Where I Stand.

A wise man (ok, it was Zac) once (yesterday) told me something, and it sums up my whole political stance..

I'm not Anti-Trump.
I'm not Pro-Trump.
I'm Anti, Anti-Trump.

And it's exactly true.

Big sigh.

My story is being lost.

The last two years are just gone.

People think social media is bad for whatever reasons.. But let me tell ya, if it wasn't around I'd be sobbing like a baby right now.

I haven't had time to blog, to tell my stories.. Just little tidbits and 9 million pictures..

I do have hope that when the day comes and my babies stop being babies and I'm all psycho hardcore empty nesting, I'll be able to go back day by day and piece together this time.

Anally, of course, cuz that's how i do.

I pray i will remember the stories behind the photos, and be able to do them justice.

Until then, bear with me.. Facebook is my record. My memory. All my pictures go there because i am kryptonite to electronics, and it's just the way it is.

My page is for me. I plaster it for my own benefit.

Not to show off, or cuz I think you all are super interested in a bazillion pictures of my kids sleeping :)

Yes, I realize some of you nut jobs are.

And that's why i love you ;)

If anyone wants to pitch in to buy me one of those books made out of my facebook feed....... Lol.. I'm totally going to invest in that eventually.

As for tonight.. I'm headed into round 4 of baby Tetris to reclaim my leg and pillow.. And then sleep might happen.

When I'm done dwelling on moments I'll never have again.

Also, i really want chips and nacho cheese.

Neither situation can be remedied.

Damnit.

Dad's fish are loud.

My dad has some fish next to the couch down here.. where I spend most of my time rocking babies and whatever. One picks up and spits out rocks constantly, and even though I tell him repeatedly that "fish aren't supposed to be so noisy", it just continues to do it.

I have a lot to write, but nothing to write all at the same time. How does that work?

Maybe I'm just a little annoyed that I'm not taking a nap since the babies are down.

I'm waiting for a call back from the nurse though. The phone would wake me up when she calls, but then I'd be in a half awake stupor trying to remember why I needed to talk to her.

I also want to color.

I have a slight headache.

I am annoyed with many things today.

I'm going to have to go to a dermatologist for my weird blister/itchy mess I think. I'm waiting for a call back on that too.

Vacations are over. School is going to start. ICK. I just don't want it to happen.

I think that nap is going to happen now though. It's been a long morning.

Oh Yes. I did that.

Clingy babies produce desperate parenting tactics.
I just sat my whiny 9 month old twins in the middle of the floor and gave them each a gummy worm and a pile of diapers. It's the first time I've had my lap free of a baby in the last 3.5 hours.  And then the only reason I had some baby-free time before that was because I was in town getting my wrist shot up with steroids. By a doctor wearing jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. I love him.

And how am I spending this "me" time? Laundry? Feeding my other kids lunch? Anything remotely necessary and/or productive at all?
Nooooooo. Ah hells no.
I'm writing a blog, watching Spongebob, and eating a half pound of cheddar.

Yep, I just consumed 800 calories of cheese. (I looked)

I justify it by the fact that 3 different people commented on how I look like I've lost weight today. I've gained 30 this year, but thanks for boosting my confidence folks.

The babies are dressed alike today. As red M&Ms. Avi is shoving diapers into an empty Sam's Cola box, stopping only to cruise to the edge of the blanket to lick the concrete. Dylan is on his knees by the mattress staring into space, blowing raspberries and silently giggling.

Obviously their dad's genes at work.

Uhg, bummer. Mom fun is over. Floor licker requires my attention. And probably something to drink.

Stop Flopping.

Dylan never holds still. And today he's biting the hell out of my nipples.

It's been a year+. So much has happened that I doubt I can ever catch up. My baby monkeys are here. Avi & Dylan. They are amazing. And rotten.

Wow I hate the Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn commercial where he says "Not .. To.... Her... Faaaace!" What an annoying voice.

I think I am going to eat another hot pocket.

brennamnoller.weebly.com
Go there.

