Found that one out the hard way...

I kept warning her.  "If you keep playing with that gum, it will get stuck in your hair.  Then, I'll have to cut it out!"  She didn't want to listen.  And then this happened:

Nope, that isn't a growth on her forehead...

See that look of fear in Haley's eyes?  She was beginning to realize that gum wasn't coming out so easily.  Luckily for her, good ol' google had the answer~Peanut Butter!

Peanut butter + gum = Success!

Slowly but surely it all came out.  I bet next time she won't be so eager to prove me wrong!

Reality Bites

Remember how Shelby kept making wishes on my necklace?  Well, those days might be quickly coming to an end.  She recently asked me the most heartbreaking question I've heard in my life.  "Mom, why aren't my wishes coming true?"  What I failed as a parent to do was realize that she had no reason to doubt each and everything I had told her.  Wow...what responsibility I had without even realizing it....

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most inquisitive of all?

All this time, she had been patiently waiting for:

• our dog, Lilly, to start talking like a real person
• her stuffed animal, Daisy, to become alive
• me to not have to go to work anymore
• all of her friends to come over for a sleepover

After she innocently asked me about her failed wishes, I felt incredibly sad for her all day.  My only answer for her the next time she asked was that she had to make her wishes come true and that no necklace could actually perform magic.

Now, if only I can come up with acceptable answers to "how does Santa get all those gifts to all those kids in one night?" and "where did I live before I was in your tummy?" and "where did Chuck (my mom's dog that recently passed away) go?" then my job as a parent wouldn't seem so scary!

High Hopes

Keep looking up!

Recently, I was asking the girls what they wanted to be when they grow up.  Shelby said "a doctor that gives people lots of shots to make them feel better."  Ah, so sweet!  Then, it was Haley's turn.  Here's how it went:

Me: Haley, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Haley:  Um...um...(eyes turned to the ceiling)...um...BEER!
Me:  You want to be a beer when you grow up?
Haley: No, DRINK beer!
Me:  Okay, you can drink as much as you want...when you are 30.  Just remember that if you drink too much, you will get very sick.

Becoming a beer drinker looks like a huge success compared to Shelby's next discovery. Bryon had the girls painting the walls in the garage.  Shelby was doing great until she exclaimed, "This smells great, Dad!"  Paint huffer isn't exactly a parent's dream for their kid's career path.  Let's just stick with the shot-giving-doctor path!

Giddy Up, Pardner

Source: familyfun.go.com via Monica on Pinterest

Nope, I did NOT make the above horse.  But, it was my inspirations for these:

Haley's horse, "Fluff"

Time for your close-up, Fluff

Fluff, meet Shelby's horse, Flower

Nope, I don't just sit around making stick horses!  Shelby's school has an annual Rodeo Day, where the kids dress up and do all kinds of fun things.  Check out my adorable cowgirl:

Unfortunately, high winds and impending rain forced the school to postpone all outdoor activities.  I guess riding around on "Flower" all day will have to do for our little ranch hand for now.  Something tells me Flower's days are numbered, as her little owner really likes to abuse her a little too much.  

Love Monster

This little monster needs love too

Because I enjoy stretching myself thin wanted to help out, I signed up to co-ordinate Shelby's Valentine's Day party at her pre-school.  The monster signs at Target were my inspiration.  Luckily, Oriental Trading had some adorable design-you-own Love Monster sticker kits, monster garland, and treat boxes to add to the theme. 

Stickers + Kids = 15 minutes of quiet time

 I was able to snag the monster signs at from my work, as they were going in the trash that very day.  Score!

Me and my little Love Monsters

My awesome co-helpers, Kim and Christy, were the best.  They brought all the goodies for the kids to make their own edible monster, using rice crispy treats and all kinds of candies.

Shelby's 3 eyed creation

We then played "Pin the Heart on the Monster" using stickers.  The kids totally cheated, opening their eyes to get their stickers just where they wanted them.  Two girls followed the rules and didn't even get on the heart.  They ended up with the prizes!

No peeking, Missy!

The little monsters also traded cards.  Gone are the basic cards from my day.  And, because I enjoy stretching myself thin am trying to encourage creativity, the girls and I made cards for the class.  It turned out to be a fun project, and the cards were surprisingly cute too.

All in all, it was a fun day.  Now that I've paid my dues, I'm off the party coordinating obligation list until next year!

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might

Last Fall, I had a girls weekend with some old friends.  Jessica gave us all a "wishing necklace" from dogeared.com.  The idea of the necklace is that you make a wish, put it on, and then wear it until it falls off.  Then, your wish will come true.

Adorable elephant wishing necklace

I've only taken mine off once for day surgery, and it is still on, 5 months later.  I just love my little daily reminder of my fun weekend with the gals!  Plus, I'm not a huge jewelry person, so the idea of a disposable piece is right up my alley.  I have since ordered several styles for friends.  My mother-in-law is even getting the "Love, Laugh, Live" one for her birthday this weekend.

Shelby is now fascinated with the idea of wishes.  She has various requests from the magical jewelry:

• all her friends can come to her house and play all day AND all night
• she was a kitty cat
• all her friends from her class and her whole school and storytime could come to her birthday party
• that Lilly, our dog, could talk

When I explained to her that if she were a kitty cat, she couldn't go to Chick-Fil-A, she almost started crying.  She was so distraught that her wish was going to come true.  If only it were that simple, Sister! I explained that the wishes only came true if I was touching the necklace while she made her wish.  Whew! She was in the clear as far as becoming a kitty cat...

Only pic I could find of me and my dragonfly "Friendship" wishing necklace

So, if you see us and wonder why my kid keeps asking me to touch my necklace, you will know why.

Co-Conspirators

We've had lots of issues with Shelby tinkling in her panties.  So, in the spirit of trying anything that works, we created a reward chart.  She gets to put a sticker on for each day she goes without wetting her pants.  Once she gets it full, she gets to pick out a toy from the cute toy store by her swim class.

While I was at work yesterday, the girls were upstairs playing while Bryon was downstairs watching the Super Bowl.  He said he heard Shelby go to the potty and then start whispering Haley's name.  He then heard her ask Haley to go get her a pair of panties from downstairs and not to tell Daddy.

Haley ran down and did exactly as she was told, taking the clean pair up to Shelby without tattling on her.  Hearing the story, I couldn't help but laugh.  It brought back many memories of my sister and I trying to get away with stuff behind our parents' backs.

Later, when I asked Shelby if she got to add a sticker to her chart, she didn't miss a beat telling me she didn't have any accidents all day.  Do I call her out for fibbing, or do I just giggle and move on?