Fare-thee-well, Bella & Linda!

Well, it's done. The mice are gone.

No, the cat didn't eat them. We sold their cage at our garage sale this weekend for $5.00, including food, bedding, accessories...oh, yes, and two pet mice.

I thought the kids would protest, but they were fine with it. They "held them good-bye," and that was it. No tears. No hysterics. Just a wave, and....

I know I sound callous, but, in my defense, the kids said it was fine with them to sell the cage, mice included. They knew I was tired of cleaning the cage, and that BratDad was tired of smelling it. The BratGirls only held their respective mice about once a month (I think I held them more!), and rarely checked their food/water levels. And, the BratCat was always after them. So, it's probably for the best.

Are we done with rodents? Probably. I don't mind them, though. I think they're cute, and I don't mind holding them. However, any pets we get in the future will be cleaned up after by the BratKids, not me! (That's the only reason we have a BratDog, y'know?!)

Our Tooth Fairy

I read an article online about tooth fairies, which got my mind going.

Our tooth fairy has a pathetic "response-time." She's even been known to be 3 days late in picking up a tooth! Sadly, it has nothing to do with our kids being light sleepers, because they are not. Nor does it have anything to do with not being able to find the tooth. It's simply called "mommy-brain," or, "I just had another platinum-blonde moment"!

Another problem our tooth fairy has is forgetting to hide the tooth somewhere safe, or to lable who it belonged to. She had 2 baggies in a locked box with each child's name on it, for their teeth, but has misplaced the locked box. Really, she IS smarter than she sounds! Unfortunately, sleep-deprivation and three kids depletes the female tooth-fairy's brain cells.... (I think that will be a good topic for another post!)

The one cool thing she does is leave foreign coins/money for the kids, along with $1. Cheap, but interesting for them to learn about the country the money is from. Bad, if the tooth fairy runs out of foreign coins.

Maybe our tooth fairy should tie a string around her finger...

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

She almost cost us our marriage. Really. I saw her, and I had to have her.

The cutest little thing on 4 legs, with perky ears that are almost as tall as the rest of her, and a slight mohawk. Probably no more than 10 inches tall at the tips of her ears, and not much of a tail to speak of. (I'd say she's more guinea pig than dog.) Still, I had to have her.

We've talked about getting a dog for a while, but decided that the breeds we were looking at were too much (We're so cheap that we didn't even want to spend the $75-$100 for a "pound puppy!") I looked online, checked the papers, and even searched Craig's List for "free" puppies. Not a chance! (How ridiculous is it, anyway, that "mixed breed" dogs are so expensive? Remember when they were called "mutts" and were free?) At any rate, we had decided to postpone, indefinitely, the search for a dog. No need to deal with the hassle of cleaning up after them, anyway. So much easier without one.

Enter Jersey.

We were visiting my sister-in-law for her birthday, and Jersey was next door. Having no fences between their yards, she was tethered to the back fence, to keep her out of the other neighbor's yard (we all have some other neighbors, wink wink!) Anyway, I had seen her before and tried to find out what she was, because we were thinking about a smaller-to-medium-size-dog previously, and I thought she was just so cute! So, we were standing there, and S-I-L mentions that "they think they finally found a home for her...." What?! They're getting rid of her? She explains that the family is never home, and the parents feel bad that she gets so little attention. I can't help myself: I blurt out "But, I want her!"

That was it: my 2 sweet BratGirls and my eldest nephew marched over to the neighbors and asked if we could have her. Lo and behold, they said YES!

Now the hard part.

I asked BratDad if we could have her. "No." Please? They already said yes? "NO." My version of puppy dog eyes.... "NO!" I begged, pleaded, and promised to do things I hadn't done in a very long time (my bathrooms are extremely dirty!) "NO!!! We don't need a dog!"

Hmmmmm.....

BratGirl1 went in to talk to him, and promised to pick up poop every day.

BratGirl2 went in to talk to him, and promised to feed her.

I waited.

I went in and knelt at his side. BIG puppy-dog-eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like a bad guy. You're not. It's my fault for getting the girls' hopes up."

I waited.

"Do you really want a dog?"

"Yes."

I waited.

Puppy-dog-eyes.

"Fine. Happy Mother's Day."

She moved in the next day, and we're all so very glad she did.

Oh, the drama....

It was a cold and stormy night in February, and the mouse cage needed cleaning. I picked up the cage, and noticed that only one of the two pets were in the "skyroom." "Hmmmm," I thought to myself. I peered in through the window on the side of the cage, and couldn't see Jordan inside her house in the cage. "Where is she?" I wondered. I turned to leave the room, with cage in hand, and took another peek through the wind.... Window? There isn't a "window" in the cage! Oh. my. gosh! The cat knocked the tube to the "skyroom" off, and the mouse was out! (the other one was too much of chicken to venture out--smart girl!)

