Pee in a bottle

It's the next best thing to sliced bread.  For boys that is.  I remember as a kid, my brothers would often go pee in a bottle on our Rampton family road trips (my parents were forced to be innovative on these long trips with 7 kids in order to get anywhere).  I hadn't instituted this tradition with my own kids quite yet (once we were on a road trip I had proposed the idea to my husband who flat out rejected it and said "no way!").  But I found myself in a dire situation a few days ago, on my own with the kids so my husband wasn't there to steer my ideas in a different direction. 

I'd taken the kids to go swimming with my friend Briawna and Stephanie and their kids.  We'd had a blast at the pool.  It was uber hot (triple digits) and I was loading my kids up in the van.  The boys were were hot and whiny, Alice was hungry and tired.  I had finally finished the task of getting all of our junk and pool toys in the van, along with the chillins all seat-belted up, when Johnny says "I have to go to the bathroom".  I heaved a heavy sigh and thought about how much effort it was going to take to unload my baby again, unload my 2 boys, find a way back into the pool (you have to have a badge) and use the bathroom (I must admit, taking all 3 kids to a public restroom is not on my favorites list- "DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!").  I asked Johnny if he could hold it and he whined "No!  I have to go now!"

I thought about letting him just water the grass, but then the thought crossed my mind as I scanned the really nice neighborhood that surrounded us "I wonder if I could get arrested for letting my kid pee here".  I began to get desperate and my eyes scanned the floor of our van that was cluttered with empty water bottles all about.  "Here, pee in one of these".  It was the most genius idea I'd had all day.  It fit perfectly, and made even less mess than peeing the "real" normal way.  And Johnny felt pretty darn cool.  We teased each other all the way home about it being lemonade and how we were going to get Daddy to drink it.

I'm so naughty I know.  But there is a story behind that- when I was younger, one hot summer day, my parents took us kids canoeing down the Willamette river.  Half way down the river, my little brother says "I have to go pee", and ends up peeing in a 7-up can.  I don't know why he didn't just go in the river- we must have been floating the river with family friends or something.  In any case, I didn't know my little brother had filled up this 7-up can with pee (I was in a different canoe).  When we finished the long, hot day of floating, we all piled into our van, and my mom who is sitting in the front turns around (I should have known better as she was totally smiling) and says "who wants some 7-up?".  She said I grabbed the can and took a gulp so fast, there was no time to tell me "no! I'm just kidding!".  In my family of 7 kids, when something good was offered- like soda (soda pop was a rare treat in my family), you were going to have share it with 7 other slobbery mouths.  And I remember my brother telling me once that whoever got the last gulp was drinking 35% spit.  So I knew my odds, and thus I grabbed the 7-up can as quickly as I could and took the first 100% spit-free sip.  Except it wasn't a sip, but rather a gulp as I was oh so thirsty.

It tasted so gross.  Like warm ammonia. Thanks Mom.

While on the subject, look at this invention.  So funny.  But why would you make an "official bottle" out of it?  Kinda gross.  I think using an old water bottle that you can just toss is much more ingenious!

What's your pee in a bottle story?

And a Cherry on the top!

Gloomy start to the day and not just talking about the weather but here I am two cards later pretty pleased with my achievements. Hope this fruity coloured  card brings some fine weather. Hubby on holiday and there's silage to be cut and if he's studying the weather everyday looking for a couple of dry days and keeps puting it off,  I can't see me getting any away days. Is this an excuse for some

GLITZ & BLING Christmas sketch

Christmas in August, only good thing about that is another card ticked off the Christmas list, great. Love this PB Christmas Wreath stamp,classy, embossed with Cosmic Shimmer navy viola blaze and inked with TH linen distressing ink  and teamed up with Crafty Bitz Christmas Holly vellum paper mounted onto cream card and lace trim gives a real vintage feel to my card. Love it!  Image mounted onto

Allsorts Challenge

A quick post, off to deliver this card to a special little boy to give to his daddy whos coming home tomorrow from his stint offshore. Used Bo bunny papers, Mos digital pencil image, Hobby Art sentiment, buttons,brad and tags from stash and craftworks candy. Not the best of piccies, started off a lovely day but gone so dreary. Looks like we're in for rain yet again!

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KATH

Morning folks, some piccies of my fab day with Kath from all that glitters and my crafting buddies. She certainely know how to give you a good time and her cards are amazing. A real tonic in my book. Where's Jimmy Saville when I need him! Thanks Kath for a truly inspirational day ( I'm sure you will be on the end of my TOUNGE next time I meet up with my friends!!!!!!! ha ha) I have to watch what

Lisa

above photo taken by Jadenoel

My sister is in the process of adoption and just wrote the most beautiful post on her blog: "Reflections on Adoption and on the Atonement".  Her little baby girl was born today.  Having giving birth so fresh in my mind, my heart is full of gratitude to this wonderful birth mother and the love she has for this baby and for my sister and brother-in-law.  I can't think of a better family for this little girl to be adopted into.  Lisa and Taylor are 2 of the most amazing, smart, personable, and loving people on this planet.  Their little boy David (who is also a miracle of adoption) is evidence of what a beautiful home and place of learning they have (and will) provide to their child(ren).

