Loud Houses, What I Know For Sure & #IPPP

It is never quiet or boring at my house.   

Being a loud, noisy house full of action means you have to be ready for anything.  Like leaf attacks.

Wade's "Crazy Leaf Throwing Ambush" plan is set in motion.
He collects his leaves and waits for
the big kids to get off the bus.

And waits.

And attacks.

We try to teach boundaries and some of them try to set their own.  Like Lucy's "No Boys Allowed" sign with a thousand exclamation points on her bedroom door.  The sign only increased their curiosity of course.  And well....

It's never dull, never quiet, never boring.  In fact, it's really f#&*ing loud in our house.  But I love it.  I love Lucy at the piano practicing her Christmas songs, Wade playing tag with the dog in our tiny kitchen while I'm making dinner, JT and Peyton coming in and out the side door even though I told them to use the back door, friends coming to the front door to ask the kids to play.  I love the sounds of make believe coming from Lucy's dramatic storylines for her stuffed animals, the theme song of Doc McStuffins coming from the living room TV and the theme song from SportsCenter coming from the other TV, kids running up and down the stairs, chasing, laughing, singing, playing, bickering, knocking, squealing.  It's so alive--it's our loud life and I love it, I know that for sure (right now).  

Here's what else I know for sure (right now):

• Mothering, caretaking, is beautiful.  This video is all kinds of amazing and touching.  I'd love to see a video about mothers and their tweens or teens.  Because it's a whole different sweetness.  I enjoy spending time with my older kids, talking and listening and watching them figure some of the world out.  It's bittersweet sometimes and I get scared thinking about some of the stuff that is ahead of us very soon.  But it's beautiful too.

3 Queens from Matt Bieler on Vimeo.

• It feels good to give. I'm giving more stuff away! Win a fun adventure series of books that got the Lucy seal of approval--Travels With Gannon & Wyatt.  Read more and find out how to win here.

• Wade has set up shop in the living room, I mean his new office.  He is going through an adorable phase where he constantly plays pretend.  "I like Doc McStuffins and strawberries and playing," he informed me (with his cute little lisp) while I visited his office.  I sat on the couch and we talked about stuff.  "Now give me money," he ordered holding out his hand waiting to put it in his pretend cash register.  I guess he was playing pretend therapist.

• We take UNO very seriously in our house.  

• Bangs can be a little tricky.  I know I'm a year behind the Michelle Obama trend, but I did indeed get bangs this past weekend.  And they looked soooo good.  So of course I shared them on Facebook.  But a few days later, well, they are a little wonky.  I have Pippy Longstocking bangs that just kind of stick straight out.  The picture below looks like a before and after "don't do drugs kids because look how it can f*ck up your whole look" poster.

What do you know for sure (this week)? C'mon, we're friends, share what you know. 

Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page or on Twitter.

Please come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed. 

I'm linking up today with my friends Greta from  Gfunkified.com and Robin from FarewellStranger.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.