A Date with Dinosaurs!

Months back while stuck inside thanks to the polar vortex I stumbled upon an idea on Pinterest that I pulled out today. Ryan is turning 3 tomorrow and has loved those plastic dinosaurs for a while now. Thought he would LOVE the idea of his dinosaurs mysteriously laying dinosaur eggs one afternoon. And it was his job (with the help of his big 4-year-old brother of course) to help these baby dinosaurs hatch. Here's how you make them in case you  know a little explorer who would enjoy this.

All you need are tiny dinosaurs (I found mine for $2 a package at the grocery store) and Baking Soda (lots of it), and food coloring if desired. Plus vinegar to help the eggs "hatch."

Mix a large amount of baking soda with just a bit of water at a time. Add food coloring at this time if you like. The mixture should clump together but not be too wet. Next wrap the mixture around a baby dinosaur and set aside to air dry overnight. I had to hide our eggs in the oven so nosy eyes didn't happen upon them.

This afternoon the boys found this scene in the backyard and were thrilled to be tasked with the job of helping baby dinos hatch! Off they went with a spray bottle I filled with vinegar.

It's quite fun to watch the egg fizz away once the vinegar hits it. I decided to carefully move the eggs into a plastic tub as I was worried the vinegar may somehow ruin the grass. After Ryan had a go he asked Jackson to help, and he was happy to oblige. 

This took up about 1.5 hours today. That's a win in my book!

My Take on Lent

Ash Wednesday is just two days away now, and marks the beginning of Lent. I was raised Catholic and did the traditional pick-something-to-give-up-for-40-days-thing to symbolize the sacrifices Jesus made while he wandered the wilderness for 40 days. As a kid it usually took the form of no ice cream or similar treat. As a teenager I once gave up chocolate and remember thinking that was more of a commitment to sacrifice than past years.

Now 33-years-old and facing what loss is, the true absence of something essential to breathing without pain, (for me, in the form of living without my son) my childhood ways of practicing Lent don't serve my faith with the depth I desire. Last year, being the first year after Ethan died, I remember searching for a way to focus myself and my family. Much of that first year was spent searching. For a way to wake up from the nightmare. For my son's presence in my life still. For peace. For friends who wouldn't let me down repeatedly. For words of validation, understanding and kindness. For healing. (I am still on parts of this search, perhaps they will be a lifetime endeavor).

When Lent rolled around a year ago I took upon two tasks of love, rather than of sacrifice (I felt I was being asked to sacrifice more than enough anyway). Here they are, I really like them and plan to continue them in years to come, in some form. Thought I would share with you all in case they may speak to you more than a more traditional take on Lent.

For me I choose to write a letter to, email or message a friend and tell them what I appreciate about them. I pick one person a day and let them know how I see them, what I love about them. Truthfully, there aren't enough nice things being said to each other, yet the power a genuine compliment holds is impressive. 40 days, 40 messages sent to 40 people.

The kids are still young, so something tangible is a must. All that's need is a wire wreath from a craft store for a few dollars, and some ribbon to start. Each time the kids go out of their way to show kindness for someone they get to select a ribbon and tie it on the wreath. They LOVE it and it has become a tool for positive reinforcement as well as a reminder to bring Christian love into daily life. And I love the evidence of their kindness too.  I started our kindness wreath a year ago and it has grown all year long. Here is what it looks like today, beautiful and full of love!

Remember, Lent is a time for us to center ourselves...to deepen our faith...to draw closer to Jesus and our Lord. It's an emotional time for Christians, filled with the knowledge that Good Friday is to come, but also filled with joyous anticipation that Easter awaits us. We all have our own challenges as we wander this world (sickness, loneliness, financial strain, unhealthy expectations, grief). Maybe we have times where we feel we are wandering our own deserts in life. Lent can be a time to center and find ways to experience the love around us.

