Fly on the Wall: Making Merry

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Cathy O

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 5 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado

Never Ever Give Up Hope

Menopausal Mother

Spatulas on Parade

Here’s who you’ll be hearing from in my house:

Me, Mama O.
Daddy O.
Big Sister, age 10
Little Brother, age 8

Since I have been writing these blog posts since 2014, I have my own Fly Post Page. Check it out if you want to hear more craziness from my house.

Around our House

Me (as I was cleaning for our kids’ joint birthday party): Maybe we should have people over more often. It really makes me clean our house.

Big Sister: I call 10 zero teen.

Little Brother (not wanting to do chores): What am I, your slave?!

During breakfast, Big Sister came up with this:

Get Happiness. It’s out there somewhere. It’s not in a store.

Profound, right?

As I was talking about plans and what I needed Daddy O. to do, he asked me to stop lecturing him. I replied, “I’m not lecturing. I’m talking in a loud voice….a stern, loud voice…oh wait…”

Where are my Kids?

It was a Saturday, and we were in the middle of a busy day. I had just taken the kids grocery shopping and was now home unpacking groceries. I started getting some things ready for lunch, but I noticed that I had no idea where the kids went. Being the louder of the two adults in our house, I tend to call for my kids across the house. I even stuck my head out the door and yelled their names. No answer. Not. A. Peep.

I was getting kind of worried, so I decided to look for them, continuing to call their names. I finally found them in the basement and made them come upstairs for lunch.

I explained to them, “When someone is yelling your name, you need to answer. I was getting worried that you ran off or something. It’s not nice to make your mom worry.”

Very calmly, Little Brother chimed in, “Well, when I grow up and have kids, if I don’t like them, then I would just let them go.”

“What?!” I laughed…”You would just let your kids run away! That’s crazy. I guess Daddy and I will be babysitting a lot, so you don’t lose your kids then.”

Making Merry

I had the chance to learn how to make my own wreath with my sister in law. I loved getting crafty with her that morning. We made really large wreaths with wire frames. I was able to use boughs that we had cut down from our frasier fir tree that our kids named Timber. My sister in law used spruce that park rangers provided.

Here were the beautiful end results:

The wreath I made had the burlap bow. It was too big to fit on our mantel, so I moved our outdoor wreath indoors.

Christmas Quotes

During breakfast, Big Sister moved our countdown to Christmas calendar, and started singing, “There are 12 days till Christmas, and I don’t have a true love.”

I replied, “Well, your family can be your true love.” Her answer, “Icky.”

I found some random handwritten notes from Little Brother in a box of scrap paper:

Notes: never eat a gingerbread ornament

For the record, both kids have taken a bite out of old gingerbread ornaments. I hope this note will serve as a reminder for them.

Another note said:

What is the saddest day for a child?

The day after Christmas.

The Spirit of Giving

This is the first year my kids had specific gift ideas for family members, so Daddy O. and I took separate shopping trips with each kid. I was so impressed with Little Brother as we bought gifts for a friend’s birthday, two kids in need from our schools, Daddy O. and Big Sister.

During our shopping, he said once, “Mom, this is on my Christmas list, ” but did not whine for it. He carefully helped me find gifts for each person on our list. We even took time to compare prices. He was so patient and well behaved. I was so proud!

After our trip, we rushed home and brought the gifts upstairs to wrap in his bedroom (just in case Daddy O. and Big Sister would be getting home before the gifts were wrapped).

Little Brother admitted, “I like wrapping gifts.”

Later Big Sister came home and had to sneak Little Brother’s gift upstairs for us to wrap.

“I can’t wait to see his face when he opens it,” she told me.

The spirit of giving was alive and well that day!

The next morning, Little Brother asked me if we could let Big Sister open her gift before Christmas. I told him that she can wait.

It’s so sweet to see these kids think of each other. They really love this time of year. Little Brother even wore this one morning for breakfast.

Why not wear a Santa hat to breakfast?

Wishing you all much merriment and cheer this time of year!

