Good Parenting

The kids have been begging for a "fun day" for quite a while now. It's not that we don't usually have fun. In fact, we've had more fun and excitement in the past month than usual. What they are really saying is "we want a day in which you ask us to do nothing resembling work or responsibility." They are convinced that we've been doing chores FOREVER and the idea that they could remedy this problem by simply putting things away as they use them is wasted logic.

While sitting at the breakfast table sorting through the gazillion things we need to get done so we can list the house, the children articulately and respectfully expressed their disappointment with yet another work day. Yeah right. They whined their little tush's off. We were at an impasse. How could we as parents accomplish the many tasks which needed our attention and yet allow our children to have a special day at the same time? We decided to ask them and it was unanimous...a movie marathon.

We had these growing up. Saturday morning we'd head to the video store and stock up then stare at the TV screen for countless hours. I remember once when the neighborhood "gang" piled into our living room for a Rocky extravaganza. We watched at least three of the four (or were there five?) parts back to back. We would run outside between sequels to act out our favorite scenes -the race along the beach between Rocky and Apollo Creed, the blow that opens the face of Drago, the Russian. "He's cut! He's cut! The Russian is cut!" (still one of my all-time favorite scenes)

Back to our kids. Knowing that laying on the floor and using the bare minimum in brain power would lead to three hyper maniacs come bedtime, we decided to cut a deal. In between each movie they had to choose between playing outside or working in the house for 30 minutes. Didn't matter to us as long as they were burning fuel.

While I don't recommend this as a standard for good parenting and we will not employ such methods on a regular basis, I have to say that WE GOT SOOOO MUCH DONE! The kids rooms are spotless. No one was there to plead the cause of the 1/4 inch crayon, the lone Light Bright peg, or the headless army guy. Into the garbage they went. Two rooms down. The rest of the house to go. Score one for mom and dad!

The Days Events

-lest Tim be forced to communicate with his wife. ;-)

The kids and I ran a few errands today. Nothing particularly exciting. We had to go by the Department of Social Services to take care of some insurance paperwork. A few of you know that I whacked myself in the eye on a shelf corner three days ago. Brilliant, I know. Well, we spoke to our case worker, she came out and said hello to the kids, etc. It wasn't until we got back into the car and I glanced in the rear view mirror that I noticed the glaring purple and blue bruise covering my right eyelid. It wasn't there yesterday. I'll be expecting the call from the police department any minute now. "We saw the bruises, we've arrested your husband." The worst part will be having to tell the story of my stupidity as sworn testimony. Nothing like having legally binding documents which state "I, Amie Sexton, do solemnly swear that I am an idiot."

Next we headed to the library. My kids love the library. They love books. It was Isabella's first time. She belched like a 45 year old man after Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think she read the "quiet, please" signs. We'll begin our study of library etiquette right after she masters controlling her own head.

I must now go and read 25 books to three anxious children because spreading them out over the next two weeks makes no sense at all.

Yes, Dear

Tim's Second Blog

I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of seeing the "Interview with a Smudgester" on the top of this blog. My question is this: When will Amie blog again? I check the blog every day to see what wonderful things are happening in my home. How am I supposed to know what's going on in my life if my wife doesn't post the excruciating minutiae of our daily lives on the world wide web?

I am helplessly out of the loop.

MY FELLOW BLOG-A-HOLICS!! LET US RAISE OUR VOICES IN PROTEST! HOW CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT OUR DAILY DOSE OF AMIE'S WIT, SARCASM, HUMOR, AND REAL-LIFE ANECDOTAL GENIUS?

Amie: We, your fans, want to know. What is it that's holding you up? Is it the new baby? Moving to Haiti? Laying new kitchen tile? Finalizing the adoption? Watching "Lost"? Cleaning up? Cooking supper? Staying beautiful?

What could possibly be more important than satisfying your adoring fans?

We are waiting on pins and needles...

Blog Amie, blog...blog Amie, blog...blog Amie, blog...