A special day

As a parent you learn that each child has their own personality, beautiful and strong, and complete with their own challenges at times. Our second child, Jackson, is my most sensitive child overall. He's full of beautiful emotions, though at times they tend of become intense and bubble over. I don't know everything, that's for sure. But I'm pretty confident in the parenting interventions we offer overall. Drawing from my professional experience as a social worker, Josh and I try hard to focus upon the strengths of our children, offering positive reinforcement whenever possible. Even developing the individualized plan now and then to support Jackson through phases that can be overwhelming for him. A month ago poor Jackson seemed to hit a rougher patch behaviorally - and honestly, it was hard for the rest of us as well. Generally, I think most parenting challenges are met nicely with more love and support directed towards the child. (Of course that's if limits are already pretty sound overall) So something I had pinned on Pinterest a while ago came to mind when I was struggling as a parent last moth.

The general idea is to make a special day to celebrate your child, apart from their birthday. Their birthday is to celebrate growing a year older, but the special day is to celebrate all of the things that make that child special. Seemed to fit the bill as I was looking for a way to shower Jackson with positive attention and help him get out of that funk. (Being one child of four can make harder to give special, individual attention to each child - so it's all the more important I think that we try) We talked about what day he wanted for his special day...a weekend or a weekday. What did he want to do on his day? What did he want to eat? And so on.

Jackson chose to make a Monday afternoon and evening his special day. Off the family went to bowling and dinner at Chili's - his picks! He's a sucker for those arcade games too, so $10 split between the kids there made him feel like a King :)

While bowling Jackson got to go first, he chose the music in the car (Bon Jovi - his favorite) to have a dance party to, and chose to eat out at Chili's. During dinner we all told Jackson why we are so happy he is part of our family. Said our favorite things about him and retold our favorite Jackson stories. It was so much fun. To hear him giggle as we recounted all of his wild little boy adventures, I think he spent that entire afternoon and night grinning. It was perfect. The waitress even thought it was Jackson's birthday as he was the star of the day for us.

The experience was great for me, seeing my child purely happy when he had been struggling lately was pretty awesome. Whether the special day helped his behavior or not, it was worthwhile. He had another day to hear how thankful we are for him. And his meltdowns did quiet down significantly after that! Ryan and Caroline are planning their special days too. Ryan wants to go swimming as a family at the Y and Caroline is eyeing some indoor bouncy house place I think.

It's hard being a parent. You get no argument from me there. But what an honor and responsibility we have to get it right. Not perfect, but overall to get it right. We are raising people. When I take a step back and remember that fact, it makes me want to stop raising my voice and do a bit better next time.

A Valentine Craft

It's cold out and some of us weren't feeling all that well this morning, so we looked for something to do around the house. With Valentine's Day coming right up an idea I saw on Pinterest seemed to fit the bill.

With some white cardstock paper, a white crayon and watercolors we were off and running. While the kids were in the other room I drew hearts on the paper with a pencil and then used my white crayon to write them a secret message inside. Caroline and Jackson noticed the white crayon right away but Ryan was happily oblivious to it at the start. Then they started painting and their secret messages began to reveal themselves. 

Here are the finished products. It was quick, easy, fun and added some holiday decor to our walls.

Bringing out the Duggar in me.

Some of you know that I make my own laundry detergent.  Being a one-income large family means saving where I can.  Thought I'd show those of you who have asked me how to do it.  Of course, I forgot to take pictures along the way yesterday, when I made the detergent...sorry.

Here are the things you will need to buy to get started.

1 cup of Borax 

1 cup of Washing Soda

1 Bar of Soap (any bar of soap should work, just be sure nobody in your family has a sensitive reaction to the brand you choose).

I found the Borax and Washing Soda in the cleaning isle at Market Basket, though any grocery store, Target or WalMart should have them I think.  I use Ivory soap, because you can always save the extra bars for future detergent or you could let your kids microwave an extra bar of Ivory soap and it does that fun science experiment thing.  (Heads up though, your kitchen will smell like soap for an hour or so if they do.)  It's been a while since I bought these supplies, and the boxes are still half full.  I'm pretty sure these supplies cost less than $10, and will last you more than a year of detergent.  Yes, I'm serious about that...this is very inexpensive and works great.  I wish I had known about this a long time ago. 