Fly on the Wall: #LifeGoals and Shams

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Cathy O

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 9 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado http://www.BakingInATornado.com

Menopausal Mother http://www.menopausalmom.com/

Searching for Sanity http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com

Eileen’s Perpetually Busy http://eileensperpetuallybusy.blogspot.com/

Spatulas on Parade http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/

Never Ever Give Up Hope http://batteredhope.blogspot.com

Bookworm in the Kitchen http://www.bookwormkitchen.com

When I Grow Up http://kimberlyyavorski.com/whenigrowup/

Here’s who you’ll be hearing from in my house:

Me, Mama O.
Daddy O.
Big Sister, age 7
Little Brother, age 5

When I was a Baby

The kids have been fascinated with stories of themselves when they were younger, especially babies. We’ve had some fun sharing memories and have had some funny conversations along the way – like this one:

Little Brother: When I was just born, did I jump into your arms.

Me: Well, not exactly. You came out, and they put you in my arms. Babies can’t really jump when they’re just born.

Little Brother, crawls on my lap, as I’m seating on a glider chair with my feet on the ottoman and says, “toilet.” I had to think for a bit, but remembered that the kids made up this “game” when I sat in this chair with my feet up. “Oh yeah, that’s what you meant when you sat on my lap and said toilet.” It’s not that he had to use the toilet. Just go with it, Mom.

#lifegoals

Me to Big Sister, “I like your cardigan. I’d wear it if it were in my size. Someday maybe we can share clothes.” And possibly shoes too…fingers crossed! Seriously, sometimes her clothes is cuter than mine! Someday – #lifegoals

Me & Daddy O.
Daddy O (referring to the pillow shams: These are on the floor 90% of the time!
Me: Yeah that’s why they are called a sham.

Daddy O. (looking at Big Sister’s jean jacket): Shouldn’t you iron that?

Me: (who HATES ironing): No, you don’t iron jeans, silly!

What Really Goes on at Scout Camp

Me: I was thinking about looking at sending big sister to a girl scout day camp.

Little Brother: Do they hunt deer?

Me: No, it’s not like they live off the land. They may make a fire, but I’m sure they have food ready for them.

Daddy O: It’s not like Oregon Trail.

Me: Where they hunt for berries and then get dysentery. (This joke is going over the kids’ heads completely, by the way.)

Big sister: That doesn’t sound like fun.

On Money

Big sister: Can I just get an allowance?
Me: No, you need to do chores for money.
Big sister: No, just get money every week
Me: Just for being my daughter? No. You need to do work to earn money.

Learning Early

Little Brother goes to school half days, but has recently shared with me, “Mom, I wish the school days were on weekends and the weekends were on school days.” I just reply, “Well, those two school days would be super long. I don’t think it’s going to change.”

He then said, “Maybe God could change that.”

I think that may fall under the “unanswered prayer” category, but I think it’s sweet that he’s already pining for longer weekends at age 5.

Fly on the Wall – Holiday Sentiments

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Cathy O

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 9 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

I love this challenge so much that I even have my own page for it on my blog HERE.

Buzz around, see what you think, then click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

Baking In A Tornado http://www.bakinginatornado.com/

Menopausal Mother http://www.menopausalmom.com/

Spatulas on Parade http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/

Searching for Sanity http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com

Never Ever Give Up Hope http://batteredhope.blogspot.com

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy http://dinoheromommy.com/

Southern Belle Charm http://www.southernbellecharm.com

A Little Piece of Peace http://little-piece-of-peace.blogspot.com

Thanksgiving Leftovers

My 5 and 7 year old kids had some silly thoughts on what to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. Here’s what they shared as we were driving to Grandma and Grandpa’s house:

Big sister: I’m thankful I’m not an ant, so I won’t get squished.

Little brother: I’m thankful I’m not a tree, then I won’t get cut down. (He was thinking of the evergreen trees that we cut down for our Christmas tree)

Little Brother: I’m thankful that God made candy.

Many of Little Brother’s religious ed classmates also were thankful for candy, though some did say things like, “family, friends, our house.”

Decorating our Home

Little brother: Do you know that this stocking is a sock for a giant?

The kids went crazy decorating the tree. They wanted to put ornaments on so quickly. I just listened as I was nearby:

Big sister: Let’s put the cross next to the angel.

Little brother: Yeah, it’s like God is watching over us.

