To buy or not to buy--THAT is the question!

Momma's Log October 27, 2015 (Kwrp)

Today we need  to discuss a critical topic--one that can raise havoc in households all across our nation, dividing families, causing weeping and gnashing of teeth and tearing at the very fabric of our peaceful lives: Do you do store bought or homemade Halloween costumes?

Now, this is seemingly a simple question to answer, but in my almost 9 years as a Momma--I tell you it is NOT.  Every year I face the excruciating anxiety over what my two little monsters will tell me (demand) what they would like to dress up as.  When they were babies--we got to choose for them and boy did we have fun!

But, now that they are older, they have VERY specific ideas on this subject and, buckle up because it can be a bumpy ride.  You see, kids, there this little known phenomenon called "television show/movie influence" that I am just becoming aware of.  What is this? You may ask.  It is the syndrome that causes all children to become OBSESSED with whatever they have recently been exposed to on television or movies.  Did you take your kiddos to see the latest Disney movie? Uh huh.  Did--as soon as the lights sprang on--your overly excited and over the top stimulated child then start rattling off how they wanted to be the hero/princess/robot or whatever was portrayed in the movie?

Yep.  Later when you got home, did your child stumble across the newspaper ads and see that there were TOYS available to purchase featuring said characters and then start begging and pleading and giving you their Christmas and birthday wish lists involving these toys? (My boys lists have extended into --"for this birthday I want this and for my next birthday I want this", and so on....we're at about 5 years from now on the wish lists)  And then, low and behold, did the catalog featuring Halloween costumes somehow escape the recycle bin and end up in front of Junior in all of his wide eyed wonder that not only are there toys, but he realizes his dreams can now come true--he can now BE the one he has been obsessing over?  And there you have it--the dilemma.

On the one hand one has to consider budget--Halloween costumes can cost as much as a weeks worth of groceries.  But, on the other hand--one has to be pretty crafty and creative to put some of these contraptions together in a way that it will at least seem like the real deal.  Sometimes the time, effort and cost of materials alone can be staggering.    Whatever happened to the one piece flimsy jumpsuit costumes with the hospital tie in the back and the horrible plastic slitty eyed, barely large enough hole to breath through masks that cost like 5 bucks?

No, no today costumes are all elaborate with the built in poofy muscles, the layer upon layer satin gowns and then--oh my gosh--the accessories (sold separately, of course).  The guns, swords, shields, tiaras, purses, wigs, wands and helmets--it just goes on and on and on.  Last year was a purchase year for me and not only did we have masks and weapons, but we had to have special gloves too. My goodness, who knew that a pair of finger less gloves would cost as much as a weeks worth of latte's?

Now, I know what you're going to say (in your most condescending voice)--"you know you don't HAVE to do all that?  Second hand stores have perfectly good used costumes and last year I only spent $10 for little Johnny and he was as happy as can be".  And you would be right.  I could do that.  But, there is something magical about allowing my boys to become the objects of their fantasy that make them feel like super heroes.  I love placing them in the moment and watching their imaginations soar as they battle the legions of doom and destruction that threaten to take over our humble abode.  But, it does come at a price--sometimes a hefty one.

This year, I goofed big time and I suppose that is the reason for my post today--to save other parents from being as foolish as I was a few weeks ago. We were all set--with the latest Avengers movie that came out earlier this year and then Ant Man this Summer.  My boys had decided on store bought costumes and I had even clipped coupons for some pretty significant savings that would help me not break the bank.(Yay me!)  But then I made the mistake of all rookie mistakes:   Anyone else have Netflix? Yeah, me too.  Anyone else let their kids watch Shark boy and Lava girl?

My boys LOVED it.  I mean LOVED IT LOVED IT.  They've seen it about half a dozen times in less than a month.  I realized too late that the imaginations of my two super heroes had shifted from Ant Man and Ultron to......Shark Boy.