I'm sad that my babies are getting old. I wish I could afford more. Heck, I wish I could afford the ones I have ;)

Hmm.. Rare opportunity has occurred.. Both babies are sleeping.. I must shut up and take a nap!

What I do well. (Old draft from last summer)

Well, there's not much.

On the way home from town tonight, I was singing along to the radio and was annoyed that I can't sing as good as I used to. Then the Piano Man came on, and I was annoyed that I never finished learning how to play the piano well.

Crap, I can't really do anything amazing.

Then I decided that my daughter isn't an alcoholic slut, and my son isn't into arson.. So maybe I'm winning at this parenting thing? Which I suppose is a good thing since I will have two more kids to keep out of the prison system.

Challenge Accepted.

Anyway, babies are a couple months from arrival and plans are forming. Not so much "getting ready" as we are brainstorming on ways to entertain ourselves with the twins.

Twin Olympics. Oh yes. I won't elaborate, but it's gong to be epic.

Wow, I am really hungry. It's like supper time. The day goes fast when you don't get out of bed until 1pm. But as I told Kendra earlier, I'm not in the mood to provide my kids with proper nutrition tonight. So off to mom's we go.

I shall return. Eventually.

S'What?

So Chris will put seasoned salt on anything. ANYTHING.

My recliner is popping and thumping and squeaking, and OMG WHAT IS BEEPING?? It needs to stop. I guess I should get up and figure that out. But is 4:30am, and I'm crazy tired. Getting up really doesn't sound like a good time.

Is it sad that I'm pretty excited that I'm getting a new blood sugar checker tomorrow?

It's been like a month since I started this entry. I've gotten 2 checkers since. And a new chair. Not having a computer seriously messes with my motivation to blog. But I will be rich someday, and a new laptop will be mine!! Wait, I'm having twins. So that's a lie.

I haven't thrown up in TWO days though, and that's got me feeling a little like I've won the lottery.

It's hot. Too grossly hot. I don't complain about the cold during winter, so I feel I have every right to bitch constantly about any weather that includes temperatures over 65 degrees.

Chris has been playing monkey ball for 2 hours now. And guess what? I don't care. He worked a lot yesterday, and I'm sure as hell not going to shove him outside all afternoon when it's hell-hot out there.. Though I will make him go out and give his dog a couple treats later I guess. But still. My point is that he's got a free pass to sit on his butt and play video games all day today.

I have so much to do before we leave for Colorado. I'll worry about it Monday. This weekend there is too much partying to be done!

I think it might be nap time.

Why yes, yes it is.

Yeah, ON FREE BALLOON DAY.

So I steal things. On a regular basis. Nothing exciting, just pens and napkins etc. But come on, they WANT you to! It's free advertising. So when I jack 5 or 6 pens a visit, or a 2 inch stack of napkins.. I'm really just doing it to boost the economy? It's a weird need. I have like 30 pens in my purse. It's very heavy. I just thought I'd share. If you get the balloon day reference, you get bonus points. The points aren't worth anything, but if you save them up.. Who knows..

Also. This will be pretty scattered today. It's been a long time since I've written, and as Zac pointed out in the OB office today - I'm retarded, and need to wax my mustache. I'm sure that has something to do with it.

I bought a watermelon for the first time today.

And that reminds me, all through town my car was dinging. Every couple minutes or so.

ding ding ding
DING DING DING

Shut up! My tires are fine, my seat belt is on, there are no messages or "check this" notices scrolling across my dash. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?? For real, I was already stressed out from events I will discuss eventually.. and I didn't need the extra stimuli.

ding ding ding.

Damnit. After awhile I figured out that it was upset that I hadn't buckled in the watermelon sitting on the passenger seat.

Well that's too bad cuz reaching takes effort, and this body doesn't put forth effort for just anything. Okay really it just REALLY hurts to reach/twist/bend/move in general right now, and yeah. I mean it hurts a lot. Sorry melon, maybe the airbag will save you if it comes to that.

I need to start a post for all my weird pregnancy dreams I've been having lately. Someone should remind me to do that.