It was too sweet! I guess he is learning something from church / religious ed besides being thankful for God making candy.

A New Rule

It was a frightfully frigid day with a high of five degrees, so I felt motivated (finally) to make something. We had shredded zucchini in the freezer, so I made zucchini bread. When it came time to eat it, I helped myself to the crust and an inside piece. Little Brother said, “No fair! You got two pieces.” I replied, “Yes, the baker gets two!”

Our Affordable Art Gallery

We have been coloring and painting (as usual), and I wanted to finally clean up our creations. Little Brother and I decided to hang up some of our favorites in an “art gallery” in our home. We have two display areas. Here they are:

I overheard Little Brother talking to Daddy O. about the gallery, and he said, “Yeah, I think we should charge 299 for some pictures.” Then he paused, “or maybe 199.” I am not sure if he meant $299 and $199 or $2.99 and $1.99. Either way, some of his priceless works are saved in a storage bin under his bed.

Santa, You are the Best

FINALLY after five and seven years, respectively, the kids are okay with visiting Santa this year. Here they were with him earlier this month:

Little brother and Big sister hanging with Santa

Big sister has been consistent in asking Santa and writing about what she wants: “I want a puppy that eats its own poop.”

Santa’s response, “We’ll try.”

Bless your heart Santa! This ACTUALLY is a real toy. See Target, FurReal Friends Pax, My Poopin’ Pup. The food that you can feed it is actually then pooped out, and I believe you then feed the same pellets to the dog. Sigh.

She has been so consistent in asking for this toy, writing a letter to Santa over the weekend and asking for the same thing. I told her today that I emailed her letter to Santa, since it wouldn’t reach the North Pole in time via the postal service.

Santa’s response was cute –

“I see you’d like a special friend for Christmas. Now one thing about a puppy, real, or even pretend, is that flying in my sleigh can be a bit scary for them….. Now you know I will try my best for you, but I will have to check with your family if that’s ok. Will you check too? “

Santa, you are the best!!

I hope Santa is good to you and yours this holiday too! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Fly on the Fall: Which is that Farmer Thing?

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Cathy O

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. I’ve written these posts before, and you can find past posts on this page of my blog. Today a total of 12 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

Here’s who you’ll be hearing from:

Me, Mama O.
Daddy O.
Big Sister, age 6
Little Brother, age 4

For a visual, here are some of our silly pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:

A Few Gems from Christmas

As Christmas approached without snow and we’d hear the song, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” our kids would yell in reply, “No, it’s not.”

On Christmas morning, I said to Daddy O., “You know your kids are getting older when they’ll actually eat breakfast before opening presents.” I still can’t believe this happened!

I made some quick cinnamon rolls from a tube, something I don’t do often. Big sister exclaimed, “These are the best cinnamon rolls EVER!” Love her enthusiasm! And I’m glad she’s so easy so please – at times.

Big sister surprised us again, declaring, “The people with the fewest presents get to open them first.” So our cat Sumo opened her gift from Santa. She loved the cat toy that sort of looks like a fishing pole. Daddy O. said, “Wow, a toy Sumo actually likes, and the kids can finally play with her!” It was a minor Christmas miracle.

Daddy O.’s Birthday

To celebrate Daddy O.’s Birthday, we went out for breakfast. On our way there, we spotted a red tailed hawk on a power line. Big sister said, “Seeing a raptor on your birthday is better than cake!”

We didn’t have cake for Daddy O. either (which is what I think I was saying before the raptor comment). Instead we made pumpkin bread with cranberries. Happy Birthday to our fabulous Daddy!

After breakfast and before the birthday bread, we enjoyed snowshoeing as a family. Here are some pics from that:

Family fun in the snow! It was a beautiful Wisconsin winter day!

Yes, We Just Said That

We’ve been inside a lot with colder weather and some colds the past few weeks. Daddy O. was encouraging the kids to find something to do, and I overheard:

Daddy O: I didn’t say ride on your brother.

Me: Don’t ride on your brother?!

Daddy O: Yes, I just had to say that. Sigh…

And I also heard Daddy O. tell Little Brother, “Sop flying off the handle!” Little Brother innocently replied, “Which handle?!” It’s so cute when they don’t understand these sayings!

