Mr. Innocent

When my son Jake was about eight or nine years old he had a pretty good philosophy and that was: “whatever it was, it wasn’t me.”
I even joked and called him the “wasn’t me man” for a few years.
Good thing this did not last long but those days were pretty funny since he was a master at crafting his words skillfully to talk his way out of things he and his twin sister had done.

http://www.zazzle.com/mr_innocent_speckcase-176221932679871155?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

I love how kids are always picking up new things and using them to their advantage, too bad it usually comes back on us parents like it does though. 
Have your kids pulled the wool over your eyes lately?

Yielding Yes-man

My son Jake likes to call himself the “ladies man.”
Mom thinks he is more of a yielding “yes-man” thanks to growing up with three bossy sisters.

http://www.zazzle.com/i_do_as_she_says_tshirt-235452180327846408?gl=SnakesMom&group=kids&lifestyle=classic&rf=238413649595441313

One thing is for sure, my son Jake has been enrolled in a dealing-with-women-boot-camp his entire life. Thankfully, his sisters will always be around, just in case Jake does end up with a bossy wife… I am sure they will step in and let her know that is entirely their job and to stand down.

The Toybox Torture

When Jake and his twin sister were a little over a year old, she came up with a pretty good trick, she would begin the day by using a step stool and climbing into the tall toybox to perch herself on top of the pile of toys until lunchtime. She was smart enough to figure out that if she sat there on top of all the toys that she had all the power, she alone could decide what and if Jake played with for the entire day. She could also bark off orders to Jake to go and retrieve anything she might need that was not inside of the toybox, trust me she had the power that he would in fact scurry off to get anything she asked for.
I was always quite surprised that Jake put up with this kind of monarchy like he did but there really was no way that he would have had the patience or endurance to sit on top of that pile of toys for 2-3 hours at a time like she did and he knew it, he was way too much of a on-the-go kid.
They did talk and share toys the entire time she was in there, but there was the occasional hit to Jake’s head by a toy when he tried to take something out without following the proper procedures, such as begging and pleading for it first.
I think this was yet another way she had her own little way of telling Jake without words that she was in fact the queen of his castle, like he did not already know that!

http://www.zazzle.com/funny_little_girl_cartoon_speckcase-176592956236351536?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

Even at the age of one Jake knew that there can only be "one" and he was not likely to be the "one" anytime soon, unless of course she said he was the "one" for a very brief minute or two.

Stitches, Staples & Shiners!

Jake's Lifetime Injury List Excluding Scrapes & Bruises (everything mom can remember at least)
1. The very first shiner ~ black & blue eye compliments of twin sister smacking him with a building block before the age of one. He can always look back at the pictures of it and see where his troubles all began.
2. Stitches under chin ~ pushed by twin sister and fell into the coffee table, age 1.
3. Staples to the head ~ pushed on the stair steps by twin sister, age 5.
4. Dura bond (medical glue) to the forehead ~ rode bike into corner of the house while looking down watching his feet instead of the driveway, also age 5.
5. Dura bond again ~ ear lobe injury from messing with kitchen cabinets, age 6.
6. Staples on side of head ~ fell outside on back stairs of house, age 6.
7. Staples to back of head ~ rough housing with friend and hit edge of table, age 8.
8. Staples to side of head ~ playing with friends outside, age 9.
9. Sprained wrist ~ Football injury, age 10.
10. Stitches on two fingers ~ Shot by twin sister with BB Gun after letting her use it for the very first time, after a full year of him using it safely by himself, age 11.
11. Bruised ribs ~ Football injury, age 11.
12. Sprained thumb ~ Football injury, age 12.
13. Sprained ankle ~ Football injury, age 12.
14. Surgery to abdomen ~ to fix hernia Jake was probably born with, age 13
15. Bruised tailbone ~ Football injury, age 13
16. Stitches on two fingers ~ Just last week, after pulling a hunting knife out of a bag, after it had wiggled out of it’s case, age 14.

I am pleased to say however that Jake has a incredibly high pain tolerance and has always taken the medical procedures in stride and is usually more upset about the low number of stitches or staples he receives, I guess this lessons the bragging rights at school or something.  Once he even got a doctor to add one staple, after much begging!

http://www.zazzle.com/funny_doctor_cartoon_button-145269752468705774?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

As you can see by the size of this list, Jake is a very injury prone boy, which drives me (mom) crazy!!  I am constantly praying that my little boy has had enough injuries to last him a entire lifetime! Thanks to all the wonderful doctor’s who have used great skill to leave Jake with only a few noticeable scars that are all thankfully under his hair! 
Now, how many staples, stitches or shiners have you had in your lifetime?

