Marriage is about compromise.

Like when you thought your tax refund was going to be used on window treatments and your husband was thinking more along the lines of a fancy basketball goal.

However, I've never seen a happier (or more cocky) 5-year-old in my life. Most of the time it's pretty adorable. The other times it's completely obnoxious (case in point: below is his "I'm better than LeBron" face).

His fancy new toy is keeping him outside and helping him get exercise, and that's definitely a good thing. I'm actually referring to Andy.

I'm pretty sure window treatments wouldn't bring Bode this much joy. However, they would keep all the mass murderers from seeing into our house, so that would have been a plus.

And then there is sweet Mia. The only thing this girl needs to keep her happy is an insect or two.

She's simple in so many ways, yet complicated at the same time. It's the complicated part that terrifies me as a parent. Well, that and the mass murderers.

She told me recently that she was sad that Bode likes basketball so much because he doesn't spend as much time playing with her.

Translation: He doesn't spend as much time doing what she says. Nonetheless it's still a little sad. This is the first time in their lives they have had so little in common.  

I guess marriage isn't the only thing that requires compromise. 

Welcome Home

Meet our terrarium. It's the eyesore of our house which make it all the more thrilling that it's the first thing you see when you walk in. And as if it wasn't obvious enough, it comes with a huge mirrored wall. Score!

This thing evokes all kinds of reactions from me on a daily basis. Namely, cussing and laughing out loud.

The question on everyone's minds (including mine) is why is it still here? Well, for starters it's quite the conversation piece. One night Andy tried to talk me into getting in a swimsuit and laying on a beach towel as people came over.  I guess it does have that island vibe, if islands were full of kitty litter and fake palms trees. 

For another thing, it's built so darn well it would take a crane with one of those giant balls on it to get it out of here (I'm not up on my construction vocabulary, I'm sure there is an official name for that). It's built over carpet and tile, so according to the hubs it's staying until it is time to replace the flooring. 

It's just another thing on my "things I promised my husband I would not bug him to redo when we moved but we both knew darn well I was lying" list. 

Stay tuned, there are plenty more mirrors in this house for me to complain about and there is no better place to complain than your very own blog.

I realize this blog has been a little Bode heavy lately,

but recital season is coming up giving Mia several opportunities to be in the spotlight. And let's be honest, she's pretty much always in the spotlight around here.

However, this little man had "wheel day" at school last Friday and he was pumped. The five minutes Bode wasn't talking about basketball last week he was talking about wheel day.  It was "a really big deal, Mom."

Notice Bode in the very back of the line listening intently to the instructions. 

That's how I prefer to picture him at school, the only one being perfect all day long. 

(I've been known to not always live in reality.)

Check out this chaos. I have no earthly idea how these amazing teachers handle this. I was ready to go breathe in a bag.

When I told you Bode wore his jersey every single day I was not saying that for effect. 

I'm dead serious. Every. Single. Day.

Mia went right to managing all the kids like a pro. Those kids had better not get off the bike trail or they had her to deal with.

By the end of wheel day Bode looked like he might faint and told me he would die if he didn't get a grilled cheese and a root beer from Sonic. At that moment I knew that there was at least a little bit of my DNA in this kid, and I was so relieved. I may not understand basketball but I completely understand the need for a Sonic drink. Bode and I - we're going to be just fine.

This happened.

The good news is that we can now eat together as a family.  

The bad news is I'm cooking again.

This kid may be broke, but he's happy.  

He's living on love.

 I tried to explain to him that the days you live on love are the happiest days of your life.

He didn't get it.

The only things he gets right now are legos and basketball.  

And I've never met anyone happier.

I've lost all connection with my son. - post edit

My husband pointed out to me that "James LeBron" is actually "LeBron James" which drives home my point: I know nothing about basketball.

I swear it was only one month ago that Bode was climbing in my lap telling me that I was the best Mommy in the world.  He would also let me rock him,  read to him, and hold him in the produce section of grocery stores when we were both cold.  

And then he discovered basketball.  And now all he is is a running commentary on basketball, NBA team rankings, and his favorite player (which changes more than his underwear, I assure you).

This past weekend I took these two little ladies to Spring Sing and left Bode at home to watch Sportscenter.  

I never thought I would miss playing lightsabers for hours on end.  Until now.  The kid is incapable of talking about anything but basketball.  The other day his teacher came up to me in the pick-up line with a look of utter desperation on her face and said Bode never quit talking about basketball for the entire day.  He. Won't. Shut. Up.

But I'm determined to connect with this foreigner that I birthed, so I am now watching sports center and comparing James Lebron to Kevin Durant.  It's not awesome but I'm adjusting to my new normal.

Thankfully, I still have Mia and Pinterest.  

My latest read

I had exactly three days in-between finals for one block of classes and the beginning of the next block.  Three whole days to do things like actually cook some of those Pinterest meals, paint my nails turquoise, watch those ridiculous screaming goat remixes on YouTube, and read for pleasure.  Oh joy!

One of my classmates recommended this book and I read it in a day.  It's so interesting/weird/sad/hilarious.  And I love interesting/weird/sad/hilarious stuff.  

It's about a Chinese mother raising her two daughter in Connecticut.  This mother is determined to buck the Western parenting influences and raise her daughters the Chinese way.  And like any mother with grand plans for her children, things didn't go as planned. 

I can't decide if it made me feel like a better parent or a worse parent.  Perhaps a little of both.

If you want an easy read, I would recommend it.  And if you want to meet a person that yells at her kids more than you, thus lessening your guilt, I would definitely recommend it.