Also, you will need to save two empty and rinsed gallon jugs (we use the milk ones as our kids drink so much) for easy storage.

Here's what you do:

1) Grate your bar of  soap with a regular cheese grater.  The entire thing.  Put it in your pot.  

As for your pot, it should hold 2 gallons of water.  Otherwise use 2 smaller pots and split the ingredients evenly.  That's what I have to do, making two batches at the same time.

2) Add 1 gallon of water (any temperature) and cook over the stove until the soap is fully dissolved.  

3) Add 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of Washing Soda and still well.  

4) Allow it to boil.  Then remove it from the heat and add 1 gallon of cold water.  Stir well.

5) Allow the detergent to cool a bit and then use a funnel to transfer the mixture into the empty gallon containers.

And that's it!  So easy.  I let mine sit overnight and it actually congeals.  Then I shake the gallon containers well to break up the detergent a bit.  To use the detergent I pour just a small amount (maybe 1-2 tablespoons - really) into the washing machine right out of my milk containers.  

The other good thing about this detergent is it is far gentler on skin than store bought detergents.  They typically add unnecessary dyes and scents.  I have used this detergent on babies laundry too.  No more need to buy expensive Dreft!

OK, here is the original link.  I can't claim this as my own.  But I do love it!

http://whynotsew.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html

The Pageant

Today was the Christmas pageant.  Caroline was an angel, that was believable.

Jackson refused to be the angel he was cast as.  I tried bribery, offering to treat him to lunch at McDonald's if he wore the angel costume.  He agreed, and then back out again.  Opting to become Josh's shadow throughout the service instead.

Ryan was too young for a formal role, but he did wear angel wings for a total of 10 minutes.

Service started with a children's time at the altar.  Josh has been doing these puppet show children's moments with the help of a few church members...they are so fun and cute.  As an aside, I LOVE how our church includes children into the services every week.  Kids are welcomed and it makes the experience so much better if you ask me.  Part of this children's moment was about lighting the advent wreath.  Josh wisely advised the large group of kids to stay away from the candles on fire.  Leave it to the preacher's kid to reach right for that lit candle.  Mid-prayer I lunged towards Ryan, still too far away for me to reach him, snapping my finger, pointing at him saying "Ryan no!"  Thankfully that did the trick.  But I felt compelled to apologize to the congregation for my interruption.

Throughout the service Jackson was shadowing Josh.  While I was sitting in the pew I could see him picking his nose, several times, on the altar.  Right there for all to see.  Gross.

During prayers and concerns I blinked and Ryan dashed for the altar, adorned with angel wings, to sit next to Jackson, aka Josh's shadow.  What is supposed to be the only quiet moment of this children's service was when Ryan decides to roll around on the altar with his wings on.  Jackson then starts tying his elastic boot string things together, so if he were to stand his legs would be tied together and fall.  He's a one man show that kid.  Once the prayer was over I scooped him up and the angel wings were over.

Just before the pageant is to begin Ryan tells me he has to pee.  I didn't want to take the long way to the bathroom, because I didn't want to miss Caroline doing her angel thing.  So I tried to sneak out the side door.  Only to run smack into all of the angels awaiting their big entrance.  "Excuse me.  Sorry, Ryan has to go to the bathroom."  As I'm squeezing through the sea of 5-7-year-olds I feel my boot (yes, hard snow boot) step on a little boy's toe.  And then I realize he's not wearing any shoes, as the angels are just in their socks.  And now I'm apologizing to Charlie as he's bravely trying not to cry though he is clearly in some pain.   Awesome.  The pageant leader ushered me along and comforted Charlie.

The pageant went on and it was awesome.  Every aspect of it.

Nose picking and all, bring your kids to church people.  There's Purell at the back so it's all good.

Please excuse the finger in the photo, clearly I am a bit busy in church to notice a bad photo.

My funniest parenting story to date.