Remarkable Revelation

Jake has always been one for getting along with other kids and makes new friends easily with his outgoing personality, so you can imagine the surprise I had when the principal called to say Jake had literally pounced on a boy while out on the playground in 1^st grade.
After a lengthy talk with the principal about the investigation he had done into the event, I was very surprised to hear that Jake’s twin sister provoked Jake to tackle this poor boy on the playground.
She in fact liked this little boy and because kids have such a weird way of showing it, she set a series of events into motion just to get his attention.
1. She told Jake that this boy (pointing him out) on the playground was being mean to her and to watch out for her while she played.
2. She casually marched straight across the playground to the boy and told him that it would be fun to have a pushing contest and that he should go first by pushing her.
3. She laughed her little butt off when Jake tore through the playground and tackled this boy to the ground.
4. She sat in disbelief when the three of them had their very first visit ever to the principal’s office and she feared the inevitable punishment that was coming to her when the truth came out.
Jake and this boy went on to be very good friends and the principal used the opportunity to explain to Jake’s twin sister that she has a pretty big responsibility as a good sister not to provoke her brother to defend her.

http://www.zazzle.com/brother_sister_warning_tshirt-235303045038732911?gl=SnakesMom&group=kids&lifestyle=classic&rf=238413649595441313

Jake learned that day that things are not always as they appear and that sometimes sisters have horns.

Naughty & Nice

If there is one thing Jake knows, it is that his three sisters will always be there for him.  They may be naughty and cause him a lot of grief, injuries (thanks twin sis) and much humor at his expense but they can also be nice, loving and very supportive when a boy needs a friend.
He may wonder what life would be like not having them around (much quieter) or ponder the thought of a life with a brother, there is no way he would trade his life of having 3 crazy sisters.

http://www.zazzle.com/my_three_sisters_cartoon_tshirt-235689975247730890?gl=SnakesMom&group=kids&lifestyle=classic&t_text1=&t_text2=&t_text3=&rf=238413649595441313

Mom (me) loves to tell Jake, "just think someday when you are married and have a woman telling you what to do, it won't be anything you are not used to!" 
Jake usually laughs and adds "then I can have a bunch of daughters, that would be just my luck."

License, Louie & Love

LICENSE:
Since I have been sharing all these true childhood stories about Jake's life since birth, I do not think I have ever actually said how old Jake is right now, but you can probably guess his age when I tell you that this summer he will be taking drivers training.  Yes, Jake and his twin sister are almost 15 years old and that means they will be driving on their own by the end of next year!  I can only imagine the stories that milestone will bring.... which is why I created something to warn people next year.

http://www.zazzle.com/new_driver_cartoon_tshirt-235451436743450024?gl=SnakesMom&group=mens&lifestyle=fashion&rf=238413649595441313



LOUIE:

Louie is Jake's new puppy he rescued from the aminal shelter around Christmas time.  This "puppy" is already huge and I can only imagine how big this bullmastiff mix is going to get but he loves Jake and is a very loyal companion already.  This picture is of Louie when Jake got him, today he is already big enough to jump up and lick Jake's face and Jake is just taller then me at 5' 7".

LOVE:

There are no words to describe my love for my son Jake or his three sisters all I can do is hope they feel it in their hearts each and everyday.

Kind Kid

My son Jake is a natural born kind kid, he does not like it when people are unhappy or sad and he will try to pick you up with a joke or a simple smile. Jake does however have the "tough guy" in him though that will draw a line in the sand and fight when he needs to.
While in middle school his twin sister’s friend that is quite tall, I mean really tall for that age was continuously picked at everyday by a boy who had a locker near hers, so badly so, that she did not even want to go to school because of it.
So one day I get the dreaded phone call that no parent likes to receive, Jake had been suspended for fighting at school.
Jake mad about having been suspended for doing the right thing in his mind did not want to talk about it, thinking there was no way I would understand and just went up to his room when he got home. His twin sister however was ready to share the news though since she was so thrilled that her brother defended her friend, she raced to tell the story.
Apparently Jake had told the boy more then a few times to leave her alone and that the “giraffe” jokes were just not that funny but this boy would not let it go and continued and when she started crying because of his hurtful words, Jake simply had enough and shut him up.

http://www.zazzle.com/best_friends_forever_cartoon_necklace-177528332687495276?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

That was the last day that the bully ever tormented his twin’s friend and after hearing that my son did what I would expect him to do there was no at home “suspension”, just a good talk and a pat on the back for doing the right thing for someone who really needed a friend.

