Happy Mama's Day!

My mom and I have had an up and down relationship over the years. (How could it not be when teenage years were involved?) But as our relationship has deepened in adulthood, it's definitely become a blessing in my life.

My mom gets my sarcasm and the way I see the world. She's always willing to help with my horde of kids and is even willing to let us invade her home while we try to find our next home. PLUS, she's clearing a space for my drill press. Enough said.

Thanks for all you do, Mom.

P.S. And thanks to my boys for letting me realize how much I truly love being a mom. You guys are my world--smelly armpits, snotty noses, and all.

Day 22 (Creative Sprint): Pass It On

Day 22: Start something, then have someone else complete it.

I started a robot picture, drawing the bottom of a robot (mostly body and legs), then passed it to my 12-year-old son to finish the drawing (he even added a shadow at the bottom). Then I asked my 8-year-old to color it and my 11-year-old to write a story about the robot. Here's the finished product:

Rocky the Robot is an adventurous robot who is always up for every challenge. He has won the Rolympics 5 times, the Super Bolt 2 times, the Robo Series 10 times, and Polobot 7 times. As you probably know, Rocky is a top athlete in all robot sports. He also likes reading books and writing books. His favorite book is “The Robot Fart Attack" by Rocky the Robot.   

Day 18 (Creative Sprint): Create Something for a Child

Day 18: Create something for a child you know.

My eight-year-old is always asking to make robots with me, so today he helped make his own Bitty Bot . . . with a Dr. Pepper bottlecap as feet and a spinning gear.

Day 9 (Creative Sprint): Pick a Drawer

Day 9: Open a random drawer where you live or work and create something with just the contents.

This morning, I went upstairs to help my second-born find jeans without holes in them that still fit. There were a lot of jeans in the drawer . . . you know, asking to become a robot--with ripped string eyes and a smiling mouth.

Ready or Not

I'm not sure I'm ready for tonight's Royals game.  If you've been living under a rock (or have lots of normal people in your house instead of baseball-obsessed boys), the evil Giants--and crazy eyed Hunter Pence--are up 3-2, so the Royals have to win tonight.

Without meaning to, I've become emotionally involved; and somewhere along the way, I must've drunk the Kool-Aid. Tonight I dressed Norman up as my son's favorite player Eric Hosmer.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure if I'm invested so much in the Royals actually winning the World Series . . . or living in fear of the aftermath here if the Royals don't win. My boys will be crushed, and my husband will be somewhere beyond that.

It's stressful, man.

So, Royals, can you please pull out a decisive, non-nail-biting win tonight? I'd greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely yours,
Norman and Me

Summer Vacation with Norman

 

Norman driving thru Norman, OK.

Mini Bot

The aforementioned robot creature caused some issues between the youngest of my brood, so I made a Mini Bot from a baby sock for my two-year-old.

Yes, the robot does have a mohawk.

The Return of the Pit of Doom?

There once was a house full of boys; and it so happened that in that house, there was a Pit of Doom.

 

 The Pit of Doom kept the littlest boy safe and happy.

 Or, at least, it kept the littlest boy trapped, therefore keeping the rest of the family safe and happy.

 

As time progressed, the parents succumbed to guilt and dismantled the Pit of Doom, effectively turning loose a tiny hurricane of disaster.   

The mother suffered through the littlest boy's freedom (with her teeth gritted and her sanity slipping further and further away).  Until one day, she decided to reclaim a small sliver of space just for herself -- her own Pit of Doom   . . . or, as she liked to call it, Sweet, Sweet Paradise. [Would that be the Pit of Paradise?!]

As she sat in her cage with the littlest boy tearily looking in, the question was posed:  Is she in the Pit of Doom or has the rest of the house now become the dreaded Pit of Doom?

It's all a matter of perspective, I suppose.

Tis the Season

Tis the season . . . for hedgeapples and Robot Rule (you know, that era when robots rule the world).  It seems I've successfully indoctrinated my children with the robot obsession.

Day 304 - Baseball

It's that time of year again . . . baseball has begun for my two oldest boys.

Norman's been practicing in the off season and has perfected a good knuckle ball . . . or he thinks he is the knuckle ball.  Not sure.

Day 299 - Mother's Day

I've officially brainwashed my children.  My work here is done . . .

Day 290 - Robot Trio

My oldest helped me out during my pre-art-show-madness by drawing some robots while I priced things.

Day 275 - Pen Thieves

I have a hard time holding onto my pens around here.  My boys are always swiping, losing, or destroying them.  But never fear!  I have found a SOLUTION!  And it involves my weird robo-creature. 

Now--now I know exactly where my favorite pen is, and the boys will have to think twice about stealing it since it's not innocently laying on the desk, defenseless. 

At least that's the plan. 

Day 265 - Priorities

My son wanted to put up a list of what we had to do today for homeschool--he really likes to check things off.  I wanted him to know his priorities were all off.

Day 225 - Scrabble Bot

My boys and I had been playing this game intermittently for three days . . . I decided it needed a robot instead.

Day 216 - Blokus

One of my son's received Blokus for his birthday.  The oldest one didn't bother with the directions, he just went straight for what he says is a robot head.

Day 211 - Once Upon a Time . . . 2.0

Once upon a time there were two robots that were deeply in love.  Then a hippo made them break up. 

Then a Samurai came down and said, "Hippo the Hippopotamus, let's take them to two far away mountains so they can't see each other again!" 

The robots quickly turned on their invisibility shields and rolled away into the forest. 

"I will go and get my date," said the hippo. 

The Samurai put on his invisibility goggles and flew down and grabbed a robot and locking him in a cage guarded by an invincible dragon. 

The other robot teamed up with the hippo and his date to start the long journey to the guarded cage.  "How is George Washington going to help?" asked the hippo. 

Then the Samurai teleported to the group and kidnapped the other robot and locked her in another mountain guarded by an invincible troll. 

"Nothing can stop me," said George Washington as he dialed Jack Bauer's cell phone.  Then the hippo ran and knocked the troll off the cliff.  Meanwhile, the Samurai roasted Jack Bauer over a faraway volcano which was guarded by an invincible cage.

But Jack Bauer threw his head back in laughter as he said, "No one can stop Jack Bauer!" and destroyed the cage and froze the volcano. 

So the hippo blew up the whole world, sending Jack Bauer to Mars, the boy robot to the moon, the girl, troll, and dragon to Pluto, and the hippo to the sun.  Then the Samurai took apart the robots and flung them into millions of pieces and threw Jack Bauer into the middle of the sun where he was trapped forever.

To Be Continued . . .

*This second story brought to you by the "Write a Sentence, Pass It On" formula for literary greatness.  I prefaced it by reminding them not to eat, maim, or kill each other's characters, but my words fell on deaf ears . . . at least when it came to my oldest son.  Little does he know that Jack Bauer can never, ever, ever be defeated.

For the first story attempt, visit Day 147.

Day 202 - "Family Game Night"

My son and I made this game board from a fun Kiwi Crate kid's kit.  Somehow, a Gator Swamp and a Pit of Lava got added in . . . and, curiously, a couple of robots.

Day 198 - Robot Friends

I found these little guys at a craft store and thought they'd make a good "art" project for my kindergartener.  He kept hogging the markers, so I'm not quite done yet . . . because the fact that my life is an unorganized disaster has nothing to do with it.

Post 196 - I Wrote It in Cursive!

My nine-year-old (who hates practicing cursive because he'll "never need it and the computer is so much faster") wrote this without any prompting.  Maybe it's finally clicking.  Norman found it impressive either way.  He can't even hold a pencil.