Mommy screams like a little girl.

This weekend the hubby and I got our hands dirty in the backyard, getting our patio ready for Ella's birthday party next weekend.

Backtrack - Being new parents, we were all freaked out about our little ones being injured while playing. So we had bought those rubber playmats to put underneath the little playground/slide/climbing thing we have for them. It's 2 years old and survived this long, but it's time to get rid of it. It's blue and now will turn anything blue that touches it.

We lifted these little sections up and there were a mass of worms and creepy crawlers. What made matters worse is we have a split in the concrete which had since filled with dirt from the side. That was a breeding ground for all kinds of weird looking bugs. I'm not scared of bugs, but I jump easily from the unknown. A bug landing on me will freak me out, but me walking up to the bug is cool. Well, with one lift of a little blue square, something rolled across my fingers and I screamed like a little girl.

This made Ella laugh. She looked down and there were worms on the concrete and thought that was what I was screaming at. No, it was actually the millipede looking creatures, but she didn't care for the explanation.

I follow one of The Five Precepts forming the moral code for Buddhists. "Do not kill anything living" is strong in me, which meant I had to get down and pick up each of those worms to find a good place for them. Although I wasn't going to kill the worms, taking away their protection would kill them, so I couldn't do it. As I had a nice big handful of worms, I offered the girls to touch a worm. Allison did it after protesting at first, but Ella would have nothing to do with them. She wanted ~me~ to save them all, but definitely did NOT want to touch them herself. Such a girlie girl.

The next day, her Papa (grandpa) came over to visit. She told him all about the worms. And what did she say about them? "Mommy's scared of worms. They make her SCREAM!". Nice.



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I looked up Buddhism to remember the phrase for "The Five Precepts" which forms the moral code. While I am not a practicing Buddhist, everything about it makes so much sense to me. I naturally live this way and I could, quite possibly, become Buddhist. Except for one little thing...

"Avoid Intoxicants"

I like my beer. And I like to get drunk every now and again. Damn. Is 4 out of 5 of the moral code still okay?

If anyone is interested, here is a little more:

The Five Precepts form the moral code for Buddhists. They are:
1. Do not to kill anything living
2. Do not to take anything that isn't freely given
3. Abstain from sexual misconduct
4. Refrain from lying
5. Avoid intoxicants.

Buddha taught personal enlightenment through the Four Noble Truths:
1. Suffering exists
2. Pain and suffering are caused by attachment to desires
3. Desires can be stopped when the longing for things to change is overcome
4. By following the Noble Eightfold Path (right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration) desires can be conquered

Buddhists also believe in Karma, the understanding that all actions have consequences, and reincarnation, the cycle of birth and rebirth.

So that is Buddhism in a nutshell.

Also, I saw this question and thought it was funny. From the above, the answer is already obvious, but I thought it was funny.

Can Buddhists kill ants?
In accordance with the first precept, Buddhists aim not to kill living things including ants or mice. A nest of poisonous ants in a monastery in Malaysia avoided annihilation because the monks refused to exterminate them and instead vacuumed them up, setting them free in a nearby forest.

That is SO something I would do.

Three white bunnies.

Ella: "Mommy, when peter pan dies, (our tortoise with a 50+ year life expectancy) we're going to get three white bunnies."

Me: "Three, huh?"

Ella: "Yes. One for me. One for Daddy. One for you and one for Allie."

(moment of silence)

Ella: "Make that 4."

Another Ella-ism.

I've been neglecting this blog for a few days. Wow.

Kids have been sick for the past week and just have been generally grumpy. Plus, I've been spending 24x7 with them, so haven't been blogging much about there daily doldrums. And really, who wants to see pictures of their runny noses and watering eyes?

By the way - I totally got karma'd with the kids being sick. Just like 2 weeks ago, I was bragging that my kids haven't been sick all season. Awesome. Thanks karma.

Today was bath time. Ella opted for a shower though, so I got her started in my bathroom while I was in the bathroom with Allie for her bath. Just playing around, I "accidentally" (on purpose) slipped into the bathtub with my clothes on - just for a laugh. Except Allie wasn't pleased. She rarely gets a bath all by herself and wanted me out. Promptly. So I get out and after I get Allie dried off, I go to get Ella out of the shower (who had to be pried out. She loves showers.).

I tell Ella "Mommy fell into the bathtub with all her clothes on!"

Ella replied "Oh Mommy, that's no bueno!"

That's my girl.