Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Monday, so I am going to dust off the ol' blog and share some of my random thoughts about our broken spring. It was such a long, cold, snowy winter that I just can't believe that spring isn't cooperating. That is, until this week. At least that is what they are forecasting this week. Rumor has it that spring will finally arrive. But, honestly, what do they know anyway?

Time will tell.

In the meantime, I will share some randomness with you...

* Despite all of my protests, it can snow in spring. We got 9 inches on the first day of spring. How rude!

* Soccer season officially began 2 weeks ago. Our boys have yet to play a single game. Spring hates us and keeps raining or snowing on our fields.

* My flip flops still haven't seen the light of day.

* I LOVE to wear flip flops, but they are still collecting dust in my closet due to the cool weather. I miss them more than you know.

* My toes haven't seen the light of day since November.

* Must get a pedicure. SOON.

* I always know it is officially spring in my home when I spot muddy footprints starting at the front door and leading all the way up the stairs to the boys' room.

* We NEVER wear shoes in the house.

* Of course, the ONLY time the kids break that rule is when their shoes are COVERED with mud.

* You may think we have that rule because we have nice carpet in our home. Ya know, clean and well maintained. I wish. But, one time we were at the soccer fields when I witnessed a boy throwing up on the sidelines. During the next hour I must have watched 80 people (unknowingly) walk right through the vomit. Now I mean business when I tell my kids to take those bad boys off! They really have NO idea where those shoes have been. Yuck!

Happy Monday! Here's hoping I can dust off my flip flops this week!

Sweet Pea's New Found Talent!

PuRe JoY!!!!

The Calm Before the Storm

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Spring Break~ Day 5

Today started with the promise of spring and ended with the reality of a cold, hard winter that won't go away without a fight. I awoke to birds singing and my boys dancing. Dimples and Bruiser were promised a full day with Papa. To them, that beat just about anything I had planned all week long.

Their day started at a local park.

They even got to take in a little history lesson while at the park.

Not stop was a car museum. My dad has always loved old cars. I think it is so cool that he now gets to share that love with my boys.

They ate lunch at McDonald's and spent the rest of the afternoon at the movie theater. Sweet Pea and I met up with them at the soccer fields so Dimples could squeeze in a quick soccer practice before the snow arrived.

Yep, I just mentioned that four letter word that I had sworn not to utter again until December of 2010. We are supposed to wake up to snow in the morning and it is only suppose to go down hill from there.

And I thought tomorrow was the first day of spring.

Flip flops, I promise to dust you off in the very near future. But, not tomorrow. Or the next day. And, probably not next week.

The boys had a fabulous day with Papa! I am thankful they get to have fun memories such as those. I am pretty sure Bruiser is already planning their next big day.

Have a fabulous weekend. I plan to stay in and pretend that the white stuff outside is just a nightmare... I mean, dream.

Things That Make Me Smile

NEW SHOES!!!!!

(Spring Break~ Day 4)

Time to bring on the NEW SHOES SONG!!!

New shoes, new shoes. How do ya like my new shoes?

New shoes, new shoes. We really like your new shoes!

Something about new shoes just makes you want to dance and sing.

And, show your mother that these shoes can make you run sooooooo much faster.

Or, in Dimples's case, make you look sooooo much "cooler."

No matter what, new shoes put a smile on my face. By the looks of it, they put a smile on their faces too!

Despite the Cool Air, It Is STILL Spring Break

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Spring Break~ Day 3

Today, we stayed home and had some friends over for lunch. The mommies chatted (and chatted, and chatted, and chatted... don't you just love that?!),

the boys played the Wii,

and the girls played dress up.

(Are they cute or what?!?!)

We had a nice, relaxing time. What's not to like about an afternoon with some friends, some pizza, and some cookies??

Unfortunately, Sweet Pea seemed to turn into quite the "princess" once she slipped into her tutu. I am afraid she was channeling Cinderella's Step Sisters today. After our company left, we spent some "quality time" taking about how we treat our friends. Hopefully, we can change this behavior now before she finds herself staring in Mean Girls 2.

But, one thing Sweet Pea refused to change was her clothes. Yep, she even got in a little workout in her tutu. (I think she was trying to give me a hint. Especially when she asked me why the weights were dusty. Yeah, I'll get right on that... after I recover from the hour that I was robbed of this weekend all in the name of Daylight Savings.)

All in all, it was a fun day. After our company left, Dimples came over to me and said, "So is that all you guys do when you get together? Just talk and talk? That's IT?"

Yes, Dimples. That about sums it up. And, I love every minute of it!

Putting the SPRING in Break, Since the Weather is Broken

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Spring Break~ Day 2

Today we planned a full day of surprises for the kiddos. Nurse Boy had the day off, which always makes everything more fun. We started the day at a local Fairy Tale Exhibit.

Here are my kiddos in the Enchanted Forrest.
Oh, look! That must be the three bears... I am pretty sure Goldilocks just ran off to visit the three little pigs.



What is a Fairy Tale without a castle?!



That must be the Princess, I mean Prince, and the Pea.

Yikes! The Giant is climbing the Beanstalk!



We already know who is the fairest of them all, don't we?!



Next, we took in a little window shopping.


Which made us hungry.


Good thing Frozen Custard made it all better.

After that, we took in a matinee. We saw The Tooth Fairy. It was adorable. We gave it 10 thumbs up.

We ended the night with a trip to Chick-fil-a. It was family night and the kids ate for free!



