Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Mean Mom

I'm a mean mom. I try not to be, but I don't know what else to do. Today marks the 7th day in a row that Corbin has forgotten to bring his Word Study words home. His assignment is due on Thursday and it's a pretty time consuming homework assignment. Over the course of the last few days, he has had his DS taken away for a week, his beloved Pokemon game taken away for 2 weeks, no phone priviledges, he has to miss scouts tomorrow (obviously to finish his assignment), and I made him write 30 times "I will listen to my mother" and then 20 times "I will not forget my Word Study again" in one sitting. So this obviously isn't about just the word study. I guess it's the straw that broke this camel's back. He broke the news to me today that he forgot again with... a smile. A smile. My face just burned up. Yes, my hormones are in overload, but I had to just walk away from this. I came downstairs to be greeted by a backpack, a pair of shoes, and a lunchbox thrown on the floor. Steam began rising from the top of my head.... And then I cried. As I cried, I went through the daily questions: Where do your shoes go? What do you do with your lunchbox? Where do you put your backpack? Where do you hang your coat? I know he was expecting agitation from me, but my gasket blew and I was all waterworks. I know I shouldn't do this in front of my kids, but I felt like an absolute failure for not being able to properly teach simple concepts to a 9-YEAR-OLD.

Well, homework got finished and the only thing I haven't tried for a punishment was sitting in the corner. So I moved a chair to the corner of the kitchen and told him to sit down until I told him he could get up. That was 2 hours and 1 minute ago. Yes, he has been in the corner for 2 hours. I gave him a book to read and I gave him a nice supper on my best tv tray. I also opened a blind for him to look outside. I had a nice talk with him and he seemed to actually understand why he was sitting there. He did have a mild tantrum 42 minutes in and I almost caved. Almost. Yes, I feel horrible to doing this, but I feel like this punishment will be remembered more than a spanking or getting yelled at. I've had to leave the area here and there to cry some more because I felt bad, but then I had to remind myself that he wasn't tied down or gagged or starving or whatever. He was taking that pill that needed swallowing. Am I a mean mom? Probably. Do I love my son?! More than anything. But sometimes being mean is the only road to take.

Friday, March 4, 2011

A Random Funny

I usually post funny sayings of the kids on the side panel, but I just had to share this one. The boys are getting used to the idea of having another boy added to the mix. They desperately wanted a sister... at least Corbin and Hunter did. Dane doesn't care, I don't think. Anyways- Corbin and I were studying together for a Science Test last night and we took a break for a minute... This is how the conversation went:

Corbin: What are you going to name the baby?

Me: Well, we've decided to name him Talon Barrett. Did you know where Barrett came from?

Corbin: Where?

Me: Well, since Daddy likes guns so much, he got it from a gun called the Barrett 50 caliber.

Corbin: Blankness in his face

Corbin: What does "Talon" mean? It sounds familiar.

Me: Talon is like the claw of an Eagle, ya know. (I'm laughing now because his face is so distorted from hearing this information)

Corbin: Why would you give the baby such a violent name?! You named him after an Eagle claw and a gun?

Me: Well, it's a cool name and we didn't name your brother after an Eagle claw... What should we have named him?

Corbin: Claude Fedrick Wilson. (My late grandpa's name)

I just enjoyed this little conversation. It made me see how really tender Corbin is under his facade of testosterone. He loves his brother already and said to me that he is glad that Talon will be with us soon. He and Hunter are even talking to my tummy now. Hunter calls him some weird made up name with an Indian sound to it. I know, kids are weird, but fun!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Drum Roll Please....

Today was the ultrasound for Baby #4.... da, da, da, da, daaaaa (I couldn't figure out how to spell a drum roll) We're having another BOY! Yes, we all know that a little girl would have been great, but I have developed a profound sense of gratitude with the coming of this news. I knew in the depths of my mind that this was going to be a boy, but I hung onto hope of a little girl (plus, I get so distracted by those cute hairbows little girls wear). When the technician said "he" I felt... honored. Shocked too. But really, really honored that Heavenly Father would trust me with another of His sons to raise during increasingly trying times here on Earth. My boys are going to be future Priesthood holders, missionaries, Husbands, Fathers, upstanding citizens... That's a lot to think about and a big job to undergo, but one with purpose! It brings me great happiness to know that the Lord has confidence in my abilities as a mother and confidence in Matt as a Father and roll model for these guys. I look forward to what's to come and I am excited to meet my new guy in the next few months!

