Chloe Moments...

Riding home from the pediatrician's this morning Chloe was deep in thought. This is what she had to say...

Chloe: When you die is Heaven fun?
WHOA. This is a doozy at  9 am.
Me: I don't know. I've never been dead. I've heard that Heaven is pretty great though, lots of fun.

Chloe: I was scared that I was going to cough forever and go to Heaven and not on vacation to Disney. (Ahhh...Disney. The true concern.) I'm glad that the docker said I'm alright.

Me: I'm glad about that too babe....and you weren't going to die because of a cough. Mommy would make sure that you were getting better.

TOPIC CHANGE:

Chloe: What does it mean to be wise?

Me: ...That you give good advice (Oops, too big of a word...simplify). You tell people things that help them and people ask you many questions because they know that you are smart.

Chloe: (smiling at me through the mirror) Daddy is a wiiiiiise man.

...AND ONTO THE NEXT CHLOE THOUGHT.

Chloe: Addi spends most of her money. She likes to buy stuffed animals and candy with her money, A LOT.

Me: Yes, she does.


Chloe: I save my money. Grace saves her money.

Me: Yes, you do. Everyone is different. Addi likes to buy things with her money. That's ok.

Chloe: She'll learn. Maybe you and Daddy will teach her someday.

Me: We are trying Chlo, really...Don't worry.

She didn't look convinced.

NEXT TOPIC...no real transition here.

Chloe: It's nice to have children. You will never be alone if you have children. You can be with each other your whole life...and never be lonely.

I kept driving, smiling at her words...but not saying a word.

Chloe: It's hard to be the parent of three kids. It's a lot of hard work!

Me: Yes, but it's also a lot of fun! We get to go to the beach with you, play with you and bring you to great places like Disney!

Chloe: I want to be a Mommy when I grow up.

NEXT SUBJECT...

Chloe: I was really good at the docker. Can I get a donut? Maybe we can have a date...just you and me. Mommy Chloe time is a good idea. My sithters had time. (please note: These are not typos. This is Chloe speak. She has a cute lisp and baby blabbers a few words still. They will be missed when they disappear.)

Me: Oooh...a date. That is a good idea. You were very good for Dr. Gina. I think that you deserve a donut, but Mommy has to stop at the store first and get shorts for our trip, ok?

Chloe: Oh, no. Ok. But fast!~

Me: Deal!

20 minutes later, in K-Mart. (Not my ideal place to shop, but it was right around the corner. Fashion police forgive me.)

I was trying on some Selena Gomez (surprisingly cute stuff) brand shorts and jumpers...yes, jumpers. Who knew that my favorite attire at age seven would be a fashion "yes" thirty years later. I am beyond thrilled! It makes getting ready in the morning that much easier...one comfy piece...TA DA!!! JOY.

Chloe wasn't thrilled.
When I asked her what she thought of the coral, tropically patterned one piece, that I was hopping around in she said,"I don't want to do this. I have a better idea. Let's get a donut!"

Great delivery!
Clear.
Concise.

I laughed.
Could it be possible that my five year old aged thirty years over night?
My head snapped out of 1982. Did my little girl just reel me back in?

Yes, Chloe...
It was donut time.
Thanks for putting up with your silly Mama.

We covered the gamut of topics heavier than lead.
My oh my, my Chloe is wise.
She picks out the best donuts too!

Saturday...Ahhhhhh.

They have toured the globe...
...going from stadiums to living rooms with ease.
This Saturday they made a welcomed appearance in my house...
Yes, folks the Black Eyed Peas have landed.
My children have welcomed them with open arms, Wii remotes ready to rock out!

