it's hopeless

st. patrick's day is surprisingly my children's favorite holiday.
the thought of catching a real leprechaun in our house and the possibility of keeping it tops any gift from santa or candy from the easter bunny or money from the tooth fairy.
their traps get more elaborate each year.
sam went with a green house design,
complete with 2 green chimneys, a slide entrance, three cups for trapping, and a note indicating there was chocolate inside.

will went with more of a rainbow castle theme,

complete with an enticing rainbow, lego ladder, and a leprechaun friend for enticing.

and maggie went with a creative catch anything theme.

it included a knife for injuring the leprechaun, a pot of gold next to the cup traps, a piggy bank full of pennies and chocolate. 

the upside down stool was housing the paper gold coins complete with a red roof and underneath rainbow to look at while trapped.

in the final stage of construction maggie came to me in tears.

she couldn't get the roof to stay on with just tape.

she said to me "this is hopeless!"

(big words come out of this girl).

once we restored the hopeless project,

the kids were off to bed, 

and i continued the annual festivities which included star foot prints throughout the house, swiping all the chocolate and pennies left and replacing them with chocolate gold coins, and green glitter in the toilet.

i thought it would also be tricky this year to put glitter on the children's faces.

you know, so they would think the leprechaun had been in their beds.

despite pete's warnings that sam had just barely stopped stirring,

i proceeded to wet their faces and sprinkle glitter. .

then we went to bed with every thing set and in order for a morning leprechaun hunt.

when morning came, sam was just not into it.

he proclaimed that he caught me last night.

he told me he felt me wet his forehead and sprinkle glitter on him.

BUSTED.

i tried to think quick.

i asked where the glitter was then and why i would just do it to him,

so he showed me the glitter in his bed and the others'.

i wasn't sure how to handle it,

so i just said i would let him think what he wanted about his idea.

i could tell he was processing it all morning.

"this is hopeless!"

i said to myself.

hopeless to keep these traditions of fake people up forever.

hopeless.

the magic was dying.

or so i thought.

we then had a major turn of events.

i reached for the package of unopened thin mints to put in the lunches.

there was a small hole and two of the cookies were nibbled on,

not big nibbles,

but nibbles just the size of a leprechaun (or something similar.)

i called the kids in and asked who did.

no one confessed.

sam had a revitalization of his belief;

he was certain a leprechaun had done it. 

mad search pursued.

with no luck of finding one,

sam decided to put the nibbled cookies by his trap,

all of us hide downstairs,

and wait for the leprechaun to strike and get caught. 

the next part of the story is hopeless.

i am hopelessly trying to convince everyone i know of what happened next.

had i not seen this with my own eyes,

i NEVER would have believed it.

a few important details...

pete was at work,

our cat was outside,

i was the very last one to leave the site of the trap,

and i did NOTHING.

so, after about 2 minutes of waiting 

we hurried back up to check the trap.

i kid you not,

a bigger bite had been taken out of each cookie!!

i thought the kids were going to lose their minds with excitement,

and i almost lost my mind in disbelief.

it was as plain day.

2 bites.

gone.

i can't say i believe in leprechauns,

but something bit those cookies.

there weren't even any crumbs.

do you believe in leprechauns??

energy of the universe trying to keep the magic alive over here?

an unidentified mouse that knew to take a gigantic bite of a cookie on cue??

anything??

are we hopeless??

i'm glad they are mine

i occasionally have glimpses into how my life really is.
i love these little glimpses.
i glimpsed tonight when sam pulled out a crumpled post it note from his pocket.
he had written the name of an "awesome" app that he was begging me to download on my phone.
Merriam Webster.
that is what he had scribbled.
i smiled.
i told him yes.
after he couldn't fall asleep because of the excitement of me installing it,
i can safely say it has been installed.
all ready for this "awesome" boy who i had the privilege of glimpsing tonight.

it all soaks in

i'm writing this post for a few reasons...
1. to air my disdain for the inappropriate/unnecessary images children are bombarded with even in "age appropriate" venues
2. to remind myself of the parenting joy that comes by talking openly with your children about important or sensitive things
3. to remember how Will has always had a quick wit

my boys have limited time playing video games on the computer.
it's a far cry from my favorite thing for them to be doing with their time;
let me not digress.
there is a website that they use where lots of games are available.
for the most part they are somewhat strategic and problem solving;
some are just mindless fun but not inappropriate.
except for the ones targeted at girls.
there is this game where it shows a girl in just her underwear standing in somewhat of a provocative pose.
the game is to get her dressed, do her hair, make-up, etc.
NOT a fan of this game,
and my children are not allowed to play it.
last night Will was prancing around in his underwear,
posing like the girl in the picture.
he was telling us all that's how girls act when they are in their underwear.
we chatted about it.
this morning on the walk to school he told me that he couldn't get the picture of the girl out of his mind.
extremely troubling to me.
i know i can't protect and shelter my kids forever,
but i'm not pleased for this image to be available on a children's website.
i took the opportunity to explain that the things that go into our brains stay.
we discussed the importance of putting healthy things in to stay and keeping unhealthy things out.
we were identifying unhealthy things as images or songs or words or games that made us feel uncomfortable, scared, weird, angry, or like being mean.
silence
processing.
then Will said
"well, that lesson is ruined for Sam. he's the meanest brother around."
no one can throw a zinger quite like the little brother.