Friday, February 25, 2011

My Youngest Baby is 3!

Yes, I know I am way late posting this one, but life has a way of getting a little overwhelming at times, right? So Dane turned 3 on February 15th. He is my love child. :) We didn't do much that day. We all went to the gym and Matt and the boys swam at the pool. They had a great time and afterwards we went to Dane's favorite restaurant... Yep, Chic-fil-a once again. The pool famished him and he ate an entire 6 nuggets kids meal and some ice cream. He was content afterward. The real festivities were the following Sunday at Nana'a house. He picked out Lightning McQueen plates to have his cake on. We actually had brownies b/c Dane lurves them. :) I once again forgot a camera, so my mom has this birthday on hers. Dane got lots of clothes for summer, a Tom and Jerry movie (his faaavvooorite), a Thomas pillow, and a ride on motorcycle. He also got some play-doh and another ball. Another successful birthday under our belts this year! Happy Birthday to my sweet Dane! Mom loves you so much!



side note: Dane has been potty-trained since about a week before his birthday. He took off that pull-up and never looked back. He's doing great except for the going #2- but I think we are getting that under control now and well on our way to success! Yay for Dane!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

My Oldest baby is 9!

So in all my busy glory, I didn't do Corbin's birthday post yesterday. Corbin turned 9 years old and I'd say we had yet another successful birthday. We began pre-birthday celebrations on Sunday at my mom's house for dinner. Corbin requested spaghetti for his birthday meal, so we feasted on that. We sang Happy Birthday and he got lots of presents. He was very happy with his haul. Yesterday, we went to Target to spend his gift cards and money he got. He bought another DS game... I know, right?! So after wreaking havoc in Target, we ended the evening at Ruby Tuesdays for Corbin's real birthday dinner. He got his very own 7 oz steak, brocolli, mozzarella sticks, grapes, and cleansed his palet with vanilla ice cream and extra cherries on top. Yep, he ate it all! In between courses, he played his new Pokeman game and was in Heaven! (We never let him play at the table anywhere) He looked up at me and said, "Mama, this is the best day of my life!" SUCCESS! So, to round out the celebrations, Dane and I came up to the school to have a belated birthday lunch with Corbin and let him share a treat with his classmates. Popsicles, of course- he got several pats on the back for that. :) Meredith (his cute little girlfriend) came and sat with us. She was his chosen guest. And finally, in two days time, Corbin and Hunter will be heading off to the happiest place on Earth- Disney World! Nana and Papa had an urge and decided to take the four oldest grandkids with them. Can't fight those urges. :) So Happy Birthday to my darling boy, Corbin! Glad you had a great 9th celebration and cheers to many more! Mom loves you more than bunnies!

Friday, January 28, 2011

A Summary

Is January already over with?! I can not believe it! I'm going to vow to be better at blogging. I realize I don't have to have anything epic to write on and I attempts at comedy are usually futile so...

January in a wrap up session:

We spent the first days of January in Warner Robins with Matt's family. A good time was had by all.

I did my usual volunteering at the school and helped with duty-free lunch. I always like going and hanging out with Corbin's class at lunch. Kids are soooo gross, but always entertaining to say the least.

The weekend of January 8 brought us a little snow, which cancelled school for Monday and then Tuesday, don't forget Wednesday... and Thursday! Friday was school holiday and so was the following Monday. So let's count. 10 days of no school right after they got off of winter break. It wasn't so bad, but the 10th-13th, we were pretty much housebound. The 3 or so inches of snow we got on Monday actually froze over and made the outside conditions less than functional- at least here in SC. EVERYTHING was shut down. Have mercy. I know that the boys got cabin fever, but we managed. We had lots of food and we stayed warm. They played out in the snow on Monday and no, I'm not prepared for this type of weather. I put plastic bags on their feet to keep them water-proof and we had no gloves so we gave them hand warmers. Baaaaddd, I know. I will be prepared next time.

I've been feeling really run down physically. I had a little burst of energy that last about a week and then that whole feeling like I got hit by a truck came back. I could sleep where I stood. I fell asleep all the time whenever I got a free minute. I felt like I took sleep aids and was fighting the sleep that they are supposed to bring. Miserable, I tell ya. So, it all came to a head around the 20th. Taking a shower and minding my business, started feeling a little nauseated and then these pretty black spots started filling my vision. Next thing I know, I'm waking up on the floor of my stand up only shower with my arm hanging out of the open door. My elbow was bleeding and I couldn't even gather a thought. I stood up and finished my shower (a little freaked out to say the least) and then I later that morning, I ended up at the doctor b/c I felt so terrible! To sum it all up- nothing was wrong. Everything was fine. Blood counts, urine, everything. Chalked it up to low blood pressure. ok. At least I can feel it coming and do something to stop it now. In other baby news- went for my 16 week appointment yesterday and everything is going well. I've gained like 4 pounds total according to my chart, baby has a good strong heartbeat and on March 3rd, we find out what we're having! Exciting times.