After weeks of beachin' Saturdays have become a day of beautiful nothingness.
It's time for us to soak up the aloe, detox from the salt and just BE. We are enjoying our little grey house and it's contents.
...So strange to write gray rather than green.
I'll get used to it eventually.
Some fights have erupted over the course of the morning...
Why can't Chloe be a dog? Why does Grace get to be the only dog in the game?
Do I have answers to these questions? NOPE. But I do my faking Mama best...
This sounds good. I remember my Mom saying this a lot...
**Girls you need to work this out on your own, nicely. There's no reason why you can't all get along.** 
I may have bought myself five minutes. 
Nope...
Addi needs to stop telling Chloe what to do.
Chloe feels left out thanks to not being allowed to be a dog.
Grace follows along with who ever is winning the argument.
...that would be Addi today.
Chloe will be resourceful and this will have a happy, hopefully fair outcome.
For now the halls are peaceful.

I'm sipping my coffee at the kitchen table. The fresh scent of Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena Counter Top Spray lingers in the air.
Can all Saturday mornings please be like this? (--Minus the power struggles.)
I take a deep inhale, loving the smell. The light is drifting through the bay window, making great attempts to weave through layers of cloud coverage.

Our house has been transported to the middle of a forest glen. We are fortunate to live in a wooded area nestled in the midst of a grid of cozy streets and avenues. It feels like morning magic at its best. A have a vision! Today is the perfect day for the Village Farmer's Market.

POP.
Suddenly my thoughts are broken.
"LET THE...LET THE...BEAT...THIS PARTY'S ROCKIN' ROCKIN'"
Hello Black Eyed Peas!

This is a Lemon Verbena HOUSE PARTY!
Our beats are jammin'!! Yeah...Pumpin' pumpin'!
They were moving so fast trying to keep up with Fergie that they became blurrs and streaks on my camera. --Note: Lightning is unfazed by the action. Poor dog.

Saturdays Rock.
Let's keep em' rockin' rockin'!!
...My inner dork just took over.

Humor and Admiration in Small Places

Over the years the kids have blurted out some great stuff.
I'm having another of those great, laugh to myself moments.
Why didn't my Mom and Dad ever tell me that being a parent could supply endless laughter?
It's oh so nice to sit at my kitchen table, by myself and chuckle.
Let's face it parenthood also lends itself to unlimited amounts of fits, tantrums, scrapes, bruises (for kids and adults), restless nights and exhausted days!! The funny moments should be like your favorite ice cream. --Enjoy every sweet, melty lick.

La Di Da Di Da...
Ho Hummm...
Now that I've gotten that out of my system let's get back to the "stuff."

Just the other day, while at the beach, Grace had a great moment. Julia and I nearly choked on sea water   because of this one.

She swam up to me, arms flapping, legs kicking wildly and announced:

Did you see me? I was focuntrating really hard and I did it!

Me: You were what?

I was focuntrating and I did it!

Me: Oh...focus and concentrating.

Yes...focuntrating.

Me: Oh yeah, I saw. Good job focuntrating.

...FOCUNTRATING is now one of my favorite made up words.

During that next soccer game, tee-ball game or tennis match don't forget to cheer and shout: FOCUNTRATE!! FOCUNTRATE! (To my cousin Amy...Don't forget this at Amanda's next travel team soccer game.)

Yesterday Chloe had gymnastics.
THE CHALLENGE: Climb the knotted rope to the top (20 ft) and honk the horn.
Chloe sat, politely raising her hand when the coaches asked for the next volunteer.
I watched patiently, like my little girl as the kids that jumped to their feet, frantically waived their hands in air and bounced as if seizuring were chosen first.
One by one...
each little gymnast climbed.
One by one...
each floundered after a few knots, then nervously, fumbled back down the rope.
Chloe was last.
She didn't mind...I kinda did. -But that's a different story.
I watched with another Mom as Chloe proved herself a true champ!
She climbed the rope with ease and grace.
With each knot grabbed she was sure to glance in my direction and smile.
My Monkey had lived up to her nick name.
The other Mom commented," How did she do that so fast? She made it look so easy!"
I smiled,"That's my Chlo. She's fearless."
CHLOE HONKED THE HORN and slid down the length of the rope.
She high-fived her coach. The other kids crowded around her.
GO TINY! (Way to focuntrate baby!)
Coach Laura gave Chloe a certificate of achievement.
Chloe admired it as we drove home. Then my kiddo shared:

It's nice that I got this award. My friends did good jobs too. Maybe they'll get awards next time. That would be good. Their Mommy's are proud of them too.

