The trouble has begun

This is Joey. There has never been a co-worker, day care provider or teacher that hasn't said what a cute kid. I love those dimples and his big brown eyes.

Joey knows he's cute. He thinks he looks like Justin Bieber or is the Justin Bieber of his elementary school. I even caught him comparing his reflection in the TV to one of his sisters Justin Bieber posters. I can say as his mother I don't see it but they are both very cute boys.

Here's where the trouble begins. For the most part Joey is a boy. He plays with boys, he's tough like a boy and he doesn't like girls. All boy right.

This morning I found out why Joey's ego is so big about his looks. When I dropped him off in front of his school there was a group of maybe five or six third or forth grade girls. Joey opened the back door of my van and I no longer was mom but I was *Joey's Mom*. The girls all vocalized an ahh he's so cute. Joey was for a moment Justin Bieber. I asked Joey who his fan club was. Joey turned a cranberry shade of red and said stop it Mom and ran away from the care. I have been laughing all morning about it.

It's official the girls have noticed him. The trouble has begun.

Small talk

Today is our big soccer day. Three of my five kids are playing this year. Declan is my sidekick as I game hop. By 1:30 my buddy is overdue for a nap. I often look for distractions to keep him from going loopy then grumpy.

It just happens that someone near this soccer field has goats. Declan and I are talking about the sounds they make. Rrrr is not a goat sound but maa is.

One of our team dads is listening along with us. A conversation starts about how the new brush clearing trend here in the bay area is renting goats. He makes a comment on how there are a lot of was to clear brush but goats are the most environmental.

Most of you know I own chickens. My comment stirs up a chat that left me feeling good. I mention that I my chickens save me money by keeping the bugs out of my backyard.

A mom from the other team went on to ask me a million questions about having urban chickens. Everything from cost, to amount of poop. It became a team parent sideline talk. I think if nothing else got a few people to think about alternate ways to live with a beautiful yard besides pesticides and chemical based fertilizer.

I should have name dropped lovelyecochic.com for a potential sale. But I'm still in the consumer frame of mind. I carry some pretty cool alternate ways of lower cost of  yard improvement. No chicken coops yet.....

A personal look into raising 3 active boys.... OK 1 super active 2 mellow. I'll be honest it's about my black eye.

Just about a week ago I had a super packed weekend of fun. OK maybe not but I'll share any how. I have three boys. Joey who is 10 and a hyper kid gone fabulous student and the apple of his parents eye (all my kids are actually) Declan is my potty training two year old and Sonny is my HOLY COW is he a boy kind of boy.

The first task of the weekend was a soccer game. Declan played nicely with his older sister Marysa. Joey played his game and Sonny ran the track with Mama (me) trailing him. If your a blog reader you know I'm going through testing for MS. One of the symptoms is get weak. As refreshing as it is to exercises I get over heated, then weak and I took a dive at the gas station.  Followed by a oh so fashionable walking cain. To Joey's disappointment my cool new cain did not come with a top hat.

Read about our bunnies in a future post. Just keep in mind they are two weeks new and a second water was needed for their out side play area. I piled four of my five posse members into ye ole Mini Van and we headed for Petco. Petco has the cutest little shopping carts. Joey took the lead in the Junior shopping cart Derby. Close behind was Sonny and his nitro burning burning funny cart. Straight at my knees. I put my foot out to protect myself when the oh so stylish metal Shopper in Training flag ramrodded me in my left eye socket.

(This is not the actual Shopper in training cart but I like visual aides. This looks similar to the cart I lost the fight with.)

A Petco full of people watching in horror as blood spilled out of my eye and my two year old made it for the door. I yelled grab him and I ran as fast as I could out the door catching Declan in the parking lot. Great timing to make your escape kid. I walked back in the store was given a insta ice pack and paid for my bunny goods. Marysa whom I often refer to as my rock or little Mama took hold of Sonny and got him in the car as Joey assisted with Declan. We had the quickest trip EVER to the ER where a doctor and two nurse glued my eye socket back together taped me up and sent my wild crew and I on our way.

This is me the next day.

I stayed home from work. My kids back at school.  My week no boys was awful. Yes I missed them with my entire heart as I sat at home healing but mostly it was awful since I was blind. That's right six days of one dilated eye ball. Everything close up was doubled and everything far away was blurred.

This is me the morning I was told I should go back to work. Notice the difference in my pupils. I was granted the weekend off returning to work on the following Monday.

Monday Morning. Yes I have to agree I sport a black eye well.

