In a sense.

The talk around the house lately has been Lent.

More specifically, what to give up for Lent.

We (the family) don’t always give something up… in fact, I don’t think my kids ever have.

My spousal unit and I have.

Randomly.

Wax and wane.

Wax on, wax off?

Aaaaanywhoooos…

My middle daughter has been really thinking (and talking) about what to give up. She is intent.

She is such a goal-setter.

I am yet undecided (see: waxing and waning).

I gave up coffee one time.

::hands you a paper bag to breathe in::

Yeah. I am still trying to right the world back on it’s axis after that one.

I gave the kids a Lent suggestion tonight. I interrupted yet another trite argument between the three.

Good golly… THREE ARGUERS.

Kids. Kids! KIDSSSSS!!!!

I know what you can give up for Lent!

::crickets::

ARGUING!

Without skipping a beat this is what I got:

Livi (9): Can I just give up cookies?

Lucy (6): Can I just give up SMILING oooooooor PINCHING?

Joel (12): Well, I know I can’t give up my sexiness.

For reals.

This is the tide I swim against every day.

Every.

Day.

No waning.

Ever.

Full court press.

3 on 1.

Did I ever mention that I hate basketball?

Pinching. She is willing to give up pinching. Ooofda.

The Pincher

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Giving up. is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Lucy has had this tooth hanging on for dear life. Neither apples nor daily, solid tugs from dad has coerced this tooth to leave it’s gummy home.

Seriously.

Enter floss, a daring 6-year-old (who would have preferred to have tied her tooth to a horse) (she LOVES horses) (who was also miserable because you know how irritable those loose teeth can be), Kevin (our dog), and a Milkbone dog biscuit.

You know what? You just have to see it to believe it.

May I just add… this was NOT mother approved. I hid around the corner. Ish. I have no idea where my little girl got her spunk and nerve.

Also I almost threw up and had a belly ache for an hour.

But not Lucy… she’s tucked tight in bed awaiting the arrival of the Tooth Fairy.

And Kevin, I have it on good authority that the Tooth Fairy also brought him another dog biscuit.

Note: ALL video credit to the husband. Like I said, I was hiding. He asked me to hold the camera and I refused. Even IIIIII have my limits. Apparently.

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Caught On Video! Dog Pulls Loose Tooth! No, seriously… is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

???

I’ve had a bit of a bothersome belly ache lately.

Sciatica?

Dislocation due to an overly-motivated workout?

Regardless… I’m not feeling right. Off and on. For a few days.

Just a nudge of discomfort… enough for me to feel complainery… but not enough for one to feel the need to enlist the help of medical professionals or anything draaaaaastic.

In one of my complaining moments I said to my 9 year old daughter, “I wonder if it’s my appendix?”

Olivia: What?

Me: My appendix.

Olivia: *confused look*

Me: I wonder if the appendix is on the right or the left. This hurts here *presses on right side* Owie.

Olivia: *still looking confused*

Me: OH! I’m not talking about the appendix of a book, honey!

Olivia: OooooooooooKhay! I didn’t know an appendix was a body part!

*insert laughing We here*

She has the best sense of humor and the MOST infectious laugh. And she works on math for fun.

Speaking of kids… the kids really, really, really want some snow. We had a moment of it… and the youngest was all over it like, like… like a kid on/after an ice cream truck.

So cute. Yet so sad.

C’mon snow.

Do it for Lucy…

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The Appendix: Not to be confused with the appendix is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

So. I found this new song.

Well, new to us.

Great Big World by Kari Kimmel

I was in the car, taking my girls to school when I played it for them for the first time. Almost before a word was sung, Lucy squealed, “THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE SONG!”

The next day we were driving… listening to Great Big World for the 100upteenthbillioneth time when Lucy interrupted our little sing-along session,

THIS SONG REMINDS ME ABOUT MARTIN! IT’S JUST LIKE THE SONG ABOUT MARTIN!!!

An aside: in case you didn’t know… Lucy eats, sleeps, drinks and talks in ALL CAPS.

To be clear.

I probed, “Martin?” Knowing the answer, since MLK day was only days away.

YEAH! MARTIN!

I turned off Great Big World so she could sing the song about Martin to me.

And then I took video… because, folks… this is the dream if ever there was a dream…

I do love her. I really do love that girl…

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday… and take care of your Loves…

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A Song About Martin Luther King Jr. and A Big Bright Sun is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Have you ever given your 6 year old permission to cook her own hot dog in the microwave?

You know… since she knows her numbers and all…

44 seconds.

She knows how to press the number 4.

Twice.

Right?

I gave her a nod of permission to proceed with her culinary feat… She INSISTED she could do it herself.

I threw up the white flag and headed out the door to a meeting or dance party or something.

But Daddy was home. I am only a half-terrible mother.

Daddy was the one to discover the poor, petrified frankfurter… about 4 minutes into 44 minutes of cook time.

If you ever wondered what 4 minutes in the microwave will do to a hot dog… NOW YOU KNOW.

In case you were wondering.

Tune in next week when I tell you all about the time I found AN ENTIRE BANANA that was tucked in an seldom-explored corner for oh… SAY 2 YEARS. I will tell you this, hot dogs cooked for over 4 minutes and bananas left unattended for 2 years… look a lot alike.

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Give a kid a hot dog (and permission to microwave it…) is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

It is quite possible you could.

I don’t know.

Maybe.

I seriously doubt you’d be able to pick my 6 year old out of a line-up.

