Entomophobia

Entomophobia: the abnormal fear or aversion to insects or other arthropods.

This is what I have. I have gotten away with it my entire life, because I always had someone, i.e. parents, friends, roommates, husband that did not have an aversion to bugs and could help me kill or get rid of them while I cringed against the wall. But, it is truly time to somehow fight this phobia. I just don't know how!!

At some point, every parent has expressed the words, "I don't want to instill my own fears onto my children." Naturally, parents try to hide their weaknesses as best as they can from their little ones. I feel like I am failing in this particular situation. My kids have seen my fear, and I sense they don't believe me when I tell them "It's ok. No big deal," immediately after my initial ear piercing scream. It hasn't quite hit them yet, and they aren't showing fear in bugs (with the exception of bees...but who isn't afraid of bees?) However, if I continue this behavior, I am concerned that one day, they will fear bugs, too. I read books to the kids about bugs to learn all the "wonderful facts" about them and how they live. My stomach is turning the whole time I am reading these facts. The truth is that these books are more for me than for them. Somehow, I need to get over this.

My phobia is more than the fear of the little bugs crawling up my arm, or the simple fact that they are the UGLIEST things known to man! I actually can't tolerate the feeling or the thought of crushing their crunchy bodies or watching them scramble and run away. This is what makes me hyperventilate the most.

I'm trying to get better with hiding my feelings. Once I master doing so, I will truly deserve an Oscar for my performance, because it will truly be the best acting I have ever done!

(In all seriousness...if you have any tips on how I can rid of this horrible phobia, please email me or share some advice!)

A Newfound Realization

How to get your child to eat salad...RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE SALAD DRESSING! (Helps mom to eat salad too!)

Mom and Dad

This website is mainly to focus on the fun, adorable (if I may say so myself,) and memorable moments of our 3 boys, but here is one about the parents. I actually celebrated my "ehem..." birthday yesterday with the family. I didn't take any pictures of that, because I was in my sweats and tshirt and disheveled hair...basically, what I look like 364 days of the year. But, at least one day out of the year, my husband and I get to actually go on a date!

I share the same birthday with a very dear friend of mine. (I am starting to believe in the whole astrological concept, because we are both Aries, and it is frightening how much we are alike!) Fortunately for her, she turned 30 yesterday. Unfortunately for me, she gets to tease me every year about how much older I am! Her husband threw a surprise party for her at a Japanese restaurant last weekend, and Matt and I actually were able to go sans kids! My wonderful mother babysat our boys, and I thank her with all of my heart. Otherwise, Matt usually stays home on nights that I have a "girls' night out." And I thank him with all of my heart, too. Those nights are very much needed!

Here is a picture of us at the party. I am posting this, because I have a feeling it is going to be a very long time before we get to do this again.

Spring has Sprung!

There are plenty of signs that spring is finally here. Last week, we saw deer in our development with little fawn following. I think we counted 10 in all, prancing through someone's back yard! On the more unfortunate side, this also means the little creepy crawly things are out of hibernation (or whatever they do during the wintertime.) We have witnessed a few spiders and a couple things flying in the air. And, I am now literally on the look out for bears, since I saw a few last fall. I guess when builders cut down and replace the forest with houses, a few little (or big) visitors are expected to follow.

Most importantly, the true evidence of the arrival of spring, is the fact that our three boys are also out of hibernation. It has been a long winter at home. I found little desire to bundle up all three boys and take them out in the wintery cold. But, as of lately, we have ventured out. I am testing the waters slowly to see how I can manage 3 little boys, out in public, on my own. It doesn't sounds so bad, except that Nathan is not the little angel that is content in his stroller anymore. He has made it clear that he likes to walk a little more often than be carted around. In order to avoid any type of chaotic situation, I try to set the rules beforehand, stay consistent with consequences, start with something small and practice, practice, practice. Our first trip was to a children's museum. It was a small building and very cute, but had an unexpected sign, "No strollers allowed on the second floor." (WHAT?!) I didn't let my panic ruin the trip, and I confidently took Owen out of his stroller and trudged on praying that Nathan would all of a sudden decide to become a mature 10 year old. Thankfully, the museum was practically empty, and the boys had a great time. I only hope that all of our trips will go as well as this one.

"I see a firetruck, a great, big, shiny firetruck..." (Nathan's favorite song!)

Owen had a little lamb...

"That is amazing!" (Ben's favorite saying these days.)

See more pictures at www.threelittleguys.shutterfly.com.

5 Year Old Questions and Comments...

• "Why does the sun follow us?"
• "Why are all the planets round and not square, triangles, or rectangles?"
• "I don't want to catch any bugs. They will be lonely and miss their mom and dad."
• I asked Ben tonight, "Ben loves playing with monster trucks, Nathan loves playing with trains, Owen loves playing with balls. What does Mommy love playing with?" Ben's answer, "Vacuums!"

"Shoe"

I hear this word about three times a day from random strangers when we go out, and this is not unusual. It's usually said in a calm, informative matter, and other times it's yelled to me with a pointed finger. Just one little word has helped me financially so many times..."SHOE!"

Nathan and Owen, sitting in the double stroller, found a way to entertain themselves by kicking off one of their shoes. So many times, I could have gone on not knowing it was missing. When I think of how many pairs of shoes we might have had to buy, I want to thank all those random strangers for helping me out in a big way!