This week has been trying, to say the very least.

Professionally, I have a whole bunch on my plate. Work at the office has been steady (not complaining) but in addition, I’ve had a number of speaking and authoring engagements that have converged all at once. July and November are my crazy months for speaking and writing. Halfway through July, I’ve had at least three major writing deadlines and several related calls. I have two more days of seminars to go (and don’t even get me started about the impossibility of traveling from Philadelphia to Gettysburg without a car - No rail? No bus? From one major historical site to another? Ridiculous.).

Personally, I get to tackle all of these projects with abbreviated school for summer. The kids are in school until noon. Noon! That means that my work day at the office is about 3 hours. In order to get anything done, I have to drag myself out of bed every day at about 5-5:30am. It has been, um, challenging to say the least.

The summer has been made even more busy once you add in the “extras” for the kids - art camp, dance camp and “vacation.” We’ve tried to keep it simple this year by taking more, shorter trips rather than one extended trip that just makes everyone crazy. It’s not working, already there.

Notwithstanding the scheduling, I was hopeful that during the summer, the kids and I would simply enjoy the time together. But that’s impossible in my house. Amy is having an increasingly difficult time with her older sister. She feels targeted and it has manifested itself in a host of really bad behaviors, from hitting to screaming to shaking because she can’t calm down. Every day involves at least one meltdown. And not a little meltdown, a full body meltdown. I have no idea how to cope. But then you already knew that.Similar Posts:

• Summertime, Summertime
• Dive Right In
• I Hate Summer Mondays.
• The Dog Days of Summer
• Goodbye Summer Green Thumb Sunday.

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

This Saturday from 10-12 we are asking for volunteers to help repair the
entrance to the trails at Sumac and Vicaris Sts. Due to erosion, it is
almost impossible to enter the park now from that location.

If you can spare an hour or two of your morning to lend a hand that
would be fantastic. Bring work gloves, shovels, and/or garden
shears/clippers to trim back some of the weeds.

Refreshments will be provided!

Similar Posts:

• Cold Green Thumb Sunday.

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

And McDonald’s is giving away said free coffee.

Okay, it’s not plain ol’ coffee like the kind I have permanently attached to my arm. It’s flavored coffee. But, um, did I mention the free part?

McDonald’s is giving away free 7-ounce Iced Mochas and 8-ounce Hot Mocha each Monday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at participating restaurants through Aug. 3.

No purchase necessary.

Free.Similar Posts:

• Free Coffee. I’m in Heaven.
• I (heart) coffee
• Make It Through The Week Monday.
• Strange Brew
• Instant Monday

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

I got a note that I’m hard to find on social media because I don’t use lawmummy as my ID for anything anymore. Apologies. My taxgirl brand has taken over and I haven’t the presence of mind to maintain two accounts for things. So while I sort out a separate page with all of this stuff, here is a quick list of where to find me:

via Skype: lawmummy (though you’ll need to tell me why I need to add you)
via twitter: twitter.com/taxgirl
via FaceBook: FaceBook

Better?
Similar Posts:

• No Twitter?!
• Bad Days. And Hiatus.
• Exhausted
• Thanks for Asking.
• Psst… Over Here!

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

None Found

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

Chris got the fabulous idea of replacing said air mattress with a cot. He didn’t want to replace it with another air mattress because our whole air mattress history is, quite frankly, sad. The first time I’d ever heard of anyone ever sleeping on an air mattress was when Chris stayed over at my parents’ house when we were dating. We, of course, stayed in separate rooms even though we were living together. He slept on the air mattress and it deflated. I was convinced my father had done it on purpose - but it turns out it was the second time it had happened so maybe not (though I’m still not completely sure). A few years later, we bought an air mattress for my mom to use when she stayed over. It deflated when she used it so we retired it in favor of a futon. Unfortunately, we can’t exactly drag a futon into the tent, so our options are somewhat limited.

I say all of this to say that we’re desperate to replace the air mattress and we weren’t getting another one. Chris was all gung ho on the idea of getting a cot - but I was convinced that I would flip out of a cot, resulting in severe bodily harm. It’s not a stretch to say that Amy got her lack of balance and grace honest.

We paid a visit to the REI in search of a cot for Chris. He hated all of them. So, cot-less and with a flat air mattress, we began to worry that our next camping trip (upcoming this weekend) was going to start and end in disaster.

