Needs no intro...

In Spite

Some nights, in spite of the our very best efforts and after reading, comprehending and applying the excellent advice of many well educated experts, this is how the eldest and second eldest members of our offspring end up spending the night.

Hey, can't win every time eh?

So Mary, concern yourself not with the idea that it is only you and/or only Sam. Whilst the information I recently recommended is excellent and should absolutely be given the old college try, nothing is fool proof and there will always be not so great days, exceptions to the rule, yada, yada, yada.

Overall, bedtimes have gone much more smoothly in the S house as of late and to that end I choose to invoke the slogan of my favorite new expert on such matters.

Progress NOT Perfection!

Love to all!

PS I particularly like the way Isaac has arranged his giant tarantula to stand guard over him as he sleeps. I cropped the picture in close in order to give you a better view.

PPS While the boys slept on the floor in the hallway, I believe Isaac's pet black widow, properly contained in its housing unit, enjoyed a nice comfy spot at the foot of his bed.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE these boys?

Check It Out

Finally! On the path to independent wealth!

(giggle snicker snort)

My blog is worth $564.54.
How much is your blog worth?

PS Isaac has caught and is now caring for a pet black widow. His numerous bug houses also house a cat faced spider, several wolf spiders and a number of funnel webs. On a daily basis he tenderly and carefully catches whatever insects are at hand and feeds them to his charges.

Oh the joys of motherhood.

Camping with the S Fam

We are home and we had a BLAST.

Ok, it rained. Ok, it rained quite a bit. Ok I did not sleep for two nights.

But STILL.

No phone, no TV, no e-mail, no fax; What more could a girl ask for? Or rather what more could a girl NOT ask for?

Lots of gorgeous pics below. As you can probably tell, everyone had a grand time. Our last few minutes at the camp site and our drive home are unfortunately typified by the video clip below, minus the booze and imagine the bees are real, but the overall trip was a rousing success.

Love to all!

Love In The Time of Potty Training

I know I gripe and complain about every milestone my darling Anna achieves; Saddened to have to admit she is growing up. However, I have to admit that I feel NONE of that desperate need to cling to her baby months when it comes to potty training. I will wave bye bye to the "joy" of diapers and wipes with the same abandon with which I greeted the end of my last pregnancy. I hate being pregnant and I H.A.T.E changing poopy diapers.

Not that we are anywhere near the end of the process. Quite the opposite in fact, we have just begun. We are taking a slow and steady wins the race approach as our lives remain a bit summery, meaning lots of travel and activities, to ban the diapers all together.

Anna is quite patient with the whole process considering that her so called mother has virtually NO memory of how we achieved this milestone with the boys. In consultation with our resident expert, the great Etu, we have settled on a process that we hope will be relaxing enough for all involved yet eventually achieve the desired result.

In order to save Anna any future embarrassment regarding the publishing of her daily frequency to the very public Internet, I will provide very few details other than to tell you that today was a pretty good day, considering that it was day 1 of serious effort in this battle. Onward to day 2!

Below you will find an amusing picture of the Day 1 Potty Training aftermath in our guest bathroom.

Below that you will find photographic evidence of the annual extended family summer water balloon fight. An event greatly enjoyed by all who participate, this year's battle was particularly meaningful as it was staged to both entertain and celebrate the continuing recovery of our beloved BaBa from his recent surgery. Rock on BaBa! We hope you had fun!

Next weekend: Camping with all three kids. the horror

Love to all!