Well, to all you blog readers of mine - just some more exciting news to add to the Passey family chaos... a sixth Passey child. Yes, I am expecting and now far enough along to not be as nervous about loosing the baby. (last time was terrible). I am about 12 weeks, due in May. You may think it is just one more kid for us, but once again, this kid will force us to make some major changes in our family needs.
-That makes us too big for a minivan - we will have to sport a Suburban, Mormon van, or small school bus. I actually prefer an RV - one of those huge ones. But that may not be in our budget.
-We will now require a 5 bedroom house wherever we live (luckily, we have the room here - we just have to convert it back into a bedroom).
-I will have to say goodbye for an indefinite (very possibly permanent) time to my cape business. (I plan to do this after the new year starts)
-Ryan will have to find a new job. (Suburbans, vans, and school buses are expensive)
-And I get to start mothering in the baby stages all over again. At least Cameron isn't out of diapers yet. He and the baby will be 4 years apart. I don't know where the time went. But I couldn't have done this a moment sooner. (Or even this moment. But here we are!)
Now if I can just get Cameron to flush the correct things down the toilet. I guess as long as Cameron doesn't flush the baby down the toilet... (how would I get him/her out?) It all could be worse, right? :)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
And it all goes down again....
Well, the good news is that my kids bathroom floor just got a great thorough cleaning. As did the carpet outside the bathroom door. And the toilet now smells... well I would say minty fresh, but my kids don't like minty toothpaste so I get that Crest sparkle and I personally don't know how that smells.
Every homeowner hopes to never walk by a bathroom and see water seeping out into the carpet. Including ME. And yet, this morning, water was pooling out of the bathroom door into my carpet. I open the door slightly to find my naked 3 year old in the bathroom by himself standing on a stool and water EVERYWHERE! LOTS and LOTS of water. I quickly look around to see where the source of water is coming from and well... it became apparent to me quickly by the toothpaste and glow stick in the toilet and the toilet water sky high that the toilet was the source. I get him out and ask him...
"Cameron did you flush things down the toilet?"
"Yes"
(now remember the toothpaste and glow stick I saw currently stuck down the hole)
"What did you flush down the toilet?"
"Soap. And a lid."
My heart beats faster (didn't expect that answer)
"What else?"
"Two cups."
"What else?"
"Toothpaste." (whew! I finally got to the toothpaste)
I stopped there. I knew enough. I was a little overwhelmed by the mess. Where do I start? The naked kid, the water seeping into my carpet, the water standing everywhere else?
Well, I decide, naked kids are fine and send him into my room. I gather up towels and set them down on the carpet and floor and quickly realize that I am going to need more towels. Lots more towels. I run downstairs to my bathroom down there and grab lots of extra towels. All of them were totally soaked, as was the bathroom rug so I got a large kitchen garbage bag and started piling them in. Ryan's suggestion (may I add he said some comment about how life's challenges build us up or something and I told him that is easy to say sitting at his desk in peace 45 minutes away) was to get out the carpet machine to suck the water out of the carpet, which I did. Then I cloroxed everything. Someone's poor toothbrush was on the floor. Too bad - it's not worth saving. An entire roll of extra toilet paper was on the floor and wow, do they expand when they get completely wet. And at least I can say, an hour later, that my bathroom floor is clean, the toilet sparkles (because of the sparkley toothpaste) and I didn't even need to use my closet auger I bought before. My nifty plunger plunged just fine! What an expert I am becoming! (I am so proud of myself!)
Every homeowner hopes to never walk by a bathroom and see water seeping out into the carpet. Including ME. And yet, this morning, water was pooling out of the bathroom door into my carpet. I open the door slightly to find my naked 3 year old in the bathroom by himself standing on a stool and water EVERYWHERE! LOTS and LOTS of water. I quickly look around to see where the source of water is coming from and well... it became apparent to me quickly by the toothpaste and glow stick in the toilet and the toilet water sky high that the toilet was the source. I get him out and ask him...
"Cameron did you flush things down the toilet?"
"Yes"
(now remember the toothpaste and glow stick I saw currently stuck down the hole)
"What did you flush down the toilet?"
"Soap. And a lid."
My heart beats faster (didn't expect that answer)
"What else?"
"Two cups."
"What else?"