Parenting is full of all sorts of things.  And it's not easy many days.  So how do we cope?  If you are like me, you hold onto the moments that offer you shock and laughter.  And with little boys, that usually goes hand-in-hand with something gross too.  With that said, I will share my funniest parenting story to date.

Last summer was largely a blur for me.  As I was still in shock from our son Ethan's sudden death the tears far outweighed the laughter.  But, one night was the exception.

Caroline, Jackson, Ryan and I were pet sitting for some friends.  The four of us went into their home to feed the animals and freshen up the water dish.  I blinked and Ryan disappeared as only fully mobile 13-month-olds can do.

Ryan rounds the corner of their master bedroom (not a concern, they have little kids who sleep in their master bedroom all of the time) proudly banging two things together.  With that twinkle in his eye that proves he is a Gray boy.  (I know this as my husband and brother-in-law are owners of the same twinkle.)

"What do you have Ryan?"  Ryan couldn't respond verbally so he grinned and smiled again with his eyes.

Then I realized what they were.  Two large-sized bottles of personal lubricant.  I swear to you, that's what he was banging together as if they were drumsticks.

After rushing to take them away and washing his hands thoroughly I realized I had to put these personal items back.  But where did Ryan find them?  I stood in their master bedroom turning around in a circle looking for the obvious place Ryan must have found them.  The drawer to the nightstand was open, that must be where he found them.  So I placed them in but no matter how I did it the drawer would not shut.  It was too narrow for the size of the personal items.

Surely these amazing parents wouldn't leave personal lubricant in an open drawer where their young child would easily find them as he fell asleep in his parents' bed, right?  So I retrieved the bottles and stood in the middle of the room again.  No other drawers were open indicating where Ryan may have found them.  I wasn't about to start violating their privacy further to figure out where they belonged.  Again I put them in the nightstand and closed the drawer as far as it would go...leaving it about 2 inches open.

For the next five days I wondered what to do.  Do I leave it there and hope I was right, while believing that I was probably wrong?  Do I throw it somewhere else in their room and pretend like it never happened?  Do I cop to it and write a little note apologizing for Ryan's indiscretion, leaving the bottles next to it?

I opted for the first option, the nightstand.  The friends never mentioned the lube...and neither did I.  It was hilarious though.  And gross.  Later that night, at a sick visit for an ear infection, our pediatrician said it could have been worse.  He could have found "devices."  I hadn't even considered that.  Yes, that would have been worse.

These stories  make the exhaustion and whiny days more than worthwhile.  So, what are your funniest parenting stories?

A full moon in the morning.

The other day I was upstairs first thing in the morning, waking Caroline up for school.  I hadn't even ventured downstairs yet myself.  But I hear Jackson's little voice yelling "Ryan! Ryan!" from outside the house.  I thought, surely not, right?

Came downstairs and found both boys outside in the backyard.  They had locked themselves out of the house.  Apparently Ryan was looking for me (he didn't think to look in Caroline's room first?) and Jackson followed suit.  Then Ryan rounds the corner of the house so I can see him, and he's wearing a pj shirt, Spider-man snow boots and nothing else.  Well, good morning Ryan.

I am sure some neighbors witnessed the full moon that day.  We are quickly building a reputation surely.

Ryan's fully embracing 2-years-old, and keeping me on my toes :)

Long distance hug.

We have family who live in Florida and in Seattle, while we live in New England.  So, it's pretty hard to hug them.  Why not send one?!

Another easy craft with my kids - and one that spreads some love across the country.  Who doesn't love getting mail?  Especially if it is filled with surprise long distance hugs from your grandchildren or niece and nephews.  

No how-to here.  It's self-explanatory I think.  The next rainy day you have, and you are looking to eat up a bit of time...consider this one.

Original link:  http://tonsoffunpreschoolactivities.blogspot.com/2011/02/long-distance-hug.html

The Sleep Pee'er Strikes Again

Jackson's sleep walking and sleep peeing are nothing new.  He did make it rain pee in the kitchen after all.