What else? Hmm.

I'm pregnant. With twins. And for those of you who have never been told you're having twins.. It's not just "an extra baby" .. It's "freaking DOUBLE the amount of babies that are supposed to come out!".. That's right, double. 8 limbs flailing about. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited and already love them, but seriously? I found out a month ago, and my head is still spinning. I always thought it'd be cool to have twins.. back when it was just some abstract concept of something that could never possibly happen to me. Ya know? When you're lying on the table with a tube up your yoohaw, and the ultrasound lady flips the screen around so you can see what she's been (quietly) looking at for the past 10 minutes.. and she starts out by pointing to the screen and saying "well, there's ONE baby ..and there's another one.." ... Things just get really weird!

I know people do it all the time. I know it's not as big of a shock as like quadruplets. However, it's still proving to be just a tad outside my comfort zone.

I guess it's time to make you look at pictures.
3/26/14

That's what they looked like the day I found out..

This was at my first OB appointment on 4/8/14..

And then today.. which is 4/22/14 (if you aren't paying attention)..

Baby B was very active.. It was pretty neat to watch :)

"A cat, a dog, a watermelon, an Easter basket and a handful of unmatched man socks are hanging out on the couch.."

Zac's step mom had a heart attack today. Scary! It looks like she's going to be alright though, so that is great news.

I forgot what else I was going to write about, so I guess I'll go for now.

Enjoy the meteor shower tonight!

ADHDefg, Mary had a twinkle little star.

First I'd like to point out that pretty much any song or thing you say is hilarious if you sing it to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb.

Old McDonald had a farm
had a farm
had a farm
Old McDonald had a farm
E-I-E-I-O

The cat is always at the end of Chris's bed to greet me when I'm standing there waiting for him to crawl into the top bunk. And now I sing her this song.

Hello kitty, How are you?
How are you?
How are you?
Are you going to sleep with Chris?
And lay upon his face
  
Gigantopuppy is in cuz it's really cold outside. He needs to chill out. No pun intended.

Here's more of the Old McDonald/Little Lamb song.. because it's stuck in my head.

And on his farm he had a cow
had a cow
had a cow
On his farm he had a cow
And his cow said MOO
....

I started this like a week ago. There's just been too much going on that required mental energy lately. I will get to my point eventually though. Probably.

Zac: "They're talking about my lawn furniture."

Me: "No, I believe they said "mom's lawn furniture"."

Zac: "Why would you need lawn furniture? You never go outside."

Me: "Well in theory if I was to be out on the lawn, I would prefer there to be furniture out there."
....
I can't seem to get this finished. I know when I started it I had a long spiel about my feelings on ADHD.. but since then I've come to realize that I'm not upset after all. The person who made the comments is simply in no position to judge anyone's parenting choices.

What I do have to say is this..

I do not drug my son to control him and get him to behave. I provide him with a carefully doctor controlled medication that allows him to have the option of controlling his own mind and senses.

He is not stoned and depressed all the time. Anyone who is around him can see that.
He is thriving.

To those of you who support our decision, Thank you.

To those of you who do not, out of concern for my child, I appreciate that.

To those who disagree simply to be vindictive and hurtful, Suck it. 
....
I am totally sitting here avoiding cleaning my living room. I started, and then lost steam about 40 seconds in.

I've got to get the chair and table moved back to the other side of the room, so I can recline my recliner again since I have to try to sleep in it. I'm considering clearing off the love seat and trying to scrunch on that, but I don't know. It's very short. And very piled with stuff that has no home.

I just saw a commercial for a Barbie with a dog that poops.. And she's equipped with a pooper scooper.. Eww.
....
It's like a month later. My computer broke, and getting on Zac's takes effort. It's a given that I don't have any of that.

Chris asked to stay up later last night.. so he could keep cleaning.

Time for some fun..

