icing on the cake. (Or brownies, as the case may be.)
All in all, definitely the best 35th birthday I've ever had. :)
Stuck!
I know I need to do a birthday post, but had to write this down first.
I was downstairs when I heard Cole, who was upstairs, start crying. Then sobbing. Then yelling "Stuck!! Help! OH NO!!! WAAAAHHHH!"
I quickly ran up to find him...
...glued to the floor.
You read that right.
I had been trying to fix a Christmas ornament that Cole had broken, and had left the super glue on the counter. My bad.
Cole had apparently decided to climb up on the counter and unscrew the glue. It was all down some drawers and all over the floor. He must have stepped in it, because the hem of his pants and one of his feet were stuck to the floor.
Fortunately, he hadn't been stuck long, because I was able to easily pull is foot and pants off the floor. His little toes had been stuck to the bottom of his foot, and I had to delicately pull those off as well. I don't think any of this hurt him too much, but he sure was upset.
He won't let me try to scrape the extra glue off of him, but he's sitting here on the couch next to me picking at it himself. I was tempted to call the pediatrician, but I suspect she'd just tell me to give it time and that it'll come off on it's own. (I know this from experience - fixing Christmas ornaments is tricky. And sticky.)
Seriously. I've been a mom for close to 9 years now. Just when I think I've seen it all and experienced everything my kids can throw at me, something like this happens. It's a lovely reminder that I still really don't know what I'm doing and that there's a ton I need to learn. Oy.
Now, off to explore the internet for suggestions on how to remove super glue from laminate flooring and cabinetry. Double oy.
I was downstairs when I heard Cole, who was upstairs, start crying. Then sobbing. Then yelling "Stuck!! Help! OH NO!!! WAAAAHHHH!"
I quickly ran up to find him...
...glued to the floor.
You read that right.
I had been trying to fix a Christmas ornament that Cole had broken, and had left the super glue on the counter. My bad.
Cole had apparently decided to climb up on the counter and unscrew the glue. It was all down some drawers and all over the floor. He must have stepped in it, because the hem of his pants and one of his feet were stuck to the floor.
Fortunately, he hadn't been stuck long, because I was able to easily pull is foot and pants off the floor. His little toes had been stuck to the bottom of his foot, and I had to delicately pull those off as well. I don't think any of this hurt him too much, but he sure was upset.
He won't let me try to scrape the extra glue off of him, but he's sitting here on the couch next to me picking at it himself. I was tempted to call the pediatrician, but I suspect she'd just tell me to give it time and that it'll come off on it's own. (I know this from experience - fixing Christmas ornaments is tricky. And sticky.)
Seriously. I've been a mom for close to 9 years now. Just when I think I've seen it all and experienced everything my kids can throw at me, something like this happens. It's a lovely reminder that I still really don't know what I'm doing and that there's a ton I need to learn. Oy.
Now, off to explore the internet for suggestions on how to remove super glue from laminate flooring and cabinetry. Double oy.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Say What?
The following are all things that were actually said/heard around the Madsen household today. I'm willing to bet that a good 3/4's of my readers have said the exact same things, or something eerily close. I'll leave it to you to guess who said what.
"Tess and I enjoyed a late night coughing party. It lasted for hours. She enjoyed my company so much that she absolutely refused to let me leave until she was completely exhausted. *cough*cough*hack*hack*"
-------
"Do you want milk?"
"Yeah."
"Say 'milk'."
"Gulk!"
"Close enough."
-------
"We do NOT throw ornaments at our sister!"
-------
"We do NOT climb the Christmas tree!"
-------
"We do NOT play tag with the tree!"
-------
"We are NOT having a Christmas tree next year!"
-------
"I want a clookie."
"A clookie?"
"Yeah. A Clistmas clookie."
-------
"Spencer, no one in the history of the world has ever been injured by trying on new shoes. Knock it off and put the dang shoes on."
-------
"She put THREE kernals of corn *up there?"
"Yes. Hold her still."
-------
Literally 10 minutes after dinner while I'm in the kitchen cleaning up.
"I'm hungry. Can I have a snack?"
"Are you kidding me? No, you may not have a snack."
"But I'm hungry!"
"We JUST had dinner."
"I want a snack!"
"TOO. BAD."
(Sensing danger and using what little logic the child was born with, he slowly backs away and out of the kitchen.)
-------
*"Up there" was her nose, in case you're wondering. Yes, every family seems to have a kid who sticks weird stuff up their nose, and now we do, too.
"Tess and I enjoyed a late night coughing party. It lasted for hours. She enjoyed my company so much that she absolutely refused to let me leave until she was completely exhausted. *cough*cough*hack*hack*"
-------
"Do you want milk?"
"Yeah."
"Say 'milk'."
"Gulk!"
"Close enough."
-------
"We do NOT throw ornaments at our sister!"
-------
"We do NOT climb the Christmas tree!"
-------
"We do NOT play tag with the tree!"
-------
"We are NOT having a Christmas tree next year!"
-------
"I want a clookie."
"A clookie?"
"Yeah. A Clistmas clookie."
-------
"Spencer, no one in the history of the world has ever been injured by trying on new shoes. Knock it off and put the dang shoes on."
-------
"She put THREE kernals of corn *up there?"
"Yes. Hold her still."
-------
Literally 10 minutes after dinner while I'm in the kitchen cleaning up.
"I'm hungry. Can I have a snack?"
"Are you kidding me? No, you may not have a snack."
"But I'm hungry!"
"We JUST had dinner."
"I want a snack!"
"TOO. BAD."
(Sensing danger and using what little logic the child was born with, he slowly backs away and out of the kitchen.)
-------
*"Up there" was her nose, in case you're wondering. Yes, every family seems to have a kid who sticks weird stuff up their nose, and now we do, too.
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