Partner In Crime

On Saturday, Jason had to work at a convention all day and Lizzy had play practice, so immediately Sydney (my shopping partner in crime), Jaxon, and I took off for the mall! Lizzy typically never wants to go anywhere, she is perfectly fine staying at home, so I didn't have to do any convincing or promising of treats if she came with us.  So, the three of us had 2 hours of uninterrupted fun (which really wasn't enough for us shopaholics).  In Jaxon's case, he had 2 hours of eating candy!  I won't get into the candy he took and started eating at Claire's and therefore I had to purchase...but needless to say, he was good to go for a while!

First things first, I try to avoid the mall play area like the plague simply because, well....the plague!  I don't need my kids to get sick from all of those other germ infested kids.  And besides we know darn well how to have our own fun at the mall.  You simply go up and down the escalator like a dozen times and Jaxon is as happy as can be.  I'm still waiting for mall security to come after me one day for me sending my kids up and down the escalator while I wait for them. But so far that hasn't happened, so we'll continue to have our fun!  Hey it's free...as well as the gum from the Sketcher's Store...we always have to make a stop there!

On this particular day, one of the things I needed was a new lipstick since Jaxon has practically ruined all of mine.  Sydney wanted to go to Nordstroms, and Jaxon did not make it easy.  He is obsessed with makeup and while the lady was trying to help me, he wouldn't stop screaming, "I NEEEEEEEEEED MY WHIPSTICK" (aka lipstick).  He grabbed a big tube of lip gloss type stuff which I was like, okay I know they take out the wands so people don't use it, and therefore he couldn't make a mess. Well, miss sales lady thought she would be funny and handed him a disposable wand and he went to town.  I mean, his whole darn face was bright pink and sticky! So, we left Nordstroms with him looking like a clown.  I had to listen to countless people say, "oh my gosh, look at that little boy".  I wish I had gotten a picture, it was quite a sight to be seen.  I can say this about MAC lip gloss/stain (or whatever it was)...it does not come off easy.  So, if you're looking for a something that doesn't rub off easily, just head over to MAC!  Fortunately for me, I had Sydney with me, who assisted in cleaning his face.

That night, while I was in the shower, and Jaxon was under a watchful eye by Jason, Sydney and Lizzy, on the loose with no one paying attention, he decided he would find all of the nail polish and paint his nails (and face and vanity, and chair).  Needless to say, I was not happy about this and was frankly not in the mood.  I was totally just going to leave him covered in nail polish.  I was so over it.  But, alas...Sydney to the rescue.  Sometimes I think she has far more patience than I do.  She filled up the bathroom sink with soap and nail polish remover and scrubbed him forever until is was all off.  She was so concerned about the nail polish remover getting anywhere near his mouth, that she re-filled the sink with just soap and water in the end so he would be extra clean.  Can we say "Best Big Sister Award".

So...shout out to Sydney, who reads this now, so maybe I'll get a few brownie points! Not that I should want brownie points from my kid.  But she should just know that I appreciate her help when I need it most!

Winter Break

So, this all happened last month, BUT karma has come to get me and my kids always say they're bored, just like I apparently did to my parents every single second.  Therefore, it's important that I document this fun-filled week so they can't say I never do anything for them!

First things first...Christmas happened and of course they were spoiled with lots of gifts and Jaxon got a (pardon my language) shitload of starbursts.  It's now been a month and we still have a ridiculous amount.  We'll be lucky if his teeth turn out okay when he's older.  But anyway, later that day we packed up and headed to Midland so they could be spoiled a little more.  And ever since we got to Midland, you could say that's when my "fun bus" started.  I swear, I carted them around EVERYWHERE! 

They got bored in Midland, so I took the girls to visit their cousin Kalie at the coffee shop that she works at. They had fun for a while...until they got bored (surprise, surprise), so they convinced my to take them to the movies.  We literally had 15 minutes to get there from the time I looked up the information, so I didn't look into see what the movie was all about.  We went to see Daddy's Home at their request and it was TOTALLY inappropriate.  Luckily most of it was over their heads and if they asked me questions I just said I didn't understand.  I can still get away with this for a few more years...I hope!