And Lisa is such an example of Christ-like love.  She is so compassionate and has a special gift of empathy.  Whenever I have struggled or been in pain whether it be physically or emotionally, she has often been right there and such a good listener and comforter.  When I gave birth to my first son, Lisa was in the room with me and massaged my hands and feet as I endured the contractions.  This more recent child birth experience with baby Alice, Lisa came to the hospital only minutes after her arrival, and was so tender and so loving to me, James, and Alice.  I remember as they were pushing on my stomach after the baby had come out (trying to get the placenta to detach- but oh! that is so painful!), Lisa was right there and let me squeeze her hand raw.  She was so compassionate about the pain I was feeling (cried herself!), the blood I was losing, and the shock and euphoria I was experiencing.  I will be forever grateful to her for her support during those times of need.

Lisa- you are one amazing woman.  Congratulations on being a new mom today!

On another good note- my Grandma turned 102 today!  I just got off the phone with her and she's still going strong and so chipper (it must be all that chocolate milk)!  Happy Birthday Grandma Bear!  How fun to have your newest Great Granddaughter share your birth date!!!  Love you both.

Can you say züm züm?

We've met some great friends here- and we keep on having "small world" moments with our new acquaintances.  Two of those friends are the "Mains".  We met Chris and Todd through mutual friends, and as it turns out, Chris grew up in Lebanon, a town about 30 minutes from Corvallis, and Todd's grandparents live in Newport.  Chris and Todd are active and outdoorsy.  Todd is an avid bicyclist and opened up a bike shop here called Mojo cycles a few years back.  He also imports bicycles for Sam's club, Walmart, and Costco.  His wife, Chris invited me on an early morning play date this morning where we met up at the beautiful Compton Gardens here in Bentonville, and let the kids zoom around on their bikes.

Bentonville has the most beautiful bike trails.  They sprawl all over the town.  And thanks to Alice Walton, right off of the bike trails, there is a beautiful 100 acre park nestled in Bentonville's downtown forest (yes, there is a big forest down town- that is how big Bentonville is), being built called Crystal Bridges.  It is supposed to be finished sometime later this year.  And it's supposed to be a pretty big deal- a world-renowned art museum, here in little Bentonville!

On the bike trail we took today, we walked out to the observation deck where you can see the project's construction:

And speaking of biking, Jimmy learned how to ride with out his training wheels last week!  He had been real scared to attempt it, (we'd take them off, he'd try, and then he'd get scared and beg us to put them back on).   When we met Chris and Todd a few weeks ago, Todd mentioned to James that he sells bikes.  When asked what kind, he said he makes/sells a züm bike (which is a kind of balancing or glide bike).  We had heard of balance bikes from my sister Sara (her Jasper, at age 3 could ride a 2-wheeler). They are little bikes without pedals that are WONDERFUL for kids that are learning to ride a bike.  And from experience with our boys, they are wonderful for a wide range of kids- it's worked with not only our 5 year old, but also our 3 year old.

So here's how our story goes:  Last week, James stopped by Mojo on his way home from work and bought a Züm bike.  He let Jimmy ride it for about 30 seconds, and Jimmy literall zoomed down our driveway, did a loop in the culdesac and totally balanced himself on it the entire way!  He was so proud of himself, he asked James to take off his training wheels (which Daddly gladly did), and hopped on his bike and rode it like he'd been riding a 2-wheeler for years.  It was the most amazing thing to James and me!  I think Jimmy just needed the confidence to balance and know he could do it, and the balance bike made him realize that he already knew how to balance.  Johnny has been riding the züm bike just about every day now, and totally has it down.  I think he'll be able to ride Jimmy's 2 wheeler any day now.

 If you are looking for a balance bike, I totally recommend this one.  You can even buy it through Costco for an awesome price.  It is a handsome little sturdy wood bike and the seat adjusts up and down.  And you see that little boy on the bike in the picture with Johnny above?  He is Chris and Todd's son.  He is the little boy in the pictures in the links!  He and Johnny are biking buddies now.

 Here's some pictures of our bike riding today:

There was one "oh shoot! I'm a bad mom" episode today.  The boys hopped off their bikes and stopped at a little stream to throw some rocks.  I was pushing Alice in the stroller and stopped too, pushed on the stroller brake and left her there while I walked about 7 yards away.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see a horrific scene- Alice, who is sleeping soundly in the stroller is rolling down the hill- toward the stream!  The stroller brake had somehow come loose.  I began to scream and thankfully Chris, who was closer, was able to kind of break the fall when the stroller went off the edge.  Luckily Alice was buckled up in her car seat in the stroller, and she didn't get hurt at all, just startled.  But she landed in the stream hanging from her seatbelt (she didn't get wet, but her car seat did).  Oh, I felt like a terrible mom!  Letting my baby roll down a hill and fall off a ledge!  And it was so scary to watch!  I'm just so glad Alice is okay.

It did remind me of how trying it can be at times with 3 kids.  How every time I go out with them, I have to watch each of them like a hawk. To be honest, it is a little exhausting and I get a lot of anxiety at times.  There were times today on the bike trail that were really hard because Jimmy would race ahead and I would be coaxing Johnny about it not being too hot and "we just need to get up this hill and we'll almost be to the car", all the while sweating while I was pushing little Alice in the stroller.   I wouldn't be able to catch up with Jimmy.  I guess that's one good thing about Jimmy starting Kindergarten next week- I'll have one arm per kid again (phew!).