Things you will find in my bathrooms:

• Pliers
• Broom
• Giant Metal Cooking Pot
• Stuffed Seal
• Caulking Gun
• Package Of Screws
• Empty Beer Can That No One Has Bothered To Bring To The Kitchen (left from when they installed the new toilet a year or two ago. Yeah, I don't know)
• 3 Fly Swatters
• Sunglasses
• Stephanie & Asher Coozie
• Handcuffs
• Basketball
• Remote

Wow, it is like a million and a half degrees in here. Ick.

I've decided that my family is not capable of turning the pantry light off.

Does anyone want a broken TV?

Today is my Mom-In-Law's birthday. Happy Birthday Laura!

I wonder if Zac is willing to downsize our DVD collection. We don't have any room to store them.

I just turned off the heat and opened the door to cool it off in here. It's snowing. But barely.
Don't judge.

I've got to get rid of more books too. It's house-purge time again. Now that I'm not driving to town like every night, I'm hoping to get some stuff accomplished. It sounds good in theory, right? Today I told Zac that the only praise I need for cleaning is for him to acknowledge that he can tell I did something.

I really should probably do something today. I showered though. That counts.

I was just looking at my wall. I'm noticing "improvements" Chris added that I didn't really pay attention to before, and I can't recall how long they've been there. He screwed a cork board to it, and then there's a big black trash bag tacked up about shoulder high by the door.

Also he took the game systems out of the entertainment shelf and replaced them with a package of baby wipes and some robot instructions. Handy.

Sometimes I'd just like to crawl inside his brain, and see what's really going on in there.

So hmm... It's gotta be hauling laundry to mom's, hanging out and enjoying a free supper.. Or staying home and cleaning, so the Sear's guy can come fix our dryer so I can do it at home again.

Our internet needs fixed too. I think we might need a new router.

Is tax money here yet?

It's not cooling off in here. I think I have a fever.

Zac always leaves his phone unattended. To punish him (for not having it at his side at ALL TIMES.. I mean, what if I need to text him while he's in the bathroom?) I like to change his wallpaper. Usually to entertaining pictures of him, or just random disturbing images. It amuses me. It does not amuse him.  Today I opted not to mess with the wallpaper though because he's been asking me nicely to "knock it the hell off". I just changed the language to Spanish. It was just as satisfying.

Speaking of phones. I was looking at mine and the alarm went off. It scared the ever living snot outta me.

So I guess that's my cue to get off the computer and prepare for Chris's arrival.

Laters.

Big Fat Hairy Deal.

In grade school my pony tails were so thick that I could only wrap a scrunchie (yay 80's!) around it twice. I hated all my hair. It was always so hard to brush through. I had so much of it that when I cut my head open the ER doctor just used it to tie the wound closed instead of giving me stitches.

Long. Thick. Wavy. Poor me, right?

Towards the end of high school there was a little less of it, though I didn't really notice it at the time.

It wasn't until Brenna was a year or so old that I realized I was having to clean my hairbrush out after nearly every time I brushed my hair. I started showing my mom. She suggested I ask my doctor about it. We knew lots of women's hair thins out after having a baby, and that was the conclusion my doctor came to also.

I continued complaining about it, and making my mom look at the masses of hair I was throwing out, and eventually she called my doctor herself and let him know that she didn't think it was "normal".

One scalp biopsy later I found out I have the female equivalent of male pattern baldness.

Seriously? Nice.

I'm just bringing this up tonight because after my bath I found I was trying to brush it in a way that showed the least scalp?

Lame.

Yeah, this is my reality now.

I can't stop staring at it. It's a bummer for sure.

On another hair related note, I shaved tonight. It was really like 3-4 months overdue.

Between the insanely long gorilla hair I removed from my body, and what falls out of my head.. The poor drain doesn't stand a chance?

..and I'm off to my mom's to switch laundry!

Eyeball Icepack.

..and I just found one. Now if I had a drone to deliver it immediately, life would be grand.

Eyeball Icepack 

The cold I have isn't super bad or anything, but it's kicking my butt anyway. I'm happy Zac went to town, so I can leave the door open in 26 degree weather without being harped at.