An Interview with a Smudgester

Recently a representative from "DogGoneIt" magazine sat down with Smudge Sexton to get his perspective on current events in the Sexton household. Here's the inside scoop from reporter, Callie Collie:

CC: First, let me say 'thanks' for the interview.
Smudge: No problem.

CC: Let's start with the basics. What breed are you exactly? You're not that large but I sense some big dog qualities about you.
Smudge: (laughing) Are you getting fresh with me, Callie? (more laughing) No, seriously, I'm just a medium sized guy. A little Beagle, a little Terrier. But I like to think I carry myself like a Doberman.

CC: Ah, so there's a little guard dog inside just waiting to be tapped into?
Smudge: Yeah, you could say that. I mean, let's face it, it's not likely I could take down a grown man but I could do some damage from the buttocks down. And that would give my family a heads up and some time to protect themselves.

CC: Your family? You still call them that even though they're, um, leaving you behind?
Smudge: I'm not the type to carry a grudge, ya know. They're good people. We've been together for over two years and it's been great. I especially like the curly-haired kid, Nathan. Oh yeah, he lets me lick all over his face and stuff. He doesn't even wipe the dog slobber off.

CC: Good people, great kids...but you're dodging the issue. Why aren't you going with them? Why do you suddenly need a new home while they do "their thing?"
Smudge: Truth is, I've given this Haiti thing some thought and I have to say that I agree with them.

CC: Really? How so?
Smudge: Well, first there's the whole plane ride.

CC: And?
Smudge: Ok, a smart dog like you, you've been around and travelled the world...by the way, I loved that peice you did on the late great Rin-tin-tin. It was really touching. But anyway, I've never been on a plane and even with the "sleepy time cocktail" they can give you, I have no guarantees that I won't come out of there foaming at the mouth or chasing my own tail or something. You know, snapped, crazy even.

CC: That's a legitimate concern. Is there more?
Smudge: Sure. There's gonna be lots of people coming and going in Haiti. And that could be dangerous for a territorial dog like myself. I've gotten really good at recognizing the regulars around here but I get edgy when strangers get too close. I may not know who's a friend or foe, and suppose I take a snap at Donald or Arnold...I've heard those names but I don't know those guys. And we both know it would be all down hill from there.

CC: Sounds like you've really thought it through. But aren't you even going to miss them?
Smudge: Absolutely! Wrestling with the kids and the big guy, knowing they'll throw me a pillow to sleep on at night, the red-head who did most of my training -I got a lot of respect for her. She's the Alpha female. I'm gonna miss it all, yeah, I am. ahem, 'scuse me. I got a little something in my throat.

CC: You're smart, healthy, sensitive. Why hasn't another family snatched you up?
Smudge: Look at me. You're guess is as good as mine.

CC: Well, we wish you the best of luck, Smudge, and thanks again for sharing your story with our subscribers. Who knows? Maybe the perfect family is reading it right now.
Smudge: Could be, could be. But hey, either way, Callie, I'll give you my cell -off the record, and you call me sometime. We'll dig holes together.

CC: Lovely. Maybe some time when I haven't had a fresh grooming.

"Forting"

(Warning: May be considered inappropriate by those who would rather not admit that it happens to them, too.)

I grew up in a home where my father and brother (sorry Dad, sorry Bo -the truth must be told) brought belching and the passing of gas to a rare art form. Tim grew up in a home where gastrointestinal episodes were hardly discussed much less openly acted upon. In our home, we lean toward the latter but with understanding that well, these things happen. The general rule is that "excuse me" must be spoken at least as loudly as the offense itself. But despite our desperate attempt to raise respectful and civilized young men, it is now apparent that with two boys in the same house body humor is inevitable.

We don't use the f-word in our house. (not THE f-word, we don't use that one either but hopefully you know what I mean) and yet somehow our boys have not only picked up this word but have developed a most unusual pronunciation of it...forting. And regardless of my personal hope that restraint be exercised in this area, I cannot help but get caught up in the silliness of these two characters. Plopped on the floor like best of buds and cracking up because "someone forted" even when they didn't is perhaps brotherly bonding in its truest form. What's a mom to do but laugh?

