So smart...not really?

True (and sad) story:

In my math class tonight, we were exchanging ideas on a list of math word problems, such as 3=F in a Y, so 3 feet in a yard or 18=H on a GC, so 18 holes on a golf course. Well I see this, 20,000=L U the S by JV, and this is a no brainer for me! So I say "this is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne." 

Both of the (much younger) student in my group say what? I repeat myself, they say how to do spell that? I spell it, by who? They say...I say Jules Verne, they ask how to spell that name. 

At this point I am a little dumbfounded.... But the real icing on the educational GMO cake? One of them says to me, "is that a song?" 

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

My response? "...I guess it's a really old book..."

The 2 kids next me are Japanese and Science majors. Really!?! So smart an yet so dumb.

Feeling like a mom, my mom.

Ok, I may be late to the "mom," party, but man did I feel like a "mom," today! Up early to take H to urgent care to have his ear looked at, I infected, off to CVS for the prescription, and then home to get Jax and off to the gym, pick up Miya from school, then across town to Buy Buy baby for H's shoes, size 9!!, and these pouches he LOVES that are normally twice as much. 

Well while we are there, kids are crying, feet are so sore, but we need meat, so we head to Costco, and thank goodness for their cookies, which enabled me to get all 3 kids fitted for rain boots, FIND them in the piles, and pick up the goods we needed. 

So the end? 

No. 

Miya asked for a book from Barnes and Noble. For school. So book reserved while at Costco, then happy rain booted kids in the car and I grab the book. Home to prep dinner and cook meals for the next 2 days for Clint and I. Bathe a child, cooked high protein chopped salads for dinner. Aaaaaand i'm done. I am sure there are 20 other things I need to do, but I am so tired and sore, they will have to wait. I remember my mom doing this with us. She is pretty awesome.

It's 8:22pm

My Favorite J and H...and Sissy

As my kids get older, I notice they become much more aware of the affection I give to their siblings, keeping a watchful eye to make sure that "their love," is not distributed to a baby brother or big sissy. 

I often want to express to them that I do love them so much, but I want to be honest and make sure no one feels "more," or "less," than anyone else. 

So I have applied the "favorite," to each of them, by name.

"H, you are my favorite H I have ever had, and I love you more than any other H in the whole world!"

This is genius, really, because you are able to give the warm fuzzies AND not feel conflicted AND speak freely in front of your other children, without anyone being left out! 

So far this is working out really well, especially for my 2 boys who constantly vie for mama's attention. 

Now Sissy is a little different, she is a teenager, so I have to love her in a non intrusive or uncool way, so she gets " hey your cool, and stuff. And Iet's hang out, and stuff."  ...but at home...she gets the love, the climb in your bed and lay on top of you love with 2 brothers giggling in tow!

These are a few of my favorite things.

It's 11:23pm.

Long Days, Longer Nights

I Wake up at 6am to a drooling toddler asking for "Gabba," or "Dora." Shortly after I hear a 4 year old grabbing 1 million blankets and dragging them all into my room. On the bed we snuggle, until someone decides to break out for downstairs, and then the day of kids x3 begins! 

Drop off sister, go to the gym, errands, lunch, naps (not for mom), pick up sister, prep dinner, break up 400 fights, chase down a 2 year old 50 times,  tell a 4 year old to pee 20 times, help a 13 year old with homework, or assorted teenagerness, make and serve dinner, bath time, bed time, shower and bed. 

Sleep? ...noooooooo...

Toss and turn, watch ridiculous Amish rebellion shows, play Candy Crush, Instagram, Facebook...repeat...

It amazes me that a day can tire you out so much and yet a bed can energize you like a quad shot espresso.

It's 12:01am.

Trains and Automobiles

This weekend, our oldest child ditched us to go camping, so we decided on an adventure with our younger 2. Around 930am we packed up the Journey for a Hines Family Journey to the Sacramento Railroad Museum. 

We started by making sure we had snacks for everyone, changes of clothes, water and anything else we may need for the about 2 hour drive to the "shoo shoo shrains."

It first started with screams and cracker throwing, then cozy and Sully slaps and ended with J slapping his brother in the faces with his stuffed dog. This was 20 min into the drive...oh Lord what are we doing?!?

There is something about 2 little brothers sitting within arms reach of each other in the car. There bodies seem to explode and they lose their minds! Eventually we decided that they needed to sit behind each other, not next to each other, if we wanted the screams of cracker delight to subside. 

So about 2.5 hours later, we pulled into the parking garage and were ready for some "shoo-shoo's!"

It's amazing the fascination boys have with trains, especially H. He wanted to see every single display and picture and train there was to see. It almost made the  2 hours of screaming in the car worth it, to see his eyes light up and a huge smile form on his face. 

H loves trains, trucks and planes. He loves to see and ride just about everything except the cars we have, go figure!

He also loves "Taxis," which are actually police cars. Not sure what happened there...

Our weekend was filled with driving around in our automobile, trains, 2 giggling boys and lots if memories.

It's 8:48am

Brothers and Balls

Tonight we spent the evening outside, enjoying the brisk weather and a neighborhood potluck. It was so much fun. We started an hour early, as soon as I saw that the street had been coned off to decrease the flow of traffic. 

We were sitting outside, watching the boys play on their bikes and trikes.

Slowly more kids joined in, until it was a full blown kids laughing, chalk on the sidewalk, wagon rides, bubble blowing cul-de-sac of fun!

As the kids were playing, stealing cupcakes from the dessert table and drinking more juice than they have since the last party we went to, J appeared with 4 small bouncey balls. As he threw them and chased them bouncing off cars and tables, H noticed the fun. The ball fun. 

Now in theory, they each would have played with 2 balls and would have been happy, EHHHHHH...WRONG! 

The each wanted what the other had, and they each wanted to play with their balls the way the other played with them. Well as a parent, you know that "results may vary."

Why are little boys do drawn to balls? And what makes someone else's bouncing ball so much better than your bouncing ball? 

Eventually a soccer ball and bucket of candy in a grassy lawn drew the attention away from the 4 bouncing balls of argument, and it seemed the boys had moved on to fight over something different.

But this had me thinking...why do we want what other people have, the way they have it? Terribly unrealistic way to expect life to pan out, if you ask me...

And yet we all would LOVE for life to pan out that way! 

I guess the moral of the story is that even if there are equal bouncing balls for all the boys, the soccer ball and candy may be a better option.

Someone also made super cute mini hamburger desserts! With Nilla Wafer buns! So creative, little odd tasting, but very cute!

It's 11:32pm.

4 and 13...and 33

One would think that at the age of 13, your ability to function, minus major attitude would diminish quite significantly...well as a parent of a 13 year old...you probably already know the answer...

I am often amazed when I see a teenager arguing with a 4 year old, even more so when it looks like the 4 year old is winning! But maybe we would all win our arguments if we could end them by sticking our tongue out, yelling "baby head" and running away.

These arguments don't actually surprise me, it's human nature, and this particular 4 year old really likes to touch his sisters hair-like a bear.

What I have learned is that regardless of the age gap, when a person feels wronged, they say something. Hence the arguments I have at 33 with a 13 year old, a 4 year old and a 2 year old. 

It is so much easier for me to tell my daughter to ignore her brothers, than it is for me to not have the last word with someone I think is wrong. 

This is not news, we like to be right, but even more than that, we like to make sure everyone else knows we are right!

So in an effort to take some of my own advice, perhaps the next time we argue, I will just stick my tongue out at you, call you a "baby head," and run away. This will be my way of ignoring you.

Seems to be working great for my 4 year old!