That night we thought it would be best if we included Jaxon in our fun, so we went to a trampoline park.  It was all fine and dandy for Midland's small town standards and the kids had fun, but it wasn't like the trampoline parks we're used to in our part of town:).  But, they had fun jumping with Kalie and had a blast.  Later that night I decided to drive Jaxon home so he could sleep in his bed and then Jason and the kids came home the next day.

As I always do, I took the entire week off to spend with the kids since I don't have anyone to watch them anyway!

The first day of break, I took the kids and their friends to Bonaventure to go rollerskating.  And that night Lizzy slept at Aubrey's house and Mia (we like to call her Mushka, lol) slept over at our house.

The next morning we woke up early and I took all 4 kids to Lucky Strikes for an event that was put on by the Novi Police.  From 9-1pm, they had unlimited bowling, video games, and lunch for only $10.  It was literally the best deal ever and they had the BEST time.  When it was over, I took them across the street to play with the puppies at the pet store.  Who doesn't love little puppies that you can give back when you're done playing? Well, I do...my kids of course wanted to take one home, but that wasn't happening!

The next day we had to hit a REAL trampoline park since Jaxon had been talking about it since that other night. So, off we went to Skyzone in Canton and Jaxon was a jumping fool.  Sydney and Lizzy took good care of him so that I didn't have to jump too.  I was just the photographer!  This was New Year's day, so that night we headed over to the Schwartz house with the Becker's and watched MSU lose a terrible football game.  But the kids had so much fun playing together.  We'll have to do it more often.  There was some older boys there too that Jaxon thought was so awesome.  As we all know, he's accustomed to all things girls, so this was a nice treat for him.  He let this boy carry him around everywhere and wanted nothing to do with me....YES!!!

The next day Jason was home so we took the kids to Dave and Busters for dinner and fun.  I can't believe the kids were still rearing to go, but they had a ton of fun, and Jaxon even got into all of the games.  He loved the prize room...it had tons of candy in it, as if he really needed more candy, but to avoid a complete meltdown...the boy got his candy!  Lizzy was also very sweet and used most of her tickets to get Jaxon a huge bouncy ball that he had been asking for.
 
And last but not least, our last day of fun included lunch at Red Coat Tavern with Jillian and Doreen for the best burger in town, followed by a couple rounds of bowling.

I think that's it.  At least that's all I can remember.  They definitely can't say I didn't take them anywhere.  That was a loooonnnnngggggg week even though we were having fun.  It's still draining.  That doesn't include all of the places I took them to eat at.  Unfortunately Jaxon spent a lot of time at daycare that week, but routine is good for him and it would have been too much to take him to all of those places.  He was fine at daycare playing with his friends, while the girls and I were gallivanting around town.  Plus, I had to pay for it anyway, so he might as well go!

So, the next time they tell me I never take them anywhere, I'll remind them to come and read this post!

Jaxon

In the 4 year gap that I last wrote this blog, I had another kid.  I had to try one more time for that boy, and lucky for me I got him.  We love him to pieces, but man does he give us a run for our money!  It is now very clear to me how different girls and boys are...other than the obvious indicators:)  He has us all wrapped around his little finger at almost 2 1/2 years old.

Let me start by saying that since the day he was born, he has been a life size doll for Sydney and Lizzy, and that hasn't really changed. They take such good care of him; probably better than I do sometimes, so we know he always has someone looking out for him.  The trouble is, when we tell him no, he goes directly to Sydney or Lizzy and says, "mommy yes", or "daddy yes", meaning we gave him permission to have them give him what we already told him no to.  He definitely knows how to work the system.  I also have no problem admitting that he is more than 100% spoiled.  I swear, this kid gets whatever he wants.

As far as whatever he wants goes...he wants candy.  That's all he ever wants...specifically Starburst.  He wakes up in the morning with candy on the brain. He cries because he doesn't want breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because he wants candy.  Don't worry...he's finally gotten to the point where he will eat his meal just to get Starburst.  But you better believe, if we ever need him to be quiet, he has a Starburst in his mouth, either that or an entire box of Lucky Charms so that he can pick out all of marshmallows and leave the rest behind.  I'm hoping this candy phase comes to an end soon because it's really excessive and that's really bad parenting on my part for even having it in the house. Admitting it is the first step, right? Too bad Santa bought him a ridiculous amount of Starburst to last a lifetime.  He sat on Santa's lap at the mall and told him very clearly that he wanted Starburst and was very proud of himself.