"Toothpaste." (whew! I finally got to the toothpaste)
I stopped there. I knew enough. I was a little overwhelmed by the mess. Where do I start? The naked kid, the water seeping into my carpet, the water standing everywhere else?
Well, I decide, naked kids are fine and send him into my room. I gather up towels and set them down on the carpet and floor and quickly realize that I am going to need more towels. Lots more towels. I run downstairs to my bathroom down there and grab lots of extra towels. All of them were totally soaked, as was the bathroom rug so I got a large kitchen garbage bag and started piling them in. Ryan's suggestion (may I add he said some comment about how life's challenges build us up or something and I told him that is easy to say sitting at his desk in peace 45 minutes away) was to get out the carpet machine to suck the water out of the carpet, which I did. Then I cloroxed everything. Someone's poor toothbrush was on the floor. Too bad - it's not worth saving. An entire roll of extra toilet paper was on the floor and wow, do they expand when they get completely wet. And at least I can say, an hour later, that my bathroom floor is clean, the toilet sparkles (because of the sparkley toothpaste) and I didn't even need to use my closet auger I bought before. My nifty plunger plunged just fine! What an expert I am becoming! (I am so proud of myself!)
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Going down down down
Brandon has this Bionicle game that he got last Christmas that he guards with his life. I think we have played it once because he keeps it under his bead, away from little brothers, and only older people can play with it. Well, today, he let Jacob play with the little guys and was trying to teach the game to him. Some of the pieces of the game are little Bionicle figures, less than an inch tall, and a small ball and sling shot you use to shoot the ball at the bad guy. When conference started, they were still in the middle of the game and so I told them to just leave it in the Living room and come watch conference.
Well, Cameron came to me during the intermediate hymn and said something that sounded like "I lost the ball." He was holding the sling shot to the game so I knew what ball he was talking about and I just said, "Well, go find it." He said again..."I lost the ball". I said "Well, do you know where you lost it?" trying to think if there were places the ball could have been lost "permanently". He said "No mom, I flushed the ball in the toilet." which is what he was saying before - flushed instead of lost. I said "You flushed the ball down the toilet?" He smiled and said "Yes and it went down down down."
I was sick. Brandon was downstairs and I thought I would have to think of a new ball to use as a replacement before I told him. I scolded Cameron and told him how sad Brandon would be and took him downstairs to tell Brandon. When we got there, I told them what happened and when Brandon and Ryan said "What? He flushed the ball down the toilet?" Cameron added- "Yes, and a little bad guy too! And it went down down down." this time showing us by bending down a little each time he said down. UG! I can replace a ball, but replace a little guy? Brandon was not happy and once more Cameron was told the only things we flush down the toilet are... (you can fill it in).
So, tomorrow morning, I will have to look online for replacement parts to the game. A couple of weeks ago, we had a clog in the toilet for a WEEK that we had to finally buy a closet auger (specialized plumbing snake for toilets) and two different plungers before getting it out. I spent hours and hours plunging and working on that toilet. In tears, I finally called a friend to come and help me. Again, we worked and worked and were finally able to get it to unclog using the auger. I don't know what was flushed, but the experience today with Cameron confirmed that it could have been anything... The sad thing is that I really can't rule my youngest 3 kids from flushing random things down the toilet. It could have been any of them! Either that, or MAN we have got to start eating more fiber!
Well, Cameron came to me during the intermediate hymn and said something that sounded like "I lost the ball." He was holding the sling shot to the game so I knew what ball he was talking about and I just said, "Well, go find it." He said again..."I lost the ball". I said "Well, do you know where you lost it?" trying to think if there were places the ball could have been lost "permanently". He said "No mom, I flushed the ball in the toilet." which is what he was saying before - flushed instead of lost. I said "You flushed the ball down the toilet?" He smiled and said "Yes and it went down down down."
I was sick. Brandon was downstairs and I thought I would have to think of a new ball to use as a replacement before I told him. I scolded Cameron and told him how sad Brandon would be and took him downstairs to tell Brandon. When we got there, I told them what happened and when Brandon and Ryan said "What? He flushed the ball down the toilet?" Cameron added- "Yes, and a little bad guy too! And it went down down down." this time showing us by bending down a little each time he said down. UG! I can replace a ball, but replace a little guy? Brandon was not happy and once more Cameron was told the only things we flush down the toilet are... (you can fill it in).
