Mothering Mayhem: Life with the Wild Boys

Hola, Wild Boy friends and family, and welcome back to la Casa. It's a holiday weekend here, and I don't need to tell you how exciting that is for everyone. But even more importantly, it was a slumber party weekend for the boys - they were BOTH gone for a night! There was an entire afternoon and night here where nobody screamed, nobody bled, nobody choked, and nothing broke. It was magical. Let me tell you how much I appreciate my mom squad on days like that. See, parents align by level of uptightness in my experience. Every now and then while out chaperoning a field trip or sitting through a birthday party you'll overhear someone with the exact same response you would issue and you immediately make friends. Now, the seriously uptight parents band together when they realize they all have to check food labels for gluten and sugar, and to confirm all plastic ware their children are using is BPA free, and should we really be using plastics anyhow... They put their kids ...

Hola, Wild Boy friends and family, and welcome to La Casa in 2018! We have enthusiastically entered the new year with high hopes but low expectations, as is our jaded way. Not going to lie, 2017 was something of a shit storm here (I know we aren't alone on this one) and we have vowed to make 2018 at least a trifle smoother. I know what you're thinking - New Year's Resolutions. Negative, Ghost Rider. We don't buy into that, because that is honestly the best way to set yourself up for disappointment when it falls through six hours into day one (hypothetically, of course). Instead, the Cop and I make concerted efforts to help out where we know the other may need a little boost. Apparently the Cop has determined that I need a little help with stress management, so in order to help ease some of my stress he has begun automating our house. I grew up in an era of one TV, no remote, wood fires for warmth, clothes lines to dry laundry and renting VHS players people. Several ...

Hola, Wild Boy friends and family. We have plunged headfirst into this madness known as the Christmas season, and we have been fully engulfed with holiday madness. Don't get me wrong, we all love it. In the same way people love exercise, because afterwards you get that wonderful feeling of stinky exhaustion and you sleep well. And in the midst of it you get to humble brag to everyone else about how well you're doing with it. So, since I'll never be the woman who gets to casually mention every damn morning how intense her crossfit workout was before work while she sips some protein concoction instead of eating a damn meal, I will for SURE be the one who casually passes out Christmas cards at the BEGINNING of the month and plays it off as if it was no major effort. Real story: A full day was spent trying to juggle house chores and remember who to send cards to - I have A LOT left because the truth is after about 80 I thought to myself "nobody really cares..." and ...

Hello and welcome back Wild Boy friends and family. Yes, there's been a delay, and I won't even apologize because I took a vacation from work for a week which clearly means I had a week of laying around reading, eating bon bons, taking naps, and enjoying day drinking. Ha!!! No, it was totally jam packed with holiday festivities. But well worth it - the cop and I got a tremendous amount done in three short days so I'll call it a win. I got to enjoy two Thanksgivings, and then several days of stretch pants. As it turns out I should always plan days off for after major eating holidays because the several days of recovery means that nobody risks losing an eye when a button on my work uniform gets launched from post-feast stress fatigue. I'm looking out for the good of the department, here. Here in la Casa, we LOVE Christmas. The cop has to force me to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to decorate, but the Christmas music starts in October. Can't help it, I love ...

Hola, wild boy friends and family! Humblest apologies for missing last week's check in, we were a little tied up with a soccer tournament and quite frankly, exhausted. I know we've talked about this before, but I'm pretty sure sleep deprivation is a cornerstone of parenthood. It makes sense, when you think about it - because if you were well rested you'd probably be way more upset about things like being showered with another living beings vomit or poo. So, the whole too tired to care thing is probably pretty critical. I was thinking this morning, though, that a huge part of this is probably self inflicted. See, we all know soccer season is crazy busy up here in la casa. And just when the end was near, and I was about to have my two month break, we found out we made it to district cup and extended the season. Yay... So, being team mom (yeah, I get suckered into that A LOT in soccer), I dutifully helped arrange carpooling and extra lighting with the coach and tr...

Hola, Wild Boy friends and family, and welcome to a very early morning check in from La Casa de Testosterone. It's time change, and here I sit wide awake surveying the damage done during the week by the destructive chaos that is two little boys. I'd clean, but actually everyone else is sleeping. So instead, I'll check in here! This week, we're going to return to a theme I know we've covered before and I'm SURE we'll cover again because it never ceases to amaze me: boys are gross. Now, I know you've read that sentence and probably all chuckled and agreed, which is why I feel it necessary to expand on this a bit. Because the level of grossness I'm talking about here isn't chuckle and small smile to commiserate worthy. The level of grossness I'm addressing deserves PSA's with the little "the more you know" rainbow and star following it. It deserves after school specials with serious music, chronicling the mother broken down...

Hola again, Wild Boy friends and family! Welcome back to another thrilling week in la Casa de Testosterone.  This week found me absent from la Casa. That's right, this week I was the parent that had training for work and had to leave the cop and wild boys alone, on what would prove to be the busiest week of the month of course. I had a training manager's seminar in Monterey, and the cop had work, the boys, the pets, soccer, scouts, a field trip, a school carnival and an awards assembly. You all think I'm awful, right? I felt awful, believe me. No, for real, I was raised Catholic so the guilt that an eight year old can instill when he gives you sad cartoon animal eyes and says something like "but...you ALWAYS go on my field trips with me..." with a little super sentimental lip quiver thrown in is almost enough to make me quit my job. Almost. Then I remember things like the mortgage, and my inability to spend a full day with both boys without actively seeking gyps...