While Google-ing around for a decent cot, I came upon an idea: we should pay a visit to Cabela’s. If you’ve been to Cabela’s, you already have a picture in your head of Chris and I with the three kids in tow heading into a hunter’s paradise in central PA. If not, let me just say, it was a treat.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s an amazing store. If you need something for hunting, fishing, camping and apparently decorating your living room if you go the antlers on the wall route, they have it.

You can also eat there and then wander through an astonishing array of taxidermy. Those two things don’t feel as though they would be compatible, but it worked out surprisingly well.

We managed to get out there having spent just a few hundred dollars. Chris has new Merrills, we have new mats for sleeping and we have fishing rods. Buying all of this took quite awhile - I’m pretty sure that the woman we first asked to help us was laughing in a corner somewhere after we wandered off towards the fishing poles… City folks! Buying fishing rods! And they asked if they had to buy string (** holding her sides**). Yes, I said string. I’m not a fisherperson.

I also bought a fish hook removal kit. Clearly, the market for those is the kind of person who might actually get a hook stuck in themselves while fishing. You know, the kind of person who would buy the wrong size hooks and have to be gently told by the people who work there that you might want smaller hooks.

We rolled out of the store past the Jews for Jesus bus and wished that it was parked a little closer to the sign. What a photo that would have been. But alas, that was in the “bus parking” section of the lot. I’m not kidding. There’s also a separate lot for RVs.

Just ten miles away from Cabela’s is Hawk Mountain sanctuary. We’ve been intrigued by Hawk Mountain forever and never gotten out that way, so we decided to make a day of it and go look for raptors. As it turns out, there aren’t many raptors in summer (we’re advised to come back in fall) but there are a number of other birds and wildlife, including my kids’ favorite things to see in the woods: chipmunks.

We hiked about halfway up the mountain when Amy announced she had to go potty. Amy has been to nearly every public restroom on the eastern coast. Guaranteed. The child can pee every five minutes. Or more.

So I tell her that she’s going to have to wait and she starts freaking out: “I have to go very badly.” Peeing in the woods in the sanctuary is discouraged so we went in search of the nearest facilities, which were near the top of the mountain.

Of course, Katie “bladder like a camel” Erb didn’t have to go and wanted to stay and check out the overlooks. Every single one of them.

So we split up. On the mountain. And genius that I am, I didn’t have a cell phone.

It was quite a bit up the mountain and there were a number of rocky trails that were quite difficult for the kids. Amy hung in there like a champ but Charlie couldn’t make it up the steep parts, so I had to carry him.

Near the top, I was having problems figuring out my map. I wasn’t the only one. A nice couple had gone part way down one path only to come back and announced that it wasn’t signed properly. We both stood, staring at the maps and then parted ways.

As they walked off, Amy demanded to know who they were.

“I don’t know,” I told her. “We just met them.”

“Then why did they talk to us?” she asked.

“Because they were lost,” I said. “And they were nice.”

Charlie interrupted, “Their names are Kathy and Ella.” He said it as if it were true.

“Uh-uh,” Amy interrupted. “It couldn’t be Kathy and Ella because those are both girl’s names. One was a boy.”

“So it was Bob,” I said, playing along.

Amy looked at me very critically. “No,” she said. “It was John. John and Kathy.”

She said it with such authority. Charlie agreed and for the rest of the trip, they talked about John and Kathy as if we knew them. Later, they wondered aloud when we would next see John and Kathy - they hoped it would be soon.

After we left John and Kathy, it was more or less me standing on the side of a hill with no cell phone or other amenities (no diapers!) and the two kids. And then I heard it: thunder. Loud thunder. The sky grew darker and darker. And for a few moments, I thought, “Uh-oh. What the hell am I going to do? What if Chris and Katie went a different way and they don’t find us?”

Other than our pals John and Kathy, we hadn’t seen anyone in a while.

But like most moms, I couldn’t wallow in my own worries for long, I had bigger fish to fry. In my case, Amy swore to me that she was about to have an accident. Lost or not, thunderstorm or not, I had to find the lone potty at the top of the mountain. So, we set out.

Near the top, I heard voices. I peered over the side and felt a ridiculous amount of relief: it was Chris and Katie. And looking up, I saw the potty. Jackpot!

