"No!" is the new no no

Look at that boy.  Stare into the pools of chocolate he has for eyes: the ones that so closely resemble his father's.  Check out the sweet little hands holding out his newest discovery from the backyard, A.K.A. "the land of the unknown."  Watch those sweet little lips as they form the word..."no".  Excuuuuuse me.  What did he just say to me when I told him to sit down in his chair?  Did he seriously just tell me no?

Yep.  He did.  In fact, he's decided to respond to any request, question, or command with that lovely little word.  No.  Ugh, how it grates on my nerves!  It all started a few weeks ago.  How we've survived the "no" phase this long is beyond me.  After the first full day, I thought for sure that one of us would have to vacate this home.  I had one woman tell me "Oh honey, he just doesn't know what it means."  How can people be so naive?  He's two and a half.  Of course he knows what the word means.  I've even asked him a series of questions requiring both the answer "yes" and "no" while he was busy playing with a toy.  He answered each question using the appropriate word.  I'm not stupid and neither is he.  

So, how am I coping?  Well, some days are better than others.  Most of the time, I can calmly respond by saying "Cade, you don't tell mommy no."  Sometimes I don't even have to say it.  Immediately after he tells me "no", he says "don't tell mommy no!" Yesterday, he decided to replace all of his "no's" with the word "yes."  Talk about confusing.  "Cade, do you need to go to the potty?"  "Yes"...So what do I do?  Take him to the bathroom, of course.  After he begrudgingly gets into his position, he shakes his head and says "no pee pee."  Ohhh solitary padded room...how I long for you at times like these.  

I hate telling people "he's just going through a phase", but isn't it the truth?  Don't we all?  The truth is, in a few months, I'll be able to laugh at the "no" phase.  By that point, he'll be in a new phase (hopefully the "use the toilet 100% of the time so mommy's not chasing after me with the mop" phase), and I will be, too. Thank God for new phases and the ability to laugh at the ones in the past.  

Oh, and thank God for pools of chocolate for eyes...quite possibly the only thing keeping him alive during this phase.  I really like chocolate.

Ummmm...why so late?

You're probably thinking...why in the world have you waited until 2010 to jump on the blogging train?  Well, since this blog is going to be about honesty, struggles, and opinions, I'll give you my answer.
Since we've been married, we've only lived in one place where we have been able to have fast, consistent internet.  That was while we lived in Jackson, and I was teaching full-time, struggling through the first few months of being a new mother, and going through lots of trials with my husband's UC.  Also, we just haven't had the money for it.  Groceries and utilities have always trumped internet, and if/when the day comes where we have to cut it off, this blog will probably vanish along with it.  Until then, I plan to share whatever's on my heart and mind with whoever will read it.

I chose the name "Crazed" for my blog because that word carries two definitions...both of which describe me (one some of the time, and the other all of the time :).  One definition means driven to point of insanity. Mothers, you know what I mean.  Every now and then, I have days when I believe being committed to a facility would be better than the situation I'm in at home.  On those days, sitting by myself in a padded room doesn't sound all that unappealing.  In fact, it sounds downright tranquil.  The other definition refers to small cracks in pottery.  Some people desire some "crazing" in their glaze when they are creating decorative pottery.  However, for a piece to be functional, the finished glaze should be smooth.  Otherwise, it will collect dirt and gunk in the cracks, and will possibly even leak or break.

The second definition is the one which describes me all the time.  I'm soooo far from perfect.  I'm covered with "cracks", which gunk has seeped into.  I'm flawed, and I have no idea how my Creator has refrained from trashing me.  Unlike a potter, who fully expects their piece to come out of the kiln smooth and perfect, He knew that I would enter this world imperfect.  Craziness.

I've learned that even an imperfect person can have plenty to offer the world, so that's what I'm going to do.  I've going to offer what I have...my thoughts, opinions, and experiences.  Of course, since they are products of my heart, mind, and actions, they will be flawed.  I will never present them as truth, and I'm not on a mission to convert anyone to the "Misty Way of Life".  I simply want to share my life with you.  Maybe it'll help you through a tough spot, maybe it'll make you laugh when you're ready for the padded room, and maybe, just maybe, you'll feel like you're not alone in this crazy world.  Most of my posts will probably concern family and household happenings, but some of them will be completely random.  I'm open to questions, since questions about my parenting strategies and solutions are what spurred this blog into existence.

I have to give my husband some credit for this blog.  He's convinced the "stuff" I talk about to him could help someone else out, and that there has to be others out there who will enjoy my craziness as much as he does...well most of the time he does.

Some of you will learn new things about me that you never knew, and honestly, you may wish you'd remained ignorant of them.  If you like the "me" you see in passing, then look away now.  Go back to my Facebook page, ooh and ahh over my adorable kids, and leave it at that.  However, if you're really interested in the real me...the "flawed, learn as I go" mom and wife, click to follow this blog....you never know what you're going to see on here.