Wednesday, January 30, 2008

the TERRIBLE TWOSOME strike again!

If you liked my last entry than you will love this one!

I have tried to make a little personal goal to load the dishwasher right away, instead of piling dishes in the sink all day. This was mostly done as a small way to respect my hubby. He likes the sink to be empty all the time. He tries to let me know that it only takes 30 seconds a dish and would hardly change my day at all.

So I tried the dish method. It took aboiut 7 minutes total to pick up the kitchen after a late lunch, and then to rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher. Graham and Jocelyn had gone up to her room to play. I could here them rocking in her chair through the floor. So seven minutes after they left my sight, I went upstairs to join in the fun and this is what I found.

That is diaper rash cream rubbed into the carpet and Jocelyn's princess chair(the front of the chair was much worse). When I saw the mess I made a huge gasp startling my hiding children who then rushed out to see if I was okay. That is when I realized my kids had been hiding double lives as ghosts!






I had obviously caught them during their transformation! LOL

I quickly tossed them in the tub and began the first of what whould be 4 washings to get the cream out of their hair. It was really close to the time I needed to leave to go get Riley from school, so I was trying my best to hurry the job along. In the rush to get everyone out of the tub, I ended up with wet clothes myself. I dried the kids off, got them dressed, and then ran to my room and changed my shirt. This took less than 2 minutes. When I came rushing out of my room ready to pile the kids in the car I had a big surprise waiting for me...




ASHES! Surprise! They had played in the fire place!( not pictured is Jocelyn who was hiding between the couch and the wall). and yes those are ashes in Graham's mouth! So I had to give them both full sink baths before we could go pick Riley up from school. We were the LAST car through the pick up line, but we made it.

Just another day of Crime fighting.
The Terrible Twosome v. Marvelous Mom!

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Why I started this blog!

I started this blog at the encouragement of friends who love to hear the ridiculous stories that happen at our home, crazy things that would only happen to us! Yesterday was a perfect example of the chaos I would like to calm!

We are in hard core potty training mode over hear. Jocelyn does NOT like to sit on the potty. Graham likes to be big, so he enjoys the potty. Every time Jocelyn goes potty, then Graham screams "meeeeee" and bangs on his own tummy. Yesterday started great we made it to the potty in the morning ( and earned an eye patch for her pirate costume). Then Graham went also, all was well. By midday we were dragging. Jocelyn had a Messy accident which made her so sad, and also made her lose her focus. Later I let her sit on the potty and I pulled a tv tray up to the potty so she could color while she sat. She sat and sat and sat. She seemed so content, so I made a choice I would later regret. I left the bathroom while she sat and colored and I went to my own bathroom. When I came back I heard loud noises and even louder laughter! I ran to the half bathroom and there they were....... my adorable children playing together....by dropping 64 crayons into the potty! ICK! I was so grossed out. As I tried to encourage myself to stick my hand into the now crayon filled tinkle water, I decided I should give them some lunch to distract them while I did the cleaning.

I made the kids some mac and cheese gave them two bowls and then began looking for some disposable gloves that I could put on my hand to clean the potty. Meanwhile the terrible twosome had other plans. They smacked their bowls on the floor spilling hundreds of cheese covered noodles in all directions, stepping on them as they ran away laughing.

Crayons put on hold. Cheese mess first. So I am cleaning the cheese mess, when I heard a sound I was beginning to dread. LAUGHTER! I find Graham at the dinning room table pouring lentils from my glass candle holders onto the floor! I am so torn! What mess to clean up first. I decide that the cheese mess still reigns supreme. So back to the kitchen I go when I hear a LOUD clanking and the sound of shattered glass. Graham has shattered the 1 1/2 inch thick glass holders all over himslef and the floor.

NEW PLAN. Glass , cheese, tinkle crayons. I start vaccumming the glass and lentils . I go back to get the cheese mess. And I head toward the potty. Things are looking up.....or so I thought. That is when Jocelyn gets the craft bucket and opens it up. I agree to let her use the markers while I answer a call from the DR. BAD IDEA ( I am just full of those today). Jocelyn and Graham open up the glitter( I had NO idea they could open that container, I can't even do it sometimes), they had poored it all over the floor( 2 colors) they had taken the marker tops off, Jocelyn had attempted to turn herself into Barney by coloring her arms and hands almost solidly purple, and she had taken the time to color Graham's red and yellow little tikes car purple as well. Last but certianly not least they had dumped out the hundreds of sequins and foam cut outs that come along with the craft bucket!

It is about that time that Bruce gets home from work and asks what's for dinner. I could not help it! I laughed out loud! AS IF i could manage to have done that too! He had to live on leftovers! It was all I could muster! Luckily, My hubby is awesome and while I warmed the leftovers he was on sequin duty! ANd while I scrubbed Jocelyn's arms and cleaned the car, he did the dishes. Sometime during all this turmoil, I managed to get Riley home from school and to do 3 days worth of homework in one day.

mmmm.. not even a second to sit and think yesterday. Today we have started well. One time on the potty down, a new pirate gold necklace earned. and one viewing of the 1960's era Batman movie starring "the doker, and penwin, and cat one, and the riller"{ joker, penguin, cat woman, and the riddler}. This is bound to be a better day!

Friday, January 11, 2008

What's up, blogosphere? I've never blogged before. This is my first blog. I don't know if I'm going to do this right. I'm totally behind the times: No texting, just figured out what you tube was all about, and I cannot — cannot — get my darn Bluetooth to work (it is a good thing I keep my technology genius hubby around to take care of all those things), And I've never blogged. I feel like an 80-year-old going online for the first time. Scary. So here goes. I'm about to blog. Look at me... blogging.

Well, getting back into the routine of school and work has been hard now that the holidays are over. It is only the 11th day of 2008 and we have already had a sleepover, 2 parties, 2 birthday parties, 1 couples bible study, 3 detailed discussions about the woes of the world, 1 anniversary and 1 funeral. 2008 has had a very busy beginning.

We are really hoping to simplify this year. Last year was filled with activity after activity and commitment after commitement! This year we want to get to spend more time together. The older your kids get the more you realize how hectic life can really be!

We have made some new years resolutions this year, a tradition we had skipped in the past.

1) More "Collins Family Fun" days- these are simple days where we can wake up on a weekend with no commitments to be anywhere or do anything. Then as a family over breakfast we pick a big activity for the day ( beach, zoo, park, picnic,movie day, etc.)

2) more traveling- with a 2 year old and a 1 year old it is a LOT of work to go almost anywhere. But this year they are turning 2 and 3 and to Bruce and I those numbers mean FREEDOM, long awaited freedom! We are planning a big family trip to Disneyworld with our dear friends and their children. Along with a trip to Napa Valley and to lake tahoe without kids! Hooray for trips with kids AND without.

3) More saying NO! - a word I scarcely use. I will be taking a break from being the go to PTA mom, the go to room mom, being at every bday party for every kid who has ever come into contact with any of my children,etc. That alone should free up more time!

There are others, but just in case I fail at them, no need to have them be made public for everyone to see! :)

Well, there it is my first blog. A window into the first 11 day of our year!

Enjoy and welcome to our family!