Thanks, no I really mean it, THANK YOU!

So, my babes has been my sanity saver since I have gone on a semi-notgoingtoobsessivelycleanmyhouse-mode. This weekend he dragged me out of the house, after I proclaimed I was going to stay home and clean every nook and cranny upstairs. Yes, I opted out of fishing with the clan. He looked at me and told me I was crazy and that I was going fishing. Umm, yeah, only THE BEST DAY EVER! 

Thanks babes, you made our Saturday so much fun, even folding clothes for 2 1/2 hours with you afterwards was amazing - and all the little tidbits of humor thrown in. I loved every bit it of it. Thanks for saving my sanity and better yet, making our home feel so warm and fuzzy. Love you my Scoobs!

A new BABY!

Thats right, you heard me loud and clear! A NEW BABY! Elliott has one that is... suckers. Hook, line and sinker. Elliott's new baby, drum roll, is tickle me Elmo. For the last two or three days, Elliott has been packing around his baby. Making sure his poopy pants are changed using Erik's diapers (yeppers! with some great imagination Elmo does the #2). Elliott is also quite concerned with his baby's food intake - he nurses. Thats right all you boys out there he nurses his Elmo. Steve says he is scarred. Whatever. He also puts his Elmo down for naps, and says Shhhh.. Baby go night, night. Last night I thought I would share Elmo with Erik. BIG mistake, the little tyke was enjoying his bubble bath up until that very moment. He heard his baby and immediately wanted out of the bath to care for him, he also wanted Elmo to take a bath. We (being the parents) won at keeping his baby out and up on the counter top. Cheers to Elliott for having such a wonderful imagination and also showing us gender equality - boys can nurse too. (it is the funniest thing I have seen in a long time, Elmo nursing) haha.

Summer? Simmer? What?

I am OFFICIALLY wondering where is SUMMER and wondering if we have in fact OFFICIALLY entered our second winter... You with me on this? It is a balmy 55* outside and I am craving the sun. My body wants blissful melatonin and sunny vitamin D. I want to dance and go on endless summer drives, be bopping down the road listening to a absolutely perfect compilation of summer tunes. Yeah, I can do that now, but most would agree it is not complete without some rays of sun... Completely befuddled, ying and yang are tossed together like a giant piles of playdoh, colors mis-mashing. It is not time to cook casseroles or stew and soups, rather uber snazzy BBQ's and DELISH salads. Yeah, I want it all, I have no shame in admitting it. Mother Nature, a little love and some sun... Pretty Please? 

Self inflicted Clutter!

Ok, CLUTTER! CLUTTER! CLUTTER! With kids there comes and endless array of clutter - self inflicted clutter - the toys, books and clothes you purchase for the kiddos. Which in turn the clothes become the never ending pile of laundry. Which in turn the toys become the never ending piles of cars, trains, frogs, animals and what nots floating around the house, that ever so gently stroke a raw nerve ending. Self inflicted is what I say - I brought this into the house I can surely keep up with it and take it out right? HAHA! 

Elliott, Erik and I have spent most of the morning in their rooms cleaning and organizing and in between all the cleaning and organizing - doing four loads of laundry, which the older kids will be folding as a chore tonight... there will probably be another four loads of laundry between now and then too - which will amount to this massive pile of clean clothes, which I will hope will magically find its way to each owners respective dressers, hangers, closets and drawers. Can I pray to a saint for this to happen? 

Now the toys bit, I love to play just as much as the next adult... oops I mean kid - so when it comes time to one in one out - I have a hard time with it. The whole idea of bring home a new toy and removing or donating one that has seen it's turn around the block a time or two is somewhat challenging for me. Am I a closet pack rat? I hope not. I love the feeling of purging, but can never seem be happy with empty space, and what not better to do with empty space but FILL IT! Once again, self infliction at it's best. The endless array of every rotating clutter. Mr Potato Head, I have seen you come around a time or two - but as Indian Jones? That is quite possibly the best one yet! It's on the to buy list... What toy will leave the house for his arrival? Probably notta - Erik still hasn't played with half the toys here! Self infliction...

Playskool Indiana Jones Mr Potato Head!

Intervention of Sorts!

Ok, so I officially feel as if I received a wake up call from God. How? Well, we went through about two weeks of worry, after Elliott's speech therapist told us there were several red flag or warning signs of Autism/PDD. I scoured the Internet for more information. There is a wealth of great information out there and there is so much more misinformation which can lead you around in circles. It can almost make it nearly impossible to create a game plan for your child. I have to say it was a frustrating and time consuming process trying to find more information or resources about Autism.

Well, I got myself so wound up I wouldn't sleep at night. I would lay awake with worry and then go into Elliott's room and stare at him, then leave and start praying. I was driving everyone around me nuts, wondering what was in store for Elliott. I had so many questions without answers - how can we be the best possible parents to our little boy? How could we be better advocates for our child? 

Well, we made two appointments with different doctors and they both came to the same conclusion - NO, your child does not have Autism or PDD, but rather he has some interesting fixations - which we will watch; and is a highly spirited child with a very strong will. Alright, what does that translate into - imagine you are Michael Jordan, heck you can play ball like nobody else, you will do what ever it takes to take that ball to the hoop, to score every single chance you get, to make every shot count and do it just for the fun of it. That is Elliott, everything he does, he does with PURPOSE, there is nothing that will deter him from his goals, whatever they may be at point in time. 

Here is what we have done. House being UBER clean is no longer a goal (which I have to say, is single handedly the hardest thing to do - learning to LET GO). Our goal is to make our home a playground of sorts - to encourage his wild imagination, his cognitive thinking, not worry about what playdoh or finger paints will be adhered to, but rather - letting Elliott run with it. All the while encouraging our little boy to be a little boy. 

The scariest part of it all is trying to keep him safe - providing a safe environment for him to do so. Which I have to say, they do not write books about safety for spirited, strong willed children. All the little safety pamphlets do not have a strong willed, highly spirited child in mind. So, as we SUPER childproof our home and offer our child out to all the would be parents or parents thinking about procreating, Elliott is a master at taking anything apart and at showing you what needs to change in your house before the big or impending arrival arrives.

Oh yeah, my wake up call, my house being clean isn't as important as Elliott... big DUH right? It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day activities of cleaning, running errands and making dinner, and cleaning all over again day in and out, you almost forget how to have fun and just be. A little OCDish is what I would have called my fervent cleaning habits.