So, tomorrow morning, I will have to look online for replacement parts to the game. A couple of weeks ago, we had a clog in the toilet for a WEEK that we had to finally buy a closet auger (specialized plumbing snake for toilets) and two different plungers before getting it out. I spent hours and hours plunging and working on that toilet. In tears, I finally called a friend to come and help me. Again, we worked and worked and were finally able to get it to unclog using the auger. I don't know what was flushed, but the experience today with Cameron confirmed that it could have been anything... The sad thing is that I really can't rule my youngest 3 kids from flushing random things down the toilet. It could have been any of them! Either that, or MAN we have got to start eating more fiber!
The cat's out of the bag
I saw a friend of mine the other night at Walmart. She happens to be in our ward and is Brandon's 6th grade teacher. She told me a funny story that happened at school on Friday.
She was talking to another teacher in his room and said she kept hearing a meow. She asked him if he could hear it, and he said no so she went looking around. She couldn't see anything out the windows, or in any of the nearby classrooms. She started thinking the cat might be in the heating vents somehow or some weird place like that when she walked past a coat rack and heard the meowing louder. She stopped and started looking in the backpacks and when she unzipped a backpack, she saw a kitten looking up at her. The kitten was wet and at the bottom of the backpack was a hot dog. She took the poor kitten out and took it to a classroom and fed it some sloppy joe meat and then went off to find out whose backpack it was. It belonged to a 5th grade girl who apparently found the cat on the way to school. She and her friends had been taking turns going to the "bathroom" so they could give the cat some water (by dumping some into the backpack). The teachers were really nice and let them keep the cat until the end of school and they could take it home.
Sadly enough, I wouldn't be surprised if Kristin did that. And many other kids would probably do that too. It reminded me of when my Dad put a metronome in his locker at school (middle or high school) and turned it on and then went to class - just to see what would happen. Well, in the empty hallways, you could hear the tic tic tic of the metronome and an administrator or teacher thought the sound coming from the locker was a bomb and called the bomb squad in. Nowadays, that would get you in a lot more trouble than I think it got my Dad in.
She was talking to another teacher in his room and said she kept hearing a meow. She asked him if he could hear it, and he said no so she went looking around. She couldn't see anything out the windows, or in any of the nearby classrooms. She started thinking the cat might be in the heating vents somehow or some weird place like that when she walked past a coat rack and heard the meowing louder. She stopped and started looking in the backpacks and when she unzipped a backpack, she saw a kitten looking up at her. The kitten was wet and at the bottom of the backpack was a hot dog. She took the poor kitten out and took it to a classroom and fed it some sloppy joe meat and then went off to find out whose backpack it was. It belonged to a 5th grade girl who apparently found the cat on the way to school. She and her friends had been taking turns going to the "bathroom" so they could give the cat some water (by dumping some into the backpack). The teachers were really nice and let them keep the cat until the end of school and they could take it home.
Sadly enough, I wouldn't be surprised if Kristin did that. And many other kids would probably do that too. It reminded me of when my Dad put a metronome in his locker at school (middle or high school) and turned it on and then went to class - just to see what would happen. Well, in the empty hallways, you could hear the tic tic tic of the metronome and an administrator or teacher thought the sound coming from the locker was a bomb and called the bomb squad in. Nowadays, that would get you in a lot more trouble than I think it got my Dad in.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Stop picking your nose with your tongue!
Okay, so admittedly, there are lots of things I end up saying as a parent that I never dreamed I would say. Things like "it only has a little bit of dirt on it, so eat it anyway" or "do you want a cookie or a fruit snack for lunch?" or "well, your shirt may be in the washer but those clothes have been in there for a week so I gotta wash them again".
But I really never thought I would have a kid talented enough to have to say "stop picking your nose with your tongue!". Yes, it is a trick my 5 year old has learned. He first showed it to me at a soccer game. He ran over excitedly and said "look what I can do!" I was so proud. And all the other parents surrounding me were so impressed. It was a love fest. Actually, I quickly said "Jacob, stop doing that! Just go play soccer!" Unfortunately, between the random ninja moves and tongue up his nose, he didn't have a great soccer game and it just brought more attention to him. One parent said "I just love how Jacob is playing soccer today! He is acting just like a boy... like there is nothing else in the world except what is going on in his head!" I chuckled.
