Haircuts

The boys were in dire need of haircuts so I pulled out a photo of one of Ken's friends, circa 1986, and requested that my boys get their hair feathered just like the geek in the picture. Good haircuts followed, but you can't really see the feathering because the boys opted for gel filled spikes after the cuts were done. Well, except for Shannon, who insisted (after seeing Riley's haircut) that he wasn't going to get that ugly hairstyle, and besides, "... my friends will all laugh at me!"

Corey and Riley letting me take a picture.

Shannon insisting that I not send this picture to anybody.

(I'm not. I'm putting it in my blog.)

As you can see, (sort of,) Shannon's hair is no different than before. Just like he wanted it.

This is how we do it... (Play the Video)

Seriously. He talks. He hops. He jumps. He just about crashes into the TV. All while playing Guitar Hero.

Shannon ROCKS!

Now THAT's an Igloo!

So I pull up to the house yesterday to a bunch of kids (Ken and the adult neighbor included,) working hard on Igloo construction. I must say, I was totally impressed. This thing is far taller than me and over 10 feet wide. Three adults, five children, two snow blowers, three shovels, one ice breaker and numerous buckets were used in the creation of this monster.

That's Riley at 4 feet tall standing at the front entrance.

Riley and Anna standing up inside the Igloo.

Ken, Riley, and Anna sitting inside, there's plenty of room for more!

The Igloo was finally complete when I added the flag this morning.

Time to Clean the Camera

Some gems I found of Riley on the internal memory of my camera. He was 4 years old, little, and sweet:

Extended Weekend

Friday was another snow day (technically a cold-weather day) and the boys were home from school. We're getting used to these extended weekends, especially after having two in a row. (Do I need to mention that the boys have 1/2 days on Wednesday and Thursday and no school at all next Friday? Yes, another extended weekend is looming...)

Here's how we've been passing our time:

Shannon playing Guitar Hero (and using the colored buttons no less!)

Corey sneaking his lunch into the living room for TV time.

Riley keeping warm (he wore either gloves or a hat the entire day Friday) while capturing Pokemon.

The most exciting thing to happen was that I finally gave the boys a bath this afternoon after they've had two days of walking around in their pajamas. Go Mommy!

I Should Probably Stop...

For some reason this book grabbed my attention the other day in the library and I just started reading it. Apparently you can be a happier person if you just stop complaining. I want to be happier! I must stop complaining! But then what will I have to talk about anymore? When I call Mom, I complain. Sometimes I call up a friend just to complain. I've been known to visit particular blogs so I can hear other people complain!

What is the solution to all of this complaining? The idea is simple. Put a purple bracelet on your wrist and every time you complain, (or gossip and criticize for that matter!) move the bracelet to your other wrist. This brings your habit to your attention and causes you to think about what you say. After 4 - 8 months, you should be able to go 21 days straight without complaining. This will make you happy.

Now, honestly, I know I'm a very negative person and this would be a good thing for me. I know my faults pretty well and so do you if you read my blog. I've often attempted to rectify this situation on my own. I'll play mind games with myself and say, "You're driving across town. No getting mad at other drivers, no being annoyed by the kids, and no swearing under your breath!" Sometimes I even make it all the way out of the driveway before I blow it.

So maybe I'll give this idea a shot. I may have to make an exception for the blog, because after all, this is pretty much one long list of complaints. (Well, not always.) If I do get this rolling, I'm going to have to create an anti-"Where IS that exit sign?" blog. Then you'll have two choices. The real Colleen and the Colleen we never knew existed. Shall I?

Zero to This in 11 Days

As of January 1, all 40 + inches of snow from November - December 2008 had completely melted. Well, there was one inconsequential block of frozen snow about 1' X 2' where this ginormous pile now is.

I wish pictures could give you a better idea of how much snow we've had, but you'll have to come visit to truly experience it. Until then, here I am at the end of my driveway:

P.S. Don't come visit on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday because there's snow in the forecast; we don't want you to wreck your car or anything...

The Rosy Red Cheeks of the Little Children...

Geeze, remember that song? (Westminster Abbey, the Tower Big Ben, the rosy red cheeks of the little children...) Okay, maybe not. Anyway, Shannon suffered some serious wind burn during the three hours of sledding fun he had yesterday with Riley and Daddy. (14" of snow, you've gotta go sledding!)

Mommy of the Year or Something Like That

I really should win an award. It's been a busy day, and everything seems to make the boys happy - at least when they're not fighting with each other.

Last night I planned to take the boys to CCD, but as soon as we slid onto the main road, I realized that it wasn't going to happen. Ice was everywhere! Ken came home from work just before midnight last night and said that if school wasn't cancelled, we were cancelling it for them - the roads were that bad.

When we woke up this morning and checked the school closings, we were a little shocked (okay, not at all shocked) that school was in fact going to happen. Ken said, "I wouldn't send them," and I said, "But they just got done with Christmas Break (Winter Break if I wanted to be PC, but I am after all a Catholic who believes in Christmas thank you very much,) and they have two half-days and a day off in less than two weeks! I need them to go to school..."

Then I started envisioning sliding buses and cars in ditches, but what sealed the deal was the sound of an ambulance siren at that exact moment. Forget it, they're staying home. Damn.

Now, I'd been purging everything in the main level of my house for the last three days, moving computers around and rearranging furniture. Everything finally had a home (most of it out on the curb for the garbage man) except for one large ugly piece of furniture which doubles as an incredible storage space when not being so offensive. Where to put it?

Well, some very bored old lady with a broken foot suggested getting rid of the spare bed in Corey's room, and if we did that, the storage piece could go in there, and we could fill it with the kids' board games which had previously hijacked my entry way closet. So that's what we did (after I shoveled the driveway, fed and bathed the kids, and begged Ken to wake up for the tenth time.)

The boys loved it and Corey loved the room that was ALL HIS. (Riley has finally claimed the guest room in the basement so that he could have some privacy, which made it possible for each boy to have his OWN room - I guess nobody is allowed to visit anymore.)

After we got all of that done and Ken took off for work, I decided to settle in for a little nap (it's been days since that happened.) Just as I started dozing, the boys began asking me for the wireless codes (because when mom looks tired, that's a good time to attempt something well beyond your skill set.)

Soon I realized the idea of a nap was futile, and after about 45 minutes of playing around with the WII, the Nintendo DS's, and googling crap on the computer, I had somehow managed to get the boys embroiled in a Pokemon competition on the WII through their DS's. (Help me out here, couldn't they just do a two-player with a Pokemon WII game? Guess it's just not the same...)

Anyhow, I just fed them and they should remain fairly happy just long enough for me to go shovel the driveway again (the plows recently came through and left me a present, along with a tipped garbage can.) Then back to doing mind-numbing tasks in an effort to make the boys happy on their parent-induced snow day.

Somebody's Having a Bad Year

Saturday night Ken got himself a doe! It slammed into the front of his car and rolled up onto the windshield. Dang thing even limped away before Ken could finish her off and make her into dinner. Talk about bad luck!

Then, of course, Texas beat Ohio State tonight. Hmm... somebody seems to be a little grumpy.

Shh...

Listen closely. Do you hear that?














(The sound of silence)



Yep, I still remember how to bathe, dress, feed, and corral the boys onto the bus in less than one hour. Life is good.

Why I'm Luckier Than You...

New Year's hugs at midnight.