Private

Mr. OCD is at the end of his two weeks on nights rotation. Last Sunday night was his third consecutive night, which is always the hardest one. My plan was to keep the boys out of the house the entire day. Go to church first thing, take them out to lunch and catch a movie in the afternoon. However, as we left church I realized that I needed something from home (a tampon... shh!). I told the boys that we needed to swing by the house so I could get something and they could just wait in the truck. Here's what that conversation looked like...

Boys: What do you need to get?
Me: Just something. It's no big deal. I'll be fast.
B: But what is it?
M: Don't worry about it. It's just something I need.
B: But tell us what it is.
M: You don't need to know.
B: Plllllleeeeeaassssseeee!!!!!!
M: You're making too much of this. It's nothing really. Just something that mommies need sometimes.
B: But what IS it??
M: It's PRIVATE.
J: You're going home to get a penis???? (with complete shock)
M: Not A private! Just private... like it's for me to know, and no one else.
B: But we just want to know what it is!
M: I'm really not trying to be mean here. But really, if I were to tell you, you wouldn't even know what I'm talking about.
B: Then just tell us, pleeeeeaaassssseee!
M: Fine. I'm going home to pick up a tampon.
B: A WHAT???

Ugh.

Pound for Pound Challege

I watched The Biggest Loser, DVR's from the other night. It's the beginning of a new season and they are promoting The Pound for Pound Challenge. For those of you that don't watch... people across the country pledge to lose weight and the show donates a pound of food to local food shelters for every pound lost.

So, they go on with their promo and I'm thinking it's all good. Then this chick says "you lose weight and they donate food, what could be easier than that?"

Seriously? Um... buying an extra bag of groceries and dropping it by the food pantry up the road seems a heck of a lot easier than dropping 20 pounds! Where'd they find that chick?

Fun Day Today!

It seems I'm updating in pictures rather than words lately.

We went to see Santa this morning. He actually asked if they knew the real meaning of Christmas. And J answered, "Jesus". Made my heart smile.

Afterwards, we had the Raingutter Regatta with the Cub Scouts. The boys put together a small wooden boat and raced them by blowing on the sails. J came in 5th place!

SNOW DAY!!!

Okay, so I was wishing it would snow. I mean really, if it's going to be under 30 degrees, it might was well be pretty, right? But I wasn't exactly expecting this...

At least we got some baking done (after I hiked across the road, in nearly knee deep snow, to borrow eggs from my neighbor)

A Midwest Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, in the Midwest coinsides with hunting season. Hunting is tradition, a part of life, a means for food, and just plain fun for those from this region. It is vastly different where I come from. Back in California, you go to Whole Foods and buy your organic turkey like nice, respectable citizens. (please hear the sarcasm)

But here in Wisconsin, to hunt for your food is quite normal. So much so, in fact, that the Thanksgiving program put on by B's 4K class incorporated the sport. There were children dressed as Pilgrims and Indians, as I was accustomed to seeing. But then I noticed one child dressed as a turkey... and another as a hunter, complete with orange beanie. As the singing went on, there came a point in which the "hunter" (played by B's best buddy) snuck up on the turkey to capture it in his sack (after all, we can't go around bring a gun into school the way they do it out in the woods). It was all pretty funny, but at the same time it brought back to mind how very different my life here is from what it once was. The things that have become normal that were once unthinkable. I'm sure someone from PETA would have protested such a program in California!

Halloween

So, I did it... I got the kids to dress in matching outfits for Halloween again! (insert evil laugh) They tried to get out of it. B asked to be a policeman or something. But once I got these costumes and said they could keep the lightsabers to play with, that sealed the deal! Enjoy!

They had to wear jackets under their costumes, so J looked like a husky Obi Wan. :(

Hello Winter

It's only November 4th and the forecast is calling for snow showers. Something is very wrong. Where is this darn global warming they keep promising me??

The leave are mostly all fallen off the trees. Now it's just going to be ugly. Depressing day.