What?!!! But, but...we had a PLAN and, and....I had it all worked out! Why, you ask,  would this changing of their minds create such crisis?  Well, you see, the movie came out about 10 years ago. (Truthfully, I should have realized this since Shark Boy is played by Taylor Lautner and I know he's not 10 anymore cause I've watched him as the wolf boy/man, or whatever, in Twilight)  And,as you can imagine, there are no toys to correspond (bonus for me). But-- the big horror--no costumes.  None.  Nada.  I had two little faces imploring me with their precious blue eyes and pleading to be Shark Boy. " Please Momma? PLEASE?????".

So, I did what any Mother would do...  I told them they couldn't be shark boy because they don't make shark boy costumes and that it was unfortunate that Netflix would revive a show featuring super heroes that kids love and not have some sort of product marketing to go with it. And that was that.   Or so I thought.  My boys would have been fine, if I told them they had to settle for a second choice.  To be honest my boys would be fine wearing the same costumes from last year, but it was me that wanted to make them happy.  To eek out those precious grins of excitement that come in such rare waves these days.  To be THEIR hero in coming up with a way to make their dreams (silly though they seem) come true.  So, I begrudgingly got on Pinterest (the bane of my existence) found a couple of photos from folks that had found simplified ways to make the costume and I grumpily got to work.

One of my friends told me recently that she felt like I had a mom gene that she didn't get.  I want to be perfectly honest with you.  I love my boys and I LOVE being a Momma--Super Rock Star and I do A LOT for them and with them and love every second.  But, for me, every birthday party, every Christmas surprise, every planned fun outing, and yes, every Halloween costume always begins with a curmudgeony groan of "UGH--this is going to take FOREVER" or "WHY oh why can't we just dial this one in--I don't wanna!" I wanted to have children as long as I can remember and I always imagined myself being the kind of crafty, creative, come up with a zillion projects and always engage my children Mom. But, I found out real quick that this Momma thing does not come naturally to me--EVER.  Most days I am just fumbling along and feeling pretty smug whenever we make it to the end of the day with all of us alive, somewhat clean and fully clothed.  I am always thrilled when I feel I got one right--those moments when I feel like there should be some sort of awards ceremony that miraculously pops into my home and Dick Clark (If he were still alive) bestows on me the Mother of the Day award.

I never regret investing time in my two little boys, but I am a selfish, introverted, grumpy Gus on the inside and it takes a lot of effort for me, a lot of days, to invest time to do much more than just get by.  I'm not proud of it and I know I have a long way to go in changing my attitude.

The Shark Boy costumes really weren't that big of a deal to put together and it didn't take much time at all.  In fact, just between you and me...I enjoyed it.  It was fun to be a little creative and it brought me a lot of joy to know how happy my boys would be when they got to be the object of their current dreams.   And, yes, they are SO happy--you just can't tell in these pictures because Shark Boy is always apparently grumpy (he and I have A LOT much in common) and my boys are method actors.

How about you?  Are you a store bought costume purchaser or do you like to get out your inner Martha Stewart and come up with your own creations?  I will tell you, after this experience, I will not be as hesitant to explore the home made option more often--it's fun to have them dressed up as something different than the masses.  And, just in case you're wondering--no.  No, I am not going as Lava Girl.  Tight pink spandex is not happenin on this Momma's body.

Stuck

Momma's Log October 15, 2015 (Kwrp)

Have you ever felt stuck?  Not literally (as in your shoes are stuck to the floor and you can't move or maybe somehow you have fallen into a tar pit and are stuck and sinking--if this is you, you should probably stop reading and call for help), but you just feel like you can't get motivated to do anything? I am-- at this moment--stuck.  I have been stuck for 4 days now. Did you ever see that movie Awakenings--where Robert De Niro plays a man that is catatonic?

That's how I feel at this moment.  Now, please don't think I am, in any way, making fun of anyone who suffers from this condition--I'm just saying it's where I am emotionally at this moment.  I feel trapped inside my own body and unable to motivate myself to do a single. solitary. thing.  It's so frustrating.