Here's another shining example of how the next generation far exceeds the present one. My kids constantly amaze me. They are such good people.

Addi's humor can be best appreciated on paper. My eldest is typically found with a pen, marker or high lighter in hand and hoards of loose paper scattered about. There's so much creativity going on in that head of hers. She's practically bursting at the seems!
Addison walked up to me this morning...laughing to herself.

"Check this out! Do you think this is funny? This is sooo funny!"

THIS IS WHAT SHE GAVE ME:

It went very well with my morning coffee.

If you're having difficulty with the writing, the bird is saying,"Kids stay behind me and don't take a whif of that."

Addi later added a squirrel falling from the tree. The fumes were too much fort him. Behing the dead flower another dog was sketched in as well. He had an old fashioned, wooden clothespin on his nose. The text bubble read: Smell? I don't smell anything?!

She's so fast that my blog is now out dated and needs a photo upgrade!
SMILES ALL AROUND. - HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.

The Forth of July...Weste. Style

Today is the day that most ask the question,"How was your 4th of July?"

Here's my answer...

I made the mistake of staying up until 2 am. Typical of me, but dumb.
I realized that the bathing suits were wet and we didn't have a clean towel in the house!
 YIKES!! 
So there I was... DOING LAUNDRY while the rest of the world either slept or partied.
I tried to have a little bitty party of my own.
A bottle of my favorite white wine was popped open and a glass, make that two were happily poured.

Laundry and wine with HGTV. I am an animal.
Fast forward to the wee morning hours of the fourth...
I squint, I stretch... I notice that it's a crappy, rainy day.
I hear the kids watching cartoons in the next room.
Already!?
What time is it!?
7:30 am.
I roll back over and close my eyes. This tells me 2 things:
-I now get at least one more hour in bed.
-We won't be going to the annual Eaton's Neck Parade this morning.
A half hour goes by. I see that I was wrong about the first thing on my list.

Jim has woken me up.
 "There's no way that I'm standing in the rain for this parade."
I shrug,"That's what I thought." 
The kids have heard us. Our slumber party of two has been crashed.
 Addi: what kind of fourth of July is this? We don't get a parade?
 Chloe: It's just like every day now. No candy. No fireman place with hot dogs.
 Grace: This stinks. It's not actually special at all.
 Jim ignored these comments and strutted to the shower.
 My response: Well, we'll figure something out. We'll do something else fun.
 Frowns all around. One by one my kids saunter away. This tells me one thing:
COFFEE TIME! FAST!
I was really tired. What had I done to myself? But at least we had towels. God knows that we need towels. ...and coffee!!!
Jim walked out of the bathroom, took one look at me and laughed. "The rain was just what you needed today!You've gotta be loving this."
Me: "Ha ha ha. you're right." (But I really do love the parade....and the hot dogs afterward.)

We thought that the day was done, a wash out...
Then, at 9:50... the sun came out.
There was time for beach...
The fourth of July wasn't a lost cause!
There was a shred of tradition left to grab onto and boy did we kick it into overdrive.
Jim had the holiday off and miraculously didn't pay attention to his laptop today.

Yay!
Our little family was complete and ready for surf and sand.
The kids were thrilled.
They know our drill. The girls and I have been in beach mode for 2 weeks.
It took a mere 20 minutes to make 6 turkey and cheese wraps, fill the cooler with an assortment of fruit, chips, juice boxes and fresh water bottles, toss beach towels, beach chairs,beach toys (including jumbo shovels...must have those) and an umbrella into the car, suit the kids up and spray them with sun block. We are pros at ts point.
The kids even have a "spray stance."
Arms out, legs spread, mouths and eyes closed...
No, they are not being de-loused! It's sunblock time!
Spray. Spray.
Rotate.
Spray. Spray. Spray.
Gotta get above the stick out butts!
Danger zone! Extra spray required here.
Time to draw on the face with the sunblock stick.
Rub. Rub. Done!

