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The big kids were never, ever allowed to have gum when they were little. Thoughts of gum in hair, carpet, couches, clothes, and car seats led me to tell my kids that gum was an exotic, adult-only delicacy. Fortunately, Phoenix is a gullible kid, so we were able to keep that ruse going until Buttercup ruined it around...maybe...age 10. Even once they knew about it, I never bought it for them. As a result, no one knows how to blow bubbles. I'm pretty sure I cannot claim the title "Fun Mom" for that reason alone.
Cuckoo has been allowed to chew gum since he turned 5, and he's been asking me to teach him to blow a bubble ever since. After a week of sessions, this as far as he's gotten.
Reminds me of the time I tried to teach my grandma how to blow a bubble. She looked just like that.
*********** 2 **********
Can't tell you how much I hate to buy eggs. We go through at least 3 dozen a week, and those eggs not laid by my chickens aren't anywhere near as good as the ones to which we have become accustomed. And the vegetarian-fed chicken ones I've been seeing annoy me. Chickens aren't naturally vegetarians. They love to eat bugs. I know this vegetarian thing means there aren't any animal-byproducts in the food. Chickens don't naturally eat dead animals, either. The cage-free but no sunshine bugs me, too. I'm guessing it all just annoys me because I'm buying eggs. I'll get over it in about 4-5 months when our chicks are full grown.
************* 3 ***********
Since it seems I'm never going to get to tell the whole story, and we're weeks past the event anyway, I'll just give you the quick version of Cuckoo's birthday dinner.
5:30: As we are heading out the door to his restaurant of choice, Cuckoo tells me his stomach hurts. I tell him he's fine, as he has been fine all day long.
6:15: We are a family of 8 squished into a booth made for 6 small people (Think airplane seating without the personal space armrests afford.) when our food is brought to the table.
6:16: Cuckoo doesn't eat a bite and doesn't balk when siblings eat some of the chips off of his plate.
6:17: Cuckoo vomits nice and quietly and neatly and profusely onto his plate of food.
6:17:02: Buttercup draws all the attention Cuckoo was kind enough to NOT draw by screeching over and over, "I'm going to be sick! That is so gross! Get me out of here!"
6:17:10: Giant calmly and quietly states, "Well, I guess we won't be eating any more of his chips."
Basically, just another time in our family history where our kids make a very public display of illness.
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FYI to anyone who has refused to step up and volunteer: When I finally agree to be the communications person because no one else will, don't, I repeat DON'T, then come to me and tell me what I should do as the communications person. Just don't.
*********** 5 **********
So, I have an iPad and the big kids have old iPods. Recently, Giant started using iMessages to text his friends. His friends do group texts. A LOT. Until after Giant goes to bed and even in the morning after Giant has headed off to school. I normally wouldn't care, but I do now. My iPad dings every single time one of them texts. My iPad is full of messages between 12 year olds.
Even worse, any time I message my friend in Japan, Giant gets it. I don't need my 12 year old getting texts between my friend and me.
Anyone know what to do about this?
*********** 6 **************
Still mighty sad about having all my kids in school. I ran into someone I haven't seen for a while while at the grocery store. She said it took a minute for her to recognize me, because I didn't have any kids with me. When I told her that they were all in school, she actually started to cry. Of course that meant I started crying. Right there in the middle of the baking aisle.
I bought cake.
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I bought cake, because we are celebrating our third of three birthdays in 2 weeks. Giant's birthday is today! I bet you can't tell how old he is today...
And with this, I can officially say I used to be a cake decorator. I no longer take more than 5 minutes to add some color and sprinkles to the birthday cakes. Lamedy lame lame.
However, in 2 weeks, I'll be spending approximately 3 days to make Bryan's beloved birthday red cake. That makes up for all of the lameness the boys endured.
And with that, I'm done. If you have the time, head on over to Jen's to take a gander at her (and some of the many linker uppers) 7 Quick Takes!
Have a lovely day!
