I am not a videographer

So I WAS going to post videos from the school program, but after looking at them and editing them, they still didn't really show you what we got to see, so I am not uploading them straight to my blog.

Note to self: Locate the video camera you actually own and start taking that places instead of thinking the video on your digital camera will actually do what you want it to do.

This post is going to center around Kaleb and Olivia. I'll try to keep it...short...ish.

The kids had a day off from school yesterday and it was my turn to try to work from home while they ran loose in the house. I had a lot of claims that HAD to be dispatched and thus I couldn't just give the kids my full attention like we ALL wanted! The morning progressed rather well and we managed to avoid extreme meltdowns.

I guess I should go back and say that this post will be unlike most of my other posts that talk about my son. If you've been with me for more than a year or so (those of you that have THANK YOU for your continued support!), you know that when I have something to write about my son it is usually because there is some sort of 'issue'. However, today is all about the GOOD that I have seen in Kaleb over the last couple of days. Most days there really is a struggle in every little thing. Yesterday I was worried the day would take that turn when Kaleb was being rude and disrespectful to one of his sisters. Quite shocking to me though, before I had a chance to address it, he promptly APOLOGIZED!! My friends, this is RARE. Immediately I thanked him for recognizing what he had done and saying he was sorry. Inside I was jumping for joy over this seemingly small accomplishment. Believe me! This was huge and I made sure that Kaleb knew that I was proud of him. I want to encourage THIS behavior and not some of the other things we have dealt with.

Later, in the afternoon, I was again busy trying to set up some claims. I had taken a two hour break to clean and get some laundry done, as well as order Chinese slave for hours in the kitchen in order to feed the kids lunch. When Kaleb gets bored though, Kaleb gets restless. He becomes silly, and then it escalates to varying degrees of making me want to pull my hair out; and then he usually winds up hurting one of his sisters or pushing my buttons until he can get me yelling. Which sadly he does all too often. I had calmly (not sure how I managed this!) talked to him about his behavior, letting him know that I just needed two hours to get some more work done. I was about ready to lose it when he suddenly decided to go into the bathroom. I heard him saying how dirty the sink was and could he clean it. Well, do you think I was about to tell him NO???

So, I need to just stop here for a moment and tell you that it pays to have a kid with a tendency towards OCD. My son discovered Clorox Wipes yesterday!! And now there is NO going back! He cleaned the sink alright. I told him to be sure that he cleaned the faucet. A few minutes later he asked if he could clean the drain (stopper) too. It was funny that he was asking me about that, like he needed my permission. He didn't stop there either. He emptied the trash can and replaced the bag in the trash can. He cleaned the TOILET. He even got mad at me because I wouldn't let him clean the mirror with the wipes. I'll have to introduce him to Windex and paper towel for that one. Once he was done, he was ready to see what other damage he could do with Clorox wipes! It was so funny and cute to watch him. He then, needing more to clean, put dishes into the dishwasher that were cluttering the table. He straightened up the papers and put away anything that didn't belong there. BECAUSE HE WANTED TO WASH THE TABLE. With Clorox wipes of course!!! He then put the Roomba to work in all the areas that needed it.

What a GOOD boy!!!

So today I took him out to celebrate. After praising him up and down yesterday for his efforts and bragging to Daddy about it, we went to the library and Kaleb picked out the movie for movie night tonight. Then we went to the gas station to celebrate. It may not seem like much to you...but it's our thing. The kids LOVE going places one on one with me. I ALWAYS take them to the gas station and let them get a soda (which Daddy never does!). So it's a big deal! We had a good time and I told him once again how proud I was of him. He got a slushy and a pack of gum and was thrilled with the attention and the goodies. It was a GOOD day for us both!

On to Olivia...that girl! That girl is INSANE! And I love her. She's funny and so very weird. And adorable. She's the complete package really. If you've got a little boy, train him up well...she's a KEEPER!

Livvy got into my closet this afternoon...

She's wearing my Pampered Chef hat, a pair of my black shoes, one flip flop on one hand and a slipper on another...

Hamming it up...

She made sure to lift her foot so I could get a good shot of her feet...

Later in the day, she got a coloring book out. She proudly showed me her picture. The goal, as you will see, is to unscramble the words. The result was partly because she can't spell yet, but mostly because she is just...well...she's Livvy!

She asked me what the words spelled. I just laughed and showed the others who also got a big kick out of Livvy's interpretation of the instructions. She then started giggling, and said "It says Olivia, Olivia, Olivia, Olivia, Olivia, Olivia!"

500 points that are worth absolutely nothing to the first person who unscrambles all the words and leaves the answers in the comments! ;-) Wait, I just realized that sounded like an admission that I don't know the answers. Let me assure you that I am great with words and I know all of these answers. I'm just desperate to feel some love!

And now, THIS is the future P90X and Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It's a workout program for your BODY and your HEART! THIS is a workout video that I can get behind. You follow this 30-second workout and I can guarantee you'll be feeling...um...something...