The sleep peeing has continued.  The other night I stepped in a puddle of pee underneath Jackson's bed.  He had peed on his box spring mattress and it had soaked through.  Last week I found Jackson standing in the hallway about to pee - and was able to interfere just in time.  And a few nights ago we found Jackson peeing in the kitty litter.  I'm serious.  Right in the kitty litter - through that little door in the cover.  Boy has aim I guess, even when he's sleeping.  Scooping my kid's pee in the litter was something I never imagined I would be doing.

Guess it could be worse.  I've been told some kids open their dresser drawers and pee right on their clothes.  But I did just find a bunch of wet clothes that he accidentally got wet last night and then stuffed back into his dresser while sleeping.  Awesome.  So, we are back to cutting the liquids out after 6:30 pm and doing more laundry.  I really might just make him a toga for halloween and he can go as a frat boy.

Stellar Mom Moment #132

Today I put Ryan down for his nap and set Jackson up for his rest time in the toy room.  Put on a movie so he could relax (OK, so I could too) during that hour.  Two of my friends were over and we got to watching some tv and catching up.

Rest time was over and I opened the toy room door and Jackson wasn't in there.  Searched the likely places and he wasn't there either.  Then I thought Josh must have taken Jackson with him to volleyball practice.  Left him a voice mail trying to confirm this. 3 minutes later I found Jackson sound asleep in his own bed.  Apparently my boy who no longer naps decided he needed a nap today after all.  Snuck upstairs and tucked himself in.  

After laughing at my newest stellar mom moment I realized I had just left Josh that message.  The second message was something like "don't worry.  I found Jackson.  In his bed."  Meanwhile, I didn't really know he was lost.  I thought he was with his dad.  Wish I could have erased that first voice mail.

Apple Picking Fun

September in New England means apple picking.  This is our first Fall in our new town so we decided to check out the local farm and orchard.  Our kids get so excited for these traditions and Ryan has continued to talk about apple picking for the last month now.


How can you say no to your kids asking you to pose with them?  You don't.  :)

And then it was off to the picking.  The best apples are always at the top.  This is how it's done Gray style.

And there's always some tasting.

And one really good picture :)

Until next Fall.  

October is here!

October is here.  While Caroline was at school Jackson, Ryan and I spent the morning with great friends at our place today.  In between bike, scooter and wagon rides in the driveway I snuck in a little craft.  Hand print spider webs.

Go on, break those paints out with your kids.  You can do it.  I know some parents avoid this stuff because it can get messy - but kids really LOVE it.  Washable paints, cheap paper plates and white string or yarn - that's all you need.  So, deep breath...and dive in parents!

Punch holes around the paper plates.  Let the kids choose the color to paint their plate.  Jackson chose blue, as he always does.  Ryan went along with orange.  Then paint their hand (minus the thumb) with black or brown and make two hand prints - overlapping the palms.  Glue some googly eyes (you can use white paint if you don't have eyes around) and let it dry.  Let your kids practice pushing the yarn or string through the punched holes (Ryan needed some help with his, but made a great effort).  I knotted and taped the yarn behind the plate to secure them.  

These make great Fall decorations for your home, or if you like, grandparents and long distance relatives love hand print crafts from the little ones they don't get to see often.  Happy October!


To check out the original link:  http://www.momendeavors.com/2012/10/halloween-kids-craft-handprint-spiders-in-a-diy-lacing-card-web.html

The evolution of "me time."

Before I had kids I went to the gym 5 plus days a week.  For more than an hour usually.  Weight training was actually included in my workout instead of just the treadmill, stretching and some core exercises.  I showered and then made dinner, read a book or watched some TV.  I couldn't have told you what number the Disney Channel was even on.  My days were filled with a wonderful job as a counselor in a residential and therapeutic day program.  Josh and I had weekly dinners, "family" dinners if you will, with our best friends every Wednesday night.  Weekends were filled with...I can't even remember how I used to fill so much time to myself.  Sleeping in surely.  Naps whenever I wanted to.  Church on Sunday mornings.  Eating out regularly.  A movie sometimes.  But really, I don't even know what I used to do with all of that time.