With my boys home this week for fall break I knew life would be a little more hectic, but I was still hopeful about accomplishing a little more besides wiping the drool off my chin that keeps sliding down my face as I seem to be unable to even muster the energy to close my mouth.  Sigh.  I've considered several options as to why this has come over me so suddenly.  We have had a pretty busy schedule lately--lots of appointments, activities, and Super Rock Star has had gigs every weekend which always creates a need for some heavy duty recovery time.  So, it's possible that my body is just telling me to just rest.  The thing is, I'm getting plenty of sleep and I feel fine physically--especially since I've been in this frozen state for several days now.   It seems that maybe there is more to it than lack of rest.  I'm beginning to wonder if it's a deeper more spiritual type rest that I need.  The Bible talks many times of the Sabbath and how we need to observe it--and we DO go to church most every weekend and worship and then come home and sit our rumps and enjoy watching football and relaxing.  In the Beginning, God even took a rest from His work--you know creating the universe, sun, stars, moon, planets, earth, water, air, animals, plants, and humans in six days (minor things, but hey,  let's not deny Him the need for a bit of a breather on the 7th day).  The Bible also talks of Jesus taking rest--getting away from the crowds and even taking a nap in a boat in the middle of a pretty severe storm (He must have been REALLY tired--boy have I been there!) So, it makes sense to me, that the Lord, would seriously need to shut down my body and brain just to force me to take a break from the worries of life.  It's kind of like when my boys were little, I would have to force them to take naps--they were so tired and didn't even know it (screaming at me at the top of their little lungs--I'M NOT SLEEPY!!!!!).

They would be so grumpy, rubbing their precious little eyes, but didn't want to stop playing to get rest--even though I knew they would feel better (and I would too)if they did.

Maybe that's what God is doing for me at this moment.  I've been running a pretty successful 3 ring circus for several weeks now and I seem to think I need to keep it up, so I'm trudging along like a little freight engine, just doing doing doing--the next commitment, the next project, the next appointment.  But, I'm not enjoying anything.  I should have been clued in when things, that I normally enjoy and are a pleasure for me, started to feel like a chore --"I guess I should look at the gorgeous fall colors right now (heavy sigh...)", or "isn't this carmel latte delicious (said in most bland, boring attitude)"--I feel like Debbie Downer from Saturday night live.  (Can't you just hear the Whom, whoooom).

The one bright spark in all of this inactivity has been the enjoyment of just sitting in an environment with my boys and listening to and watching them play.  In all the business of getting things done, I have started to take for granted the sheer pleasure of listening to them as they lose themselves in wonderful worlds of imagination.  I LOVE that time has no affect on them whatsoever--they are not bound by any type of schedule when they are in their imaginary universe and everything just morphs together effortlessly from one game to another.  It fascinates me that I never have to come up with a way to entertain them.

Children come naturally equipped with everything they need to enjoy life and it's all wrapped up in their wonderful little minds.  I find myself envying them that they can just be so free to enjoy and they trust that their Daddy and I will take care of their every need.  When they're hungry--we feed them.  When they're thirsty--we give them a drink.  Whatever they need we provide it for them because we love them.

And it's time I remembered that Jesus promises that for me too--and He didn't say it would end when I became a grown up.  In Mathew 6:25-27 it tells us not to worry about our lives-- what we eat or drink or about our bodies and what we will wear.  He takes care of the birds of the air and THEY aren't worrying about it, so we don't need to worry either because we are so much more precious to Him than birds.  In other words--I AM free to just enjoy the things in this life--I'm the silly one that keeps making it a chore.  I read recently that play time is essential for children because for them--that IS their work.  Wouldn't it be something if I could enjoy my chores, to do's, appointments and such with the same enthusiasm that my boys enjoy pretending to be Iron Man, Spies, or Shark Boy?  The Bible talks in Mathew 18:3 of how we are to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.  So, maybe, just maybe, the whole reason God has forcefully made me sit still is because it was the only way He was able to get my attention to remind me that I need to be more child like. 

Life is hard.  The world is a scary place right now.  Sometimes I just want to go hide and not come out until it's all better.  But, God seems to be saying that it's a condition of my attitude, my perspective.  He's got the whole world in His hands.  Yes, there are serious things going on in our lives and world.  Yes, I have responsibilities that sometimes weigh very heavy on me.  But, I am also blessed to know the One who has it all under control and that I can trust to deal with all of the scary things that I see with my eyes and hear with my ears.  He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power love and a sound mind.  It's the JOY of the Lord, that is my strength! 