Unrelated, I think it’s stupid they only sell floofy, sparkly purple skirts and pink, fuzzy slipper boots in girl sizes.

Yeah… totally unrelated.

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Could you pick my kid out of a line-up? is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

There are moments in motherhood where I want to jump up and down… call upon The Almighty and yell from the top of my lungs,

STOP STOP STOP.

STOP IT.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE TIME STOP FOREVER RIGHT HERE!

This morning I dropped Lucy off at school. And as she always does, she tarries. Instead of walking towards the school doors… she faces the car. She blows kisses, and waits for me to catch her kisses and put them in my heart… She stands waiting for me to blow kisses so she can catch mine and put them in hers…

She is a vision to me… blowing kisses, catching them, putting them in her heart… all while standing there in her pink puffy coat.

I hate driving away. THOSE are the moments I want to steal… the moments I want roll around and get sticky in. Sticky for life, with that stuff.

I swear, the drive to school in the mornings seem to be the richest… Just the other day my middle daughter mentioned something about her teacher. My youngest (the kiss blower) added to the conversation:

Oh! I know her!

She’s nice.

And pretty.

As pretty as mom.

Bless that little bug. As if kisses weren’t enough.

That same night, I got a little busy making dinner, tried to help Olivia with her homework, worked on cleaning dishes in order to FINISH cooking, etc. and all that fun.

I felt like I was a pinball in a world pinball tournament vying for the title.

Lucy yelled, “I NEED HELP WITH MY HOMEWORK MOOOOOOOOOOOM!”

I stopped, threw my hands up and said/barked, “I am cooking dinner AND helping Olivia… You need to wait!”

Without skipping a beat she teased, “You mean you don’t have THREE hands?!” Then she covered her mouth and giggled.

(Do you see that pink puffy coat? Half-on, half-off… It is usually half-off/half-on… as are her shoes.)

As we start a new year, I want to be even more aware of the blessing of the relationships in my life… spouse, children, friends… neighbors in my community.

How about you? Who in your life is the person who wears a pink puffy coat and touches your heart? Take a moment today to tell someone they are important and matter to YOU…

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All Wrapped Up In Her Pink Puffy Coat is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

I don’t remember being 6.

I don’t so much need to because I can just watch my girl… Flying…

And bouncing…

And just plain being toothlessly happy. Bloody nose and all…

What makes you happy right now? I am pretty happy I have all my teeth. And to have that happy bug for a daughter…

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Being 6 (and three-quarters) is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

Oh man. It’s been busy.

You been busy?

I bet you have you busy, busy bee, you! You have probably been busy hiking or finishing holiday snacks or napping or stalking old high school nemesiissses on Facebook. Or maybe you’ve been busy doing taxes or something fun like that.

Crap. Taxes.

Aaaanywho… In an effort to break the relative silence from here the last several days… I bring to you an offering of my last born.

Well, a picture.

Because, OF COURSE of all the things you have been doing, “Look at another picture of Jenny’s kids” was on your list. Right?

I thought so.

Lucy has had QUITE the impressive snaggle tooth for a great many weeks. She would ask almost daily for her dad to pull it. I tried once and almost threw up. Furthermore and thushence… each time my husband would try, I’d have to walk away and hide my gagging.

I am a terrible mother.

But Lucy.

And that snaggle tooth.

It’s gone! It was ready. It needed to be ready because heven help me it was a ghastly, dangly mess.

But then I was really sad because I am emotional wreck of a woman and… my baby! Her baby teeth days are numbered! I love her tiny Lucy teeth. I will miss all those tiny Lucy teeth…

She is so cute she makes me ache.

On the other hand she also makes me gag. She thought it felt really cool to shove her tongue through the gap AND NOT STOP. And that made me get gaggy…

I know.

I have a problem. My poor kids.

Actually, poor me. My kids are learning how to use this weakness in their favor.

They think it’s funny.

Niiiice.

So.

Happy New Year?

Oh, OK…. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Peace and strong gag reflexes to all!

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Losing teeth and doing taxes is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...

It’s like a drum circle.

Except it’s not at all like a drum circle.

Every time my parents come for a visit, or we go visit my parents… and always during Christmas holiday visits… we drop a serious wad at the bowling alley.

Did you bowling is not cheap?

Nope.

But we do it. Because it is fun. And it is tradition. One would never force the sun not to rise, nor would one deny us our family bowling times.

It’s a time where I get to show off my stellar bowling form and overbite that seems to only manifest itself during said times-o-bowling:

It’s amazing. Despite the terrible focus in that pic… the overbite is undeniable.

I mean, you don’t score a 66 without it…

My own mother beat me.

And really, WHO CAN’T BEAT A SIXTY-STINKIN-SIX?!!!

Of course… it wouldn’t be bowling without the food.

The deep-fried plates of why-we-diet-after-the-holidays food…

You know how smart I am? I am so hard-core that I started counting calories. ON bowling day. Why wait for New Years when you can start on December 27th?

Fool me.

But it worked out O.K. I had 2 mozzarella sticks, one buffalo wing and  *doing math without success* nachos. Oh well. All night I have wanted a piece of banana cream pie or chocolate pie or chocolate-covered pretzels… and/or/and some wine. I have slammed back 4 glasses of water instead.

I am a pillar of conviction.

And compromise.

But the thing we love to do at the very end of our winning and losing and teasing and laughing and vein-clogging is take a picture…

Our bowling circle.

We don’t “do” bowling without it.

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The Bowling Circle: Family Tradition is a post from: Jenny On the Spot * This is what I do...