Kleenex, Clorox and Summer

Well, vacation time is officially here for the Stark Family! Myles has hit the road back to Alabama with his Grandpa, very exciting! Jared is leaving as well this weekend, headin up to TableRock with the gang for a weekend of diving. Clay and I are lounging around the homefront, cleanin, packin and lazin until Monday morning. Then we are all headin south to Alabama for a week of lazy with Grandpa and Gramdee! We expect nothing more than daily picnics and pool parties all week! As well we will be hitting our local fave's for delicious cuisine! I can't believe summer is on the downhill spiral as we speak.
I stopped at Walmart, which I rarely do-mainly due to my total disgust and hatred toward that place, and picked up the "Back To School List". This year I had to get two and that was sad enough, let alone realizing I have to buy two boxes of Kleenex per kid. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but this time of year makes me ask myself one question, "Just exactly what do my $400.00 per year school taxes go toward?" Neither of my kids need two boxes of kleenex, maybe a few extra shirtsleeves, but two boxes-NEVER. Yet every year I purchase enough Clorox wipes and Kleenex for the class and my kids still get sent home with runny noses and a cough! Soooo...my point...this year I am rebelling! I know, not a good influence on the kiddo's, but who cares. I am purchasing the following...a 6 pack of germ-x individual size bottles to fit in the boys' backpacks, a 12 pack of individual size kleenex, once again to fit in the backpacks and a bottle of airborne! I am done suppling the school's snotty faced little kids with kleenex and clorox! I spoke with the teacher this past year and she said it was appreciated because a lot of the kid's parents can't afford them and so the supply dwindles. Excuse me, did I hear you right? Can't afford it? Who-total price $8.00? Who can't afford that? I understand being on a budget and maybe one or two kids-total, in the entire school-can't afford eight dollars. But, are you serious. My reply, "Stop smoking for two days and you take over the Kleenex/Clorox fund!" Maybe, "Get a J-O-B" or "Stop cheating the system, then I would have an abundance of monetary influx and then I wouldn't mind buying a few extra kleenex. Anyway, just thought I would share! -Stacey

Questions from the Stall

Hey everyone! I'm heading BACK to work after 3 wonderful days OFF! Nothing really happened on my days off, except I got to spend them with my boys, which is always exciting. I realized my little Clayburn has a mind like no other. Here's why:
~ While at the water park, like usual, he decided he needed to go potty. (poop, of course!) So as I was standing in the stall, looking at those big blue eyes looking at me, here was our conversation. Note the chuckles from the older ladies in the room as well. "Mommy, do you like cats?" "yes, clay I like cats." "I don't, they have claws. Mommy do you like trumpets?" "Yes, Clay I like trumpets." "What about paxaphones." "Saxaphones? Yes I like saxaphones." "Do you like flip-flops?" "Yes, you know I like flip-flops." "Did you wear flip-flops to your wedding?" "Yes I wore flip-flops to my wedding." "Will I ever have a step-dad?" "Nope, not in my plans." "Do mommies poop?" "Yes Clay, we do. Are you done yet?" "No. Do old ladies poop?" "Yes clay they do. Hurry up" (chuckles louder now) "Mommy do you like frogs?" "Yes Clay, I like frogs. Are you almost finished?" "Well, I've done a baby pooper and a mommy pooper, but you'll have to wait on the daddy one." "Thanks Clay!" "Mommy why do you like your swimsuit?" "Because it hides the fat you and your brother caused me!~" "Yeah and it hides the cake you had for breakfast!" "You're done, come on!" CHUCKLES ALL AROUND!

What I NEED for Christmas!

Looking back over the last three years, I know that I am the culprit to my own exhaustion. I am the enabler to my sleepless nights, but he is so darn cute! I'm speaking of Clayton. He has been invading my bed now, every night, for three years. In the beginning stages it was because he was a preemie. After we got home from our stay at St. Louis Children's Hospital, it was because he was sick. Once I got him sleeping, with his brother, in their own bed and he would sneak into my room at night it was because he was scared. After age two I chalked it up to, "but he's my baby", because he is such a momma's boy and I love it. But now he's three and there is no excuse! I attempted a strange, yet just-my-mothering-style tactic two weeks ago. When he would get in my bed, I would waller him, elbow him, hang my leg over on him and push him until he had had enough. Instead of going back to his bed or moving to the pallet that is by my bed, he got up-walked to dad's side of the bed-and snuggled in. Jared loved it, the whole crossing-over moment and this cycle has started again! I realized the other night I should just move to the couch when he enters my bed....but his sniffer realized I was gone and FOLLOWED me to the couch, "mommy, why'd you leave me!" Yes, it was true. Now I was on the couch and in the dog house! I've prayed, I've screamed, I've cried and I've thought of giving him up for nighttime adoption. In the end-I think I'll ask Santa for a King size bed.

It has been a while since I've had a chance to blog my thoughts. I realized today that July is midway over, which means that school starts in a few weeks. To most that's not a huge deal, but at our house it is over-whelming! This fall my Myles starts Kindergarten, Clay starts half days at early childhood, I finish up my last year in the BSN program and Jared has decided to return to college to work on his nursing degree. It's okay, the dog will be at home! I cannot believe how fast time flies! It seems like last week Jared and I were saying "I do" and Myles was on the way, but that was almost 6 years ago. So many times in life people get distracted with trying to achieve more things, that they miss out on the important things. Thankfully I can look back over the last six years and know that my eyes were open and I made memories with my family, that no object could ever take the place of. I hope and pray that you do as well.