The Wonderful World of Boys!

I am always amazed and a bit taken aback when people comment on my sons and what I call their "boyness". Being the 3 boy mom that I am, I have become accustomed to constant noise, battles, messes, strife, and fighting. I think the "boyness" increases exponentially with each new boy added to the mix; so, at 3, we've achieved a fairly high level of boyness. Delicate, fragile things don't last long around here. Every piece of furniture in our home has been put through a rigorous system of tests to insure durability and to be approved for multi-use purposes such as fort building, mountain climbing, and weapons shielding. Every single time I sweep (several times a day) or vacuum, I find Legos, BB's, and Nerf darts. Pictures on the walls are apparently ideal for target practice, when they're not using each other. Quiet times of movie watching or book reading can erupt into a sudden Kung Fu battle or break dancing war. We know the ER docs by name as well as when we can handle the wound without them.
I am often caught in the cross-fire, constantly called upon to referee, and occasionally wounded by them or their weapons. Life as a boy mom is challenging, but beyond that (or in part because of it) it is immensly rewarding. Yes, they fight fiercly but they love fiercely too. They are tremendously protective of their baby brother and even more so of me. They are loyal and brave and kind. The same hands that roughly demolish my attempts at decor also tenderly administer hugs and back rubs when mom is done for. When I am injured, I instantly have three slightly sticky pairs of hands trying to hug the ouchy away.
I know that life will not be easy for them, our society is unfair to men expecting them to behave like women and then decrying them for not being "man" enough. It's socially ok for girls to bag on boys but boys are punished for reciprocating. My duty and joy is to champion my sons, raise them with a fear and love of their Savior, teach them manners, fiercly protect them, educate them, and raise them to be socially responsible MEN.
I know the day is coming when I will be asked to vacate my place as #1 female in their hearts, and pray daily for the women that will take my place. Yes, life as a boymom is heartbreakingly challenging but the rewards are absolutely worth it!
Now, I'm off to play Legos!

Really good Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ok, so it's not even officially winter yet, but it's rainy and COLD (for So Cal) and very Christmassy! Time to start putting on that winter fat layer that will take all of spring to work off. To that end - here is a great recipe revision that I discovered browsing on the internet! It's a HUGE hit with my kidlets and super simple, but produces amazing cookies.
Are you ready? You take the recipe off the back of the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip bag and make 3 simple changes to it!
First, melt the butter, put it in the mixing bowl, add the sugars to it, and blend for a few minutes to melt the sugars. Then, add the rest of the wet ingredients to this-but wait...you triple the amount of vanilla! Sounds like a lot of vanilla-trust me it's yummy! Continue on with the rest of the standard recipe. When you have finished mixing everything, put the dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes to chill the butter back up, spoon out in 2 TB size plops about 2 " apart and bake according to the package directions. I take them out slightly undercooked and let them sink down into chewy goodnessness! Get out the milk and enjoy!!