Then Caroline was born and "me time" came in the form of going to the gym for a quick run when Josh and I were both home from work.  Timing it in between nursing feedings.  The occasional dinner and a movie night out with a babysitter at home.  And scheduled trips out of the home without Caroline - usually it was hanging out with a friend doing something.  I could go to the bathroom alone.  Having just one baby was busy, but very manageable.  But I could still hear my inner monologue.  Josh could take care of her for me to shower, or vice versa.  Leaving me alone to my thoughts.

Less than two years later Jackson came along.  "Me time" became the occasional Saturday morning of sleeping in.  When Josh would take Caroline and Jackson to the bagel place.  Showering alone started to drift away.  As Caroline would open the door, just checking in or having something she needed to tell mommy, and leave the door wide open so the bathroom filled with cold air.  Caroline would usually insist on accompanying me in the bathroom.  You know, I might miss her or get lonely in those 3 minutes.  Me time was the short car ride in between work and daycare.  Lunch breaks at work were opportunities to remember I was a person, not just a mother.  Things were active, but Josh and I were still playing the parental man-to-man defense with our kids.

Add Ryan into the mix, 3 kids under 4-years-old, and "me time" turned into doing the dishes while Josh took a turn giving baths.  By this time Caroline was 3, Jackson was almost 2 and Ryan was a newborn.  Showering alone was a thing of the past.  There was almost always a baby sitting in that bouncy seat on my bathroom floor.  As I sang tone deaf versions of "You are my sunshine," the "ABCs," and "Twinkle twinkle little star," hoping to get the conditioner out of my hair before I had to get out.  I could hear crying approaching the bathroom and braced for the tears and sadness of the 2 and 3-year-olds that were bound to come my way.  All while trying to shave my legs with goose bumps from the cold air again.  My version of me time usually meant there was still a baby I was taking care of somewhere in the room.  Going to the bathroom was a family affair.  And if I actually shut the door and locked it toddler fingers were visible on the bottom of the door.  With banging from Jackson and cries of desperation that they weren't included.

A fourth child blessed our family for a brief period of time, and the non-stress tests during that pregnancy were times to sit and relax.  While someone was usually taking care of the older kids.  Today I find my "me time" scheduled weeks in advance in the form of the rare dinner out with friends.  And last week, I had my annual OB-GYN exam in Boston.  That is one appointment I will do anything possible not to bring the kids to.  You know you are a mom when your OB-GYN appointment is your "me time."  Seriously.

Inside my head there are voices asking for milk, a snack, or some other request nowadays.  But it's all good.  I love my family and chaos.  I wouldn't trade it.  And really, how important is that weight training anyway?  That's what carrying your kids is for.

Yup, he just said vagina.

Tuesday mornings Jackson and I have some rare one-on-one time.  With his sister in first grade and one of his younger brothers in an early intervention group, Jackson and I sneak away for some grocery shopping.  And perhaps a doughnut.  When you have 4 kids so close together, it really is a treat to get this time to soak in the child that your baby has become.  And glimpse into what kind of person he may be in the future.

Yesterday we had had our doughnut and began our grocery shopping.  (Yes, this is what your quality one-on-one time turns into with a busy family.  Grocery shopping becomes the exciting time for Jackson.  The key is to pitch the excursion as special mom-Jackson time.)  I was meal planning on the go, my usual, and said "hey Jackson, how about we have lasagna for dinner this week?"

Jackson: "Nope, I don't like vagina."

And there it was.  Simply stated.  My 4-year-old just said vagina in the Brockton Market Basket.  Apparently lasagna and vagina sound similar to a child with a speech articulation issue.  And people were all around us.  I just said "OK," and moved onto the next aisle.

This stuff happens all of the time in our family.  And I am beginning to realize that these antics seem to happen more often in our family than in most.  Blessed chaos indeed.

