Accessorizing

"It's what all the ladies who lunch are wearing now, dahling!"

Viral

Below is a "viral video" I hope my bear cubs never see. I think I aged a year watching it (while thinking about how Brother Bear would find this soooooo fun). Gulp.

Honesty

Monday was the first day of school (first grade) for Brother Bear. So last week, many of the other First Grade Mama Bears decided it would be a good idea to get back in the swing of things by doing a few practice runs of getting to school at 7:50 a.m. Thus, Thursday and Friday of last week, we planned early morning play dates at the school.

Now might be a good time to mention one of my favorite things of summer is we don't have to be anywhere at 7:50 a.m.

I prepped Brother Bear and he was beyond excited. Thrilled. Because, well, the last 5 days of summer were....challenging around our house. I told him I would wake him at 6:45 a.m. Thursday morning and we would go through our whole routine (sans the uniform) and be at school at 7:50 a.m. for a play date.

So, Thursday morning, I'm awakened from my deep slumber at 7:20 a.m. by Papa Bear saying, "I have to go to work now..." Turns out, Brother Bear had woken up on his own, dressed, and eaten breakfast with Papa Bear. All while I was hibernating and ignoring my very annoying alarm clock. Needless to say, I had egg on my face and we did not make the play date.

Thursday evening over dinner Brother Bear and I discussed how on Friday we were really going to do a "dry run". We were going to do all of our morning routine and get to school no later than 7:50 a.m. Because, this was our last day to test and see if we could do it. Plus, there would be friends.

Brother Bear's response to me?

"Sure, Mama Bear! Well, assuming that you wake up of course!"

I could do with a little less honesty around here sometimes...

Two..

Two years ago today, I was enjoying my very quiet morning. Papa Bear was on a long run, and Brother Bear was still sleeping. I watched the sun rise, relaxed a little, and made out my very long list of to-dos for the day.

And - in an instant - my list of to-dos changed to one thing: bring Sugar Bear into the world!!

----------

Two years ago today, you gave me a wonderful surprise.

Two years ago today, I fell in love again.

In that short span of time, you've taught me much...

My "lists" and to-dos aren't important. They can wait.

The joy of life with a newborn.

Sibling love is a beautiful thing.

How to be more relaxed this time.

I love that every sentence you say end with an exclamation point.

I love your passion...well, mostly.

I love your sparkly eyes and the way you work a crowd.

You are my sunshine, Sugar Bear.

For a while, I wasn't sure you would grace our lives.

Oh, how blessed I am that you did!

Love,

Mama Bear

Survival Techniques

We got a last minute call tonight that Papa Bear would be working late. I decided that I didn't want to "cook" a full dinner for the cubs. So I pulled a rabbit out of the hat:

The Babysitter Dinner.

Oh, don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about! You have a grand date night planned, and the last thing you want to do is stand over the stove all dressed up for the evening. So instead, you whip up something really easy and call it "dinner". And you always have it on hand - just in case.

Mine is: hot dogs, pasta, and grapes (or insert other seasonal fruit we have on hand at the time). No judging Cyber Bears. I used to put together a really healthy impressive meal for the babysitter but then I had an epiphany: She doesn't care. Rather freeing, I must say. And since we have a babysitter about every - oh - 6 months or so, my cubs aren't too nutritionally deprived. Because every other night, I feed them all organic, free range, nutritionist approved, gourmet meals.

Ahem.

So, what's your go-to Babysitter Dinner?

Don't tell me you don't have one.

I know better.

Excuse me?

It's the dead heat of summer. This Mama Bear is hot, tired, out of fun ideas, and, did I mention hot? So, at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, I decided to load the cubs up and take them to the grocery store. "It's an adventure!" "There'll be cookies!" (yes, I AM that Mama Bear!)

Since I use coupons and bargain shop (not to mention I'm trying to drive the behemoth kiddie grocery cart) it takes a while to get through all the aisles. The cubs are relatively well behaved during the shopping experience. Then it came time for checkout. As it is impossible for me to be in two places at one time, checkout becomes a little more tricky. I'm trying to pay, answer the checker's coupon questions, and keep an eye on the cubs. Not an easy task.

Apparently, the natives got a little more restless than the bagger would prefer. I thought - given the circumstances - they'd done pretty well.

So, the bagger helps me to the car and starts unloading the groceries. I get the cubs buckled in and then go to the back of the van to help her unload the rest of the groceries.

And then she said, "You need to teach them how to behave."

OH. YES. SHE. DID.