AND, they had a craft for the kids! Plus, the Craft Lady made my night and told us how polite and well behaved our kids were! She even offered to give each one of them a cone. The kids' eyes got big until I reminded them that they ALREADY had cones today. Sometimes the compliment is reward enough!

It was a great day!

Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Spring Break~~ Day 1

Today we slept in a little (YAY!) and met some new friends at a children's wonderland...

The place was full of inflatables and tunnels. The kids had a ton of fun, ran off a lot of energy, and bonded with some wonderful new friends.

The best part? I bonded with some new friends as well.

While we were at this fabulous play place, I made a few random observations:

* No matter how much you feed your kids before leaving the house, they will constantly harass you for food as soon as you arrive at your destination.

* Prepare to be interrupted every 5 seconds when chatting with your friends.

* The deeper the conversations, the more the interruptions.

* Your children will start asking to leave approximately one hour after arriving, only to announce they are BORED as soon as they walk into the house.

* There is always a bully in every crowd. A bully who seems to have been dropped off and abandoned. Seriously, WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS??!!

* If you look hard enough, you will always find some other kids acting up more than your own. Is it wrong that that somehow makes me feel a little better as a parent? I guess it shouldn't, since you are probably looking at my kids and thinking the same thing.

* If it is a place that requires the kids to take off their shoes, plan to spend the last half hour searching for matching pairs. (While the children sit and watch your frantic search because "they are sooooo tired and hungry.)

All in all, it was a fun day. I am proud to say that I wore the kids out! And, that has been a challenge since the weather here has been cool, gloomy, and wet. Nothing at all like SPRING. Oh, wait. It isn't spring yet. Why in the world do we have "Spring" Break in the winter?? But, then again, what do I know? I just pay taxes around here.

Happy Monday!!

Friday Fare!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Today is the first day of our Spring Break. Let the whining and constant demands begin!

No, I am NOT referring to myself. OK, sometimes I do it too. I blame them.

Seriously, I have a fun week planned. I look forward to a relaxing week of quality time.

Since it's Spring Break, which seems to revolve around my kids and their friends, I am sharing a kid tested recipe. I like to make these and pop them in the freezer for quick school lunches. The boys like them both hot and cold. They even fit nice and snug in a thermos for a warm school lunch.

Kids' Corn Dog Muffins

2 (6.5 oz.) packages cornbread muffin mix
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
5 hot dogs, chopped

1. Combine cornbread mix and brown sugar.
2. Stir in eggs and milk.
3. Stir in drained corn and hot dogs.
4. Fill grease muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 18 minutes.

These are a hit with the short people around here. Nurse Boy and I can take them or leave them.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Things That Make Me Smile

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I am not musically talented, but I did play the flute for 6 years. I loved band and found the flute to be challenging and enjoyable. My flute might be dusty now, but my memories aren't.

Now I get to watch my son find his love of music. Dimples started playing the violin this year. He has really enjoyed it. And, I think he is pretty talented, if I do say so myself.

That makes me smile!

Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.


It is Monday and I am finally recovering from The Head Cold of 2010. It was the head cold that I ignored and went about my daily tasks as if I felt fabulous. It was the very head cold that then placed me in bed for 1 and 1/2 days with the TV being Sweet Pea's babysitter. Yeah, I am paying for that one right about now. She is having some withdrawal from the TV and I am having some withdrawal from my bed. But, we are (mostly) better now. And, surprisingly, I have NOT been nominated for mother of the year.

Time for the Monday Random-mess:

**Fuzzy slippers make everything better. Seriously, they do.

**So does a box of tissues when you have The Head Cold of 2010.

**Spring, you'd better not just be teasing me with your sunny weather and warmer temperatures. No one likes a tease.

**And, let it be known that Spring and I will no longer be on speaking terms if it abandons the Midwest AFTER I finally shave my legs.

**The kids no longer own a matching pair of gloves, so spring really cannot come soon enough.

**I am pretty sure I will find the missing gloves after I finally give up and throw out all of the single, matchless gloves.

**Nurse Boy and I are proud to be law abiding citizens. We desire to set a good example for our children. That being said, Nurse Boy was awarded a speeding ticket after a very long 15 hour work day, when I was home sick with the kids.

**He was going 10 mph over the speed limit. Yes, he was speeding and shouldn't have been. He had just left the hospital, after walking several blocks to his car where he fell in the mud. It was 10 PM and he was covered in mud and other bodily fluids that I don't even want to think about from the GI Lab.

**Where was that police officer's compassion?

**Is it wrong that I hope he shows up for a colonoscopy this week?

**Don't answer that.

**Maybe he will come down with The Head Cold of 2010.

**OK, that wasn't nice either. I'll stop now.

Happy Monday!

Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Monday and I awoke with a head cold. Fun. Just what I need after dealing with the stomach bug of 2010 last week. The floors need to be vacuumed, the dishes need to be washed, and the laundry is laughing at me. Yep, a typical Monday. Except, I ignored all of that and joined Sweet Pea for a glorious nap today.

However, when I awoke, the Clean House Fairy had missed our home. Yep, a typical Monday, indeed.

And, while I usually have lots of willing helpers, this is where I found all of my men yesterday afternoon:

Watching THE hockey game.

Don't they look helpful? All sprawled out on the unmade bed?

Yeah, not so much. Plus, when USA lost, they had even less motivation then before.

Time to pop some frozen pizzas in the oven and snuggle up under a blanket. Happy Monday, everyone!