duct tape wallets

Sometimes I fool myself into thinking that I will post a tutorial for some awesome project. I will take photos that not only capture what fun my family had completing the project but also demonstrate the project step-by-step. What a load of shit!

First of all, our projects never go smoothly. Second, rarely do they turn out as anticipated. And third, taking pictures while also overseeing (otherwise known as doing it all) a project with two seven-year olds totally sucks. It's not at all realistic to think that any child working on a project is enjoying the moment with a parent in his or her face demanding that the child hold that pose or recreate that action. I love a good tutorial and frequent a number of crafty mom blogs for ideas to co-op, but they're not fooling me. I know that it's all fake, fake, fake.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from occasionally trying my hand at a well-photographed project to share with my five readers (Hi Grandma). These failures are a necessary reminder that life is not about taking pretty pictures of your kids doing shit and you attempting to present yourself as a happy and crafty family. Nope, and these failures keep me grounded.

But whatever. I am still sharing our DIY duct tape wallet project! We started with some duct tape leftover from the boys' robot party.



Next we all watched this YouTube video.



And then we got down to work. Watch the video if you're curious about what the working bit entails because this is NOT a mother trucking tutorial (despite my original intention)!!



The tape was sticky (duh), sometimes difficult to cut, and we had to keep stopping to rewatch the actual tutorial. There were also a few distractions along the way.



But eventually I stopped snapping pictures and we were able to assemble two very awesome duct tape wallets just perfect for storing allowance money and library cards!



The next morning I both shamelessly and hopelessly tried to take some quick photos of the boys using their wallets as I was leaving for work. Except they weren't really using their wallets. They were just holding the wallets while watching cartoons, which of course meant they were unavailable to even make eye contact with me as I encouraged (or demanded, same difference) them to show off their wallets. Then I just ended up with really unflattering photos of my children watching TV.



So there you have it. Zombie children and a not DIY duct tape wallet tutorial. Enjoy!

the dust bowl

We went camping with the boys' school over the weekend. The trip was organized by a parent and close to 40 families supposedly showed up. And it was a blast. Stephen couldn't get over the fact that we were camping as a school.

For reals. It was like the idea of a school sponsored camping trip for families was the most fantastic things that had ever (EVER) happened to him. I quickly grew tired of him saying, "Oh my God! We're camping with the school! How many other schools do you think are camping right now? None!" Of course he was wrong. I am sure lots of other schools were camping on Saturday. Maybe even one in Idaho.

I didn't get the opportunity to camp once last year and it was so nice to be out in the woods, so to speak. Stephen and I are hoping to squeeze in a few family camping trips this summer and we might have to go back to this spot because the boys had the most fun they've ever had on a camping trip. I am not sure whether it was playing with friends for almost 24 hours straight or the Dust Bowl.



See the haze between the trees - that's the Dust Bowl. Or the Hell Hill, or the Dirt Gulch That All the Children Slid Down for Hours on End When They Weren't Having Pine Cone Wars. And they came back looking like this:



The pictures don't really convey just how filthy they really were. They were disgusting filthy. Maybe the dirtiest they've ever (EVER) been! We heard from parents who'd been there before that one year a rain storm turned the Dust Bowl into a Mud Bowl. Those parents ended up just throwing their children's clothes away. What fun that would have been!

Besides the Dust Bowl there was some communal meat cooking and a potluck. I heart potlucks. I always fill up on salads and this this potluck was no exception! Stephen opted for some soft spreadable cheese. I think he was trying to spite me or prove some ridiculous point. The last time he bought soft cheese I was disappointed in his choice. I had wanted something else and so I was mean to him about his soft cheese. But it's okay. He likes it when I am mean to him. Plus, he gets confused when I am kind.




After dinner Stephen looked for opportunities to show off his short shorts. We also had a campfire. I brought leftover Peeps and offered them to all the children but my own - I don't want them eating that crap!



And that was that. The boys went back to the Dust Bowl. Stephen and I drank wine well into the night with new friends. We had blueberries and pancakes in the morning, loaded up the car and headed home. A weekend well spent as the first and last people ever (EVER) to camp as a school.

da cubs

Henry and Wyatt played baseball this spring through the North Boise Little League Association or something like that. They finished the season two Fridays ago with a loss and pizza party. Technically the league doesn't keep score and everyone loves pizza, so it was really a win.

During the game Wyatt made it to first base with a solid hit and he also made a play at first that resulted in an out for the other team! Henry wasn't as lucky but he played well throughout the season. I don't think he ever got an out but he did make to second base at least twice.

