And the First Annual Shovelball Champion is...

My kids play this game I like to call shovelball. It involves plastic beach shovels, a foam ball, and let's just say that my plug-in air fresheners rarely survive. They stand a few feet apart from each other and hit the ball back and forth with the plastic shovels. It's something similar to cricket in its swinging style, but there's usually a child running back and forth between them trying to catch the ball like monkey in the middle. Come to think of it, the middle position may have been created because we only have two shovels and there are usually three children trying to play. And you can't forget the screaming. Oh, the screaming is the best/worst part depending on whether or not you're participating in the game.

The game usually starts in the kitchen (where many appliances and breakables live), but I herd them into the hallway where the doomed air freshener awaits. If I'm fortunate someone will leave a pair of dirty socks and/or shoes in exactly the right spot to cushion the glass as it hits the ceramic tile. This was the case today. I knew there was a reason I don't pick up throughout the day.

I thought you might enjoy an action shot of my two-year old monster, so here you go. Notice the precarious position of my air freshener.

Oh, and don't forget to enter the giveaway for an insulated lunchbox, children's game, and yogurt!

I am so gonna give away a prize, like now!

EDIT- This giveaway is over, but check back on Sunday for another great giveaway!

My kids love yogurt, I love giving them yogurt, and I REALLY love that Yoplait has a kids yogurt that has 25% less sugar than the other guys. And face it, do children really need any more sugar? (My little monsters know who slips them candy without Mommy knowing, and they also know how to hide the wrappers. Thanks, Mom!) They really don't care so much about the 25% less sugar as much as the fact that Dora and Boots are on the packaging. Oh yes, you heard me right, Dora and Boots are on the packaging!

But seriously, you can't even tell that Yoplait has left out some of the sugar, because it's still yummy yogurt. Yes, I confess I ate one, too. I also made a smoothie with sliced banana, some milk, and one portion of the strawberry flavored yogurt. Whiz it up in a blender, and you've got a much cheaper version of a smoothie store health shake.

Yoplait also did something really smart and made the yogurt thick enough that it won't slide off the spoon when a certain two year-old monster feeds himself. I love you, Yoplait! More importantly, the grout between the tiles on my dining room floor loves you. Now if I could only convince Cheetos to make colorless doodles that taste the same... No, my furniture did not start out orange.

Anyway, I have a great prize for one lucky reader! Leave me a message with your child's (or your) favorite yogurt flavor (my kids love the strawberry banana), and I'll add you to the hat. Saturday (10/25) at 8pm, I'll draw someone at random, and they will win an insulated cooler to keep yogurt cool on the go, a Brain Quest card set for two to three year-olds, and a coupon for free Yoplait kid's yogurt! How awesome is that? You know you want it, so leave me a message, just make sure you leave a way for me to contact you if you win.

Stupid Poopie Head

I had to share a conversation between my two year old son and a little girl (about 3 or 4). I took them to the mall for lunch and time to play in the kid's play area. He was jumping off of a car meant for climbing, and she decided it looked like fun and started climbing up and jumping off of there with him. She was getting impatient and was gently pushing him off so she could have her turn faster. He was getting annoyed, and that's where we join our story...

"Stop it, stupid poopie head." Yes he has older brothers. It actually sounds more like "Stoppey, stoopey, poopey heah."

"Shut up, I'm not a stupid poopie head, boy."

And without missing a beat, "Shup up, I not a boy, stoopey poopey heah." How can you argue with a comeback like that?

Mama's got mad ninja skills!

Wow, that last video is dark, isn't it? I'll have to do a better one when it's not so dark and rainy outside. Or get a better camera...

Anyway, that same little one is sick with an eye and ear infection. I've been stuck at home furiously washing my hands, washing the pillows (he insists on wiping his nasty eye on my throw pillows), wiping his goopy eye, and utilizing my mad ninja skills to put drops in his eye every four hours. Oh yeah, Mama's got mad ninja skills. I'm also not ashamed to admit that chocolate bribes are somehow involved. Apparently he has a taste for fine chocolate just like Mama.

You can find the Knitting Ninja tank top at FunkyQuail's Etsy shop. If I don't buy it first.

When I grow up and be a girl...

My brother's leaving. He's being shipped back to the Middle East, this time Baghdad. I'm not that happy with it, but I understand why it's important. I can't even imagine what his poor wife and kids are going through. I get anxious when Hubby goes on a short business trip, let alone for over a year. Anyway, I told his wife that I would make them (his wife and daughter) matching handbags with some of his old patches and stuff on them. We'll see what she sends me.
Hopefully he'll be able to check this blog while he's gone, and I'll be able to share some of my craziness. And we're the two normal siblings out of the family!
It makes me kind of sad, but mostly really proud. Even though he's only four years younger than me, my older sister and I have always treated him like our child. My poor mom always had her hands full with my other sister, so me and my older sister taught him all kinds of stuff. Yup, he has three moms. He was the only boy until he was about 10, so he had some interesting views on life. He used to tell people, "when I grow up and be a girl." I'm sure he'll be glad I'm sharing this with everyone! He had a purse and baby dolls when he was little, too. It was all good practice for when he had kids of his own. Of course, 6 nieces and nephews are pretty good practice, too. He's the best Uncle/Dad/Brother I know. (Except Hubby, of course!)
Stay safe, Bubba. We love you!

Please don't kick the babies, thank you.

I'm really trying to think of something to do with that brown fur now. It's a chocolate brown, and it's kinda matted, like an old teddy bear. I really want to try a crazy animal/alien thing, but I'm stuck. I want it to be different, but every time I try to draw something out, it looks like something else I've seen. I need a break, I think. I feel like I'm trying to rush through things to get them done before my two older boys come home from grandma's house. They've been there a week, and I've only got one week left. Not like I don't have enough to do because the two younger kids are still here...
Oh! Speaking of the two younger ones, hubby and I took them to the mall to walk and play in the little play area (it's got a mini slide and things to climb on and through). Well, the littlest one (he's 18 months) was waiting to climb the three steps to slide down the slide (he LOVES slides) and this other little boy (probably about 2 or 3) was sitting on the top step and he turned around and put his foot in my baby's stomach and pushed him down with his foot! Well, I paused to see if the kid's parent was going to say anything, and because no one said anything, and I had no idea who the kid belonged to, I went over to the kid bent down so I was eye level with him, and said, "please don't kick the babies, thank you." Well, no sooner had I sat back down, then the kid's dad came over with him and asked what the problem was. I was glad hubby was there because he can get scary if he needs to, but it was cool. The kid's dad made a bigger deal out of it, telling his kid he needs to be nice and be careful with the babies, etc... Anyway, I'm glad I did it, but I always get nervous dealing with other people's kids. I mean, people I don't know. I deal with 2 and 3 year-olds all the time, but I know all their parents. And their parents recognize that I'm going to correct their children if they misbehave, but not some random kid in the mall.
Okay, so this is way longer than I thought it would be, so I'm gonna split it into two posts, because I still have things I need to write...