Distraction

Over the last six months or so my grief has shifted.  Or perhaps only on the surface.  I am no longer visibly crying all of the time.  But I still do that at times too, just not in front of people often.  People have stopped asking about how I am most of the time.  Probably because they don't see me cry as much, if at all, any more.  I guess they think I'm "better."  But here's the thing, I'm still screaming inside.  I don't have much free time at all, but with any that I do the thoughts tend to drift back to my dead son.

About six months ago I discovered Pinterest and distraction became a primary coping skill for me.  Painting the house, arts and crafts, building furniture...anything to drown out the "my child died" inner monologue while the world around me is pregnant and delivers healthy children.  So here are some of my more recent projects.  Josh is a nice, and smart, husband not to say anything about me and my crafting.  I think he knows it serves a greater purpose for me.

Today I finished a DIY mirror for our downstairs bathroom and this week I made a monogram for our front door.

And yes, our front door needs a new coat of paint.  :)

Here is the start of our gallery wall.  I made a bunch of canvas photos as well as photos applied to wood.  I kind of like it so far.  

I made this piece of art out of butterfly cut outs a friend gave me.  They just appeared on her kitchen table one day, when she had been thinking and praying for me, when no one was in her home.  Yet somehow, over 100 butterflies found their way to her table, and then to me.  

Don't worry, I do still take care of the kids and the rest of the family responsibilities.  Most of the time.  So distraction is my way to healing.  Or at least occupies my mind when the waves of grief roll in.  

Let the children come to me.

The other day I took the kids down the street for a bike ride.  We live close to a small cemetery - a great, safe spot for a 6, 4 and 2-year-old to cruise around on their bikes.  Caroline is now 6 and stopped to look at a grave that was prepared for a funeral later that morning.  With her dad being a minister and her youngest brother having died a year ago, Caroline has more exposure to death than most children.  But this trip to the cemetery I think she actually got it.  These graves were the sacred places for others' loved ones.  As Ethan's Macintosh tree is a sacred place for our family.

On the way out of the cemetery Caroline noticed a statue of Jesus at the entrance.  I looked up and all 3 of my kids had stopped and were talking about Jesus.  This was a moment as a parent that made me thankful and proud.  That my children know Jesus.  And love him.  Hey - we may have our hot mess moments but this moment reminded me that we are doing something right as parents.

Caroline face looked as if something dawned upon her.  "Ohhh.  This must be where Jesus died."  She thought the statue of Jesus was his actual grave.  So sweet.  Our quaint New England town is not exactly The Holy Land.  It makes complete sense if you are a 6-year-old.  I explained otherwise and read a scripture quote inscribed on the statue.  Reviewing that God sent his son Jesus to our world to tell us he loves us and so we may go to Heaven when we die.  Jackson and Ryan gently touched the statue - I think they were assessing whether this statue of Jesus was really alive or not.  Much like they assess mannequins in stores.  Even the ones with no heads mind you.  The boys and I moved along and I glance backwards to see Caroline patting Jesus' head.

  "What are you doing Caroline?"

  "Telling him he did a good job."

  Oh, sure.  Providing positive reinforcement much like we do in our family.  A 6-year-old is an amazing thing.  Yes Jesus, you did a good job.

  Let the children come to me.  And the Gray children followed.

Making it rain

Parents out there, you know that blessed moment of the night when your kids are finally in bed, leaving you alone for a few minutes and you actually get to watch a show that you DVR'd?  That's another sacred time around my home.  That sacred time was interrupted the other night by another story that I couldn't make up.

Josh and I were watching a show and I thought I heard a dripping sound.  Josh muted the TV and he quickly said "that's water!"  We split up looking for the source.

Jackson, our 4-year-old, has a slight sleeping walking problem.  Only when he really has to pee but doesn't wake up fully to get himself to the bathroom.  So the thought did cross my mind that he was peeing somewhere other than the toilet again.  But no, it couldn't be that.  The dripping sound was coming from the first floor and I didn't hear Jackson come downstairs.  Boy, was I wrong.