Sadly enough, this new talent has carried over from the soccer game and once again - I find myself saying - "Jacob, stop picking your nose with your tongue!". I have to admit though, that I am ever so slightly impressed that his tongue can reach so far. Lets hope he stops before he is old enough to date!
We also had a gerbil die. I actually found myself saying "Woo hoo! One down, one to go!" but I had to act empathetic about the gerbil when we told the kids. Before I knew it, Kristin had reached her hand into the cage and was holding his stiff body crying. (I don't know how long it had been dead... but for probably almost a day). And we remembered the happy times of this gerbil's life. I reminded my crying children about how cute and small Tiny was when he was born... how we used to have to feed him with a syringe because there were too many babies (7 I think) in the litter and he was the runt. We remembered how cute they were all cuddled in a pile next to their Dad and how they would just fall down the tube because they couldn't figure out how to get up and down. Pretty funny. Then once again I find myself saying something I never thought I would have to say as a parent. My conversation with Kristin (my seven year old) went something like this.
"Mom, can I sleep with Tiny in my bed just this night."
"No, Kristin, we don't sleep with dead gerbils in our bed."
"Mom, PLEASE! Just tonight!"
"Kristin, NO! Say goodbye to Tiny now and go to bed by yourself. And please wash your hands REALLY good with LOTS AND LOTS of soap."
And then the inevitable question... "well what are you going to do with Tiny?" Should I lie and tell her that I will bury the gerbil in a special place in our garden? I don't know how she would deal with knowing that Ryan or I either throw it away in our garbage or toss it in the field. You can't flush a gerbil and if we made a grave site for our gerbils... well lets just say our yard is small enough as it is. So I tell her - "Don't worry, Dad will take care of him when he gets home." Luckily she trusts Dad enough to not worry about it much more. The kids know Dad doesn't throw anything away! :)
But I really never thought I would have a kid talented enough to have to say "stop picking your nose with your tongue!". Yes, it is a trick my 5 year old has learned. He first showed it to me at a soccer game. He ran over excitedly and said "look what I can do!" I was so proud. And all the other parents surrounding me were so impressed. It was a love fest. Actually, I quickly said "Jacob, stop doing that! Just go play soccer!" Unfortunately, between the random ninja moves and tongue up his nose, he didn't have a great soccer game and it just brought more attention to him. One parent said "I just love how Jacob is playing soccer today! He is acting just like a boy... like there is nothing else in the world except what is going on in his head!" I chuckled.
Sadly enough, this new talent has carried over from the soccer game and once again - I find myself saying - "Jacob, stop picking your nose with your tongue!". I have to admit though, that I am ever so slightly impressed that his tongue can reach so far. Lets hope he stops before he is old enough to date!
We also had a gerbil die. I actually found myself saying "Woo hoo! One down, one to go!" but I had to act empathetic about the gerbil when we told the kids. Before I knew it, Kristin had reached her hand into the cage and was holding his stiff body crying. (I don't know how long it had been dead... but for probably almost a day). And we remembered the happy times of this gerbil's life. I reminded my crying children about how cute and small Tiny was when he was born... how we used to have to feed him with a syringe because there were too many babies (7 I think) in the litter and he was the runt. We remembered how cute they were all cuddled in a pile next to their Dad and how they would just fall down the tube because they couldn't figure out how to get up and down. Pretty funny. Then once again I find myself saying something I never thought I would have to say as a parent. My conversation with Kristin (my seven year old) went something like this.
"Mom, can I sleep with Tiny in my bed just this night."
"No, Kristin, we don't sleep with dead gerbils in our bed."
"Mom, PLEASE! Just tonight!"
"Kristin, NO! Say goodbye to Tiny now and go to bed by yourself. And please wash your hands REALLY good with LOTS AND LOTS of soap."
And then the inevitable question... "well what are you going to do with Tiny?" Should I lie and tell her that I will bury the gerbil in a special place in our garden? I don't know how she would deal with knowing that Ryan or I either throw it away in our garbage or toss it in the field. You can't flush a gerbil and if we made a grave site for our gerbils... well lets just say our yard is small enough as it is. So I tell her - "Don't worry, Dad will take care of him when he gets home." Luckily she trusts Dad enough to not worry about it much more. The kids know Dad doesn't throw anything away! :)
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