The boys are doing really well. Dane has become quite the dirty little fighter. He jammed Hunter's finger and can pretty much hold his own in a brawl. He's all about Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry. He's really into mega blocks right now. He loves nursery at church. And he likes to pretend that he is a puppy- we are forced to call his food "puppy food". I will start potty training him after I finish this set of diapers. He's beyond ready to train, I've just been a little unmotivated.

Hunter is thriving in pre-school. He knows his address and phone number. He loves a little girl name McKayla because she is so pretty. :) He is all about his muscles and wants so desperately to have big ones. This need has caused him to randomly drop to the ground and pump out some push ups. Hilarious. He's serios too, though. The other day, I came into the living room to find him with his legs on the couch while he was busy pumping out some push ups on the floor. I didn't teach him any of this, but if that helps with the testerone I'm not gonna knock it. He is also obsessed with wearing the double shirt look (long sleeve shirt under the short sleeve shirt). You're only cool if you wear 2 shirts according to the book of Hunter. And jeans. Only jeans. And if they're torn in the knee all the better. Those are his only preferences, so I'm okay. I'll draw the line at black eye liner. Hunter is sick right now. First time all season. Crazy fevers, no appetites, and lethargy. No push ups to report for that last couple of days... but he did report to me that the whole in his armpit is getting deeper (when he flexes) LOL!

Corbin is so over 3rd grade. He is enjoying his class this year though. He has a good teacher and I like that she is nice, but no nonsense. He has a girlfriend named Meridith. They were in 1st grade together too. He said that her friends get mad at her because she always wants to talk to him at lunch instead of them. It's only 3rd grade, so I'm not gonna sweat it for right now. She a cute kid and she hugs me every time I come to the class. I'm a sucker, I know. Corbin quit wrestling- just wasn't his thing. I think he's more of a lover, not a fighter. ;) He has joined the scout troop in our ward though. We've been bad about taking him and after some thought, Matt and I have decided to give the scouting program another go. Corbin is really into Italian ice right now for snacks. Outside of eating and sleeping (and when he doesn't get it taken away) he is playing his ds and wreaking havoc. :)

I was supposed to write a short blog entry, but I guess that didn't work out. We're good, happy, and healthy (except for Hunter right now). Matt has become a work out god and health food fanatic- which I will not knock. I'm very proud of him and he looks great! I even gave him his own shelf in the fridge so his food won't get lost in the shuffle. Take care to everyone!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December Trend Alert!

**Beats my forehead on the keyboard** I took a total of zero pictures this Christmas. I don't know what happened. The thought honestly never occurred to me. sigh. Christmas was really nice. It was a very busy day and I couldn't wait for it to end, but I think it was a very successful day and a good time was had by all.

So, onto December Trend Alert

-Legos (Hunter), Plasma Car (Dane), Anything Kung Zhu related- toys, ds, anything (Corbin) **Dane calls the Kung Zhu's Bakugan... makes me laugh

-Diary of a Wimpy Kid- the movie- I must say, this movie is quite funny. The boys have watched it at least once a day since Christmas and they still laugh at it hysterically like the first time and now Corbin has begun saying the lines along with the actors.

-Dispicable Me- this movie, I think, has moved itself to the top tier of favorite animation movies for me... the kids loved it too!

-Dexter- Matt and I finally sat down and watched Season 1 and 2 on Netflix. Wow! I see what all the hype was about. This show is a little dark, but funny, but a little showtime-esque. It's a little rough, but the storyline is fun!

-Pudding

-Clementines-I've discovered that Hunter really likes these... and I eat 5+ a day. They are so good!

-Scripture Study- We started this a few weeks back. Some nights are good, some nights are not very successful. But I'm glad to be doing it and I really think long term, this will be invaluable to all of us as a family.

-"Ding!" while holding his index finger up- Hunter says this when you say something that he likes or may want. Example- Me: "Hunter, would you like to have an orange?" Hunter: "Ding!"

-"Zoo Wee Mama!"- Thanks to Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season! See you next year!