Josh discovered it was raining pee in our kitchen.  Seriously.  Right through the kitchen ceiling vent that went to Jackson's bedroom floor.  He had, in fact, peed on his door (again - this really does happen occasionally in our house) but this time it landed on the floor vent.  Making it rain pee in the kitchen.

Don't worry though, Jackson was fast asleep again in his bed by the time I opened his door.  I ran downstairs with an old rag for Josh to clean the pee up saying "don't use the kitchen towels!"  Round the corner and see Josh with the twinkle in his eye, half crouched over with the kitchen towels already in the pee.  Awesome.  Well, at least he was cleaning it I guess.

Josh cleaned the kitchen and I cleaned the bedroom.  Then we went right back to our spots on the couch as if nothing unusual had happened.  Because, in fact, this is a normal part of our blessed chaos.  I do think Jackson will be rushing a fraternity come college though, he's got it down already.

A surprise in the mail!

About 6 weeks ago the kids and I sat down at the kitchen table to eat up a bit of a rainy morning.  My addiction to Pinterest has helped during the times when outdoor play isn't an option, so off I went to my trusty iPhone Pinterest app and came across this activity.

Did you know if your child/children writes a note to a Disney character and mails it off to Disney World the word on the street is that character will send your child/children an autographed picture to them?  Mickey and Princesses tend to run the house according to two of my kids, so I thought it was worth a try.  Unfortunately I wasn't thinking in advance that morning and didn't get any pictures of the letters and drawings Caroline, Jackson and Ryan made for Ariel, Nemo and Mickey.  What I remember is that Caroline actually wrote her letter to Ariel and chimed in to finish the letters for her brothers.  Ryan scribbled a few crayons on the paper and that was the end of his masterpiece and Jackson actually got distracted and ditched the activity truthfully.  But what are big sisters for, if not to step in and finish the job?

And today, 3 excited kids opened the mailbox to find these!

Each child has their own signed photo/postcard mailed to them.  What kid doesn't love getting mail?  Ours love it!

If you are looking for a quick, easy way to kill some time with your kids this might just be it.  The address to mail them to is 

Walt Disney World Communications

PO Box 10040

Lake Buena Vista, FL  32830-0040

And the results are these faces...

I have become my mother.

My mom's a great lady.  She'll give you the shirt off her back, that's just her style.  So when when I say that I am turning into my mom that's not bad.

But, I remember being a kid and thinking she was a little crazy when she would make her mind known to strangers.

The other week I was in line at The Dollar Store (my favorite store and quite a mix of patrons by the way, especially the one I go to) and there was a line of 4 people waiting to check out.  We were third in line, and a new register opened.  The cashier said she could help the "next" person in line.  Hello, the next.  Not who can get their things over there first.  And this guy from behind me cuts me and the woman in front of me.  It was clear that this man knew he was cutting us.  Out of my mouth came "Excuse me sir, this woman in front of me is next."  The guy looks me straight in the eye and smiles, acknowledging that he doesn't give a crap and continues to move to the register.  And the lady in front of me thought I was nuts.  She pretty much told me so, saying that if she were my child she would be embarrassed by me.  Well, thanks lady.  Serves me right for shopping in Brockton's The Dollar Store I guess.

And then yesterday I was helping the kids cross our busy street to ride their bikes on the dead end across the way.  Cars often drive really fast by us, 3 little kids on their bikes waiting to cross.  The nice thing to do would be to slow down and offer these kids on 2 bikes and 1 trike to cross the street.  And this does happen sometimes.  But often people see us and continue right on.  To which I have found myself saying "Thank you" loudly as they drive by.  A very thing my mother used to do when I was young.  To which I would think was embarrassing, because it was to me at the time.  And here I am doing it myself.  Except this time I didn't need to say it, as my cute 5-year-old daughter in her princess helmet and bike yelled "thank you" for me at the car driving right by her.  Like mother, like daughter, like grandmother I guess.

So how are you turning into your parents?  You know it's happening.  No use in denying it.