living with boys

No, this is not the much anticipated Christmas post. That is coming later – and I promise, it is coming. I have, however, been a little preoccupied at present. We have been so, so very sick here on Woodburn Drive. Ammon has been enduring his first real cold, in addition to cutting all four of his one-year molars. He continues to reel from the effects of Brian’s new schedule – making each day a very difficult challenge. As for me, I have rarely been this sick in my entire life. I have had some past injuries (both physical and emotional) come back to haunt me, in addition to the unrelenting drama caused by the kaleidoscope of conundrums on my figurative plate. I’ll be honest: Balancing all these issues has been a real struggle for me. But, stay tuned for another later post explaining my much needed learning-curve, and my new lease on life.

I thought that I would share some of the gems of this week with all of you – primarily my most devoted readers who have been clamoring for an update to this most pitiable of blogs. So, here they are --- some of the things that have made me smile this week. Well, ‘smile’ may not be the right word. I am smiling now, I assure you. At the time, I may have been cursing someone’s name or shaking my head in disbelief or wondering just what was running through a particular someone’s mind or doing double takes desperately trying to figure out what was amuck with the arrangement of our home. Etcetera. Etcetera. But, despite their origins – here’s to the simple joys that help me survive, help me cope. Here’s to life with my boys.

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Yes, Ammon is a fan of rearranging. He comes by it honestly… so is his mother. I’ve just given up on keeping him out of things. Our home cannot be baby-proofed… and I highly doubt that the ‘normal’ caliber of baby-proofing would keep my child out. Today he figured out how to open the swing gate on our stairs. Hooray.

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When you hear strange squeaky noises and uproarious laughter coming from upstairs when Dad is in ‘charge’, always – always – go check on them.

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When you find yourself unearthing a missile or other projectile object from your foot, before vowing revenge and uttering unmentionables under your breath, remember that a good time was had by all – again, when Dad is in charge.

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While dusting upstairs – and wondering how in the name of all that is holy your home could be so very dusty and then remembering that it is because you haven’t really dusted up there in a long, long while – sometimes it is nice to sit back and reap the sweet rewards of your haphazard slothfulness.

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I’m beginning to think it a very good idea to include a year-supply of band-aids with our year-supply of food. Scooby Doo, of course.

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A joy of boys: Hiding places. If I’m missing something, I check one of Ammon’s many favorite haunts. And, of course, there is his new favorite game: Empty-It-Fill-It-Back-Up… times 7,824.

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Rather than screaming internally at the thought of just one more book being thrown from its home, I remember to be grateful that my child is an avid bookworm. And even though we get cardboard-cut after cardboard-cut and can’t get off the stairs without having an ice skating effect, I’m grateful he loves to read. I just hope that thirst for knowledge will last the test of time.

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Not only being grateful that my sweetheart is willing to do the dishes – but also that he wears my black/zebra-print rubber gloves while doing them. And while he wouldn’t let me take a picture – har har – it still makes me grin from ear to ear.

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A house full of Tootsie-Rolls… 1,135 of them, to be exact, that were given to Brian as a going-away-gift at work. And while I am so not a fan of them, it is lovely to see Brian have something that is all his. A type of reward for him for all of his sacrifices and hard work he has put forth to get to this place in life. I keep telling myself that every time I walk past that overflowing candy jar or peek in my ‘overflow cabinet’. And, because Brian ‘rations’ his treats, I will wait patiently through the however-many-years it will take him to polish them off.

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Living with boys. It’s not an easy job, but someone has to do it. I’m just lucky that I’m that someone. Love this life… love my boys. What would I do without them? Hmm... can't answer that. And I sure don't want to.