1. Love the bubble-blowing attempts! I'm a mean mom like you. I never buy it.
ReplyDelete2. I agree with you about the eggs. When our hens take some time off, it kills me to buy eggs.
3. I think incidents like that are inevitable in large families. We still won't ever go back to Home Town Buffet due to a similar incident.
4. I hope that person got your message loud and clear. You are, after all, the communications VOLUNTEER.
5. Who knew that party lines still existed?
6. Hugs to you.
7. Happy birthday to Giant! I'm lamedy lame lame when it comes to cake decorating, too. I think the cake looks just fine. In fact, better than fine because it is actually more than one layer and is out of the pan!
1. I chew gum in the car, but that's it. Mean moms unite!
Delete2. Here we are, feeding chickens, and having to buy eggs. It's just not right.
3. Ha! We had the worst vomit experience ever at a diner back in our hometown. I want to hear about the HTB incident. (BTW, Hometown buffet was one of our regular spots when the kids were little. No waitress and lots of choices.)
4. There were actually 2 offenders. I think we're good now. :)
5. Ha!
6. Thanks.
7. That made me laugh. Out loud.
Ah that is an important stage of bubble blowing. Way to go! I swore off gum years ago. Kidzilla knows what it is, but I have her convinced it's disgusting. Plus, it nearly all has dye, which she can't have, so...she's good about that.
ReplyDeleteThe eggs would annoy me like crazy. I get irritated enough when we can't get the direct-from-farm ones at the farmer's market.
The dinner thing? Wow. I probably would have been the one screaming, though. I don't do vomit and I'm a sympathy puker. So you can see how that would've turned out.
Don't you hate when people do that??? Honestly. If they can do such a better job, then hand it over to them. Watch how fast they shut up.
The iPad thing...I asked my resident Tech Geek and he started saying things about SMS signals being cross and I said how about in layman's terms and he said you'd get the messages if you were part of one of the groups at some point. Other than that, he said he'd have to look it up. I suspect if you want him to and I remind him to he absolutely will. At the moment, he's fighting his way through an online course orientation but he's tired and losing the battle.
The thing in the supermarket aisle would've done me in - and the cake is well-deserved
And finally, happy birthday to Giant! Looks like a good cake to me, though...I am always impressed with people who can do more than one layer. Me...not so much.
My other grandma tells of when gum first came out. Her family was too poor to buy any, so to be cool, they would chew the tar they picked off the road. Can you even imagine?? And this is my grandma who is, and comes from a long line of, OCDish neatfreaks.
DeleteYour sympathy puking reminds me of a movie...I can't remember which one, but it was during an eating contest and one kid threw up and a bunch more followed. Gross. I hope Kidzilla never vomits in public, then.
I really do hate it. Feel free to do such things yourself, I say.
Thank you for asking him. Don't bother with him looking it up. We'll figure something out.
What is so hard about 2 layers? A couple of tips...Put the bottom layer upside down on the plate. Ice the bottom. When you put the top layer on, the flat sides match up and your top layer won't crack. Perhaps I should do a video tutorial one day...
We had the same problem (ours with iphones... don't get me started on how getting an iphone for my teenager was a major fail) and solved it by going into settings, messages and then iMessage. You can disconnect the phone numbers that way without disconnecting the devices from your itunes account. (The other way is to give everyone their own itunes account.) HTH. Blessings, Annie
ReplyDeleteThank you! Thank you! I will give it a try as soon as the boy gets home.
DeleteI was going to comment the same thing. When I first got my IPhone all facetime call were coming in on the phone and not my computer, so in the imessage setting you can add/disable any phone number or email address you want too. You would think apple would have solved that by now!
DeleteOh I don't think you have to worry about not being the "Fun Mom" -- you've got that sooooo covered! And you make a large family sound like fun. The dinner thing, though :-\ -- let's just say I, too, am a sympathy puker! :D
ReplyDeleteAw, well thank you, Jean. Glad you weren't anywhere near us that night at dinner, then.
DeleteSorry, just found this comment in my spam file. No clue how it got there.