Now, excuse me, I must go put on my Wonder Woman costume (or maybe Bat Girl) --I've got some toilets to scrub!

Writers Note:  Any grammatical errors are put there are on purpose --you know--so that all of my grammar geek friends can enjoy finding them.  Kind of like a word search...only different. 

Fall Break

Momma's Log October 7, 2015 (Kwrp)

Ahh! Fall Break!  It's that time of year again...that time we all look forward to with hold your breath excitement and anticipation! (Insert sound of record needle scratching across record) What?! You've never heard of fall break?  Yeah, me neither.  Not until about 4 years ago when my lil guys started school.  Yep, here in the good ole State of Colorado, in the fair city of Colorado Springs, in the not so well known district of 49 we GET to have fall break. Wait....Wha?  I know. I know.  But, let me take a small moment of my day to give you the highlights of WHY we are the privileged chosen of this break that no one in the rest of the world and hardly anyone else in our city has. 

You see, kids, a few years ago, the smarty pants, higher ups in our district claim that they took a survey  asking parents various questions about their preferences for the school schedule--start and end times for the school day, where the school buses should pick up and drop off, and yes, apparently there was a question about having a fall break.  But, what no one seems to remember is that the pay off for this fall break would be to start school in the middle of summer instead of the, preferred... end of summer.  Instead of getting to enjoy all 12 weeks of soaking in the sun(you know, that 2 hours we get before noon here in Colorado when the temp finally reaches a reasonably warm level), playing in the pool (hopefully yours isn't in the shade til 2:00pm and therefore you don't get to play very often because of the afternoon thunderstorms that come through like clockwork), eating Popsicle's, playing at the park and doing all of the summery things we all love to do--they decided that we only needed 9 weeks to get all of our activities in.  We GET to start school on August 1st and since that makes for a pretty long stretch til Thanksgiving and Christmas break,  we GET to have fall break.  

Now, I don't mean to be one to complain.  Having a break can certainly be nice, but I'll be real honest...I'd  rather have back my summer.  For the last four years we have had to move through our summer activities at break neck speed. Starting in late May I'm barking out orders to go play like a drill sergeant:   

"Okay, today, we need to go play at the park!  I don't care that it's only 50 degrees, just bundle up--wear your heavy coat and gloves, it's summer break--we don't have time to wait until the weather is warmer.  There's a schedule to keep here--we have miniature golf to play, we must go camping and fishing, there's the zoo to visit, we gotta go to a water park and a baseball game.  Move it! Move it! Show some hustle!" My poor boys move meekly through our break looking dazed and confused as to why our summer break doesn't look or feel like the ones they've seen on TV. 

Truth be told, I do love fall--it's probably my favorite time of year and I DO enjoy spending time with my boys.  I've really been missing them since school started, but coming up with ways to entertain Thing 1 and Thing 2 so they don't destroy our happy dwelling, is a little trickier than than it would have been 2 months ago.   Plus, with Christmas only a mere 78 days away, the ole pocket book is a little thin on funds. With the weather turning cooler, it's harder to find free and inexpensive things to do.  So, for the sake of my sanity and the humblest of hopes, I turn to you today with the plea of my heart crying out for some ideas on some activities we can do for the next 10 days that will not break the bank and not drive me crazy.

PLEASE, for the love of all things holy, do NOT suggest anything you have seen on pinterest.   For you crafty sorts out there--I love you, I think you're creativity is....well...just nifty, but I am still cleaning out glitter from every crevice in my kitchen table after following an over zealous suggestion 3 years ago.  Movies, movies and more movies are all I have in my arsenal right now and I'm trying really hard to not turn my children into mindless, vacant zombies.  

Any suggestions would be helpful--I'm sure more than one of us could use a few fresh ideas on some things to keep us going for the next few days...unless, of course, you are one of the lucky ones and your kids are in school...where they're supposed to be..this time of year.