I could literally go on and on about Jaxon.  For example, he follows me around like he's attached to my hip.   He always wants to be near me, and if he's not with me, he's with the girls. And for this reason, he REALLY needs to have a play date with some boys his age.  He is constantly putting on my makeup, wearing the girls underwear, flat ironing his hair, playing barbies or American girl, and basically ever thing that I will be able to make fun of him for when he's older. Just wait until his Bat Mitzvah montage...we have some good ones already!  It was only a matter of time before the girls started putting dresses and bows on him.  He begged me the other day for nail polish.  He drove me so crazy that I gave in.  I only painted two nails though!


These pictures are only beginning!  As I said, he's a true character...

The Magic is Lost

So, let's see, where did we leave off FOUR years ago?? My kids aren't so little anymore (well, Jaxon is, but we'll get to him later), which brings me to this post.

Facebook has this lovely feature that shares memories of the past. My kids love looking at the memories of funny things they did or looked like when they were little.  When I created this blog, I never really thought about the time when my kids could read and would see all of the things I said about them. Well…it happened.

Yesterday, my Facebook memory was a post from this blog. So, Sydney started reading away.  She was hooked and was reading it for hours, cracking up at all of the funny stories.  But then, she came STORMING into my room with an upset face. "MOOOOOMMMMMM, Santa isn't real?" Ha…look at her pajamas…how appropriate!

I stumbled a little and tried to say something, but it was no use.  I wrote an entire blog about how Santa gets all of the credit and how we stayed up all night wrapping presents, etc.  I included so much detail that there was no turning back now.  She knew the truth and was not so happy to know it.  As a Jewish mother, I thought I did pretty darn well keeping the secret for that long. But, that's not the point.  I had to call Jason up and explain how I ruined "his holiday" for her.  We had to swear her to secrecy and protect Lizzy and Jaxon for years to come.  So, there you have it, my words came back to bite me! But looking on the bright side, she can see Christmas from a whole new perspective next year…and she can eat the milk and cookies and get fat:)

And of course we had to have the conversation about the tooth fairy as well. Oh, and that Easter Bunny too.  It was a rough night for Sydney.  And kind of for me too.  I felt bad.  I also realized that I can't share this blog with Lizzy until she "knows the truth". So for  now, it's just between me and Sydney. She IS 9…that's a good age to find all of this out, right? I'm just trying to justify this…

After she was over the shock of all of this information, she insisted that I continue to write on this blog. She said it isn't fair to Jaxon to not have any funny stories about him growing up. I kind of agree, we had SO much fun looking back.  I had forgotten so many little things that had happened.  I'm glad I wrote them down. Hopefully I'm not alone when I say I'm still on page one of my baby book.  Who are we kidding…there is no baby book! Whoopsie!  She literally begged me to write all day. So, here I am.  Listening to my boss.

I think it's only fair to give Jaxon an entire entry dedicated just to him.  Because everyone knows…he is quite the character! So stay tuned!

Camp Jason

Camp Jason has come and gone!  You've never heard of Camp Jason?  That's unforunate...but you will never get to experience the awesomeness like my kids just did.  It was a fantastic Summer.  Here is how it all played out...

Jason is a pharmaceutical rep, and unfortunately in June, the product he was a rep for got bought out which ended his contract with that company.  Yes, it sucks to lose your job, BUT, they offered him 3 months severance.  So, he was able to stay home with the kids all Summer long and get paid...it was quite honestly the best of both worlds.  Summertime is the time where I usually pay the most money in daycare since I have to send Sydney too.  It would have been awful if it happened in the winter...how boring, but with a million summer activities, it was fantastic.

We happened to join The Sports Club this Summer, so they spent the majority of the time there.  Sydney and Lizzy just love to swim.  And this place was so perfect, because they have an activity pool and a kids pool where the the kids can stand, and with lifeguards on duty, we never had to really worry.  Of course we keep an eye on our kids, but to have that extra set is always a plus.  They also went to the movies a few times, the splash park, Detroit Kid City, the park....the list is endless.  I doubt the kids realize how lucky they were, I hope that they do, because this will never happen again.  Well, never say never, but you never wish to lose your job.  This was probably a once in a liftime thing...unless I win the lottery and can stay home with them...that's always a possibility...I'll keep dreaming!