I yelled at Chris that we were headed to potty and to meet us at the top. He did. After Amy went potty, we headed back down the mountain, going a different way, as quickly as we could. It started to rain and the kids started to panic. We tried to keep their minds off of anything bad happening - that is, until Katie told Amy and Charlie that if they got hit by lightning, it would kill them. Thanks for that, Kate.

Katie also worried that they would close the park and leave us inside. I told her that wouldn’t happen because they knew we were inside the park. As we entered the actual trail, there is a small shelter with an older woman who checked our tickets - I guess they do that so that folks don’t just bypass the visitor center altogether and cheat them out of the entry fees. So, I explained to Katie, that the woman at the bottom who had checked our tickets had counted us as we went in and she would certainly notify someone if we didn’t come back out.

We made it down the mountain. My heart was racing. Partly because I was freaking out. But also partly because I had to carry Charlie for awhile.

And as we rushed out to the car, I noticed something quite worrying: that older woman? She was long gone. Thankfully, Katie didn’t notice.

We got back in the car and headed towards home. I have to say, it is quite a nice park with some lovely overlooks. The climbing can be quite tricky - it actually meets up with the Appalachian Trail. If you know anything about the AT in Pennsylvania, it’s that it’s universally loathed because it’s so darned rocky. The trail up to the top of Hawk Mountain is no different. Luckily for us, our kids are little mountain goats - especially Katie. She has been hiking up the sides of mountain since she was 2 and insisted that she would walk up a mountain in Maine by herself, she did not need to be carried. And she did.

We plan to go back and check out Hawk Mountain again in the fall. But at that moment on Saturday, we were just glad to be on our way home.

Hopefully, John and Kathy made it home, too.Similar Posts:

• The One(s) That Got Away
• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
• Camping Monday
• There is no glasnost.
• The Search Begins

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

The trip to the salon was a success! Ames had the most wonderful time. She advised all of the girls about the details of “Princess Protection Program” as well as all anyone ever wanted to know about Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez… Yes, she brought a People magazine. She’s clearly five going on thirteen.

But no trauma, no panic, no tantrum. And according to the folks at Aveda, she did a terrific job when they washed her hair (considering the fact that, at home, she screams like she’s being axe murdered when I wash her hair, this is a huge big deal).

She loved her new haircut and Riley even gave her some curls with the iron at the end.

It was the most relaxed/happy/herself that I’ve seen her in quite a while.

I know that Aveda is a bit of a splurge for kiddos but totally worth it. If you’re in the Philly area, I highly recommend the one on Main Street. They always make me and my girls feel valued.

Similar Posts:

• Free Dinners for Needy in Roxborough/Manayunk

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

So I did. The world did not end. I actually slept pretty well. But when I woke up, still angry.

And here’s why.

Once in a blue moon, I do something for me. Oh, don’t get carried away. These days, I can’t even do something for me by myself.

But every couple of months, I go to the “fancy salon” as Katie likes to call it and get my hair cut. It’s not really all that posh but it is a nice salon. It’s Aveda, it’s walking distance from my house and I like that they use all natural products. It’s definitely a step up from the SuperCuts where, until a few months ago, I would go, dragging all three kids behind me for hair cuts.

I can’t, however, go to the salon by myself. It would throw the world off its axis. So, kind of as a special treat and kind of so that I can actually get my hair cut, I’ve been taking Katie with me.

It’s a fun experience for her to get her hair cut in the “fancy salon.” They wash and dry her hair, just as they do mine. She has a regular stylist who, after her cut is done, usually takes the curling iron and makes ringlets. Then, they look out of the window and color the storefronts while they wait for me to be done. It’s lovely and everyone is happy.

However, things were thrown off a bit when my stylist went on vacation. I had to move my appointment which I did without thinking things through very far: I accidentally moved the appointment to the first day of Katie’s new art classes this summer.

I thought about rescheduling but then I figured I’d been promising Amy that she could go, so I’d just switch Amy in for Katie this one time. Voila!

But that left me with the “what to do about Charlie” question. I figured since it was Katie’s first art class - and Chris was taking her - that he could take Charlie, too, and they could walk around the neighborhood or grab ice cream or something.

Um, no.

I broach this suggestion last night and Chris says, “But that would blow my whole afternoon.”

