The Latta Family

I hate Christmas decorating.  There.  I said it.  Actually . . . truth be told.  I don't really like Christmas all that much.  There are parts I love.  Christmas Eve.  I like when we're sitting around all together eating our weird dinner, watching a movie together.  I like right after the kids go to bed and there is such a feeling of excitement for the next morning.  I like Christmas morning and the joy on my children's faces (especially this year- it's gonna be good!).  I like being with our families. I like 2 weeks of school off.  Yep- I added that.  I like Christmas movies and music.  I like how my house feels so cozy.  I can't wait to sing Christmas hymns or take cold walks looking at Christmas lights. I don't like the pressure. The pressure to have the best Christmas card, mailed out with our perfectly photographed and coiffed children.  I don't like the pressure of finding the perfect Christmas present. I...

Way back 8 months ago, we finalized plans to go to Disney World.  Like the genius I am, I planned for us to take our first trip, with experienced Disney friends.  I am self-aware enough to know: planning ain’t my thang- chicken wang.  Sooooo, I asked our favorite travel friends, who are experienced Disney folks, if we could tag along the next time they went.  Thankfully they said we could (besides the fact it really helped us navigate our trip, we just had a really fantastic time). My friend did a great job staying on top of me to make reservations, buy our tickets, and research rides and shows we wanted to do, so she would be able to FastPass stuff we all wanted to do.  I would NEVER have done all of that on my own.  It’s SOOOOOO overwhelming.  Before we left for Disney, we were certain that this trip was the only one we were doing.  Doug called it our Two-Fer trip: we’re one and done .  (hahahaha that Doug.  He’s so funn...

Kids.  They're a total mystery.  You think you have a handle on them, everything is going just like it should, when out of a nowhere  . . . BAM!  Crisis!!!!! I assumed Alexa would be the difficult one.  The hard one.  The one that required more parenting. And she's certainly had her moments, but frankly when it comes to discipline. . . she's not all that hard.  I just have to tell her I'm disappointed and make a sad face at her and . . . "BLAHHHHHH"  it's tears, and throwing herself down on the nearest object (or floor) and then we kiss and hug and it's over- (I am fully prepared for this to change).  Not Andrew.  His has to build and build and build and then suddenly it all has to come to a ginormous head, and I have to be Psycho Mom, with my guns blazing, handing out over- the- top, harsh punishments. Here's the situation.  For the past year we've been dealing with Andrew not applying himself like he should and could in school...

I took Alexa with me on a walk.  I had originally planned for this to be a calorie burning walk, but I hadn't spent much time with her tonight, and so I brought her with me and the dog.  If listening to Alexa talk, burned calories, I could easily eat a guilt free ice cream sundae. Here are some of her reflections, in no particular order. 1. Gracie took care of her business pretty quickly into the walk.  Alexa exclaims, "Ewwww, Gracie's poop stinks!!!"  I said, "Well, Alexa- yours does too.  So does mine."  She says, "Yeah, Dad's and Andrew's does too.  You know, everybody (big gesture to the nearby houses) in our neighborhood has poop that stinks!" 2.  "Oh no!  This rock is away from it's family!"  So she picks up the rogue rock that has gotten away from "its family" and puts it back in the drive.  A few steps further and she says, "Oh!  This rock has gotten away from its family too!"  A few steps furt...

I think I've told you this before, but when I was younger (heck- she still does it, when my siblings are being particularly annoying- not me though- I am never  annoying) my mother used to say, "I hate kids!"  Now that I am a mother, I know what she really meant, "Doggone, aggravating, pain in my rear end- KIDS!!!!!" Alexa, Doug, and I finished off some cookies in secret- while poor, deprived Andrew slaved over his vocabulary sentences one evening not too long ago, I figured I owed him a treat (in fairness- he has no idea he missed out on the cookies- as it was done in secret).  So, when I ran to the grocery store for the 50th time that week, I picked him up a treat of his choice: a Hershey bar. Since I told him I hoped rats wouldn't eat his face off for leaving trash around his room recently, he's been doing a great job getting all his wrappers and trash up in his room.  Except tonight- instead of getting the Hershey bar wrapper in the trashcan- he ...

Hello.  My name is Kate.  I am a control freak.  Rigid, drill sergeant, unrelenting, uncompromising control freak. Only about the things I care about though.  Don't bother me with things I don't care about, because then I become overwhelmed, flustered, and irritated. Good luck figuring out what I care about and what I don't. The things I do care about, look out because it's my way or the highway. It's starting to be a problem though.  Thank God I can laugh at myself.  It doesn't stop me from being rigidly controlling, but I can laugh at myself about it- sort of. Here are some examples: 1. Last year at Christmas we were packing up and putting away the Christmas decorations.  We use a fake tree that sheds it's needles.  It's like having a real tree, without all the good smells.  Doug decided he was going to "help" me vacuum.  I, unfortunately, had a cruddy vacuum and there was a very specific way one must go about vacuuming.  First...

I'll share Doug's parenting wobble first.  That's just the kind of wife I am.  ;-) In case you are not aware- Doug is coaching Alexa's t-ball team this season.  Little anecdote about Alexa's t-ball prowess:  Her t-ball field is directly next to the softball field.  The softball teams have decided they need music to warm up.  The other night they were warming up, while Alexa's team was playing.  I looked over and she was dancing and singing so intently, she didn't notice the ball go right past her.  She didn't notice one of the other out fielders run up near her, get the ball, and throw it in. She had a game today.  Our association allows 2 coaches to be in the outfield with the players, to help keep them focused and "offer helpful suggestions, about how to handle a play."  Doug was in the outfield next to Alexa.  Around the 3rd inning, when it was our turn to go into the outfield, she says, "Mom- can't you come out there with me...