I'm hot, okay? Really. Stinkin. Hot.

I'm loving the idea of having nowhere to go today. No driving, no visitors. Possible nap. Obligatory Bathing. Clean Sweep Through The Living Room, I guess. Ehh, Maybe laundry. Alright so I have a lot to DO, but I'm not going to town. And I'm going to love every second of it.

I found a smartphone on clearance at Target the other day. It has like no internal storage, but came with a 4gb mini card. It's not too impressive, but for $24 I like it. I have to wait a couple more weeks before I switch to it because I will have to change to a different plan which is only $5 more, so it's all good. I had issues with my last smartphone not getting reception (anywhere), so I'm hoping this one will work out.

Chris had the Cub Scouts Derby Car Races last night. He got 2nd in the first 2 races, and 1st in the last 4 races. He was pretty excited!

 

The game of the year has been UNO. Chris and I have invented a few different ways to play it. He didn't get up and around soon enough to have a game this morning, so I'm looking forward to a match up after school. He's got some tricky skills, and keeps me on my toes.

Toothpaste was on sale for $1 at Kmart the other day. Yep, my life is that exciting.

We got a laptop fixed for me. It's so nice to have a big screen again! I love my tablet, but yay for computers.

I am so ready for a nap. My eyes hurt when they're open. My sinuses are trying to suck them into my brain. So far there's no coughing or fever. Hopefully I don't give it to Chris. He's really into getting the perfect attendance award at school this year.

I haven't heard an update on my mom-in-law lately, but I'm very upset with her doctor(s), and the state of Colorado in general. They're giving the cancer too much time to spread. They need to get on it ASAP. I should find out who I need to call to raise hell.

Alright, um, laters.

Oh Wow.

I am tired. But not just tired, it's a weird tired. No, I'm not acting weird cuz I'm tired.. It's just intense for no reason? I'm not sure how to explain it.

We'll be skipping karate tonight. I still have to go to town though. I've got a little running around to do, and then picking up Brenana.

I've decided it's time to clean the living room again. I am already sick of fighting Chris about it. I told him to pick up his stuff in here, and he started organizing the pantry. Hmm.

My house is really hot today. Uncomfortably hot. I might have to fix that.

I shall have beans on toast please.

Break time. I almost found the couch.

Damn, the school lunch account is negative $32. Oops. Glad Zac gets paid tomorrow.

Aw shit, I forgot about the macaroni. I'll be back later. 

I guess it saves a step if all the water boils off before you remember to go strain it. Noted.

I know everyone has this problem, but there is so not enough room in my house. I keep getting rid of stuff, but it just never ends! I don't know where it comes from!

I looked up puppies this morning. No, I'm not getting one. I just wanted to see what's out there. I still need to get Freddie fixed. And more shots. And Kayla needs her nails clipped. I really need to learn how to do that myself. Or make Michelle drive all the way here to :)

I wish I knew why my dog is such a bitch.

I should probably go buy some Drano.

We have a broken bathtub in our yard. Classy.

I need to take my cousin's beer to him.

But first, I guess I will take care of clothes.

Performance.

The other night at my friend's house the kids put on shows for us. I'm trying to upload videos, so we'll see how that goes.

7 year olds are crazy dancers.

Anyway, my point is that I don't think Chris has ever done that sort of thing before. I've sat through magic shows, and karate graduations.. but choreographed dance to an entire song? Not so much.

It was pretty cute though. He fell on his back a lot during his more "intense" moves.

I just really can't believe he wanted to practice, and perform something in front of us. That's not his normal behavior. And in front of Kristi and John too! I was kind of proud that he was willing. He's not necessarily shy, just.. hmm.. I guess if you know him, you understand.

Kristi's daughter and her friend also did a dance show. I love watching her do cartwheels!

Well, I want to put the links to the videos up here, so I've got a few hours to kill while they upload. I think it's nap time.

Okay, here's the link.. Dancing Chris

I got a free bag of Doritos.

I love OnStar. It's my friend.

I did my good deed for the week. Maybe for the year. It's really too soon to tell.

