This is a photo of how I looked when I went OUT IN PUBLIC this afternoon. It was a day that made the top 5 of "what the??" kind of days. Here's the rundown.

1. Morning starts at 6:30 with Colin running down to tell us the potty in his bathroom was "overflowing"---which usually means that it's sounding funny or there's a poop that won't go down. So, I got up & put my contacts in...took my time...but then the kids started YELLING that it was an emergency. DUDE---it was like the movies. The bathroom floor was FLOODED (with clear water, thank God), and the toilet was still flowing over the sides. Flowing. I threw every towel in the place on the floor & tried to get the thing to stop flowing, but nothin'. Then I heard what sounded like a sink on, and realized in HORROR that it was coming from the kitchen. Ran down the stairs. Kitchen lights all POURING water out of the fixtures. Yelling to get Eric, he bolts down & turns off water...then there was much more drama and yelling and crying and standing there in like total shock. Had to cut some of the seams in the sheetrock in the ceiling to release the water & pressure. Long story short: don't know what caused it & don't care. Gonna deal with it.

2. Today's is Colin's birthday (I have an EIGHT year old!), and he was dismayed that the whole Niagra Falls in the kitchen thing was gonna put a damper on the hey-it's-my-birthday-and-there-better-be-monster-truck-shaped-pancakes-for-me thing. Soothed the situation with pancakes that were round --but they were served without me smacking anyone across the face with my spatula. The kids decided to consider that good enough.

3. Cleaning helps my mood & since it was so beautiful out, I decided to clean outside rather than in. Started a raking, weeding, mulching project that ended up taking almost 7 hours to complete. There were about 35 trips up and down the yard with wheelbarrows full of mulch. Looks great out there, but I can't feel my legs/back/arms. The kicker? I managed to upset a nasty swarm of ants...noteworthy because I am ALLERGIC to red ant bites. They were less than happy & stung me all over the place, causing my ears & neck to turn red, swell, and itch like you don't even understand. Ever see the movie Hitch with Will Smith? Yeah---like THAT. awesome.

4. THEN Eric lets me know that yes, in fact, I DO need to go to Staples and pick up his whatevers for his class tonight. And he needs them, oh, like now-ish. So, folks...I went to Staples. I've been out with only minimal makeup & with minimally clean clothes in the past. THIS was something else entirely today. I did not put on ONE BIT of makeup, had actual mulch between my flip-flopped toes, and let's not forget that my neck & ears looked like I just described in #3. Threw on an old hat & rolled. Colin went with me & looked over in the car and said, "wow--mommy--you don't look good at ALL". Thanks.

Honestly, there were a few other things, but you get the idea. I think I'm just gonna call it a day, not operate any heavy machinery (just in case), and hit it early.

SLEEPOVER!

Colin has his buddies Noah & Caleb here for a sleepover tonight. And honestly, it being called a "sleep"over might be a bit of a stretch.

This picture was taken when the movie started---see how happy everyone looks? Yeah--that didn't exactly last much past the closing credits. THAT'S when it all went downhill; starting with Caleb & Colin requesting Twinkle, Twinkle and Jesus Loves Me respectively, while Noah started in with the chorus of So What by Pink. I complied, but told him that even So What has to sound sleepy at bedtime, so I quietly & beautifully started, "na-na na-na na-na naaah" ---which went well until Noah jumped up & screamed a chorus solo. Laughter ensued & then it was suddenly 20 minutes later.

Caleb rolled of the air mattress & bumped his head. Sydney realized she wasn't invited to the actual SLEEPING part, and lost her mind. Colin spilled water on his shirt & had to make a production of getting a new one. And underwear. And pants. Noah mistakenly passed gas & just about died of embarrasment---which is new to my kids. Nightlights were discussed & adjusted to everyone's liking...only to find out that some of the light in the room had actually been from the sensor light outside---so readjustments were necessary.

We are now at Colin & Noah in the playroom and Sydney & Caleb up like happy little clams in MY king-size bed. I have been up the stairs between the older guys in the playroom & the younger guys in my room about a hundred times. I have sung songs, given kisses, rubbed backs, and stroked heads. Four of 'em. Which, in fact, is no small thing for me. See, I was one of those Baby Wise moms. Which, unlike the Ferber method of gradually easing yourself out of the bedroom routine, means that you help them until they're 12 weeks old and then you say, "You've got this thing, kid---see ya!". Or at least that's how I played it after 12 weeks.

So---I'm feeling tired, but very nurturing---and with any luck--this bedtime thing that started at 8:30 may actually be over by 10.

Cause Mama's got some America's Next Top Model on DVR, thankyouverymuch.

These are pictures of Sydney. With a carrot in her hand.

This is noteworthy because Sydney has NEVER had a carrot in her hand. Like, ever. Sydney has never had broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, or any other vegetables in her hands. She has twice eaten a pea or two, but this only after having CUT IT IN HALF with a butter knife. Not kidding.

That picture on the right there? That's Sydney saying, "dude...I GET IT...I GET IT...!!!".

So--here's the story. Sydney had her five-year-old physical today, and I caught the nurse in the hallway before we went in to suggest some, ummm...."tough love" for our girl. Sydney DOES NOT eat vegetables, and REFUSES to wear her bike helmet. Now I take some small measure of pride in the fact that I am not generally a pushover, and I have done my very best with both aforementioned problems. I have made reward charts, promised gifts, threatened to back my van over her bike, punished, and come very close to stabbing her with a fork during dinner. But this nurse? This nurse was a genius, man.

The helmet? Nurse Dawson, ARNP has scared the crap out of her. In fact, we went to the post office after the doctor's office, and Sydney stopped dead on the sidewalk to ask if maybe it wasn't a good idea to even WALK without proper protection for our heads. She has talked of nothing but "smooshed brains" all day. HA! Didn't have my camera with me, but Syd had her helmet on while she was on the swingset tonight. HAHAHAHAHAAAAA....

And the vegetables? Oh, my, did the nurse lay it on thick?! Talk of losing one's hair, bags under one's eyes, brittle bones, poor eyesight, weak teeth, and such have convinced Sydney that maybe the vegetables are not such a terrible thing after all.

So here's Sydney's first foray into "vegetable land". Godspeed, miss girl. Godspeed.

THERE. IS. A. GOD.

Goodbye winter. You stupid head. You good-for-nothing-started-with-an-ice-storm-and-9-days-without-power-inconvenient-and-cold-mess piece of garbage. We used to love you, with your fluffy white snow and your hot cocoa afternoons. Well, you've ruined all of those memories for us.

You were too cold. You broke our pipes and spewed defecation throughout our basement. You did your very best to kill our favorite willow tree. You broke our shovels and gave us sore tailbones after many falls.

We will not miss you. We will not.

Uh-oh.

I thought George was a secret.

Darn you, TruGreen...