Have You Ever Been So Tired...

... that you actually laid down and took a nap when your mother cried out in frustration "You are so cranky!  Go lay down on my bed and take a nap!"?

Tess has.  (Phew!)

Tess & Cole

Best friends and bitter rivals.  Always coming up with naughty schemes.  Often noisy, dangerous when quiet. Big time snackers. Alas, also big time smackers. Readers, dancers, singers, mess makers to the nth degree. Always running, never still.

My two littlest punks.

Have You Ever Been So Tired...

... that you fell asleep in a rather precarious place while watching your oldest brother play computer games right after you came in from playing outside?

Tess has.

Aimpad Kickstarter Campaign

So you know my awesome husband Lance?  (You don't?  You really should.  He's the best.)

When we were newlyweds I found it amusing that my husband seemed so into video games.  "Surely this is just a phase," I thought.  "He'll grow out of it eventually."

How very foolish young newlywed Maren was!

But he didn't.  "Okay, surely he'll grow out of this once we have kids," I thought.

How very foolish young new mother Maren was!

True story: this was Spencer's first night home from the hospital.  And I'm pretty sure each baby since then has spent a significant amount of time on Daddy's lap in much the same position. (OMIGOSH WAS LANCE ONLY 15 YEARS OLD WHEN WE HAD SPENCER?!?!  Good grief, he looks young.) ((We won't even go into how young I looked then compared to now.))

And that's okay because Lance really loves playing computer games and I really love Lance.

Anywho, for what seems like the past 387 years he has been working with some people on designing a PC Gaming Analog Keyboard called Aimpad.  Last night he launched a Kickstarter campaign to help get the product funded and out to the public.

You can find the campaign here.

You can learn more about it from this video:

Or you can click on the widget I have on the sidebar of by blog.

Lance and I would really love your support - financially or through spreading the word about Aimpad.  Or both!

Because surely, surely if we are successful with this project Lance will finally grow out of this computer gaming phase. ;)  Right?

Cole's St. Patrick's Day Wish

When I saw this in the preschool bulletin board my first thought was "The apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree."  

And then I thought "Like father like son.  And older brothers."  

"Birds of a feather flock together."

"A chip off the old block."

"Cut from the same cloth."

"In similar waters, similar fish are found."

And while I stood there trying to think of other idioms I suddenly realized that Tess was lying, face down, in the middle of the hallway and everyone was just casually walking around or over her as if it were a common, everyday occurrence.

And then I thought "If I had a million dollars I would hire someone else to pick Cole up from preschool." 

And then I thought "Toddlers be crazy" and scooped that girl up and out of the way as she kicked and screamed and protested.

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Lance and I often talk about the changes we're going to make around the house once the kids are older.  (Read: once they're old enough to not DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY.)

We can't wait to get new couches downstairs.  And a new entertainment center, TV, and sound system to match.  It'd be foolish to do so now, but maybe in 3-4 years...

Once Tess hits around 10 or 11 that dang swing set in the back yard is coming out and my patio is going it. Right now it's just a bit too close to the house, or at least to where I want my patio. (I have grand designs for my back yard... but none can be started until that swing set comes out.)

The basement could also really use some new carpeting.  It's old and worn and even my super-stain fighting powers are no match for a few spots down there.

And some day that toy closet under the stairs is turning into my holiday decoration storage room.  Toys out - decorations in!

But the one thing that will get replaced first?  Our poor kitchen table.  Despite my best efforts to protect it, it's had a really hard life.

Yes, those are teeth marks.  Tess has apparently turned into a beaver.  I caught her doing this the other day.

The poor table is covered in all sorts of marks and scratches and a delightful white spot from where Lance put something hot.  Sigh.

The chairs are fairing no better.  I keep towels on the kids' chairs, but it doesn't seem to matter; they're still always covered in stains and junk.

I used to think that I would just refinish the table and chairs and then reupholster the cushions.  But a few weeks ago Cole knocked a chair over and totally destroyed it.  Beyond repair.  Plus, this table has never fit that well in our little kitchen nook.

So as of now I am on the lookout for a good kitchen table.  I'm pretty picky about looks, quality, and price, so I know it'll take me a while.  But that's okay, because I still have several years until I can trust my children to not bite/scratch/stain/and otherwise destroy a new table.

Sam's Club Adventures

No, this is not an April Fool's joke - I'm actually blogging!  Yeah, things got a little weird there during Spring Break.  Everyone was sick, but not horrible sick.  Just sick enough to sit lethargically around.  Bleh.  What a waste of Spring Break.  But then again, the weather was nasty, so we weren't missing much.  And we were all well enough by the end for my friend Misty and her kiddos to come over and play, so yay!  (Hi Misty!)

The thing is, it seems like lately I just can't find much I'm willing to blog about.  Either my kids just aren't as entertaining anymore, or I'm just not as easily entertained as I once was.  I blame both.

Today's been a little interesting, though.  We went to Sam's Club to shop and with the vain hope that Tess would use the potty there. (She still won't go anywhere but home.)  She wouldn't go, but opted instead to hold it, refuse to go when we got home, and then have an accident.  Punk kid.

While we were there we discovered an awesome new free sample machine.  You scan your Sam's Club card and while the machine talks to you it drops a package of fruit snacks exactly at kid level.  I really should have taken a picture, but didn't think about it because Cole got the fruit snacks and Tess was falling apart because you could only get one free sample per card.  Fortunately, a really nice lady (and I'm assuming fellow mother) let me use her card so Tess could get some, too.  Then, two fell out with Tess's, so score!  Bonus fruit snacks!

While we were there I stealthily picked up a copy of "Frozen" for Miss Tess's upcoming birthday.  She didn't see a thing - until the check out lane when three - why in the world were there three at one register?!?- cashiers made a big deal about it to Tess.

"Oh!" one exclaimed, while another held it right in Tess's face, "Do you get to watch Frozen when you get home?!"

"Um," I said as calmly as my annoyance would allow, "That was supposed to be a surprise for her birthday."

Well, they scrambled and tried to distract Tess and apologized.  I really wasn't that upset about it because I don't know how much she was really paying attention in the first place.  (She was pretty sleepy.)  But still.  It's almost Easter and common sense and courtesy would dictate that you keep your opinions about my purchases to yourself.  Just sayin'.