So.. The first day back to school after break.  It sure is quiet. It wasn't as traumatic as I envisioned to have to get up at 6am again. Though I got up to a flooded bathroom. "Unfortunately" it's my job to get kids up and ready for school, so I was FORCED to wake Zac up so he could mop up water :)

Chris went to bed at 10pm. Got up at 2am. I sent him back to bed. Then he was up at 3am. I let him stay up and watch TV. I sorta figured he'd fall back to sleep in the recliner, but I was wrong! He was up drawing when I came out. So it was an easy morning because he was up and around. I like it when that happens because I don't have to fight him to stay awake and get ready. I'm guessing he'll be tired when he gets home.

It's 5pm now. He's not acting tired. We have scouts tonight. I wonder where I put his book.

Alright. It's 11:19pm. I have an issue to bitch about, but I'll save it for another day. I'm headed to bed!

New Plan.

So I'm going to start sleeping at my mom's. At least then I can not sleep because of my own issues and not have 800 other Zac factors to seethe about. I'll still be angry, frustrated and bitter, but I'll have my "own" space to at least attempt sleep when my body allows it.. So yay..

Questionable Survey Questions.

"In what ways do you interact with children between the ages of 14-24?"
And one of the choices for an answer is .."Prefer not to say"

"Have you experienced any of the following in the past 3 months?"
"Dry Eyes"
"Back Pain"
"Chlamydia"
"Child Birth"

And those are the only ones so far I guess. On to bigger, but not necessarily better things..

I'm severely annoyed right now. That's nothing new though, so I'll skip that.

Brenna is a nerd. I'm just adding that to see if she reads this.

I hate turkey dinners. I'm only in it for the chex mix.

Zac announced that he plunged the tub drain, and that he "used a plunger".. As opposed to using what? Really, what other devices were options?

I'm excited for only 2 days of school this week. And chex mix!

I might need to hide from my family awhile.

Chris just said he was too hot, so I told him to get naked.

I wonder if Zac is making pie. I'd ask but he appears to be on the crabby side this evening.

Hmm and I've seemed to have lost all my patience. I'm throwing everything in the living room away that doesn't belong here.

Wish me luck.

Napping.

It was brought to my attention that I shouldn't be tired, because I had a nap yesterday. And that I do a lot of napping.

So, just so we're on the same page, I'd like to share the hilites of my 1hour 5 minute nap last evening.

I got comfortable.
Chris came through (He had been in my bathroom).
3 minutes of the dog trying to successfully jump onto the bed.
"Mom, does my head feel hot?" No.
"Are you going to buy bagels tonight?" I don't know.
"Can I have a Fanta?" Yes, if you drink it all.
Received a text from someone letting me know how tired she is.
"What time is it?" 4:50. "When are you getting up?" 20 minutes.
My alarm to take my meds goes off.
"It's snowing." .. *in the background* "I'm going to need boots and those puffy pants."
My alarm indicating it's time to get up and ready for karate goes off.

And that's just what I remember.

If you pair this with the fact that I only manage from 2-3.5 hours of sleep at night, I have every right to complain about being tired.

So.. Suck it, naysayers. :)

2 or 3 days a week I try to get some sleep after the kids leave for school. With Zac in there snoring I don't really fall back to sleep until he gets up for the day (sometime after 11am), and then catch hell when I'm "still" asleep at 1pm.

A lot of times I have appointments starting sometime between 11am-2pm.. So I have to be up for those. Monday it was 11am. Yesterday it was 1pm. Today it's 1pm.

And now I'm going to shut up because frankly my schedule is depressing me a little.

It doesn't include nearly enough "naps".

Me and my llama..

..going to the dentist today!

Yeah, that sounded a little more enthusiastic than I intended. But I am going. Later. Hopefully after a nap.

And quite possible a shower.

The weather is moody, so our internet isn't working 90% of the time this morning.

I realized the most annoying thing about having to wake up at 6am. It's rolling out of bed, and hearing my husband snoring. It's like he's rubbing it in my face that I have to be awake, and he does not.

