The Definition of Lazy

We all know that kids are lazy.

They leave their stuff laying all over the place. 

They think that the front hallway is where their bookbags, shoes and everything else goes.

They leave their dishes whereever they ate.  And Heaven forbide that they actually put water in them so that the food doesn't get caked on.

But this takes the cake.

That's an EMPTY milk carton.

Sitting RIGHT BESIDE the trash can.

That's the very definition of lazy.

But, of course, no one did it.  The "not me" ghost is alive and well in our home.

Kids.  Sheesh.

The Waiting Game

I was commiserating with my friend the other day about our children and their unique talent for leaving their crap laying all over the place, blissfully clueless that it's driving us absolutely nuts because it will lay there for DAYS as they walk by it, step over it and basically ignore it like it doesn't even exist.

And it lays there until we pick it up.

The conversation started out because my friend said that "someone" left a bag of chips (empty of course) laying around her house.  She said that she was just waiting to see how long it was before someone in her awesome family owned up to it and cleaned it up.

I suspect she's still waiting.

For them to pick it up and for hell to freeze over.  ;)

Now, I'm no novice at this game.  I've played it before.  Many times. 

But my latest battle involves Shane and his backpack.  FROM LAST SCHOOL YEAR.

It's been sitting in the living room since June 17th, 2011 when he got out of school.  Right where he left it.

That's right.  Almost three full months I've been in a non-verbal battle with him to see if he'll clean it out.

But nope.  Nothing.  And I know that he has to see it because he has to walk past it every single time he goes up and down the steps.  And that's at least twice a day.  For three months.

I had begun to think that he just forgot about it.

I came home the other day (right after my conversation with my friend about her children's inability to pick up their stuff) and he had gone through it for something. 

AND LEFT EVERYTHING LAYING ON THE FLOOR RIGHT BESIDE THE DAMN BACKPACK.

So.  He just confirmed for me that he knew the backpack was there.  He was just doing a stellar job of ignoring it. 

:mad:

Seizing my opportunity, I told him that he needed to clean it out.  He said he would.  I asked him this morning if he cleaned it out before he went to school.

He said yes.

He didn't.  Surprise.

My children drive me nuts.

I guess he figures that the maid will pick it up.

So I scooped the papers back up, shoved them back into the backpack and then proceeded to stew and huff about it for the next 30 minutes.

Ugh.  So I wonder if my friend ended up picking up the chip bag or not.  I'm betting so.

Cause she's not as stubborn as me. 

Apparently I like fighting battles with people that don't even know, or care, that I'm fighting them.

I haven't decided how I'm going to handle this one.  Do I leave it there and just see how much longer it goes before he decides to actually clean it out and put his school things from last year away or do I make him clean it up?

What's the over/under on how long it will sit there until I make him clean it up?

Kids.  Ugh.

This blog post is dedicated to my friend and all of the other moms and dads out there who are fighting this same "awesome" battle.

What You Say...What They Hear

At the pool, the same thing always happens.

If you have (or had kids), you know exactly what I'm talking about.

You're already dried off and are sitting outside the pool watching them swim.

(From the pool at Pawleys 2008. And befpre you email me that the picture is blurry, I meant to have the kids jumping be blurry. It was done intentionally.)




They've been swimming so long that their skin looks like a wrinkled raisins and you are hot as hades and the color of a crab.

You're ready to go.

They're not.

What I say: Shane, Owen...five more minutes then we're leaving.

They see you collecting things and they know that they're on borrowed time.

What they hear: Sh..Ow...five....utes..we...

And, they hear this because they continue going under water so they don't have to listen to you.

They only come up when they're lungs are about to explode.

And even then, it's usually just their lips and nose above water.

Their ears never make it above water.

And, you're helpless to stop it unless you jump in and get completely wet again.

So, they win this round.

But, you are on to them and you started the process 20 minutes before you actually wanted to leave.

By the way, I distinctly remember doing this to my parents and I'm sorry. So, now you can lift that curse too, m'kay?

Shane Verses The Radish

For dinner the other night, we had hotdogs, mac and cheese (the box crap since the kids don't like my "real" mac and cheese) and salad.

Believe it or not, Shane didn't complain about his salad.

But, he hates radishes with a passion and he inquired whether he had to eat them or not.

SHANE: "Do I have to eat the radishes, mom? You know I hate them."

ME: "No. You don't have to eat the radishes Shane. Just eat the rest of the salad."

Proceeding to pick out the radishes (even the smallest sliver of a radish), Shane continued on.

"Thanks mom. You know that I can spot those radishes like a tiger can spot his prey."

I guess he does have 20/20 vision. No need to take him for an eye check anymore. Obviously his vision is perfect because he picked out every single tiny little radish and flicked it out of the bowl.

I should add that as Shane was wagging war on the radishes, Owen says "you know that I LOVE the radishes, mom. See...I ate every single one of them."

He was playing the "good one" role. If you have two kids, you know what I mean!

Capturing The Moment

Capturing the moments means so many things. First and foremost, it means capturing the moments that I don't want to forget or that I want the boys to not forget.

Secondly, it means actually knowing how to use my camera and utilize it to its full potential. This isn't always easy for me because I am extremely non-technical. I know, I know. Duh.

Anyway, I took the boys to the park on a recent day off of school.

Of course, I had my camera. But, I had a purpose this time. I've been playing around with the shutter speed setting and have been trying different speeds to see what the camera will do with movement. The boys were swinging, which was a perfect opportunity to use this setting.

Here's a few of my favorites.

I like this one. I was able to stop Shane's motion but the trees in the background still show the motion.



I loved this one just because I captured the moment of pure happiness that kids get when swinging (couldn't we learn from them?). I especially love it because Owen is really hard to photograph because he's so used to the camera that every time he sees it, he gets a goofy grin on his face. See the second picture and you'll know what I mean.



Of course, I love this too because it's showing Owen being his most Oweney.



I also love this picture because it captures what kids love to do - lay back and just swing. You can still see the motion in Shane's feet but the rest is clear.



So, there you go.

Happy Friday!