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Feathers

Photo by Gwen Aucoin www.gwenaucoin.com

I know ther're about as trendy as beanie babies and I should probably leave them to 15 year old girls, but guess what..I love feathers in my hair. I've put in my order, so if you're in the mood for a splash of color in your hair (for just a few bucks), let me know. After all, Festival time is just around the corner folks:-)

Cavity

Photo by Gwen Aucoin www.gwenaucoin.com

We pile into our van and we head out.

We're going to the dentist.

I could think of a thousand things I would rather do on a sunny Friday morning, but it was times for new tooth brushes anyway.

Thankfully everyone was in a good mood. Good mood being no one had bitten, slapped or clawed at each other as of yet.

The bribing tactics I had used the night before seemed to be having a positive effect.

''You know Emmylou, if you're nice at the dentist’s office, mommy will go buy you that Lalaloopsy doll you've been asking for since Christmas!''

Hey, don't judge. You've done it too!

Miraculously, Joseph volunteered to go first.

(This is a new tactic I've been using to get them to do something they would normally otherwise run far far away from. I ask, ''Who wants to go first?''. They ALL want to go first just to aggravate each other. It works like a charm for things such as nail clipping, bathing and shots!:-))

Emmylou went second.

Luke went last and that's when the dreaded word was spoken.....cavity!

Luke had a cavity way back in one of his molars.

When I ask what could have possibly caused this cavity (as if I didn't know), she answers with the obvious, ''Well, does he eat a lot of candy?''. To which my husband replies,''Yes.''. Which translates in my head to, ''You're the absolute worse mom in the world, letting your kids eat all that candy that has eaten away at this poor innocent boy's baby tooth!''

(Often, this is how our conversations go......interpretation is not my friend!)

Yes, I admit my kids DO eat candy. But, I still insist that they don't necessarily eat A LOT of candy.

I like to think of their eating habits as more ''balanced''.

I try and make sure they eat their vegetables, but when your daughter tells you at the dinner table, ''I don't have to eat my vegetables to grow big, the hiccups will take care of that!'', what am I supposed to say? I mean really, who can argue with that:-)

My thought pattern is if I tell them NO to candy, then they'll just want it more. I've learned that the hard way:-) (Reverse psychology has also been a great tool in my child rearing tool box!)

I'm just not the mom giving away celery sticks at Halloween...not that there's anything wrong with that:-)

So anyway, the dental hygienist could obviously see the ''I hate myself for letting this happen to my child'' look in my eyes, so she nicely explained that sometimes these things just happen....even though we both knew that wasn’t true.

I appreciated the kind gesture.

So they all got light-up tooth brushes that seem to help the teeth brushing situation and hopefully another cavity situation.

That night, Emmylou asked me if I had special eyes that could see the little ''bugs'' that cause cavities. To which I answered, ''Of course! Now keep brushing!''

That also seems to help!

Today

Today I am thankful.

Today I am thankful for my 2 year old's dirty mouth rubbing on my cloth couch.

For stomach aches right before bedtime.

For poop on my floor...human poop.

For my 3 hour good night's sleep.

For runny noses..wiped on my pants.

For having little ''assistants'' who ''assist'' me at making dinner.

For the absence of solitude in my bathroom.

Today I am thankful because my home has not been taken away by the ocean or shaken to the ground.

Today I am thankful because I know where I will be sleeping tonight.

Carème

Lent

A time for sacrifice, repentance and self-denial.

This year, I started off this period of self-deprivation with a delectable crawfish stew, homemade macaroni and cheese, creamy potato salad and last but not least, deliciously tart key lime pie.

I love Lent in the deep south!

No meat on Fridays you say? Well how about a huge crawfish boil paired with fried catfish and shrimp étouffée.

Cajuns sure know the TRUE meaning of ''fasting''.

Growing up in a Catholic environment, Lent, or ''carème'' in French, was always a significant time of year.

I personally remember dreading it since I knew I would have to ''give-up'' something I really liked.

One year our parents made us give up watching English TV. We only had two channels and one TV in our house, so that pretty much left us with one French Canadian channel and no place to hide. And no offense to anyone, but if you happened to have watched French Canadian television in the late 80s then you can sympathize with us four deprived children:-)

I don't remember if we lasted until Easter, but I still remember it like it was yesterday...so I suppose the purpose of it all was attained.

My husband's most memorable Lent was when he and his family would say the rosary every single night.

Compared to that, not watching English TV would be a walk in the park:-)

So this year, instead of asking my kids to give up something (and due to the fact that I'm not a uber committed practicing Catholic), we are going to grow a garden. It's my attempt at getting Emmylou to appreciate vegetables and to lessen her gag reflex at the sight of a carrot.

As for me personally, I'm not sure what Lent is going to consist of.

But, maybe I'll start with depriving myself with a piece of scrumptious red velvet cake topped with divine cream cheese icing.

What happens in your house for Lent?

(Photo by Patrick CharpiatPatrick.charpiat at fr.wikipedia [CC-BY-SA-2.0-fr (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en) or CC-BY-SA-2.0-fr (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en)], from Wikimedia Commons)

p.s Don't forget to click on the ''like'' below if you enjoy my jibber jabber:-) 

Post Mardi Gras!

Just leave me alone would you!

Mardi Gras Mohawk

 

It WILL grow back Gran:-)