Cyberbears, it took EVERY FIBER OF MY FURRY BODY to keep myself from becoming tomorrow's headlines.

What I wanted to say? "Hey lady, I don't tell you how to bag my groceries, how 'bout you do the same with me?"

What I actually said? "Thank you very much. I think I have it from here."

I'm outta grace for the day. She literally did me in. Not a drop left. It's 5:56, Papa Bear gets home at 6:00 p.m. and I'm hiding from the cubs until then.

When does school start?

Pasta. It's what's for dinner!

Beating the heat and keeping a six year old bear cub busy require a lot of creativity! This summer, during Sugar Bear's nap time, Brother Bear and I have been experimenting with cooking. Surprisingly enough, most of the recipes he selects require sugar. And butter. And chocolate. Not so good for our waistlines around here...

Now that he is getting more "experienced" in the kitchen, I thought it would be fun to let him make dinner for the family. And, since it feels like the surface of the sun these days, I thought pasta salad would be a great way to start. (Thank you, Highlights Magazine for the recipe!).

Yes, I gave him a knife. Scariest part of the whole experience!

Mama Bear definitely supervised this part!

Vegetables! Oh my!

Stir well.

And, voila! Dinner is served

(with fresh cantaloupe plucked from our garden as a side!)

It would have been even better if either of the cubs had actually eaten the salad he created. Sigh. Oh well!

(Oh, and for those of you concerned, it was NOT topless dinner night at the Four Bears Den! Brother Bear was recently out of the pool, thus, the shirtless attire.)

Not now...

"Not now, I have to pay the bills.."

"Not now, I'm on the phone..."

"Not now, can't you see I'm doing the dishes?"

"Not now, I have to update my blog!"

"Not now, I need to make the grocery list and clip the coupons..."

"Not now, I need a break!"

No.

Not now.

That can wait.

You cannot.

So, now, I will pull out the paints and we will get messy and laugh. I will encourage your inner artist and your passion for all things purple. I will tell you what a good job you are doing, and how much I love you - no matter what. I will smother you with kisses, and wipe you up when you are all done. I will smell your baby cub scent and savor your last month as an "infant" bear.

Now - now - I will sit with you at the kitchen table. I will spread a million tiny colored plastic pieces across that table and watch in wonder as you nimbly click them together. I will be amazed at your precision and determination. I will tell you how you are being so patient and such a hard worker. I will sing along with you as you work. I will do this for two hours straight, without leaving your side. I will rejoice with you when your masterpiece is finally finished, and then, I'll play along in the epic galactic battle you start with your newly created toy. I will tell you what a good job you are doing, and how much I love you - no matter what. I will smother you with kisses, and give you a "high five" when you are all done. I will smell your boy cub scent and savor your last month as a kindergartener bear.

Now, I will remember that now is fleeting. That now is the time for you. For all too soon, it will be you saying "not now" to me. And then, you will be gone.

I will say now.

Right now.

Home Sweet Home

Nothing says, "Welcome home from vacation" better than a clogged and overflowing toilet.

You are a redneck when...

This is a true story of our return trip from The Land of The Bears...

We decided to make our 16 hour return trip in one day, so we packed the car the night before in order to facilitate an early start the next morning. Both cubs were dressed and fed before 7 a.m. (a small miracle in our den), and we were out the door at 7 a.m. sharp. Brother Bear, having been appropriately drugged with Dramamine was a happy clam, and Sugar Bear and I were passing the time singing songs.

The roughest part of the trip is the first hour, as we are driving out of the mountains and we already know that Brother Bear and I suffer from car sickness while in the mountains. Well, about 45 minutes into the trip Sugar Bear started saying, "I wanna go home. I wanna go to sleep." I, ever the optimist, thought this was perfect because she would maybe sleep some of the way. I gave her all of her sleeping necessities: lovie, blankie, lamb and paci and hoped she would soon be hibernating.

And then she looked at me, and I knew we had a problem. Everything went into slow motion at that point. I grabbed the emesis basin we keep in the car for these express purposes, but unfortunately, I was too late. She started barfing everywhere and refused to vomit in the basin. Lovie, blankie, lamb, paci, the car seat and her clothes were all casualties.

