Serious Business, What I Know For Sure & #iPPP

"They're attacking, get down," ordered Lucy while her brothers ducked behind the minivan.

"Run for cover!," yelled JT and they all ran to the bushes.  

No worries, my children weren't in any real danger.  They were just up to the serious business of being kids. Playing make believe and pretending the sounds of fireworks were an act of war.  Sounds of firecrackers rang through the darkening sky and my children were pretending they were in a battle.  They would stop to ooh and awe over fireflies and try to catch them briefly.  Then it was back to running from the enemy.

Fourth of July and we're having a blast (ugh, sorry I couldn't help it).  Not sure who was having more fun with the fireworks part of our holiday, Tim or the kids.

Earlier in the day they spent time trying to blow up a Spider Man action figure.

Poor Spidey.

Clearly they got the wrong message from the movie Toy Story.  Tim was the ringleader in this escapade and assured me it was totally normal for kids to want to do this.

I was just pleased that the kids were really working together.  Sure it was formulating a plan to try and melt Spidey's face off, but they were being nice to each other and that's what melted my heart.

I'm less firecracker and more of a sparkler person.  In fact, I love sparklers.  I fell in love with sparklers when Alice put them on a cake for one of the boys on The Brady Bunch.   How awesome is that? 

The kids indulged my sparkler love and then went back to plotting against Spidey and whatever enemy was attacking their base.

I love sparklers so much that after we thought the kids were in bed I busted out a few more.  I went into the front yard and heard "oh hey, mom!"  Hanging out the window above me were Lucy and JT.  They were listening to the faraway fireworks and pointing out the fireflies.  Neither one of them seemed surprised to see me running through the front yard with sparklers, they were just like "oh hey whassup" and then got back to their business.  Their business of being kids and telling stories and marveling at loud noises and the sounds of summer.

"This has been the best Fourth of July ever," Lucy yelled down to me before I warned her she should shut her window so bats don't fly into her room.

A little while later, I went to tuck them in (and check the room for bats) and I found Lucy and JT passed out from so much Fourth of July fun.  The serious business of being a kid is exhausting.

Sparklers, firecrackers and blowing up toys may not be everyone's idea of an epic Fourth of July, but it was one of our best, I know that for sure.

Here's what else I know for sure (this week):

• Since we decided to keep our puppy, she's been one of the happiest dogs evah.  Which makes all of us happy.  And it's pretty awesome.

  

• I am obsessed with the show Scandal.  Thank you Netflix and Hulu for letting us catch up from the beginning.  Tim and I are almost done with season one and it is sooooo good. 

• It's not too late to impress people with a Fourth of July craft. If you have a weekend party to go to, this is the perfect cheap, easy and patriotic project.  Check it out:

• Lucy and Wade are the perfect make believe partners in crime.  Mostly because he does whatever Lucy tells him to do.

• This song by Imagine Dragons is how I'm feeling about my summer...on top of the world.  Peyton's fifth grade class sang this to the parents at his graduation.  Seriously, isn't that so cool? (And they sang it on Good Morning America this morning.)

• Jennifer won the olloclip in lat week's giveaway. (The winner was determined using Random.org.)  In honor of living in the moment, loving it and capturing it on your iPhone, I'm gave away a quick-change camera lens for your iphone--the olloclip.  A lens that can make the awesome pics you already take on your iphone um, awesome-er.  It is a $70 lens and is perfect for capturing all the summer memories you are making.

What do you know for sure (this week)? C'mon, we're friends, share what you know. What did you do on the Fourth of July?  Leave a comment here or on the Facebook page.

  Please come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

I'm linking up today with my friends Greta from  Gfunkified.com and Sarah from SundaySpill.com for the #iPPP link up.  They host a link up where they encourage people to share "your funny, your yummy, your heartfelt, your favorite photos of the week" from our phones.  
Check them out.

The Show Will Go On

"Back up,don't get so close to the fireworks," I snap.


"Don't run too close to each other with your sparklers," I warn.


"Holy shit, you're going to set the yard on fire, run!" I scream.

My oldest (and best listener) staying completely still per my request while he "enjoyed" his sparkler.

That was me being a totally un-fun mom at our impromptu Fourth of July fireworks on our driveway.  It wasn't pretty.

It was all fun, new and frightening to baby Wade.

I think this past couple weeks I've really proven something.  Yeah, that something is the fact that I suck in crisis.  I am referencing my cursing tirade at the scene of my sweet boy's arm-breaking fall of course (story here). 


I always relied on the fact that I might not handle the day-to-day stresses so great, but when the shit hit the fan, I was gold.  You just lost your job?  I was the type of girl (or so I thought) that would tell you "no worries, we are together and in love, we'll make it through anything."  My crazy mother is in the hospital (again)?  After a few tears, I would pull it together and make sure everyone was taken care of and the "right thing" was done.


But now my faith in my abilities has been rocked.


After JT broke his arm, I became one of those people.  Those worry wart people I used to judge and feel sorry for.  I used to watch those people and pray for their sake they could lighten up and not worry about everything.  Because worry sucks.  Especially worry about things we can't control, about people we love.  




The Fourth of July is not a holiday for people dealing with any kind of parenting anxiety.  Especially during a record setting heat wave with a near dead (but hopefully coming back to life) yard.


My husband, Tim, thought it would be fun to do fireworks in our driveway this year.  I worried about the dry yard conditions, the children getting burned, the house getting set on fire, etc.  Everyone had fun, despite my extreme worry and fun sucking gripes.

Obviously they think almost setting the neighbor's yard on fire is hilarious. 

My scary what-if visions and anxiety seemed to hit an all-time high on the fourth.  Now my worry lessons each day.  I still pray for those people that over worry constantly. But I will not stay in this place for too long.  It will fade, at least until the next crisis.  Which I  will handle with all kinds of bad words, screams and fun sucking.  That's just how I roll people.  The show will go on, this I know for sure.


What else I know for sure (this week):


I am psyched for the Olympics.  This is the official video and if this doesn't make you want to train or compete in something or at least get you pumped to watch the Olympics, I don't want to be your friend.  I'm kidding (sort of).  Just watch, it is awesome.

It's hot.  Like crazy hot, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you.  We've been trying to beat the heat indoors with Just Dance Wii parties, card games and painting projects.

I'm not going to lie, my husband and I love watching crime dramas on TV.  And we are happy, but sad too, that the final six episodes of The Closer starts on Monday.  It will be sad to say good-bye to Brenda, but thank god we still have the new season of The Good Wife this fall.

It's been a crazy couple weeks in pop culture.  First Ann Curry's awkward exit from The Today Show. Yikes.  Now TomKat?  I mean I'm not surprised by either.  But I am indeed surprised by Katie's hutzpah.  I'm Team Katie all the way.


Waterproof casts are the bomb.  Summer is officially back in session since JT got his fancy cast on this week.  He is able to swim in the pool and I worry a tiny bit less about all the wrestling.  

Social media is where it's at, remember that.  Click here to follow me on Twitter.  And click here to join the party on Facebook.  

What do you know for sure (this week)?