And that's really saying a lot because their team was awful. Bad News Bears awful. Theirs was the only team in the league made up of boys from different schools and this was the first year that many of them had ever played. I don't think Henry and Wyatt even understand the rules of the game.

But they still had fun and made a few new friends. I haven't taken many photos since December and despite my best intentions, I forgot to bring my camera to the last game. I did take a handful of photos throughout the two-moth season with my phone and those will have to do.

Aren't they just the most precious little ballplayers you've ever seen?! I love their long shaggy hair under those ball caps.



I don't know why but they both closed their eyes when the coach handed them their trophies. That must be something they both do when experiencing pride and embarrassment at the same time. Still, super cute.

you'll shoot your eye out!

For Christmas - yes, I am so far behind in my storytelling that we are still talking about Christmas - Stephen received a 50 dollar gift card to D and B Supply. Not that this is relevant to the story but Stephen loves D and B. He tries to buy everything that he possibly can from D and B. He goes to D and B at least once a week. The clerks there know the names of our children, if that tells you anything. So a 50 dollar gift card to D and B for Stephen is money well spent.

Stephen spent about 2 days considering what he might purchase with his 50 dollar gift card. A new rake handle. An ax. Some irrigating boots. Seeds for the garden. Work gloves. Bacon jerky. No - not bacon jerky but the sky was the limit with 50 dollars to spend. He could have bought so many things. So many things to beautify our yard or maintain our house or feed our bellies come summer. But he didn't.

Nope. Instead he bought the boys a BB gun. You read that right. A gun. He bought my babies a gun! Not that I should actually pretend to care. I am so over all of that. And by all of that I mean any false hope that I would raise children who were uninterested in guns or violence or war or battle or blood or combat or whatever else little boys are drawn to. And also, by children I really mean boys or sons because obviously I don't have daughters.

I believe that my next statement comes from an educated place in both an academic and real world sense - boys and girls are innately different and many (but not all) boys are drawn to physical interaction and destruction. At least in my opinion as a women's studies major and the mother of two sons. Of course, I've been wrong before.

Getting back to BB gun. It's a Daisy Red Rider. The Christmas Story kind, which was fitting for a Christmas gift. The boys love it. Or they did love it. The novelty has already worn off. But that's okay with me because their Free Range father let's them shoot the gun without parental assistance. They've had a gun safety lesson. They have protective eye wear. They have some empty beer cans and some distance guidelines. What more do they need?

I'll tell you what they don't need - an overprotective mother up in their business. It's true. As hard as it is trust Stephen's ability to teach them gun safety and as hard as it is to let my children enjoy a small amount of freedom, I know that it's the right decision.

I am sure that many of you - because many of you are reading my blog, right? - will disagree. How could I possible let two seven-year olds handle a gun without immediate adult supervision? How could I let two seven-year olds handle a gun in the first place? What sort of irresponsible, negligent mother am I?

First, let me remind you that it's just a BB gun. Second, I trust Stephen to instill proper gun safety. Third, I recognize the value in trusting the decisions my children make. Fourth, I am from Idaho. Fifth, not only am I from Idaho but I am just hella cool - ask anyone who knows me. Sixth, the the Zombie Apocalypse is coming. That shit is for real - how many cans of Manwich do you have in your cellar?

a lost tooth

Hello, hello. How nice to be back. And what a story to reconnect with...

Henry B has lost his first tooth! That's right, one more milestone on the books.



It's been loose for weeks but today it was finally hanging by a string. Stephen and the boys stopped by my office after school and I asked Stephen to please wait until I got home to yank that sucker out. Of course, that A-hole didn't respect my request - not surprising at all!

So apparently Stephen used a wet washcloth to pull Henry's tooth out rather than waiting for Nature to do it's thing. But whatever. I am still driving this tooth fairy train. I found the cute printable and I took the pictures that we will remember forever. And there's still Wyatt - maybe I'll get to be the one who gets to rip out that little guy's first tooth with a damp cloth.

As I write this, Henry has placed the tooth under his pillow and is waiting impatiently for the tooth fairy to make her appearance. His tooth is placed in this super cute tooth fairy emergency kit that I found at Hellobee maybe a year ago!

 

Obviously, I can't be sure but I think the Tooth Fairy might leave Henry two dollars. She may have stopped by the Shell station on her way home for a pack gum and five bucks in ones after finally using the two dollars in her wallet to buy a cup of coffee after waiting three weeks for this tooth to take care of it's business on the exact same day Henry lost his tooth. Anyway, we'll see what the morning brings.



