Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

I hate the feeling I now get whenever I see "something" on one of my children's heads.

I instantly get heart palpitations and visions of the enormous pile of laundry while I decipher.... Is it fuzz? Is it dandruff? Is is lice??? Is it my freakishly whacked out imagination?
I think I need therapy. You all don't need to nod in agreement either.

To be or not to be

Is it wrong to wear yoga pants if you have never yoga'd?
I mean it really does sound better than "sit my arse on the couch pants" or "cleanthecan pants"

The Catholic Star Wars Fan

For those of you who have seen Star Wars or know anything about Star Wars will get a good chuckle out of this.

I wonder when something has become too much apart of our life.... how much is too much?

The other day I had to run into our local grocery store on the way home to pick up an essential item for the supper I was making. I unload all three kids out of the van and head inside. Ahh gotta love the stores with the automatic opening doors. At this particular store the produce section is directly inside the doors. I am choosing some banana's, look down and Trent is gone. I ask Joseph, not so calmly by the way, where Trent was. He was at the door. I ask "why is he at the door?"

I go over to the door to get Trent and he is swinging his arm at the door. He looks up at me with his eyes wide and says "MOM! I have the force!" mmmmhmm. "You have the what?"
"Mom, look I have the force" as he once again thrusts his arm at the door and it opens. He waits a moment thrusts his arm again and it closes. Ahh the force. Trent still believes he has the force and can force the door's at places. I really dread the day when his innocence is lost and he realizes that he does not in fact have the force and it is simply the invention of the motion sensor.

****

So another Star Wars anecdote of when is it too much??? Joseph attends a Catholic school and at Church there are a few things that the priest says that the general reply is "and also with you".

Is it too much when Joseph is watching a Star Wars movie and Yoda says "May the force be with you" and Joseph replies to the TV screen "and also with you."

Would that be the force of Catholicism or the Catholic force?

A picky situation

Well my life has been over come. Over come with something I always thought "it will never happen to me." But the truth of it all, it has happened to me/us. Much to my dismay one of my children has come home with lice. Yes, lice. I'll let you all gag and ugh for a moment.

Lice is disgusting. I won't go into the details of it as I know as a reader I wouldn't want to hear about it that in-depth.

But I never knew how much of an upheaval it can be. I do believe I am on approximately load 3456 of laundry. I imagine the condo-board isn't all that pleased with me as they foot the water bill. I never before knew that I could honestly fit three pillows into my washing machine and dryer. It takes approximately 58 minutes for three pillows to dry in my dryer.
My vacuum has never run so long at one time either. Another thing I never knew, how many people would gasp when we mentioned that lice has entered our home. But then they all try to cover their gasps with some soothing words like "It happens so easily" or "Once it's in the classroom ALL the kids get it".

And to be completely honest, I never realized how dirty or ashamed I would feel having to call people we had recently been in contact with and tell them to check themselves and their children. I also never realized how long those conversations could become as everyone has a lice story they need to share with you. As I know all these people mean well and I probably would have done the same I don't think anyone realized that I had to go switch laundry/fold/vacuum/ wash/nitpick.

I would love to say that the hardest part of dealing with it all was having to pick at Trent's thick curls for five hours and then resort to shaving his head to see better anyways. That alone was enough to push me over the edge...well not quite it just pushed me to go guzzle a beer to calm myself a little.

Throughout the five hours of nit-picking Trent sat so still and quiet, he actually fell asleep for almost two hours of it. He must have known in his soul that this is what needed to be done, as he didn't make much of a fuss. For me to get through the five hours and head shaving I just kept telling myself over and over that things could be so much worse. As grim as my life seemed at that moment it really could be worse. I wasn't sitting at a sick child's bedside for five hours, I wasn't shaving a head due to cancer or brain surgery... it was lice.

At the end of the day it was lice and it was gross and horrible and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But I guess that my worst day this past week was still sooo much better that someones best day. I got to sit with my son for five hours. I guess I should just be thankful I still have him to sit with.

As for the lice, I know exactly where they can go.... for if they come back they will once again have me to deal with.

Touque Tales

This morning was an interesting one to say the least. After being indoors for two solid days while we waited out the '07 blizzard we became hermits. Yes, after two days I felt like a hermit. I needed to see the outside world.

But as much as Joseph needed to get off to school and Trent needed to go to preschool I wasn't about to do anything without proper attire. At -46 degrees it does not matter how long you warm a vehicle up for it never gets warm. Addie is the easy one I can pile tights, long underwear, snowsuit, mitts, hat and blankets galore upon her and she is none the wiser. Joseph has also gotten to the easier stage where you can rationalize with him. "Dude, its like really cold out, put your hat on" Done. Trent on the other hand....oh Trenter. Yes, not a day goes by that he does not cease to be our Trenter with a mind of all his own. One day I will grow to appreciate his strong will, this morning however, was not that day. I think our conversation went something as such.

me: can you please get your stuff on so we can go
t: ok, let me just...
me: no, please we have to go
t: I don't want to wear my jacket, it's too grossy.
me: Trent, it's not grossy and very cold out you need your jacket.
t: I don't want to zip it up, I don't like it.
me: You must zip up, its very cold out.
t: I don't want to wear a toque it makes my head cold, i'm cold whaaaa
me: Today we all have to wear touques, your toque will make you warm.
t: Mom you lie to me
me: too bad, you have got to wear a toque and mittens.
t: WHHHAAAAA FREAKING WHAAAAA
me: Trent please
t: WHAAAAA FREAKING MORE WHAAAAA

I'll leave it at that, I am sure my neighbors thought I was torturing the poor child. But for me torture would be watching him leave the house and instantly have frozen ears. Not gonna do it. Let's just say it was one battle I had my heart set on winning and I did.

I think really it set a precedent that when it is really really necessary he now knows I will push the envelope, take no crap and a toque will be worn. Was it worth the fight. Yes, in all ways, Yes. It was beyond justified and I made my point.

We then get in the van and all of our pants snap in half as we sit down it is all so frozen and I start driving towards the school. I spot a young man, mid-twentiesish chasing the city bus. The bus left him behind. The young man wasn't wearing a toque. I wonder if his Mom put up with the whaaaa freaking more whaaa and lost this morning?