I'm not wimpy, but there are only so many bugs a girl can handle!

I've always been a bit of a tomboy, pretty rough and tumble, always in motion, not afraid to get a little dirty, y'know? That's why, for the most part, being a mother of boys fits me like a glove. (I'd be lost if I had to do tea parties and braid hair and play with dolls, as so many little girls seem drawn to...I realize I'm stereotyping here, so I apologize. I know that little girls have diverse interests too. Believe me, I know. When I was younger, I used to stampede over my sister's Barbie Dolls with my Breyer horses or stage kidnappings by G.I. Joe. Barb, if you're reading this...Yeah, it was me. Sorry.) Anyway, I can put up with a lot of noise, dirt, action, and really gross things.

But, today was a bit much...

I was planting some bulbs in our front yard, while my 4-year old climbed in and around our neighbor's tree right across the street. (Thank goodness for neighbors who love little boys and recognize that a tree like that is just BEGGING to be played in. Teri and Leo, you rock!) Anyway, it was time to come inside, so I hollered for Foster to come on in.

"But, Mommy, I found some roly poly bugs. Come see. Quick! Come see. It's so cool."

So, I walked across the street to check out his latest find, as he danced around in excitement. As I got closer, I could see that his little fist was closed, but his skin seemed to be shifting and moving...I got closer, and that's when I realized that he had about 30 roly poly bugs in his hand, climbing out between his fingers, climbing up his wrist, and dropping to the ground. I've never seen so many roly poly bugs in one place, before, let alone crawling all over my child, as he stood there grinning from ear to ear.

I'm very proud to say that I remained completely calm, even though my own skin was crawling, my stomach was flip-flopping, and it took everything I had not to grab him by his feet, turn him upside down, and start shaking the bugs off.

"Hey, sweetie, before we go home, let's just make sure all the roly poly's are back on the ground, OK? We wouldn't want one to accidentally come into the house. They don't like to live in houses. Can you just shake your hand a little bit, so they can all go back to their tree? Yeah, just like that. Ooh, you missed a few. Maybe shake just a little bit harder. Like that. Get that one that's climbing up to your shoulder. Whoops, a few more, there. Good job. Just a few more. OK, great!" (Shudder!)

You have to admit, having kids certainly brings new experiences into your life, eh?

Cheers!