And now for the best part!  Jason had several job offers and had a job lined up weeks before he started yesterday, so he was able to enjoy his time with the kids.  Yes, of course the kids bicker a lot and I'm sure Jason had his moments of craziness, but all in all, I think it was a great experience for all involved...even me who got to get up and go straight to work without ever taking the kids anywhere!  Sydney and Lizzy both admitted that they liked when I wasn't there because they got to eat a lot of "junk".  I came home for lunch during the day one day and Lizzy says, "can you go back to work now so Daddy can give us junk?"

Here's to hoping Jason's new job is successful!  The kids are off to Midland for the week with Joe and Polly, where once again, they are thrilled to be surrounded by junk...I guess I'm just a meanie!

Camp Jason is officially closed for business.

Too Nice Not to Mention!

I will probably have to backtrack after this post, since I'm probably missing some very important events, but this past weekend was so awesome, I can't not document it.  By awesome...I mean the weather.  Everyone who knows me well, knows that I despise winter.  I just hate to be cold (or too hot..but I'll just save my complaining for Summer)!  So, I had no complaints whatsoever that it barely snowed this winter.  I think Jason shoveled like once the entire winter...how cool!  Needless to say, I survived the winter, but never would have expected these amazing record temperatures in March...we're talking upper 70's and even into the 80's.

It was the perfect weekend to take Sydney shopping for a new wardrobe since she keeps growing way too quickly...my babies aren't babies anymore!  Lizzy went to see Disney on Ice with my mom (which she LOVED) so it was nice to spend the day with JUST Sydney.  That doesn't happen very often.  Usually it's Sydney who is off somewhere and Lizzy is left at home, so this was very special for both kids.  We took Sydney to downtown Northville and it was gorgeous.  I kept saying over and over that I felt like we were on vacation.  People were just leisurely strolling up and down the streets enjoying the weather, playing in the park, eating outside and drinking smoothies.  We went to a store called Baby Baby which actually goes all the way up to teens (they should change the name), but it's this amazing consignment shop that only sells high end clothing and doesn't except anything with stains or any issues.  We bought Sydney SO much stuff all from her favorite stores...we even found her pink baseball cleats for t-ball!  She's a pretty lucky girl...when you combine all of the stuff my mom bought with her at Justice the day before...she literally has a brand new wardrobe. After shopping, we sat outside and had a nice lunch...I could have sat there for hours...but back to reality...that was the end of my two hour vacation.  On the way home, we gave into Sydney who was begging us to stop at Justice on the way home (even though she went there the day before) because she HAD to buy a sleeping mask (which I'm sure she will  never wear).  But, it was her day and we bought it for her because...I guess we rock!  Lizzy was a little bit jealous of Sydney's new shoes and they caused quite a few arguements since Lizzy refused to take them off the entire weekend even though they were a little big!  My next mission is to find Lizzy some sparkly sandals...it's all she talks about! (She also wants a sparkly dog...a real one...the kid is crazy).

The rest of the weekend was spent at the park (oh, and dinner with Grammie and Grandpa).  It was too nice to sit inside!

Straight Lined Princesses

Although Sydney doesn't dislike Princesses, she went through a phase where she LOVED them, but is over the obsessive phase.  Lizzy, on the other hand, is in that obsessive stage, but she has taken the obsession to a whole new level...kind of like a compulsive level.

Not only do we have little princesses coming out of every crevice of our house, but they all have to be standing the right way.  If they aren't, Lizzy will have a fit!  She is very orderly and organized with these princesses, and she can literally play with them for hours.  First all of the princesses face left....ALL of them.  Then, they all face right, and then forward, and then they all lay down.  And then they "fly" (according to Lizzy) into another room and seem to all land facing the exact same way...imagine that!

I'm sure it's all just a phase, but it's just so funny how particular she is about them.  Oh, and no one can play with her...this is a solo operation!!