...

It's afternoon now. I skipped the dentist.

My psychiatrist rearranged his office. I'm more upset about it than I care to admit.

I have to call the dentist, and my other doctor sometime today.

My jeans are somewhere in the laundry, so I'm wearing shorts today.

I just heard the best answer to a question EVER on the news.

"Did you smoke crack cocaine?"
"Exactly."

Thank you Toronto mayor. That's how I'm going to answer all awkward questions from now on.. with "exactly".

"Did you remember to wash my work pants?"
"Exactly."

No, I don't know why that would be an awkward question. It's just the first thing that came to mind. 

Update: I found my jeans. Now the mission is to find socks. I have an hour to nap though, so I'll probably do that before locating footwear.

Everyone is doing the Thankful November thing. I can't decide if I want to. I mean I haven't even finished October's endeavor yet. Okay, you talked me into it.

I didn't go in to nap. Oops. We have karate and scouts tonight.
I'm. Just. So. Tired.

Time for a lay down. BBL.

...

2nd grade boys crack me up. Tonight at scouts the question was "What things could happen that would keep you from being able to go outside and exercise?"

The first 2 answers, deadly serious, were.. "Avalanches" and "Tsunamis".

Small recap. We live in South Central Nebraska.

And that my friends, was my day.

Thankful November.

I decided to jump on the thankful wagon, but I'm going to be a little different. We are all thankful for the big things like family, and life etc.. I'm going to showcase the more petty and selfish side of my gratitude :)

1. Air Conditioning
2. Anti-psychotics
3. Day Planners
4. DVR
5. School Buses
6. Bras
7. Toilet Paper
8. Mattresses
9. Pony Tail Holders
10. Fingernails
11. Silly Putty
12. Vacuums
13. Escalators
14. Amazon
15. Pens
16. USPS
17. Cameras
18. Light Bulbs
19. The Weather App
20. Clocks
21. Razors
22. Toilets
23. Internet
24. Earplugs
25. Vyvanse
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

Screen Time.

I know I've been slacking. The crazies seem to stifle my ideas. Well, the ones I'm willing to write about anyway.

So, here I am. Watching The First Wives Club. It's one of my favorites.

Hmm. Like I said, watching Garfield. Kids have been delivered, and the control of the remote has been relinquished.

..and now I finally have the topic of this post. TV.

I let my kids watch TV. I let them use the computer, play video games and their ipods.

And I don't feel one ounce of guilt over it.

I turn the living room TV on about 6:05am every week day, and it stays on (regardless if anyone is watching it or not) until at least midnight.

It doesn't mean my kids don't play, or know how to use their imaginations. It doesn't mean they're antisocial, or don't read.

Is there such a thing as "too much" screen time (I HATEhateHATE that phrase, by the way)? Well of course there is, but ya know what? Everything in excess has it's issues. If I had a choice of my 7 year old son playing a video game with a friend (or dad, or sister), or spending hours alone in his room reading.. I'd pick the gaming any day.

I also think that kids have to have a good grasp on manipulating technology in this day in age.

Plus.. Their days are already all scheduled out for them all day at school. Their free time shouldn't be limited as well. If my kids didn't have the option of watching TV, they'd just want it and think about it even more. But since they have the choice, it's no big deal. It's just a part of life. It's not some special treat. Screen time is a normal aspect of life these days. Kids will have to interact with this screen-ridden world when they're on their own, so it seems logical (to me) to teach them to make responsible choices about it while they're little instead of not giving them the option at all. I'm not sure I'm relaying my thoughts on this well, but yeah. Like if you grow up without getting candy. You may not even really LIKE candy, but since you've been kept from it your whole childhood, when you are in control of your own life and money, what are you going to want to consume lots of? Yep, candy. If you're brought up with the idea that candy isn't a big thing, then you're less likely to go overboard with it when it comes up.

I guess I'm saying I'd feel a lot prouder of my son's choice to play outside if his options were playing outside or video games, than I would feel if he made that choice when his options were simply to just play outside.