The  Fourth of July Mission of 2012:

DIG. BUILD. DIG MORE. 
At one point everyone had a shovel or was scooping sand up with their hands or pushing it with feet.
Chloe and Gracie tackled castle building the old fashioned bucket way.
Jim attempted to re-route mother nature and win.
This has been an ongoing battle for 39 years.
I like to watch. It makes me laugh.
Then I sat back and took photos.
What is a holiday with out me clicking away?
Like most Long Islanders after the beach or boating we barbecue.
The BBQ went off with out a hitch.
Burgers. CHECK
Hot dogs. CHECK
BBQ glazed chicken wings. CHECK
Corn on the cob. OF COURSE!
Buns buns and more buns. YES.

Steamed mussels and oysters, thanks to Addi digging them up at the beach. -LOOKIN'SANDY BUT TASTING GREAT! (I must admit they grossed me out. If it weren't for Jim they would have rotted in their bucket.)
Lemonade. CHECK
OOPS!
Almost forgot the tater tots! What kind of Mom would I be with out this household staple?!
Trust me when I say always have tater tots stashed in your freezer.

We ate...the kids kind of ate...the dog ate like a King.
Showers then fireworks.
We might not have had a parade of firefighters, antique cars and candy tossing but the fireworks could complete the holiday. Hooray for tradition!

This year Jim and I were taking the girls to a viewing spot that I adore. It's a place where I had spent many childhood fourth's gazing at the sky.
I loved the idea of sharing this overlook with the kids.
The internet has caused this intimate spot, overlooking the harbor to become a tourist trap.

Lucky for us...
...the tourists didn't know where the fence openings were or where the best places to sit are!
I grabbed my bag, complete with glow sticks, flashlights and bug spray and ducked through a hole in the fence. (Wink...wink...this means we found a great spot.)
The blanket was spread out and we waited for the light show to begin.
The kids were ready.
We cracked open at least two dozen glow sticks.
The kids took the "stance" for bug spray.
We were all set.

It was time to chill out.
I couldn't wait until the fireworks started. I love fireworks!
Then Gracie started to cry...
and cry...and cry...and whine...and cry.
I rubbed her head. I swayed to imaginary music. The lulling and shushing didn't work.
She wailed louder.
"My eyes!!!! My eyes burn!!! They hurt!!! U- Uh- Uh- Ahhhhh!!!!"

Onlookers treid to be patient with the child ruining their magical moments.
A few looks were passed in my direction.
I ignored them...must be childless.
I thought to myself: Hey, listen, the sound of the ice cream man, blaring his crappy music on repeat is far worse than my daughter. Where did he go?!
Jim, Julia and the girls ignored the whining Grace.
Did they know us?
Guess not.
I don't blame them.
But damn it...help would have been great!
I ushered Gracie away.
"I wanna g-g-g-go h-h-ooomme. P-p-p-please Mom. My eyes hurt."
Me: Baby, you must have rubbed bugspray in them. I told you to keep your hands away from your face. (Why do we insist on telling our kids what they did wrong during moments of agony?! This doesn't help matters.) It'll be ok. I'll get water for your eyes...to wash them.

"Nooooo!!! Owwww...They hurt. I wanna go home."
Me: Ok...ok... (cuddle cuddle)

Shortly after this endearing, yet torturous moment the show was over. It was time for a mad dash into our car. Time to beat the traffic or be doomed to remain in Fourth of July Purgatory for at least an hour.
I grabbed Gracie.

Chloe and Addi were ahead of us.
Julia was standing on the side of the road playing traffic guard.
Jim revved the engine.

We cruised away.
It felt good to know that we were on our way home.
Memories...
One more for the books.
Grace was asleep as soon as her hiney landed in the booster seat. Chloe followed shortly after.
Addi was hyped up and determined to hang out with the adults for another adventure.
Little did she know that it was the middle of a work week and our idea of a party was closing our eyes.
She crashed on the couch moments after we arrived home. Boring, adult TV will do the trick every time.
It wasn't perfect but it was ours...

