IHOP

We don't go out to dinner often.  But we did on Saturday!  Whether it was because the kitchen was still dirty from Friday night's dinner or because Dan was craving unlimited pancakes, we may never know.

Did you know that I spent a lot of time at IHOP in high school?  It's true.  It was open all the time.  And who can resist the Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity in the middle of the night?  Not me.  Of course, I generally didn't eat much on those midnight pancake runs.  About the time our food would come out, one of my friends would usually have to leave to drive me home.  I had an early curfew - at least compared to theirs.

But I digress.  I'm not here to tell stories of the Nugget's high school days. (Though maybe I'll have to think about that idea.  There are some good ones!)  I'm here today to tell you all about our dinner at IHOP.

At IHOP, I learned some things I did not know...

 1. My boys ALL make the same face when a camera is pointed at them.  Got a drink?  Great prop!

2. Camden can eat his weight in pancakes.  Good thing Daddy got the unlimited plate, because Cam's humongous pancake just didn't quite cut it!

3. Even at IHOP, we can still find a use for ketchup.

And finally - and probably most importantly - I learned that my children did not know that pancakes, waffles, french toast, and eggs are, in fact, breakfast foods.  They were legitimately shocked to hear this little tidbit of information.  Camden's response: "You mean they serve pancakes for breakfast?"

Moral of the story: This mommy serves breakfast for dinner a little too often.

Snowalien

No boring snowmen for us.

Around here, we build snow ALIENS.

With mohawks.

What would you do?

What would you do if you couldn't get your gate open because it was jammed in the snow?

Would you ask your mommy for help, or would you dismantle the hinges and break the latch so you could lift it right on up and go under?

We chose the latter.

Matty and His Mommy

Granny isn't just a Granny. She's also a mommy. And she's not just Daddy's mommy, either. She's got five other people that call her mommy, too!
One of these people is our Uncle Matt-Matt. And you know what, I hope that when I'm a granny my boys love me as much as Matty loves his mommy.

Be Patient

I've decided my blog needs a facelift.  So, I've started fooling with things.  Only problem is, I have NO IDEA what I'm doing.  So....  I guess what I'm saying here is, please be patient while The Nugget looks like a mess.  Maybe I'll figure out what I'm doing.  Or maybe Dan will come home from Florida (someday) and save me.

Iced In

We're iced in.

Our trees, house, and streets are encased in a nice thick sheet of ice.  You northerners who laugh at us for closing schools for "nothing," come on over.

We'll show you "nothing."

Princesses

I live with men. Therefore, I get very little princess exposure. So when I have a chance to get a picture with Cinderella, you better believe I'm going to take it. And post it for all the world to see, even if I do look kind of goofy.

Oh, and can I just say how happy I am that we have girl cousins who will get in pictures of Cinderella with me? Cause my boys chose to wait by the car - in the cold - instead of be seen with their crazy princess-loving mother. Ah, girl cousins. Love them!

It Worked

I'm not saying corndogs at Applebee's and a stop at Redbox are a total cure.
And they certainly don't cancel out discipline.
Trust me, we've got a ways to go still.
But we've got a much happier little boy.
Yesterday, we even made it to church.
No fits.
Today we only had one.
But who wants a haircut right after school, right?
Totally understandable.
I like my happy little boy.
And I like Cam and Mommy time.
It tastes good.
Like ketchup.

Lesson Learned. Finally.

I've mentioned before how Dan and I like to document our children's fits. We find them entertaining. Most of the time. And I was all set to write a cute little post about Camden's latest - his "Day on the Couch" - until it hit me that this one isn't entertaining. It's a learning experience for me. So, this post isn't funny. But it's true and from the heart. It's what I learned tonight. Here goes...

Camden spent Sunday on the couch. Literally. All day. The angry - even violent - fit he threw for a good part of the morning landed him on the living room couch, where he stayed (under the watchful eye of his father) while Jake and I went to church for the afternoon. By the time we got home he was asleep. "Oh, thank goodness. That's exactly what he needs," I told myself.

After the multiple, very public (thank goodness the public was all family who will love us anyway), fits of the day before, I had convinced myself that the child was "over-vacationed." It was time to get home and back to our steady routine. And sleep.

Sunday was bad. Really bad. But Monday would be better. He would sleep from 3:00 straight through til morning. And then he would be my happy little Cam again. I really like my happy little Cam. Everybody does - you just can't help yourself.

But Monday morning was bad. My happy little Cam was still possessed by an angry, wrathful monster. I sent him to school. Unhappy.

Should I tell you about Monday afternoon, Tuesday, Wednesday... You get it, right?

Camden is unhappy. And as I sat thinking about ways to discipline him and teach him to behave and calm down, I remembered having the same dilemna - albeit on a much smaller level - a full month ago. And I remembered figuring out the answer.

The answer wasn't a new discipline strategy or lesson. The answer was that this sweet (usually) little boy needed some one-on-one time with his mommy. A month ago. A month ago, I knew Camden and I needed to have some time. But it didn't happen. Life got in the way. There were basketball games and homework and errands. Dan was gone most of the last month. Then there was snow. It was fun to have the boys home for the snow days, but that wasn't very conducive to "one-on-one" time. And then it was Christmas. Wonderful family time. We loved every minute of it. But Camden and Mommy? No, that didn't happen.

And here we are, a full month later. Has our problem resolved? No. It's just gotten so much worse. Has the solution changed? No. It's just gotten so much more important.

Tomorrow, instead of the photo editing I really need to be doing, I'll be stealing away with my younger son. Because I'm finally figuring out what I thought I already knew. What my children need from me is my time and attention. And it's high time this one gets it.

Real Quick

Ten years ago (last Thursday), I married a pretty great guy.

He's handsome and funny and smart and he works hard and he takes good care of me. I like him a little bit (or maybe a lot).

For our anniversary he took me away from the children. For two days. (Did I mention I like him a lot?)

We went to see The Lion King. Stunning. And gorgeous. And beautiful.

We went to Williamsburg. Last time we were there it was our honeymoon. (Go ahead, you know you want to make that "awww" face.)

We ate yummy food. Italian (my favorite) instead of sushi, because he loves me.

We realized that ten years ago we had no children. Now we have a six-year-old and an eight-year-old. In ten more years we'll have a junior and a senior in high school. Oh goodness.

Well, as long as we're doing it together, bring it on!

Oh, and will somebody please come take a picture of us together? This is getting kind of ridiculous.