Halloween in September?

Before I became the mom to four boys, I didn't think about what I would be for Halloween until about October 30th. Now, however, I have to start worrying about getting four "perfect" costumes by about mid-September. If not, they have begun to sell out and the obscene bidding wars on Ebay begin. For those of you doubting this happens, let me tell you about my Star Wars experience a couple years ago. Back then, there were just three Jedi's in the house. The oldest wanted to be Luke and I found a costume for Anakin that doubled as old school Luke. Not too spendy (translation: under $30) and the first problem solved. The second-born decided to lean more toward the dark side and requested Darth Vader. At first all that could be found were "deluxe" Vader suits running around $50. There was NO WAY I was going to dish out that much money on something that would end up under the bed and stepped on within a couple days. After more searching - which takes HOURS thanks to dial-up Internet connections - I discovered a more reasonable Vader costume for, once again, under $30. Then there was the issue of the baby. At just 5 months old, he wasn't old enough for a light saber but had a VERY thoughtful look on his face most of the time that reminded me of Yoda. Ta-da, a Yoda costume was found and an order placed. I was so pleased with myself that by mid-September, all three costumes were ordered and on their way. Or so I thought. The Yoda costume became the must have for babies that year and as the days turned into over a week without a shipping confirmation in my in-box, I became a bit concerned. Finally, an email appeared and, with gleeful anticipation, I opened it. Shock and horror filled me as I read that the costume which was in stock when I ordered was suddenly on back-order now with little to no hope of arrival by Halloween. I frantically looked everywhere on the web and called stores within a four hour range of home only to find out they were all on back order now! What to do? What to do? Finally there was a hit on Ebay. I put in a bid and even went as high as $45. The final bid was well over $100. I thought to myself, what kind of person spends over $100 for an infant costume for Halloween? Back to square one, I decided to sew a bear like costume and turn him into an Ewok. Worked like a charm but the stress was more than I needed. This year I have a baby costume of a horse all ready and now need to find just three more for the older boys. I think the days of matching costumes or family themes are coming to an end just like me sewing all the costumes did a year or so ago. I learned the stress of finding a pattern, material and getting them to fit and be done in time where SO not worth it in the long run. I hope to have the boys settled on a costume that I can find by the end of the week but we'll see once friends, TV, and school come into the mix how many times they change their minds. Who would have thought a holiday where you take candy from strangers could be stressful?

Prayers

I am sitting downstairs in the office with the baby monitor next to me listening to Ethan not-napping. I just heard him say a prayer for who knows what. Maybe he's praying nap time will be over or that there will be M&M's for dinner or that his best buddy Tom will come home from school soon or Dad will wrestle tonight. All I know for sure is his "Amen" comes through loud and clear! Two-year olds.

Potty training - YIKES!

So Ethan was pretty much potty trained before Dylan was born three months ago. He had just decided it was what he wanted to do and was doing great. Then the baby was born. It never failed that Ethan would need my help with the bathroom right as Dylan had latched on and was feeding like a champ, so we reverted to pull-ups again. Yesterday I finally thought we had it together enough to give it another shot and it looks like he'll be back in his "big boy underwear" full time in a week or so. He's doing great but boy is it a lot of work to remember that he needs me to remind him to go. Our relatives are getting those great phone calls with Ethan proclaiming, "I went poop in the potty!" Before you have kids, they may seem a bit strange but believe me, they are what make potty training fun for a two-year-old. Wish us luck as we continue down the no-diaper road!

Does 2 gross ingredients equal something delicious to kids?

Kids are so funny. My three boys will not eat onions. Only the two-year-old will get near a tomato. But, give them a bowl of salsa and it will disappear in a matter of minutes. The other day, Gary (my husband) and I made a HUGE batch of fresh salsa. The boys even watched us make it from skinning and seeding the tomatoes from the garden, to chopping the onions and peppers. There were a bazillion - technical term - questions along the way and then finally, it was ready. They chowed down on it. I turned to Gary and said, "Tomatoes and onions." He smiled and said, "I was just thinking if we had added mushrooms (another detested ingredient in their minds) that they would have thought it was even better." Gotta love kids.

exercise?

I'm always being asked if I work out. Not that I look like I work out necessarily, but people like my doctor, husband, ob-gyn, you know, people who want to know about my general state of well-being. The answer has always been, "I have four little boys to chase after so I think that is exercise enough!" Not many people want to debate that point further. Well, the competitive edge in me has decided that I need to run in a 5k with my in-laws. When I challenged everyone after my brother and sister-in-law ran one in under 30 minutes and reported it on the family website, I hadn't stepped foot on the treadmill in well over a year. Thirty minutes sounded like TONS of time to run a 5k. How far was a 5k anyway? It didn't sound like a challenge that I couldn't handle with a few extra minutes to train every day. That was before I took my first practice session on the dreaded treadmill. 16 1/2 minutes and a very out of breath, red-faced, body hurting session later, I had completed my first mile. No, I didn't run the whole thing but at least I finished without having a heart attack. It's been about three weeks now and I am down to a 13 minute mile (I know they averaged less than a 10 minute mile and if I'm going to win I need to pick it up!) and today I am proud to say I added another lap to my workout. So only 7 more laps to go until I can say I've just about completed a 5k. The problem is the race is on the 27 of October. Not much time left but hopefully I'll pull it together and get it done. I've almost resigned myself to the fact I won't be running the entire length of the 5k and I'm no longer "in it to win it." I'm just going to be happy if I can finish in a respectable time and not have to all the EMT's to bring the oxygen. Wish me luck. And yes, chasing after four little boys IS exercise enough! I think the added exercise is literally going to KILL me but until it does, I can't admit defeat.

Tucking in Ethan

What do you do when you go into your two-year old's room to check on him at night and find him with his light on? I told Ethan, it was time to go to bed and turn off the light. He looked at me with very serious look on his face and said, "The light's not on, Mom!" Somehow, I managed to keep from laughing at him and told him, that it was indeed on and he needed to turn it off. The logic of a two-year-old. Gotta love it!