There is not much in this world that “Truly” scares me… I can handle mice, rats, bees (even though I am deadly allergic to them) and even snakes. I was impressed at the zoo last year when we were allowed to hold one and I didn’t even flinch…(Okay, maybe a tiny flinch)
I find them slithering all over the farm in the summer – They go their way and I go mine… No biggie –

But as I have written about before (many times), Spiders scare me silly!!

MJ (5) has followed in mommy’s shoes and has a fear of Spiders that rivals any true arachnophobic!

Just the sight of one will send this gentle soul into a panic that lasts for hours.

A few months ago as he was lying in bed with me, Tigger’s tail happened to brush up against his bare leg. He screamed and started sobbing and kicking his feet… (Knocking Tigger to the floor once again) It took turning on the light, completely remaking the bed, and easily an hour of reassuring him that there was NO Spider, to calm him down enough to fall asleep (With mommy of course, there was NO CHANCE of getting him back in his own bed)

Surprisingly on April 1st he said to me “Mommy!!! There is a Spider on your Shirt!!” I of course jumped up and started doing the “OMG there is a SPIDER on me Dance”!!

“Where????? WHERE???”

Laughing hysterically he replies “APRIL FOOLS MOM!”

I pretend to laugh and let him think this is soooooo funny, while on the outside I am still shaking like a leaf and my heartbeat is 4 times the normal rate.
Throughout the evening this becomes a game, and each time I play my part while he laughs and laughs!!! - Oh the joys of being 5!!

I have no doubts whatsoever that one of my older son’s put MJ up to this, as I KNOW he didn’t even know it was “April Fools Day” – They of course adamantly denied it… Uh huh – Whatever –
Brad (17) got me with a flat tire story and Stephanie (19) “almost” got me when news that she was engaged…

April 1st turned into April 2nd and MJ tried the whole Spider on the shirt thing again… It took awhile for him to understand that ONLY on April 1st could we play these silly jokes on one another and that he had an entire year to go…

About an hour ago I am happily working on the computer when MJ comes up behind me and screams “Mommy!!! There is a Spider on your Shirt!!”



My first thoughts are… here we go again, when he starts pointing and screaming!!
Within seconds he is crying…
I again do the “OMG there is a SPIDER on me Dance”!! While my husband rushes over to “Help” –

The spider falls to the floor where I smash it with my Tennis Shoe, both MJ and I both peering down to make sure he is DEAD DEAD DEAD!!!

Now I am need of a bubble bath and a stiff drink!



Gem~