Happy Fourth of July!

Bike Safety 101...Weste. Style

Yesterday I posted a calm and collected writing. Luckily I didn't have the sanity or time to go back and edit!
The tone of the evening changed drastically after an attempted roller sakting, walking, bike riding, dog walking trip through the neighborhood.
---At times I feel that I am crazy to attempt such a feat.
How is it that my oldest, beloved child is my most wreckless?
Why is it that as I watch her my heart repeatedly leaps into my throat?
Julia was there too.
Her heart was doing the same jump as mine!

The heart trouble started before we left the driveway.
Here's one more WHY?...

WHY IS IT THAT DISASTER STRIKES WHENEVER I GO TO THE BATHROOM?

I feel doomed to be constipated for the next decade.

Chloe raced into the house yelling:

"Mom! MOm? Where are you?! Addi is being dangerooouuuuss!!!!"

Me (from behind a closed door): Oh no, what is Addi doing?

Chloe: She is doing circles in the street with out even looking!! She is dangerous. There are a lot of cars on our street. Julia is scared.

Me: She is not. (in slight disbelief)

Chloe: Uh huh...She is!

Me: Ok. I'll be right out. I'm washing my hands.

Chloe: She should be in big trouble! Hurry up, ok?

With that Super Chloe booked it back outside to maintain order and be on Addi Safety Watch. Leave it to my youngest to be on high alert where her big, head in the clouds sister is concerned.

---This feels slightly backwards.
In our household the little sisters keep an eye on the big sister.

I walked outside and lo-and-behold there she was swooping across the street on her powder blue bike. Addison wasn't looking for oncoming traffic at all.

There goes the heart.

I thought that this was a silly, one time deal...that once we were on our way as a group that she'd shape up.

I WAS WRONG.

I'm so tired of being wrong when it comes to this stuff. For the love of God, be safe children!
Momma can't be there all of the time and I'd like to allow you more freedom.
Addi desperately craves time with out us.
...to do things on her own or with her friends.
This shouldn't be a big deal, but after witnessing her nearly get hit by cars not once, not twice but three timess!!!

I WANT TO PUT HER ON A SAFETY LEASH AND KEEP HER AT MY SIDE.

Instead I told her as calmly as possible to hop off of the bike. She had lost bike priviledges for being unsafe. Her response...
She said; What do you mean? I didn't do anyhting wrooooonnng!!
...That was a whine.

Addison is now on bike probation.
She heard lots of "I told you so's" from her younger sisters.
This, I'm sure compounded the issue...
...making Addi feel very foolish.
---At least I'm hoping that it did.
I need something hat will force her to keep her eyes on the road and off of the clover patches on the sidelines!
Maybe a little sisterly humiliation will do the trick.
Hey, it's better than being hit by a car...
...or is it?
If I'm right about this, being "one upped" by her little sisters could feel worse than the car hit...
...that is, if I'm lucky.
---Fingers crossed.

---I'm now "hated" by my almost ten year old.
If I'm right about this...It will only last an hour. TOPS!
---Wish me luck on safety patrol.

Funny In MY Mind...

There's a Blog that I came across not too long ago...

"Funny In my Mind" was the catch phrase that grabbed me and keeps me coming back for more.
Tonight, while sitting by our backyard fire pit with the family I thought of my "funny in my mind" moments.

Let's see.

Funny that we aren't roasting marshmallows.
On tonight's skewers there have been:
-apples
-grapes
-peaches
-pears

...an entire fruit bowl, stabbed, smoked and enjoyed.

When my kids asked if they could try a pear after witnessing Julia roast an apple how could I turn them down?
After all, it's a creative option to the average gooey treat.

Funny in my mind that we are sitting on a displaced porch swing.
It's next to the fire because our yard has been turned up side down and backwards thanks to a handy dandy construction crew.
-No worries.
We are swinging and roasting fruit!
No one will fly into the fire tonight!
Only fruit is allowed to sizzle.

