The Easter Sugar Rush

While spring in Kentucky teases us with intermittent days of warm weather, I can’t help but feel hopeful as I hear the birds begin to sing, and see the flowers start to bloom. Yes, we are one month closer to summer (invariably the best time of the year).

And, watching the new flowers popping up out of the ground, I can’t help but think of my children, as I see their brightly-colored blooms emerge.

Kids love loud, vibrant colors … clothes, balloons, cereals, candy, Popsicles … you name it. (Somehow, this color thing has yet to catch on with vegetables, where this does — in fact — create quite the opposite effect; take eggplant and orange cauliflower for example. But, I’m still keeping my fingers crossed.)

Yet, as much as my children delight in artificial coloring, these days I’m trying to buy more foods without added dyes (Thank you General Mills for making my cereal selections easier.)

But, Easter becomes a particularly hard time to say no to high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring. Dyeing Easter eggs, eating JELL-O salad, and supplying baskets full of candy are all American staples during this time of year.

And I’ve found the more vibrantly colored a processed food is, the more children are drawn to it; like a moth to a flame.

Some Things Just Go Together, Like PB&J

Some things just go together — they seem to be made for each other.

Like thunder and lightning, Starbucks and lattes, Peter Pan and Wendy, or Oreos and milk.

When I was pregnant with my second child, I was trying to save money, so I ate my lunches at work in my office.

Soon, I found myself keeping a loaf of bread, peanut butter, and strawberry jelly (PB&SJ) readily available. I thought it practical; because it was cheap, and something I could keep easily at work.

When I thought about it, I couldn’t really remember the last time I’d eaten a PB&J sandwich. I loved them as a kid, but I’d pretty much outgrown that phase of my life.

I was sophisticated now after all. Grown-up people don’t eat PB&J.

In fact, it wasn’t until the day I sat at my desk and ate three entire sandwiches, I realized I had a problem. Ha! Apparently, (now so obvious) I was experiencing pregnancy cravings.

I have to say, while I don’t snarf them down like I did then, I still have great appreciation for a good PB&SJ sandwich.

So, I was somewhat caught off guard when my son (the in utero PB&SJ eater) told me he wanted a jelly sandwich for lunch.

What’s a jelly sandwich? “You mean a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

“No; just jelly.”

OK; I believe something is missing in this equation.

Jelly is perhaps fabulous as a standalone item on a biscuit, or perhaps even a piece of toast. But a jelly sandwich? It just doesn’t seem right.

Training the Family

I bought my boys a puppy.

Yes, I can’t deny it; I’m crazy, a sucker, and a glutton for punishment.

But, apparently the boys asked Santa for a puppy, which of course Santa didn’t bring (because they neglected to tell anyone else). But, after the holidays, they made sure to tell everyone in the family, they didn’t get what they asked for.

So, I gave in, and we have an Australian Shepherd puppy of our very own. Darling, sweet and definitely naughty … all rolled up into one big fuzz-ball. That’s our boy. So far he’s added quite a bit of excitement and work to my daily routine. But I tell myself that his cuteness makes up for all of the things he gets into.

The boys named him Rex, after the sheepdog on Babe, and of course, short for T-Rex, the tyrant lizard king.

The other day my son asked me what Rex’s last name is. I said, “Well I guess he has our last name, so Turner.”

“So his name is Rex Delicious Turner?” he asked.

What? He’s a dog. He doesn’t have a middle name.

“But you call him Rex Delicious.”

I was wondering what he was talking about, when I realized he was quite right. I had started calling him (on occasion, mind you) Rexaliscious, because, he is in fact so cute.

Rex Delicious doesn’t roll of the tongue too well, so my husband shortened it to Rex D.

Now our dog has a first, middle, and last name. So I guess he’s officially part of the family now.

Career Day Vigilante

Spirit weeks start early now. Even in elementary school, kids are encouraged to dress up in various ways to show their school spirit.

While little kids probably don’t fully understand school spirit, they do get that these days are fun, and also help them begin to see they’re part of something bigger, part of a team.

The first pajama day at school, my son had his doubts.

He thought I was trying to pull a fast one on him, and send him to school as the only kid dressed in his sleepwear.

That might be a good one for April Fools’ Day, but even I’m not that mean.

I explained to him everyone would be in their pajamas, as I shoved a clean PJ shirt over his head. But he protested the whole time that he was still very much against it. In fact, it wasn’t until we pulled up in front of the school — and saw other kids, and even teachers in their pajamas — that he fully believed me.

You’ve Just Scratched the Surface

I was sitting in the living room when I heard my boys enter the area whispering and giggling in the background.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“I was just telling Garrett to look at those hot babes,” Wyatt said pointing to the TV. I had been looking at my phone, and wasn’t even paying attention to the television. I looked up to see the Victoria Secret models running across the screen … in their underwear (of course) … in the snow.

How practical.

More giggles.

I take a deep breath. Boys.

My husband and I are definitely noticing the boys are becoming much more aware of their environment lately.

One day while shopping in JC Penney’s, we made our way through the middle of the store (in route to the home section), but my oldest son made a detour in the journey when we passed by the lingerie.

Yes, I turned around just in time to see him cupping the manikin’s lovely bra in his hands while my youngest son cheered him on. Luckily, I was able to grab him away before too many people noticed, and, fortunately, the headless victim didn’t press any charges.