The Difference Between Boys and Girls -- GI Joe Edition

C: "Ready to deploy...We're going to have the bomb everything. All the bad people gotta go!"

A: "Yeah...Can we go to a party after? I like your helmet."

C: "3 - 2 - 1....blast off. Paratroopers moving in. Remember guys you have 24 hours to accomplish the mission. Soldier! Don't forget your gun!"

A: "Mommy, can you make my soldier a purple parachute? I think it would look pretty with his green uniform.?

C: "Soldiers can't have pink parachutes. That would show up too much. They have to have camouflage. Some of you will have to walk. There's not enough room in the plane. Zoooooommmmmmmmm!"

A: "They can ride on my pony. (i.e. My Little Ponies)

C: "Soldiers don't ride of purple ponies. Attention troops move out. Stick to the plan and don't leave a man behind.

A: "I like army men. They're strong. Come on ponies let's go to the war. Wait for us. My ponies need to comb their hair first."

C: (Eyes rolling) "You don't do your hair before battle!"

A: "We could make pretty blue parachutes to match the sky. Or black with sparkles for night!" (Said while twirling...)

C: (Eyes rolling) The soldiers under my command will never have pink or blue parachutes or anything with sparkles. Come on men. It's time to move out---Quick--We gotta get you away from here. Before she turns you into a bunch of princesses!"

A: "Mommy!!!! Carsten won't let me come to his war!!!"

Conceptional Boredom -- I Think Not...

There is a particular parent at Carsten's school who is quite outspoken, involved, and vocal about....well anything really. Volunteers at the school hours a day, tells you all about her one and only child and why they wanted it that why followed by comments about how difficult it is with one and only child and how she just can't wait for said child to grow up, have a clue, and appreciate all that is done for her and how wrong it is to have more than one because the only way to raise a child is to give all your time and energy to said child.

She is a very nice person, just shares a bit much.

Less is more.

Enter Last-Day-of-School Festivities. Someone comments on how their current pregnancy was a "boredom conception" -- she was bored one evening and ended up with baby#2. Parent-of-One (PoO) comments that "Shelly must get bored an awful lot. Maybe we should find her something to do before she gets bored again. She'll just keep having more and more and more! "

(Kudos for tongue control, Shelly, kudos.)

For the record, PoO, I was not bored before, during or after any of my conceptions.

I have 3 kids because, darn it, I wanted them. And I'm good at it. Have you seen them? Seriously, I (and God) are really, really, good at this. (Ok, so I obviously have to given some credit to Jason's genetic material, particularly for Abrielle). My kids are gorgeous, smart, hysterical, random, creative beings, and I got to be involved in creating them. You should do what you're good at, and obviously, I'm good at this.

Now, I'm not commenting on my ongoing parenting skills (which revolve too much around threats and cold cereal), but my initial work in creation -- perfection!!!

So, PoO, and all others out there who feel the need to comment on my "large" family....keep it to yourself. My 3 doth not a Fertile Myrtle make....3 is not a big number. Check your math skills. 12, 451 .... That's a big number. 3 is not.

And if I decide to have 1, 2, or 6 more....I will.....

No boredom involved.

Blah, Blah, Blah...

I fell blah. Not sad, not happy, in the middle.

It's really bugging me. I'm not a middle-ground kind of girl.

If I'm going to be sad, bring on the tears. If I'm going to be happy, hand me the chapstick. But, blah....just not my thing.

So tonight, in the middle of paying bills, balancing checkbooks and listening to this cathartic song, I wrote down 5 things that made me smile today. Quickly. As in, I didn't really think about it, I just wrote them down....in the margins of the cell phone bill.

Here we go.... (with a little explanation)

1. Frustrated Alyssa -- She sucks her thumb and has started wanting to sleep on top of stuffed animals. Yes, on top of them. She currently had 3 favorites that she must figure out how to shove under her body prior to inserting thumb, accepting blankie placement and settling down to sleep. 2 of the favorites are about as big as she is. It's hysterical watching her figure it out.

2. Sneaking nephew -- Like something off of Looney Toons. Arms in short-arm T-Rex pose, knees bent, hunchback up, on tip-toes.

3. Out of breath guy -- He was on a bike pulling a bike trailer. He'd probably been far and worked hard but I giggled. Very wrong of me. Bad Shelly.

4. Sleeping kids -- I took Alyssa and my 2 nephews to the splash park today for play group (Thanks Christa!) On the way to the car, they kept protesting the mere suggestion of a nap. They were all asleep before I pulled out of the parking lot.

5. Pancakes -- I love breakfast food. I love eating breakfast food for dinner. I love making my family breakfast food for dinner. I love that my kids love eating breakfast food for dinner and that Jason tolerates it.

So now I feel less blah, but still blah, but it's less, so that's better.