Judge & Jury Jake

From the very moment Jake saw the movie Toy Story he was hooked, there was something about Buzz Lightyear that he just loved, probably all those gadgets.  Jake quickly grew a entire collection of Toy Story toys but he especially loved his first Buzz Lightyear which had "JAKE" on the bottom of the foot, thanks to me and my handy dandy black permanent marker.
Every night Jake would sleep with that Buzz and one Woody in his bed (now that he was finally sleeping in a actual bed), one night though in the middle of the night...
Jake came out into the living room where I was still awake and with tears running down his face, he stood there crying and mumbling the words "Woody pushed me out of bed" over and over again.
Needless to say, I could not get Jake to go back to sleep until I removed every last woody from his bedroom, he was convinced that Woody had not only pushed him out of bed but that Woody was the bad guy and would continue to pull tricks on him if he let even one of him stay in the room.

http://www.zazzle.com/bad_boy_cartoon_speckcase-176265266459609931?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

The next morning, Jake was still convinced that Woody had in fact pushed him out of bed and that day all of the Woody's were packed up in a box and put away for good, that is the power of being the judge and jury over who you let into your life and who you send packing.    

Identifying Independence

Attending parent teacher conferences when your child or children in this case (twins) are in 2nd grade is usually pretty standard stuff, you go over the basics (math, reading, etc.) and the teacher tells you how your child is progressing. This particular conference though took a very strange turn when the teacher said something quite unusual to me…
She said “Jake does not appear to know what to do, unless a girl is telling him what to do.”
Without a ounce of hesitation or thought I said the unthinkable “well, there is nothing wrong with that.”
She moved on quickly with the academics, with a small grin on her face.
On the drive home though thinking about the conversation is when it really hit me, was I raising the perfect male? Or a house full of take-charge women that will go out into the world and dominate? What can I do to change this situation?

　

http://www.zazzle.com/living_with_women_tshirt-235237834928513964?gl=SnakesMom&group=kids&lifestyle=classic&rf=238413649595441313

Later that night I called a family meeting at the kitchen table and asked Jake if he does in fact know what to do if a girl is not telling him what to do, he laughed loudly and said “Yes, but life is so much easier if I do just do what they say."  (lol, the perfect male!)

Humorous Hernia Help

Jake had a hernia a little over a year ago and had to have a minor surgery to repair the spot in his abdomen, according to the doctors this was caused by a weak spot in the abdominal wall that Jake was probably born with.  Anytime a parent hears the word "surgery" though it is sheer panic, you just want to get it over with and everything get back to normal, sometimes it gets back to normal a little too quickly...
After the outpatient surgery Jake was quite groggy and his little sister felt very bad for him, she sat next to his bed for hours reading to him, talking to him and bringing him things to make him feel more comfortable.  After a good night's sleep, Jake was back up moving around and ready to eat of course, he sat down at the kitchen table to have a bowl of cereal and little sis pulled up a chair.
Little sister said to him "I took such good care of you, I read you like thirty books, rubbed your hand and brought you drinks."  Jake (not even thinking about the result) responds "I don't remember any of that."
Being seven years old, little sister just saw red because of this, stood up, screamed "YOU BIG JERK" and stormed off to her room and slammed the door.

http://www.zazzle.com/i_am_sorry_cartoon_card-137275190151170548?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

Jake sat there for a minute and then remembered a good lesson learned much earlier in life from dealing with his two other sisters and that is to apologize, apologize, apologize!

Groovy Grandparents

Having grandparents is one thing, having the funnest grandparents ever is quite another.
Jake and his three sisters along with Jake's one cousin are very lucky to have a set of grandparents who have a great sense of humor and love to shock the grand kids by doing unthinkably fun things.
One recent story is this past Christmas when my family and my sisters family decided to go in together on a gift for them and buy them a Wii gaming system, we thought this will be a fun thing for them to do during the winter to get some exercise.  We knew that our kids would also enjoy it when they went over to spend the night because of the games on there.  On Christmas day the grand kids hooked the system up for them and showed their grandpa how to play the bowling game, they played two times that day.
What the grand kids did not expect is what would happen next...
The very next time they went over to spend the night at grandpa and grandma's house they were all excited that they would be able to beat grandpa again on the Wii, well things did not go exactly as planned that night...
When I returned to pick Jake and his little sister up they had quite a good story for me on the ride home.  Apparently, grandpa had been spending his evenings (since it was winter and he could not get out to garden) on the Wii bowling game and had figured out exactly where to throw the ball to get a strike each time.  The kids were just blown away by how good grandpa was and that he could just crush THEM on a video game.  The grandparents definitely earned a lot of "cool groovy grandparent" points that weekend!

http://www.zazzle.com/custom_love_my_five_grandkids_coaster-174461869459598952?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

The lesson Jake learned that weekend was don't ever count any opponent out just because of their age, everyone is as young as they feel!!

