April Art and Foolishness

I wasn't in the April Fools spirit this year as I have been in other years. It's most likely due to the fact that there is too much going on. 

Plus, I need the Karma Fairy on my side. 

I do love what my friend Kristy did.  Then again, this little fridge fun (to the left) wouldn't have induced bad karma on my part.

I did do something similar last year. I put googly eyes on Chris's work IDs that he has to wear on his lanyards. Problem was he noticed the alterations before he arrived at work. 

Still, next year I may do the fridge eyes.

But what's even funnier, is when Kristy tried to post these pictures, it was clear that Facebook is a little overzealous with their facial recognition assistance.

Usually it's me with the April Fools spirit and not Chris. However, this year it was reversed. Chris managed to get me with a prank last night. Sadly, I was in a very frustrated 'place' with the children when he demonstrated this. 

It started a couple hours before Chris was even due home from work. Christian wanted to use one of his Target gift cards from his birthday. 

This is how you know you love your kid - you put the Wii "Just Dance" in your shopping cart without trying to talk him out of it, because it's what he wanted to buy with the gift card. You willingly bring it into your home knowing your ears will be assailed by the noises that too many consider "music" that will be spewed forth into your four walls of solitude. 

Yeah, I must really love him.

Anyway, so Just Dance was immediately put on our Wii when we got back from Target. I thought it would be great to see all three of them getting some exercise and playing together. I don't know what fantasy illusion I was living in!

 The fighting commenced. 

Alexander was being three. He wanted to participate, but of course, in a way that a toddler would. Christian didn't like that one bit. Alexander wasn't doing it "right" and he was messing with things he shouldn't have been messing with. Mikelle wanted to dictate how they would use the dance game. It was Christian's game, and he wanted to be able to make the decisions.  He should have been able to make all the decisions at first and Mikelle could take over later. However, they were still at odds. 

Christian was slowly coming apart at the seams. Mikelle ended up storming down the hall and slamming her door. Then Alexander pushed Christian or hit him. Christian hit back. There was screaming and more chaos. 

Mom sent Christian to his room. He knows better. Alexander goes to time out, but there is a spring in his butt, so it's even harder to enforce without practically sitting on him. 

Mikelle had Mutual on Tuesday this week since they were watching the Young Men play softball and then have hot dogs. Therefore, not too long after the Just Dance Meltdown, I put Alexander in the car and took Mikelle to the Stake Center where the ball field is. You would think it would be a mundane task, but there was a battle of wills when we arrived. Mikelle knows she's not allowed to have her iPod at mutual, but she tried to sneak it.

I insisted she leave it with me. The arguing from her was attempted even though this has been the rule for the last 18 months. By now I had a huge headache and I said, "Fine...take it...but there will be consequences and you won't like it." She then threw her iPod down on the console next to me, got out of the car and slammed the door.  Lovely.

The short ride home had Alexander crying and wailing because I wouldn't play the same song over and over that he wanted to hear. I played it twice for him already. I wasn't going to play it a third time. (remember my headache?) Having a three year old crying and wailing for "White and Nerdy!" may sound funny to the rest of the population, but not when you have to deal with him and his tenacious willfulness all the live long day. The humor was lost on me. Hey, I love that Weird Al parody, but not three times in a row. It's not going to be the "White and Nerdy" ride. Well, every ride kind of is because we are pretty white and nerdy. lol

The wailing continued all the way to our driveway. I noticed it was just hopefully less than a half hour before Chris would be home and I'd have another parent to deal with the kids. My headache wasn't going away and yes, I took an Ibuprofen already. 

But then I saw a text from Chris that I must have missed in the 6 o' clock hour:

"Crap got a flat Got off the freeway at 27th ave to change it"

Lovely. That would delay reprieve from the kids. 

Then this text that followed made me just want to crawl under a rock:

"Stupid spare won't fit...."

Great. I wasn't to plan on Chris anytime soon. I came in the office where I could sit in the dark. I pulled up some art pictures I was editing, and I figured I'd just try to ignore the chaos of the kids and just chill. 

About ten minutes before Chris would usually arrive home (but I certainly knew that was out of the running for that evening) I was scared out of my skin when Chris jumped in front of the doorway and went, "April Fools!" 

I won't say what I said in my startled reaction, because it was due to being tapped out with kid frustration and then having him sneak in the house and jump out and scare me. 

Oh well.  Chris has heard me say that a million times.

I wasn't mad at him for the joke, because I deserved it. The best prank I pulled on him on April Fools was about 5 or 6 years ago when I put THIS as his ringtone, turned off the vibrate function and cranked his volume all the way up. And yes, it went off when he was in a meeting. Boom. Done. 

Awesome.

Plus, I was glad he was home and the flat thing didn't really happen. But I could have done without being freaked out like that. He did feel bad for that part because he didn't realize how much of a bad evening I was having.

Art Update
I've designed a tattoo or two for friends here and there. This one (right) is the first I designed that I am positive came to fruition! This isn't completed yet as she'll return for color later.  I'll show it off again when she has it completed.

Meanwhile, speaking of my art being shown off by others (and even though it was April Fools Day, I assure you it's not a joke), my repeat customer Dina posted a picture yesterday of what she called her "Wall of Jill"! The first thing she bought from me (I think) was the vertical triptych there of the Moon, Sun and Star. Those are the originals. Then she had me design the large art in the middle with her kids' names and other awesome qualities about her. "Wall of Jilll" today! She was my 100th Etsy sale, and those mini canvases with my prints were what she purchased. I'll post close ups of those in a subsequent entry. 

Meanwhile, these collage Believe Blocks are on their way to a customer in Illinois! I love the Collage style blocks. They're my favorite to make! Well, it's a tie with the Halloween ones!

 Until next time. Probably Flashback Friday...