It is also funny that we have new outdoor seating opposite the swing.
It's the extra long, extra heavy ladder that has been left in the center of my yard and jutting into the swingset. You know, the place where we want the kids to swing on in the backyard.
-But hey, it acts as a great bench!
Just watch out for hot spots.

Hmmm...
Funny that Grace wants to be Mexican or Spanish. Take your pick.
It's also funny that she doesn't know the difference and is convinced that she is one or both of them for sure because the school spent so much time teaching them Spanish this year.
Hmmmm...We have been trying to break the terrible news to her all day.

"Sorry babe, you're Swedish, German and Irish."
Her response the first few times: "No, but I really must be Spanish too."

It's Funny that I rarely see my friends until the Summer rolls around. Then the beach is partycentral. All of "the repeat families" are show up. We search each other out on the shoreline every day. Curious when a mom can't be found with her tagalongs and ever happy when they resurface with an explanation. This is a Summer town and we are tight.

So Very Funny that after I blogged about how patient and wonderful my guy is---HE SNAPPED!
Oh well, 95 degree heat in a city where you need to add an extra ten degrees for a true reading will do that. Wearing a suit in it will make it happen faster! Let's just say we had some unpleasant texting today that ended with me typing, "You had a bad day today didn't you? I love you."---Then I bought him his favorite deli sandwich for dinner. (PS- I didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted to cheer the poor guy up. PPS- It worked!)

My little green house is now 1/2 white foam board and half gray. This isn't funny, but now that I think about it...It is!
Poor house. The girls are worried.
Green is a thing of the past. The new house is boring and ugly.
I say: At least the color still starts with the "G" sound. It would be super weird to say the little yellow house or the little tan house. 
GREEN... GREY...GROSS...GORGEOUS...GLORIOUS...
We'll get used to it.

In My Mind the grass is always green even when my dog turns it a crisp yellow. If I paid attention to the crunchy stuff I'd fidget with the lawn all day and never do anything worth while with my time.
It's funny, this philosophy works with most of what life throws my way.

BEACH, POOL or BOTH?

This is the time of year when Jim becomes increasingly jealous of my schedule...
...or lack there of!!

Each night his question remains the same:

So, what was it today?...BEACH? POOL? or BOTH?

Tonight my answer will be beach.
Hey, I can't help it. Teaching schedules are the best! He could have gone the route of the social studies professor but opted for that of the attorney.
I have ten months of teenage creativity, drama and angst to contend with and in return I am blessed with two months of Summer filled fun with my three little ladies. I say goodbye to "art teacher Mom" and am "just Mom."

We breathe in the fresh, salty air of the sea, surf in the waves on boogie boards and soak up the vitamins of the sun.
The Summer is an ongoing roller coaster of impromptu sleep overs and play dates. I typically leave the house with three kids and come home with one missing or two or three extra "temporary sisters" in tow.
---Today's sister was Danielle.
My husband gets dragged along for the ride. I'm a very lucky woman because he never complains about any of this. I know that there are dozens of late nights when he gets off of the train after a hellish (...and I mean this in many ways. Summer in the city isn't fun.) commute and wants nothing more than to veg out on the couch in his pj's and watch Family Guy. However, on most Summer nights the couch and loveseat are occuppied by little girls with big bowls of popcorn. He's such a good sport! ~ Much better than me in these situations. There's a reason why I have been deemed the Evil Momma Plod when I'm tired!

For today I need to give a big THANK YOU to my guy. We girls are lucky, lucky lucky...
I also wanted to share some of the day's beach photos. I feel as I should be going back to work tomorrow after a long weekend. Summer still hasn't sunk in!

Addi and Danielle catching some serious waves...seriously!

Chloe balanced with her bag of bologna! She toted this around the beach for awhile, snacking.

Crab hunting with Julia was scary, exciting fun.

Gracie hid from the morning wind.

We explored the beach all day and raced back before the tide washed out our path!