We pulled over as quickly as possible and started triage. I stripped her down to her diaper and wiped her down as best as I could while Papa Bear tried to start cleaning the car seat with baby wipes. I assessed the damage and promptly told Papa Bear we were driving directly to the Mal Wart* (*name changed for privacy...ahem) in town and buying a new car seat. Ever the penny pincher, Papa Bear said he could get it clean. I then proceeded to tell him in no uncertain terms that there was no way I was driving 15+ hours in a van with a six year old car seat that reeked of regurgitated cheerios and milk with Brother Bear gaging and saying, "eww! It stinks!" every 15 seconds. (This story is sounding eerily reminiscent of the trip some 28 years ago when my family learned the hard way that I suffered from car sickness. But I digress). Papa Bear relented, and I plopped Sugar Bear in my lap while Papa Bear drove us straight to the local Mal Wart. (Thankfully, it was a 24 hour store, as we had barely reached 8 a.m.)

I went in the store to get the new car seat, pacifier, Lysol wipes, baggies and air freshener and instructed Papa Bear to find the local hazardous waste disposal plant to properly dispose of the car seat and other accoutrements (Turns out that's the dumpster in back of the local Mal Wart. Who knew?)

(Sidenote: I was forced to buy a new car seat with: 1) only the selection provided in said Mal Wart and 2) NO prior research or comparison shopping. Let's just say this was a major "growth experience" for me.)

When I returned $100 dollars poorer, Sugar Bear was running amok in the van (remember, we just threw away the car seat) and Papa Bear mentioned something along the lines of "I think she's having a poop."

We commenced cleaning at that point, with me prepping the new car seat and disinfecting things, while Papa Bear triple bagged all the tainted items that had to make the drive home.

Finally, we were ready to install the car seat when Papa Bear notices that Sugar Bear has something on her leg. Then he says, " Oh my God, it's poop! She has poop all over her!" Now, mind you, it's been a good 15 minutes since that off handed comment about "I think she's having a poop" to now. And she's made several trips from the back of the van to the front as well as taken a seat in the new car seat. I take one look in the van and new car seat and realize that more Lysol wipes are in order. Papa Bear takes a hold of Sugar Bear while I wipe up her, the new car seat and the car. I then proceed to change her diaper.

On the ground.

In the parking lot of Mal Wart.

Lest you think I'm making this all up, Papa Bear deemed the event "picture worthy".

It's stories like these that made me start a blog.

Feel free to laugh. I still am.

What we've been up to

Two weeks ago, the Four Bears Den headed to The Land of The Bears for our annual family vacation with my Mother and Daddy Bear and the clan. Much fun was had by all.

As there is no way I can write down all that we did, I thought I'd give you a tiny visual peek into our time away.

Enjoy.

I know we sure did!

Sugar Bear's first ride on "the rapids"

Family hike to "Buzzard Lookout"

Nature up close and personal

Down time with dominoes

Feeding the animals at the family reunion

Kick of your shoes and stay a while

Lighting a fire with "One Match GranDaddy Bear"

No words necessary...

Ahhhh.....

Blast Off!

This week, Brother Bear has been participating in a Science Camp along with another buddy of his from school. The theme of the camp was space and rocketry. Let's just say that if Brother Bear were a pig, this camp would be the proverbial mud. Brother Bear has had a blast. Literally.

This camp, however, has highlighted a serious Mama Bear fear I've been haunted by since giving birth. I was expecting this fear to be realized somewhere around 10th grade when Bear would come to me and say, "Mama Bear, can you help me with my Trig homework?" And then I would break into hives and stammer out, "Well, uh, no Brother Bear. Um...you see, Mama Bear, uh...didn't really take Trig in high school. Or college. Or, um....EVER." And then the magic spell where Brother Bear believes that I know absolutely everything would end and life would just be downhill from there.

Ahem.

Unfortunately for me, this camp has accelerated that plan by a mere, oh, ten years or so. He has come home from camp talking about things that I have NO EARTHLY idea what they are. He might as well be speaking another language. In fact, he IS. It's called nerd-ese. And, Cyber Bears, let me tell you that is one language in which I am NOT fluent. Let's just say that I think I faked it for this week. Do they have Cliff Notes for science and math? I think I'm going to need them. Soon.

Anyhoo, this morning was the culminating event of camp. They launched the rockets they had been building all week. The joy on his face was worth the price of admission. Thought you all would want to see it too.

How sweet the sound!

I could only get this on the voice recorder (Sugar Bear was too distracted otherwise). And the fact that she has the hiccups only makes it cuter (says me).

May these words sung by the sweetest bear cub around give you joy today!

All is right again..

Need I say more?

(For those of you that care, I waited 6 months for those babies. It took every fiber of my being not to take every. single. one. off the shelf.)