Little Brother Highlights

During a sick day, Little Brother and I were watching a cooking show. For some reason, he likes watching cooking and baking on TV from time to time – a nice change from cartoons. This time Martha Stewart was on.

Little Brother: Is Martha a real person?

Me: Yes, honey.

Little Brother: Do you know her?

Me: No.

Little Brother: Can you call her? Do you know her phone number?

Me: No, I can’t! (lol!)

One day for breakfast, little brother asked for “hula hoop things.” I think he meant fruit loops.

And finally, my favorite saying came from a conversation we had while walking to the grocery store.

Little Brother: Which is that farmer thing?

Me: What do you mean?

Little Brother: That farmer way of blowing noses.

Me: OH, you mean a “farmer blow?”

Little Brother: Yeah, farmer blow.

Me: You don’t need to do a farmer blow when you have a tissue. Here’s a tissue!

I honestly forgot when we mentioned the term “farmer blow,” but it was in his little head! Maybe it was when we were camping over summer…? Who knows, but it was hilarious!

Now click on these links for a peek into some other homes:

http://www.BakingInATornado.com Baking In A Tornado

http://www.juiceboxconfession.com Juicebox Confession

http://www.menopausalmom.com/ Menopausal Mother

http://www.someoneelsesgenius.com Someone Else’s Genius

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/ Spatulas on Parade

http://singlemumplusone.blogspot.com Searching for Sanity

http://batteredhope.blogspot.com Never Ever Give Up Hope

http://dinoheromommy.com/ Dinosaur Superhero Mommy

http://notthatsarahmichelle.blogspot.com Not That Sarah Michelle

http://www.southernbellecharm.com Southern Belle Charm

http://mybrainonkids.net My Brain on Kids

Fly on the Wall: Big Dreams and Lots of Love

Posted on November 20, 2015 by Cathy O

Welcome to a Fly on the Wall group post. Today 12 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house.

If you’re new here, this is who is featured in Fly on the Wall:

Me, Mama O.
Daddy O.
Big Sister, age 6
Little Brother, age 4

Big Dreams

Daddy O. subscribes to some car enthusiast magazines.

A few years ago – Daddy O. and Little Brother reading Car & Driver magazine.

He was reading it with the kids around, and I overheard:

Little Brother: Can we buy that (a Lotus Evora)? We have a lot of money.

Big Sister: I have a lot of money.

Little Brother: We could tape it together.

Big Sister: Wait, how many seats does it have?

Daddy O: Only two seats

I think that ended the conversation! We often tease them that two-seaters don’t have room for car seats, so they are a mom and dad ONLY car. Daddy O. is definitely DREAMING of the day he may get a fancy sports car.

Random Things we Hear in the Morning

While “helping” Daddy O. pick out clothes, my son was jumping on the bed, and asked, “Did it (the bed) shiver?” I understood what he meant!

Big sister, “I have a busy morning. Actually everyday I have a busy morning. I have to wake up, eat breakfast, make my bed, brush teeth, brush hair, pack my backpack…” She is too cute. We made her a chart for getting ready each day to check off her “jobs” to give me a break from saying, “Hurry up!” It’s been working well, but has apparently felt like a lot to her. Ah, the innocence of youth!

I gave my daughter hot chocolate, saying that it might be hot. She replied, “Burning hot!” (a big exaggerated) My son, agreeing said, “So hot you could boil an egg.”

Things We Thought We’d Never Say

At library craft time, I said to my kids, “You two are very good at crafts.” My daughter, ever so modest, replies, “Yeah, I’m really good,” and my son chimes in, “Better than the rest.”

I explained, “Well, everyone just has fun making their project.” To another mom I said, “My kids are so competitive!” She agreed, saying, “Yeah, mine are the same way. I never thought I’d have to say arts and crafts is not a competition!”

At the craft session when the above conversation was had! I should have taken pictures of each project, so you could have voted on the best one!

Fast forward a bit to my birthday, and Daddy O. found himself saying to our children, “You have to eat your food without being annoying if you want birthday cake.”

Best for Last

On my birthday big sister gave me a hug and said