A silent alarm just sounded....

Last night, when I needed to get cleaned up I decided to listen to my ipod and take a soak.  "Yes" I thought, "a little bathing would set me up forever!"  (Sorry-Jane Austen quote).


When I take a shower, nothing happens.  No one comes into my "suite" area.  (Man o man-why didn't I have doors put on the bathroom area???)  


But when I take a bath something mysterious happens.  


Within a mere 2 minutes of plunging myself into steaming hot water, I have a  visitor.  Another 3 minutes on top of that and I can score two more bath time guests.  


What causes this?  Is it the sound of relaxation pouring through the pipes and into my freestanding bathtub?  Is it the effervescence of my bath fizzies that hearkens to the weary crowd down stairs?  Has there been planted in my family's subconscious, the idea that bath time is also, "I have Mom's undivided attention" time?  


I can sympathize with the mother in Jill Murphy's book "Five minutes Peace please"  It is funny because it is so true.  So incredibly true.  


In the book, the mother elephant gets her kids their breakfast, and while they eat, she thinks she'll sneak a 5 minute bath.  Well as you could probably guess, with in 2 minutes, two of her kids are goofing around in the bathroom while her youngest child jumped right in for a soak himself.  

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

Don't click on it, you can't sample it here:)

You can find this book in the children's fiction section of your local bookstore.  It is not fiction.  Not at all.


Maybe that's where the Japanese got the idea for group bathing.  Who knows?
  
So, I've decided enjoy the interruptions with the realization that one day when my kids are grown, I'll actually get those 5 minutes of bath time peace. 


And while I'm at it I think I'll invest in some bubble bath.   Cause no one needs to see my Rubinesque-ness or make comments about it-thank you very much!


Much love and many laughs,


A

Ways to avoid bedtime

My boy is funny.  He is a man-child.  He is tenderhearted and kind.  He is all boy and I love it.

Two  (unintentionally) entertaining traits of his are his vast store of energy and his very active mind.  Sometimes his mind is so active that he has difficulty going into "sleep mode" at night.

Below are some reasons he's listed for being unable to sleep:

1. "My ankle hurts."  (Last year he sprained his ankle and it only seems to flare up at bedtime.  Too bad for him, my husband noticed that the "trick ankle" switches from time to time.)

2.  "I have too much energy."  (Understatement of the year!)

3.  "I can't sleep because my nose is like..........."( fill that in with various sniffs and snorts and you have a idea).

4.  "My body is trying to force my eyes open and then closed." (Picture him pretending to fall asleep and jolting awake with eyes wide open.)

5.  "Since Monday, my body hasn't wanted to go to sleep."

6.  "It feels like there are rocks in my [4" memory foam egg crate topped] bed."

And these are just some of the doozies we've heard in the past.

Needless to say, I'll be updating you with the future bedtime excuses as they occur.  He really is a creative fellow and a joy to our lives.  I'm amused by his excuses because it's noon on a beautiful sunny day.

If you catch me at 11:30 on a school night battling this problem, you might get a different picture.

It's all about context people:)




Much love and many laughs,

A

Literacy Day

Today is Literacy Day at school.  The 4th graders and older are going to give presentations on books they've been reading.  


The Third graders and younger can dress like their favorite book character.  This is both a blessing and a curse.


It's a blessing because it is so much fun you can barely stand yourself.  It is a chance to talk about favorite book characters.  And it is fun because I was able to discuss critical thinking skills without anyone getting mad or complaining.  (1.  Which costume would be compatible with being at school and on the playground? The horse costume or Fancy Nancy?  2.  Which costume is more easily identified?  Judy Moody in jeans and a t-shirt or Fancy Nancy-in a tutu, crown, and beads? After all you don't want to go to the trouble of dressing up when no one can tell the difference between regular clothes and dressing like a book character).


It's a curse because your 7 year old is sooooo excited that she wakes up at 4:40 to get dressed and you made the mistake of staying up too late playing on the website "Pinterest". 


It is also a curse because her hair is strawberry blond and straight.  Fancy Nancy's hair is bright red, curly and voluminous.  Her reality did not measure up to her mind's idea of what this should look like.  Tears ensued and threats were made.  This was one of those times when you have to make the punishment fit the crime.  Either quit crying or I'm taking you out of that costume and you'll wear a uniform to school.  We had the luxury of changing clothes if needed because like I said, she woke up at 4:40.


By the time carpool rolled around, she was excited again.  Even though her wings were falling down all the time and her hair wasn't exactly like the picture, the excitement emitted from my nieces when she was picked up for school was like a balm to the both of us.  


This is what she looked like......

As I mentioned before she was so excited she could hardly stand it!!!

Literacy day beats Pajama Day any ol' day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Yippee! 

Much love and many laughs,

A