Our Biggest Fan

Meet Wendell Williams :

Judging for the title of "Biggest Fan" was based upon blog addiction and nagging. Is Wendell his brother's keeper? When it comes to this blog...you better believe it. He is keeping us on our toes and we love him for it. The following is a fairly unexaggerated example of his gentle promptings.

W: Hey Amie, how are you? You haven't blogged today.

A: I know. I haven't done anything interesting today. I'll try to come up with something.

W: Please do. There was nothing there at 5 o'clock this morning and still nothing there at 5:30 this afternoon.

A: I pulled up tile all day. (shrug)

W: Great! Go write about it.

So, now you know. If someday you find yourself reading the dull and tedious details of an otherwise monotonous day in our lives -blame Wendell! ;-)

Depreciation

The bottom line is this: no one values your stuff the way you do. Oh, and sentimental value yields no profit unless it lies with the buyer. That being said, we did fairly well at our first yard sale. We got rid of a lot. We have a lot yet to sell. I only lost control of my emotions once -thanks Frank. =) Never ask a woman who is watching everything she owns being sold -"is it hard to watch everything you own being sold?" Let me think about it, uh, yeah.

In other news, thanks to the expertise and generosity of

our good friend Jay Keller, and the hard work and willingness of Ben McRoy and Dave Foss; we had our own landscaping extreme makeover yesterday! The plant beds are refreshed with a layer of pine straw. The house is enhanced by beautiful greenery and azaleas, and the tulip bulbs are just waiting to pop up with a splash of color. Unfortunately, our camera battery died yesterday and charging wasn't complete until after the project was done and the laborers were gone. (lame us, I know) But we are not without a photo for your enjoyment. Here we have Dave, convincingly re-enacting his role as pine straw scatterer. Notice how careful he is to separate the needles for the best coverage.

Truly, the house looks great. Combine the landscaping with the blessing of a much needed pressure washing by Jon Hughes, and the skilled tiling of the kitchen floor by our neighbor Stacey (yes, her side looks better than mine) and it's a shame we have to leave! And it is evident that God has given us some WONDERFUL friends. Thanks to all!

Balance

This word has come up a lot in the past two days. Mamoune uses it to brag about how we are finally a "balanced" family -as in three boys, three girls. Nathan explained to me that Isabella learning to walk will be no problem; "she just needs to balance, Mom." And Isaiah learned the hard way that being off-balance, especially on a trampoline, can lead to a busted mouth. Even as I type my daughter is calling for my attention because she has balanced the baby's bottle on the back of her hand. (We have high hopes for her circus career.)

Balance for me means that I will attempt to work on sorting piles for every minute that I stand in the middle of a room and stare blankly at the wall. Have you ever given your computer too many commands at once only to have it freeze up on you? This is what happens to my brain. When we moved to NC from GA eight years ago, it was the same story. I would pack two or three items then lay down and fall asleep for an hour. I'm certain that it's some built in defense mechanism for handling emotional and mental overload. So, if this post ends abruptly in mid-thought you'll know I've dozed off.

Anyway, back to balance. Life is a balancing act. And on calm days it's not so bad. But some days there are external (and internal) forces working against you. Imagine the little guy to the right in the middle of hurricane season. Probably not so easy.

Scripture speaks about balance, too. Proverbs 30 says "give me neither poverty nor riches." With too much comes arrogance, with too little, thievery. "Feed me with the food allotted to me," that's balance. And in Ecclesiastes, Solomon warns us not to be overly wise nor foolish. That it is "good that you grasp this. And also, that you not remove your hand from the other."

It feels like we have done this. Grasped the one thing -Haiti and all that it brings, but not removed our hand from the other -our church and family. I think it should be this way though sometimes the traction between the two directions just makes my arms tired. And in the meantime, there is a messy house to clean and children who are probably feeling pulled and torn as well but don't have the platform to express it like I do.

Off to love them through their favorite activity: chores! (insert three pair of rolling eyes here)

Three Kids and a Baby