To my surprise not a lot of people asked me what happened. The people who did where usually strange men in grocery stores or gas stations.

Here is my eye now. I close up yep you can see it but over all I think I recovered nicely.

Petco has not lost my business. The employees in the store were fabulous about helping me. I did not attempt to collect any kind of compensation however I did ask for my medical co-pays to be covered. Petco's insurance company called me. They were kind and concerned and covered my costs. I know that is how things should be. Props when deserved I am happy to give.

Sure the post wasn't about my boys but my four year old given black eye



Wordless Wednesday

Bummis Trainer Review

I almost feel like it's not even worth it to review this trainer. My favorite diaper brands failed me with their trainers. I loved the Bummis whisper wrap. I had 10 I used of my fitted/hemp diapers. I gave them to a woman with 3 boys with confidence she'd live them just as much as I did.  The trainer got a big  F.

First they used the same material as the whisper wrap. Declan screamed at me that this is a diaper and he will pee in it.  He did. Declan wet this trainer. The lining looks like they tried to make it absorbent. Again they failed. The pee wicked off the lining and absorbed right into Declan's shorts.

Second they are huge!!! The leg and the waist seemed OK but the overall size I think I could have worn. I have a lot of trouble getting clothes over them and they cover his belly button. No clue why Bummis would waist their time making this product. They are an awesome wrap company not a cloth diaper company. They should stick to making fabulous wraps and trash this idea all together.

No recommendation here for the Bummis trainers. Total CRAP!

There's something to be said

I debated on an up date on our potty training adventure tonight. Instead I'll put it on hold for something that needs to be said.

I have met some great people as a blogger and had some very serious conversations this week about things that really need to be a big reminder to some people.

The first was a conversation about tolerance, acceptance, racism and just teaching your kids by example. As you can tell by my family photos we are not a pure white family. We are a beautiful family with diversity.

It's normal for us to have differences and love each other. I have good friends who also have beautiful families with different backgrounds blended together, some with same sex parents, some single parents, some who have fur babies instead of human babies, some who have adopted children and some who are just fine without anyone but them. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the U.S.A. who experiences this style of wealth of people in their life.

I'm also not super patriotic but I'm proud of how far we have come from the dark ages we started in where people were slaves, women had no rights and only same sex couples could get married. Now I'm not saying at all we are where I'd love to see us but I'm happy we seem to be moving forward.

Every once in a while I hear something that just makes my stomach turn. That unmentionable things are being said by children about other races, sexuality, body types, age, and ability and it's accepted by their families and used openly. Things that my children would never say being brought up in a home where everyone is valued the same regardless of labels.

Without name dropping here are somethings I heard, saw or read this week that I could go postal about but instead I'm going to allow my big mouth to run on about here. Please feel free to join in if you have something to add.

First I was told about a few teens think it's OK to call people deragitory names regarding sexual orientation loosely. WHO it their right mind would not say something to their child about how this is SOOOOO WRONG and ot to mention hurtful to someone with value and feelings.  I can't 100% blame the child but I sure could knock their parents on their butts for allowing such vulgar words out of their own and childens mouths. Thank God the woman who told me this awful story was a good influance throwing these teens out of her home and explaining why. Luckily the kids showed some remorse and seemed to change but what is wrong with those parents?!!!! What aboutthe kids doing the same thing without a super hero to step in a say something? The second stomach turner...I was showed a blogs post that was extremely ignorant and not class. It was a woman going off about her co-workers. Not only did she not care for them but it sure sounded like it was because of their weight. Apparently it wasn't because they were super models. Coming from a place of a kids that grew up with them nickname Olive Oil to a mother of five who was ounces away from being 200 pounds just a few months ago who into the hell is she to say anyone is over weight because they eat Twinkies and Big Gulps everyday. I can tell you from both sides of the fence you ignorant butt is way out of line. Weight is almost never a choice. The under weight and the overweight most of the time have other things putting up huge barriers to overcome. It's overwhelming and both phyically and emotional for people who do strugle. So think about going on a walk with your co-workers instead of publishing for the worldto read what an idiot you are. With that said I'm feeling better. Our normal warm feeling posts will resume. :-) Oh yeah if you want to vent please join in.

Check out Business Cards, Postcards, Flyers, Brochures, Letterhead , Greeting Cards & Envelopes Overnight

Check out Business Cards, Postcards, Flyers, Brochures, Letterhead , Greeting Cards & Envelopes Overnight