The noise of boys

I am writing this blog entry while sitting in my room with the doors shut while the boys play with their daddy. 

I'm taking a much needed "mommy time out".

The noise of little boys is most of the time a sound I enjoy. 

But today it's been overwhelming. 

Teaching our children the difference in outside voices and inside voices seems to be ignored. 

The saying "Boys will be boys" has definitely pushed a limit with me more than once and today it seems as though this one comment has me flustered even more. 

Sure, boys will be boys. 

But at some point boys will be men and those men need to know the difference between inside and outside voices. 

They need to learn respect. 

Respect your parents when they tell you to please be quiet.

And it's my job to teach them. 

But on days like today, when I feel like everything I say is going in one ear and out the other, teaching a lesson of respect makes me want to crawl in a cave and stay a while.

I often tell people a rule of thumb I use in my home.. 

As long as it's happy noises, I try my best not to shush them. 

But here I sit hiding out while they hopefully burn off some energy writing a blog about how I want to tell them to just shut up and leave me alone. 

Sure that sounds harsh... but really? Who hasn't at least thought that once since having children? 

I am a stay at home mom.. and I'm with my children almost 100% of the time. I don't think I have gone 1 day without my children in at least 4 years. 

Heck, my idea of a vacation is a trip to the store alone. 

(which doesn't happen that often) 

Kids are stressful. 

It takes 45 minutes to tell me one sentence and when they finally get it out of their mouth they have said  it loud enough for the neighbors to hear. 

They fight with each other constantly, yet cry when they are separated because they are soooooo bored playing alone. 

It's a constant insanity brain workout over here. 

Now don't get me wrong. I love having boys. I love having a lot of boys. I enjoy the wild times 90% of the time. I enjoy pretty much every aspect of my life as their mom. 

But I don't want parenthood on my blog to be portrayed as easy. 

It's not easy. 

It's work.

And there are times I want to shout profanity. 

Sometimes at my own kids.

But I don't. 

Instead I take a mommy time out and blog. 

I'm terribly sorry if you thought this blog entry would end with a point..

it's not going too. 

I just needed to write so that I didn't go ape shit on my kids today. 

Finally got started on some projects...

I have a piece of paper on my fridge of projects to get done.

After a week of beautiful sunshine I decided  that a few of those could be knocked off that list.

I've been meaning to touch up my kitchen cabinets.
It's really not that hard to do.
Doesn't cost much.
But makes a HUGE difference.

I'm super happy with the results! I painted these while the boys played and Landry napped.
It only took about an hour to get brand new cabinets.

Can't beat that!


My next project was a bigger one... but SOOOO worth the hard work.

This beauty has been in my family for years. When Josh and I got married we used this chest of drawers as our entertainment center. I had a love, hate relationship with it. 

I loved the piece but hated the way it looked. 

So after 7.5 years I finally decided it was time to give this beauty a face lift. 

And my finished product....

Sorry for the blurry picture. I'll try to replace it soon with a better one. 

The new knobs we decided on. 

And then our last project before the stomach bug hit. 

We bought this at Goodwill for $15

(I realize it kinda looks like Handy Maney's tool box)

But it's HUGE inside and I knew it could hold most of the kids larger toys.

For us, it made sense.

But this solid piece of wood was ugly.


And I wasn't sure of the paint color I wanted... so we went with white.
Actually, it's a shade of cream instead of stark white...

Regardless... here she is now.

I'm still planning on doing some work on this one but not sure exactly what quite yet. Right now it works well in our spare room. 

Inconsiderate Parents

I'm calling you out inconsiderate parents. 

And I'm calling you careless adults out as well.

This winter has been a rough one for us too. We've battled everything under the sun. 

We have made countless trips to the pharmacy. So much so they know us by name. 

No point in asking for birthday's. They know them all.

And while I give a lot of blame for our sicknesses to having 2 kids in public schools now, I give most blame to these inconsiderate parents and careless adults.

My kids don't have a super weak immune system. 

They just can't handle all the stuff that you guys are bringing into Wal-Mart. 

They can barely get over the Strep your child had before they are hit with the stomach bug that your cousin had. And when they finally get over the stomach bug and are able to have a normal life by leaving the house they pick up your best friends flu. 

All because you refuse to use a drive through pharmacy. 

I can't even take my children with me to get new toothbrushes or probiontics at Wal-Mart because they are on the isle next to the pharmacy, which happens to be lined with flu stricken, stomach bug carrying, strep throat infested, pink eye contagion people. 

I'm just as irritated with Wal-Mart for putting their pharmacies mixed in with the rest of the store. For the love of all things purple, could you at least build a pharmacy that makes you go into it to get medicine one that isn't beside bandaids with Elmo on them? 

I'm most definitely NOT blaming other children for my children being sick. 

I am however blaming their parents. 

Facebook is full of parents posting pictures of their incredibly sick children in buggies waiting for their medicine to be ready. And I've shopped at Wal-Mart pharmacy before. Wait time? 1-2 hours. 

That means you are walking around with your germ infested kid infecting every other human for 1-2 hours. 

Obviously Wal-Mart's prices aren't the only thing dropping. 

Seems as though IQ's are as well. 

People need to stop and think of others.

 I realize in a very self absorbed world it's hard to stop and think about others when you are already having a rough day/week yourself but one simple thought about you or your child possibly making some other person sick could have a huge affect on the outbreak of sicknesses in our country. 

Of course the flu is "the worst year" to date according to the CDC. 

The hospitals have sections blocked off for flu symptom patients, yet pharmacies are encouraging them to sit on a blue bench while they fill their prescription. 

I have 4 kids. 4 small kids. I totally get that it's a huge inconvenience to arrange things so that your child/children do not have to go into a store when they are sick.

Just yesterday I took Tripp to the doctor after 2 days of a really nasty stomach bug. He was clearly dehydrated. I needed to stop by the store and pick up several items for a brat diet as well as more pull ups and pedialyte. But I KNEW he was sick. So instead of popping into Wal-Mart for these few items with Tripp in tow, I drove past Wal-mart AND the grocery store and took him home. I left him with his daddy and drove the 10 minute drive back out to the store to get the items without him.

If I can keep my 4 sick children out of the stores with only myself and my husband caring for them, so can you. 

And if life has prevented you from possibly keeping yourself or your child out of the store while being sick, please use a mask. Keep the kids out of the buggy. Use the hand sanitizer. Drop off the prescription and wait in the car. Do whatever you can to keep yourself or your kids from making others sick too.

Think about how badly YOU feel while walking through Wal-Mart waiting on your own prescription and think about spreading those same germs to a newborn, or a toddler, or an elderly person who's immune system is probably not near as strong as yours.