Some Assembly Required

Z (who is supposed to be doing his math): "What if they sold puppies in boxes at the store, and didn't give you a receipt, and when you got home you opened the box and there was only a part of a puppy with a note that said 'other parts sold separately?'"

Reign of Terror

M & N have been slowly slipping into habits of disobedience because I've been ignoring small infringments and not dealing with things as I should. They are under a "Reign of Terror" this week. This basically means that all disobedience is dealt with immediately--no matter how small. We've had to do this periodically with all the boys, and the scary sounding name is from when L was little and we had to crack down on him, but I cannot remember exactly why we call it that. Regardless, the over-the-top name serves as a good reminder to both the boys and myself that we can't be lazy and that we have to do what is right.

M came up to me this morning and said:

"Mommy, I've been working really hard this week to keep that disobedience away from me."

And you know what? He has. He's trying hard to obey and have self-control (and for anyone who knows M knows how hard this is). This week has been much more peaceful and enjoyable for all of us. It's funny how doing the hard things makes life so much easier.

Click, Clack, Moo

J: "I've been thinking about a cow that types."
Cr: "What does he do?"
J: "Well, he works at [company Cr used to work for] in the department where they type letters to their Grandmothers."
Cr: "Really?"
J: "Yes, he was supposed to be in cow security, because he has horns, but since he can type they moved him and now he has to type emails to his Grandmas all day."

(As far as I know, he's never read or seen Click, Clack, Moo. Why he was daydreaming about typing cows will remain a mystery)

Temptation

I was making lunch for the boys, and they talked me into giving them a homemade granola bar (normally reserved for breakfast) with their lunch.

Mommy: "Okay...who all wants a granola bar?"
L, Z, M, N: "Me!!!"
J: "Not me."
Mommy: "Are you sure, J? I don't mind."
J: "Yes, I had two earlier for breakfast."
Mommy: "So did everyone else."
J: "Okay.....you temptate-ed me, Mom."

Noise Maker

I handed M a new shirt this morning.

M: "Mom. Mom. Mom. Hey, Mom. What's this say?"
Me: "Noise Maker."
M (laughing) : "Hey, that's me! I'm a noise maker."
Me: "Yep."
M: "I like to talk. I talk a lot. I was born to talk. I was born talking."
Me: "Yep."
M (running off) : "Hey! N! Come here! Look at my shirt! It says 'Noise Maker'. I was born to talk. I like to talk. I talk a lot....(and on, and on...)"

I think the shirt fits him.