I tore the room apart, but, alas, no mouse. I suppose that, if the cat got her, we'd know--he'd leave us a "present." He's acting funny, though, like he did when we had a couple of field mice in the kitchen. I'll have to keep an eye on that. Maybe if I give him wet catfood, he'll leave it alone? Fat chance....

12:35 am: I hear the cat after something in the kitchen. I check on him, but there's nothing there.

12:45 am: I hear the cat again. I check, and this time....

There she is, wedged in between the laptop case and the cold, hard kitchen tile. She made herself as small as possible, to avoid the sharp claws that came at her. I gently picked her up, trying to inspect her. Have you ever tried to give medical treatment to a jumpy rodent? At any rate, her fur was a mess, and one beady black eye was HUGE and red, obviously injured. "I guess we'll have to wait and see if she makes it." Home at last, and, relatively safe from the cat, she went to sleep with her "sister."

6:30 am: She's still alive. Her eye looks better. However, she's traumatized, and unable to travel. She will have to postpone her trip to visit BratGirl1's class. She's very disappointed, but is grateful to be alive.

Incidently, the cat sat in the kitchen for about 1/2 hour, waiting for the mouse to come out. I don't think he realized that I rescued her!

Epilogue: Unfortunately, Jordan only survived a couple of days after this incident. BratMom even hand-fed Jordan water several times a day, because she went completely blind and was unable to find the water. After her passing, we got Bella.... Princess, the other mouse, passed away shortly before this incident, due to a tumor. Hence, Linda....

I've got to get a bigger note pad!

In my "Murphy's Law" post, I made a note to self: Don't cut BratGirl2's hair when she wants it short. Hmmmm... I cut it anyway. Twice. Not too short. Not as short as I cut BratGirl1's hair in June. But still, it's fairly short. And, what do you know? BratGirl2 still likes it, even 3 days later. I guess wonders never cease. Still, I've got to get a bigger notepad!

Busy busy busy....

...that pretty much sums up the last two months, and the next 4 weeks. If I can just make it until the middle of June....

Really, it's a love-hate thing with busyness. I love the flurry of activity, the "never being bored," the satisfaction of finally accomplishing something. However, I miss having time to stop and smell the roses. I long for lazy mornings, snuggling with my 3 kids before I get up, soaking up the sweet smell of promise that lingers in their hair. I dream of time to have a hobby, or start a business, or write a book.

Busy busy busy busy.... Wait.... I see a rosebud getting ready to bloom....

Picture Day and Murphy's Law

Why is it that, if it can go wrong, it will? I should have known. After all, it's picture day today!

We tried really hard to eliminate any chance of having a problem. BratGirl1 had her fit last night, trying to pick out an outfit. She chose a grubby pink camoflage t-shirt and a black ruffly skort. I nixed the shirt, and she cried and complained, before settling on a brown & pink skort/shirt outfit. (Why was I not surprised when she chose her pink cowboy boots to wear with it?!) At any rate, BratGirl2 chose an outfit, too, and even a back-up outfit that she has worn before, just in case. (We all know how she can be a little psycho in the morning, but, then again, can't we all?!)

Fast forward to this morning. BratGirl2 gets up, a little grumpy, and proceeds to have a melt-down because her top is uncomfortable. So, she changes. Once again, the outfit is uncomfortable. Another melt-down. She finally picks out a different outfit, and has to wear a t-shirt underneath (her "underneath shirt," as she calls it.) Of course, the blouse is a deep red and has a wide neck with a draw-string, and her t-shirt has a hot-pink crew neck, but she presses on. By the time she's finally dressed, we have 10 minutes to get out the door, and she still doesn't have her hair done.

The hair.... Oh, why did she want bangs cut? And why did I cut them? She did love them at first, and looked so cute with them in the beginning, but now she refuses to let me fix them; they're always frizzy because she doesn't want me to straigten them, and she pins them back or wears a headband, because "they poke my eyes!" Half of the time, they're sticking straight up! (Note to self: don't cut her hair off when she decides she wants it short; she'll hate it in two days, and you won't be able to fix it!) Anyway, we talked about her hair last night, and she agreed that I could fix her bangs so they look nice for photos. Of course, when I did fix them (and they were well above her eyes!) she threw another hissy fit, and cried for 10 minutes about not feeling well, not wanting to go to school, not wanting her picture taken, etc.

(In the mean time, I was making their lunches and needed the granola bars that I bought yesterday. They were in my trunk, and I discovered that I had left 2 dozen eggs in my trunk all day yesterday! If it were still cold out, that wouldn't be a big deal, but it was 70+ degrees yesterday, and my car sat out all day in the sun! Hmmmmmmm..... I guess I should throw them in the trash-- and not at something!)

Well, to make my very long story a tad bit shorter, I finally got them out the door and to the school parking lot at 8:21. (School starts at 8:15.) I get out of the car to give them their daily hug and kiss, and BratGirl2 wraps her sweet arms around my neck, kisses me 4,000 times, squeezes me tight, says "I love you, Mommy!" and walks, smiling, to class.

How's that for "repentence"?!! (Nope, I wouldn't change her for anything!)