Loved the video of the attempts at blowing bubbles. He's got a long way to go. Too cute.
ReplyDeleteOh the eating out thing. Yep, you won't be going back there again. Or perhaps you will.
Thanks for all the chuckles this morning.
Have a fabulous day and weekend. ☺
I don't know if he has enough patience yet to stick with it, but we'll see. He does have a long way to go.
DeleteHa! Funny you should mention that. I actually took him back to the same restaurant for lunch one day, just the two of us, since he didn't get to eat the last time. As we went in he said, "I don't really like this place." :)
You're welcome! Thanks for always stopping in and chatting with me!
Happy Birthdays to All! Poor, poor Cuckoo.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeletePoor Cuckoo didn't even want his cake and ice cream that night. He just went straight to bed.
I also hate hate hate buying eggs! Our hens almost make enough eggs for our family but it drives me nuts when 2 decide not to lay and then all of a sudden we're needing to buy the lame-o store bought eggs. And I have neighbors and friends who would love to buy our eggs but my silly kids keep wanting to, ya know, eat breakfast and stuff. I think the moral of the story is that more chickens are needed :) Though you have 25 so I'd think you have plenty of eggs! How many are laying currently?
ReplyDeleteOh and your non-cake-decorating cake looks better than my cake-decorating-attempts so your boys are super lucky!
Get more chickens! For sure!
DeleteWe don't have any laying at the moment. We had a horrible disaster while on vacation and lost our entire flock. We're starting over, and the chicks are only a month old. But, when they do start laying, I will become the crazy egg lady, trying to get rid of the 20 dozen eggs piling up in my fridge. We sell them to a variety of people around school.
Considering I put my husband through his first year of law school as a cake decorator, my standards have dropped considerably. And by the looks of your post, you can make a mean angel food cake!
Bummer about the eggs.
ReplyDeleteThat makes me laugh about the gum. I had my kids convinced that Mountain Dew was beer for YEARS until someone set them straight.
Our cake decorating skills look on par now;)
Big bummer.
DeleteHa! Who? Who would debunk that myth??
Glad to be in such good company.
I thought I left you a comment when I first read the post ...anyway I do not buy gum for the kids mainly because of their teeth - another reason why especially for Amelia is that girl knows how to snap that gum - not very lady-like (but guess what dad buys them gum- arrgh).
ReplyDeleteDuring our last lag of our adoption we needed to stop in Moscow for medical clearance, and visas two nights and when we arrived in Moscow that afternoon we settled in the hotel and made plans to eat at TGIF (we thought kid-friendly- which is really not the case in Moscow - not too many families go out to dinner with their kids there) So while we were waiting for our dinner - both James and Amelia passed out - talk about stares, and smirks - we stayed ate and let them sleep! LOL You had to see us each carry a kid out of the restaurant - too funny! I am certain that home grown everything is the best - #wishIcanliveonafarmwithoutcritters- #justacitygallol
Wishing your son and hubby a great birthday!
Ha! I only chew gum when I'm driving because I snap my gum horribly. No one hears it except my kids, so I'm good. Of course Dad buys the gum. Bryan does and lets the kids do all sorts of things I don't. Every single time I make a sandwich for Cuckoo, I have to hear, "Dad always makes me a whole sandwich." Always would be once every other week. Ugh.
DeleteI'm pretty sure I would have left the kids sleeping, too. I bet you got lots and lots of looks that night. Wonder how many were thinking, "and that's why we don't bring our kids out!" :)
Did you just say you want to live on a farm without critters? You mean like mice? If that's the case, you should probably just stay in the city. :) How about a little container garden?
Thanks!
yes exactomento- hey I know my issues - :)
DeleteMe, too. I pretty much have it down by now. I've made at least 40 of them over the years.
ReplyDeleteAs for the non-volunteers, thanks for the sympathy annoyance. I was really peeved with a couple of them.
Thanks. Cake is good, but green icing with sprinkles is not. I filled up on ice cream instead. :)