To which I reply, annoyed, “Every afternoon is blown for me.” (In case you’re not following along, the kids are in summer school for a half day and I am charged with picking them up every. single. day. at noon and watching/entertaining/trying not to kill them until Chris gets home close to 6pm).

And then Chris says, “Yeah but…”

And he stops.

I say, “Yeah but what?”

And he won’t answer.

And you and I both know why. It’s because, as the mom, it’s my obligation to suffer through blown afternoons, right? That’s what I get for having kids and still trying to work?

It was like having a conversation with my mother all of the sudden.

He finally says, quietly, “If you wanted to change that, you could.”

Right. Cause if I decided to put the kids in full time summer school this summer, it would be perfectly okay.

Grr. And then grr some more.Similar Posts:

• I Am A Wuss. Judge Me.
• Doing it all.
• When I Grow Up…
• Would I have done it differently?
• Do I dread success?

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

It has been a few days now of “Kids Gone Wild” - I’m not sure why it happened or how it happened but the children have lost their minds. Is it summer? The heat? Being out of school?

But I’m done.

Chris arrived home at the end of June and I had hoped that meant that I would get a little reprieve from being “on” 24/7. It did not. He was tired. He had obligations. And he has very little patience when it comes to the kids.

And so I got to be “on” for a few more days.

There were tantrums, spectacular tantrums. Stomping. Yelling. My new un-favorite phrase of “shut up!”

There were the tossing of dirty clothes behind doors, throwing books and toys on the floor and just walking away. There was a refusal to pick up anything with whines of “Why do I have to do everything?” There were demands for more laundry, complaints about dinner and lunch and expectations that I would play maid all day long.

I don’t know how it all got out of control so quickly.

Last night, I just wanted Chris to be a little bit patient for me. I had nothing more to give - it had been 6 hours of screaming and kicking and hitting each other (the kids, not me, though it did cross my mind). And the very minute that Chris walked through the door, he lost it with Amy and started yelling. I was so tired of all of the yelling. So I told him so. And then I was the bad one.

I know it sounds terrible. But if I can hold it together for 6 hours, I really need Chris to be able to hold it together for a freaking hour. Only he didn’t see it that way.

So, of course, that meant that we got to argue with each other.

I hoped that today would be better. It did not start out well.

Today, Katie was complaining again about the lack of summer clothes. She has a point. But mostly because she destroys all of her clothes, and a little bit because, by throwing her clothes under the bed and behind the closet door, her things aren’t being laundered. So I decided to take them shopping after summer school.

It was a nightmare. Charlie kept running off. Amy picked up every item in the store and asked if I could buy it for her. And Katie, who I was trying to shop for in the first place answered almost every “What about this?” query with some variation on “Nah, it’s too brown” or “it’s too fill-in-the-blank-with-some-lame-adjective.”

I managed to get out of the store with no screaming. I even somehow got everyone into the house with next to no quarrels.

But that’s when all hell broke loose. Screaming and crying and fighting with each other. Trashing the rooms (oh yeah - we have a broken toilet paper holder and a room full of popsicle sticks to show for it). I separated them, they didn’t listen. I tried to get Charlie to take a nap, he kept crawling away.

It was as if my children had been replaced with little demon children. It was horrible.

And all day long, “Momma, Momma, Momma” followed by either:

• crying
• tattling
• some ridiculous question/demand

Then it hit me: why am I answering/catering to these monster children?

So I decided not to. Like a selfish little kid, I decided not to answer to them after dinner. I ignored both Amy and Charlie (after warning them that I would). I didn’t completely ignore Katie because she showed some modicum of improving. But I just stopped answering the other two.

I didn’t brush teeth, I didn’t read a bedtime story, I didn’t put them to bed. I cleaned up from dinner, did some laundry and ran a vacuum. I was tired and that was about all I could muster.

I’m not sure whether it will make a difference in their attitudes tomorrow but honestly, it made me feel better. Chris put them to bed and I had time to myself - real time, before 10pm time. Selfish or not, childish or not, I’ll take it.Similar Posts:

• There Will Be Blood
• Thursday… A Dramedy in Several Parts.
• The Devil Wears GapKids.
• Ick.
• My Sucky Week is Almost Over

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.

• Your Cheatin’ Heart

©2009 lawmummy. All Rights Reserved.