In my case, the price of peace and quiet is, evidently, $2000.

If you reference some of my earlier posts or perhaps run into my husband you will know that I am extremely, extremely cheap. I prefer frugal and careful but my husband says no, it’s cheap. I come from a line of cheapies. My grandparents, very well off, are fondly remembered by my grandma wearing $2 grocery store keds b/c why spend $20 for the real thing? (She was cheap, he wasn’t–there’s a story passed through of how for Christmas, she asked for a coat, she got a fur coat–wasn’t so un-pc then–and was overheard by one of her ten kids complaining “I just wanted a coat to go to the grocery store”!)

Anywho I decided that my girls deserved a new jungle gym for the back yard–our house came with one, but it was 8 years old, filled with splinters, had no rungs (since I tried to climb it to reach something and broke them all, a real boost to my ego–note to self, diet–) and the slide was “ganked”. Ganked is a new word Aunt Erin taught my impressionable youngsters so we’re pretty psyched about that. I guess it could be worse.

I was willing to pay $1000 for said jungle gym which would have gotten me a board with a swing hanging off it. The most reasonable we could do without it being one swing for three girls to share was about $2000. Now I’m aware that these items are for sale at BJ’s, etc but my husband said “I refuse to trust myself with my children’s safety” and a co-worker, who bought the Costco item, subsequently spent $500 on a truck, $700 on tools, and dedicated 17 hours to building the swingset. After BunkBedGate ‘07 I’m all set with projects that large.

Psyched about the jungle gym, kids are too. Played for a full 30 minutes. And then were done.

Till they found the BOXES from the jungle gym. That occupied a full 45 minutes. They played sleep (generally voted the most boring game in the world, but led DAILY by our oldest. To play, you pretend to sleep. Actually, our babysitter is a big fan of this one.)

I’m SO not throwing away the boxes. For weeks! What a great “free bonus”!

Truth be told they did return to the jungle gym. So that was good. I think they’ll get some good play out of it. In my ongoing quest to get them playing on things without me constantly in the mix this is about a 70%. I do need to push them on swings (they refuse to learn to pump) but if I’m not there they somehow figure out to have fun without me. Now if only said fun were all-day…

around our house. Why? because everyone has determined, evidently, that it’s socially acceptable to let it all hang out whenever they want. 

Exhibit A: the twins, after their forced “naps” (read: time to destroy their rooms so I can put them all back together AGAIN as I do every night–why? Why can’t I just let the stuff build up or let them put it away in a fit of nap-enforced boredom) came down yesterday  to the basement to do dressups still wearing their nap-time pull ups.  They stripped down and then forgot the put on the unders step, and then ALSO forgot the put on the dress ups step.

I came out off of the treadmill and found them lying on the basement floor with their stuffed Elmo chairs over their head, starkers.  I don’t think that item needs me to say anything to make it funny because it just is.  Equally funny was when I came back 2 minutes later bearing unders to find them sitting in their chairs like some sort of weird naked talk show.  

Exhibit B: it’s maybe 150 degrees in the shade around here. It’s completely unacceptable and though I’m cheap and it PAINED me to crank on the central air conditioning the other day, I did it THANK GOD because today, as we all staggered in after “Picture Day” at Princess Number One’s dance recital (for which she sported purple velvet and tights–regulation–poor thing) it was all I could do to make it in to the sweet coolness of the kitchen and collapse. The twins had turned bright red within 1.4 seconds of getting outside, so were ready to spontaneously combust after being in the car, out of the car, in the car, out of the car for all the picture taking.  

It’s so hot that I went and bought not one but TWO water items to simultaneously amuse my children and drown the lawn. They frisked and frolicked on the slip ‘n slide (the second; first, with a special shark feature, lasted not even 8 hours before being summarily returned for general crappiness–the shark head was supposed to shoot water at the slip ‘n slide and instead shot it at my neighbor who was calmly trying to power was his fence) and the pool with a slide until they were done at which point they all stripped down IN the yard (with a garage sale going on across the street!) and then it turned into trying to herd kittens because just as we cornered one inside to get her dressed, another would turn up streaking across the front yard!

Certainly, I’m glad they are happy with their bodies. I’m not sure my neighbors are though.  

And in the last, cutest exhibit, the twins this am (while wearing underwear–underwear alone, but underwear nonetheless) were bonking their bellies together and yelling “Cheers”!  

I hope this isn’t symptomatic or indicative of a whole hot summer ahead. Last night one of the twins chose “The Coolest Snowman of All” for her book o’ the night–irony? I’m not sure. All’s I’m saying is it better cool down soon because too much more naked around here won’t be socially acceptable for ANYONE.