In the meantime, congratulations Henry!

Have you ever seen a more handsome boy? Nope. You know you haven't. He's beautiful, especially with that missing tooth.

screen time

Stephen received a Google Nexus 7 from my parents for Christmas. It was originally intended to be family gift but it ended up going to just Stephen. Not that any of that matters because the boys still play with it and consider it to be their tablet.

After we got to the condo on Christmas Day, Stephen downloaded the free version of Angry Birds and handed the Google Nexus 7 the boys. I told Stephen I felt as though we'd crossed over to the Dark Side.

I don't believe I've yet voiced my disdain for parents who do nothing but let their children play video games on any number of mobile devices. For some reason, I try to keep my more offensive thoughts to myself. But whatever, it's my blog. Stop reading if you let your two-year play with your iPhone - you'll probably be pissed at me because let there be no pretenses, I am judging you. Hard.

I'm also judging myself pretty hard. Nearly six weeks have passed since Christmas and the boys seem to be spending more and more time in front of one screen or another. It's cold outside. I'm currently trying to juggle more responsibilities than normal. All three boys have been stricken with either a cold or the flu.

What I'm saying is now that we have the Google Nexus 7 it's suddenly become a lot easier to give in. To just let them play games on either one of two laptops or the new tablet. Or to let them watch cartoons for hours on end while Stephen and I try to catch up on our sleep over the weekends.

But it's got to end! This is not the childhood I envisioned for my boys. No! I will not succumb!



And that's about as far as I've gotten with that parenting declaration. We've already failed at distributing screen time tickets in exchange for agreed upon chores. We've already failed at limiting screen time to 30 minutes each day following an invigorating jaunt outside for 30 - 40 minutes.

But fear not. I am sure I will come up with the perfect strategy for balancing screen time with the rest that life has to offer us - just as soon as I have the time or the energy. In the interim, I will continue to judge myself and second guess my parenting abilities. And most importantly, I will continue to believe that my babies are the most beautiful things on the plant, regardless that their heads glued to a tiny little screen and especially because they, on occasion, rock totally 80s homemade sweatbands.

it's always a good time

Over the Christmas break Henry and Wyatt attended theater camp for a second time - thanks Grandpa and Grandma! Theater camp is in Ketchum and starts the day after Christmas. So as I mentioned at my Christmas recap post, we took off for Ketchum on the 25th.

Last year Stephen and I joined the boys in Ketchum just in time for the recital and then we stayed through the new year. But this year, we all went up and spent a relaxing week in the condo. Anyway, back to theater camp!

I don't actually have much to say about theater camp other than I like sending my kids. It's good for them to get up on stage and interact with new kids. In the photos Henry looks less than thrilled to be there but he was sick all week and we still made him go to camp everyday. Of course he looks a little apathetic - we're so cruel.

The other thing I have to say about theater camp is that it brings me to tears. Happy tears, of course. I cried during the entire performance, regardless of whether my own children were on stage. Something about children singing and dancing and enjoying the simplicity of their youth hits me every time I attend any sort of childrens' activity. I'm weird like that.

Stephen is not weird like that but his head is big and mine is not.



Someone needs to teach those boys to dance! As a former dancer I seem to have failed them as a mother. You have to look closely for Wyatt in the first video. For whatever reason he was positioned in the back of the group, next to the Time Machine sign. But you can definitely see him in the second video, and after watching Henry dance in the first video and Wyatt in the second, you might agree with me that an immediate dance lesson intervention is absolutely necessary!



Aren't they just so cute! Wyatt had a speaking part and I just about missed taking a photo of his big debut. He had two lines:

                                 Has anyone seen Miss Franklin? She was just here.

and

                                 Aretha's on next? What will we do!

Oh! You might benefit from knowing the plot of the production. A bunch of children stop by a weird old professor's home and travel back in time to the 60s where they receive a lesson in music history. Good stuff.



I have one more thing to say about theater camp. It's organized and ran by good people. People we like and trust. People who know our mothers. People who've acted with Jack. I feel good about sending my babies there for the day. I guess I just add that because I like reminding myself of good things and good people. I like goodness. And now I'll stop because I am nearing the overly sentimental and positive outlook crap that drives me crazy in other blogs I sometimes (okay, all the time!) frequent.

And just because I can't help myself, here is one more video of my kids that you probably don't want to bother watching! But if you do, enjoy.