Football Frenzy

Jake loves to play football and no matter what he is going to play. 
There have been seasons where he was a key player for the team, a season where he sat out a lot, a few seasons where his team won almost every game and a season where his team was lucky to even win one, through it all though Jake always played.
Jake has finished games even after being hurt in the first quarter and once played with a sprained wrist (hiding it from the coach of course), this boy is dedicated and all heart when it comes to the game.
He seems to leave it all out on the field because win or lose he just loves to play, I guess some people are just born with it.

 http://www.zazzle.com/football_sports_postal_stamp_postage-172836050798856794?gl=Graphix_Vixon&rf=238413649595441313



Explosively Exhausting Energy

When Jake and his twin sister were born it became quite clear that Jake had more then enough energy for the two of them.  He never quit moving, never, not even when he was sleeping, his liitle legs just kept moving as if he was even dreaming about doing adventurous things. 
One of the many fun gifts for Jake and his twin sister was a set of Graco Johnny Jumpers, which for those of you who do not know is a hanging seat that attaches to a interior doorframe and it allows babies to jump. 
One of the perks of having two doorways in the hallway that faced each other was the twins could play and jump in their Johnny Jumpers and watch each other. So we thought...
From the very moment Jake got into his, he was a jumping maniac, he jumped so high and so far he could almost even get his seat to reach across the hall to his twin sisters.  This kept her so entertained she forgot to ever even jump in hers!
Jake jumped for so long one day that his twin grew tired of watching and laughing that finally she just laid her head down on the tray (which had Cheerios on it) and when big sis got home from school and woke her up she had Cheerios stuck to her cheeks which made everyone have a good laugh.

http://www.zazzle.com/i_do_my_own_stunts_cartoon_mug-168953421489181277?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

Whether you are the jumper like Jake or you prefer to just stay safe and watch, life is always a leap worth taking .

Demanding Diva

Since the day Jake was born he has been bossed around by either his big sister or his twin sister so when he heard he was going to be a big brother at the age of five the very first thing out of his mouth was "I hope it's a boy" and the next was "Good! Someone for me to finally boss around."

It's a Girl!

Poor Jake took it all in stride and he did really love the idea of being a big brother, this was finally his big chance to be the boss of someone younger then him.
That is until little sister arrived and gave that undeniable look he had seen many, many times before, that look that told Jake right off the bat that she was going to be trouble with a capital "T".
He was right, little sis has bossed Jake from the time she found her voice to this day, even though she is much smaller and five years younger.
She used even sit in her room and scream his name and then start some sort of evil countdown of "Waiting, Waiting, Waiting" until he arrived. Talk about demanding, it was always "do this", "do that", "help me with this"...etc..
Day to dawn, morning to night, pitch black to daylight his little sister was always demanding something.

http://www.zazzle.com/just_call_me_princess_speckcase-176346878013527046?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

Jake understands now that the demanding divas in his life will always boss him no matter their age or even their size.

"You Must Call Me Princess Or Else"

One day Jake was playing with his older sister and she made quite a few demands about how their time would be spent.  After almost an hour of meeting all her demands and even calling her "Princess", finally Jake said "I don't want to play anymore."
Jake's sister stood up, calmly shut the door shut and with a stearn voice said "You must call me princess or we are not playing together anymore!" 
Needless to say, I had to go open the door and rescue Jake!  After that day, he was always sure to ask "I don't have to call you princess... right?" before each and every time they played. :)

 http://www.zazzle.com/call_me_princess_or_else_speckcase-176817775225779388?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313



An Introduction Into the Wild World of Crazy Kids Cartoon Art

Hello!! Come right in...
and welcome to my CraZy WoRld!!
I am the mother of four wild, crazy and almost always hilarious children, three daughters and one son named Jake which is where the "Snakesmom" came from. I often feel for Jake because he is surrounded by women and ones that are, let's just say "highly spirited".
Jake has a older sister, a twin siter and a little sister. Other then his first 31 FULL minutes of freedom, he has been dominated by his often naughty twin siter Amber. Though you would never know it by looking at them now...
Anyway, Jake and his sisters inspired me to go back to what I enjoyed doing long before any of them were born, which is art. The only difference is now I create art inspired by my memories of all the crazy things these four have done to each other while making their way through this crazy thing called "childhood" and now these designs can by customized to fit any other family with crazy kids and parents too!
The postings I will be adding are all TRUE (a little strange) and a whole LOT funny and will describe exactly why my little angels are more like little "crazies"!! :P
One of my most recent crazy kid designs on a cooking apron...

http://www.zazzle.com/angry_mom_cooking_cartoon_apron-154868648249295644?gl=SnakesMom&rf=238413649595441313

The above was inspired by me having one of those "special" moments in the kitchen with two of my children. :P I hope you get a good laugh!