This week Chris is grounded from his Ipod and 3DS. And he was upset about it for probably 11 minutes last night when it happened. It hasn't even come up today. He knows it's not an option because of his actions. Not because it's some magical special privilege that only mommy has control of.

When people hear that I don't "restrict" screen time for my kids, they just automatically assume that's all they do. Sometimes, perhaps.. but it's not robbing them of their childhood or creativeness. Chris has been home 1.5 hours. He watched a 24 minute episode of Garfield while he ate supper, and the rest of the time he's been shooting me with an electric drill "gun", practicing being a ninja, dismantling the laundry sorter and talking my ear off.. all while sneaking peeks of Garfield that's running in the background. Could he be doing the same things without the TV on? Sure.. but why? It gives me something to listen to besides the clanking of various ninja props, and gives him an extra laugh or two in between forms.

Brenna just stole his pants, and is tickling him. That's right, bonding is happening in a household where electronics are freely enjoyed.

When I am in a good mood, I text all the time. I facebook. I don't enjoy talking outloud on the phone. I live in the country, and can't afford to run to town and hang out with my friends whenever. If I want human interaction, it has to be via technology. Granted, my kids have a chance to be with friends at school, but there's not a lot of time for just "hanging" there.. and once they get home, they're kind of in the same boat as me. I fully understand Brenna's attachment to her phone. I have the same attachment to mine. And I didn't develop it because my parents let me use the phone when I was growing up.

This doesn't mean that I'm not above using access to electronics as a means of punishment. Especially because since I've allowed it to be a part of their every day lives, when I take it away they miss it with a vengeance! Well Brenna does, Chris could have fun with a leaf and a turd if need be. But it gets my point across.

They ask before turning on the games or computer. Most of the time I say yes. Sometimes I say no. And when I do say no, it's usually for purely selfish reasons like I don't want to give up the computer. I don't have a smart phone, so if I want to do anything on the internet, it has to be on the computer.  He asks every couple of weeks is all. He's not obsessed, though he will crack out on them every once in awhile.

There are people that think my kids' nonchalance about electronics is a bad thing. I don't agree. I happen to like that they don't have it all raised up on a pedestal. It's not ranked higher or lower than any other "fun" activity. It's just incorporated into their world and not made out to be some forbidden fruit.

My son is more apt to choose time with Grampa or family game time on weekends over technology because he knows he can watch tv any old time, and it's no big deal. They know they're not missing out on anything.

That's how I like my kids to view screen time.. as no big deal.

I did manage to find one person on the internet that agrees with me :)

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201201/the-many-benefits-kids-playing-video-games 

So .. take it or leave it.. It's just my opinion..

I'll try to be funny tomorrow?

Impossible.

Chris has a book that basically just includes a bunch of things that are "impossible" .. like folding a piece of paper in half 10 times or whatever. Something I've noticed about when he reads it is that he refuses to accept that each task is impossible. Even after trying things over and over (and failing) .. He announces "Well, *this* is how you *could* do it.." and comes up with some fairly good solutions. Even if they're not really plausible solutions. What I think is amazing is that he doesn't just blindly believe what he reads to be the absolute truth, and even when his experiences seem to point to the book being right, he chooses to come at it in another direction and find scenarios to challenge the "reality".

I LOVE this about him. I have a feeling he's going to .. I don't know, change something. Or discover something. A scientist. A researcher.

He's going to make impossibles possible.

I'm not explaining this like I'd like to. But my point is in there somewhere.

Yes people, *this* is our future.. Hopefully not the future of fashion..

Brenna is different. Not at all worse, just different. She is talented, at ease being in front of people, and genuinely a caring individual. Her ability to calm her little brother within seconds always astounds me. I see her as a leader. A teacher. Music, acting and her faith will always fit into her life somewhere. She is going to mold the minds of others, and improve individuals from the inside out. I often find myself wondering how she managed to develop so many of her LyndsayDad's qualities.

It's true. My kids are pretty neat.