Lovey

JP fell asleep, for the first time since infancy, without his Lovey.

I can't believe it.





Backstory - We have a spare Lovey, an exact duplicate. Sometimes, JP finds both of them and sleeps with both snuggled close to his face. He likes to rub them on his nose. He has to take it to school and to Monger's house. He and Monger have made a 10:00 pm trip to Walmart to try to find a suitable replacement when we've accidentally forgotten to pack Lovey. He used is for naptime, bedtime, and other time we let him. I can visibly see him relax when he gets his hands, or rather face, on Lovey. Tonight, he went to bed without so much as even asking for it. My boy is growing up.

So... it's been a good three months since I've posted. A lot has happened, and there are literally a hundred sweet things I wish I could have captured to forever remember. What can I say, life happens.

We just had Thanksgiving, it was wonderful. Quiet, only one meal for us to eat (as opposed to the sometimes three we have to attend in one day), and lots of fun, quality family time. It's supposed to start snowing in a few hours, and into the night. With a five and a three-year-old, it's magical.

We put the Christmas tree up this afternoon. Full on decorating will have to wait until the Hubs gets home, but the kids and I had fun putting it up while listening to Christmas music. Baby girl found two big stockings, a hat, and a door decoration, put them all on (door decoration used as a purse), and stated, "Look, I'm all covered with Christmas!"

JP helped me assemble the tree and make sure it was "sturdy," one of his favorite words, and was so proud that he got to stand on the stairs and put on the star. Just as he did, L. spontaneously sang, "God is Jesus, God is Jesus, thank you for our Christmas tree, thank you for our Christmas tree, Amen, Amen."

I know I keep using this work, but again, magical.

Life is good, God is good!

Siblings

I saw this on facebook today, it was my status on this day in 2010 (a year ago) and it gave me a good laugh -

"L.'s saying 'Dada' and JP is telling her, 'Dada's at work. Work is no fun. I know you need Dada, but he's at work, and it's no fun.' I think I need to talk to Hubs about what he tells JP about work, otherwise he's never going to want to get a job!"

Love it!

Also, this happened the other night, right after L moved from her crib into a big girl bed. I love how JP takes care of his little sister, he really does love (and like) her -

The kids were getting ready for bed, and they both decided to hide behind the curtain panels in JP's bedroom. I overheard JP whispering to L, "This is how I do it, L. I pretend to fall asleep, then wait until Mommy and Daddy fall asleep, and then I sneak down into their bed. So that's how you have to do it." How adorable is that? And that's NOT how he does it, he most definitely falls asleep, but really does sneak down into our bed in the wee hours of the morning.

And tonight JP is spending the night with one of his grandparents. He just called to say goodnight and asked to talk to L. I put him on the speaker phone and let him talk to his little sister. First he said, "Hi, Poopyhead!" but then he followed it with, "L, tomorrow we're gonna do lots of fun things. I don't have school tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, so we get to stay home all day together!" How do you top that? The bond that those two have is magic. We, and they, are so blessed.

We are a bunch of heathens...

My four-year-old son said "Motha Focker" today (we spent the weekend at the lake with a whole host of characters) and my sweet and brilliant husband left a little love mark in a very noticeable location.

Like the title of the post says...

Anatomy Of My Evening

Mama (me) has a migraine with nausea, The Husband is working until 9, the kids became unruly around 5:00 so I sent them into the backyard while I made dinner, they covered themselves with dirt (I kid you not, they didn't even look Caucasian), I put them into a bath before dinner, one of them pooped into the tub, I picked up the poop while fishing around for the washcloth, they both pitched a screaming fit (remember migraine) when I had to give them a shower, then they lost ice cream dessert privileges due to repeatedly not listening, cue another screaming fit. I presently gave them a dose of Benadyrl (for mosquito bites, not to sedate them, I would never, never sedate my angels) and am starting bedtime at 6:50. Goodnight to all.

Swim Lessons

We signed LM up for swimming lessons this summer. His first week was during the very first week of summer vacation, and he did so well! Before the lessons, he would sit on the pool steps, and that was about it. If his daddy or I tried to get him into the water he would almost have a panic attack, even though he wanted to be in the water so much. So during the first week of lessons he learned how to jump off the side of the pool all by himself, go underwater, safely reach for a toy in the pool, float in his back with assistance, and swim a few feet with his head underwater. We've had lots of opportunities for swimming since then and he's enjoyed the practice.

During this second week, his teacher, Ms. Holly said she just expands on the skills they already learned. For example, now they jump into the deep end and swim all the way to the shallow end. I can't wait to see LM do this!

LM is a little bit shy and reserved (I wonder where in the world he got that from?), and he likes me to stay at the lessons while he's there. Parents are persona non grata, however, we even have to drop the kids off at the curb and wait in the car when it's time to pick them up. Every day, LM asks me the same thing, "Will you stay parked in the car on the street while I'm at swimming?" Every day I say, "Yes," even though I have no intention of doing such a thing. His lesson lasts an hour and it's only 10 minutes from home, so I either run an errand or two or even go home (as I am now). He's caught on to my tricks a few times after he gets back in the car and sees a Starbucks cup or a few grocery bags. He's never happy about it. So today as I was dropping him off he said, "Mommy, just wait on the street, don't go for a walk or go to a store or anything. Just stay in the car. You can even turn on the radio if you want." LOL!! So sweet and so innocent. I love my LM, one day when he's a parent he'll understand and forgive my little white lie.

Cake Pictures

I haven't added any cake pictures lately, here are a few:

Little Man's Fourth Birthday. He wanted a tractor theme, at the last minute he asked for a Thomas the Train cake, so we put Thomas around the cake base. :)

Cupcakes for one of my best friend's little boy, his first birthday.

The cake, cupcakes, and smash cake.

Wedding shower cake for a close friend. It was supposed to be a two layer cake, but I had was also hosting the shower and I had a horrible cold with fever. I decided this would do.

Petit Fours, yum!

One of my very first cakes, mom's birthday cake.

Christmas Eve Tiramisu Layer Cake, oh so good!

I also made a two layer Blue's Clues cake for Baby Girl's second birthday, but it has her name in huge pink letters up the side, so I'm not posting it. It was pretty!

Pushing the Limits

How did I get two children who don't know how to listen? I was such a good kid, so afraid to get in trouble and disappoint my parents. My two, wonderful and sweet as they are, test the limits throughout the day, each and every day. You know the expression "give an inch and they'll take a mile?" Well, with mine, you don't have to give an inch and they'll still take a mile. I guess this means they feel secure with me? Can I put that positive spin on it? I'm guessing their strong wills will do them good when they're older, they'll be a bit bold, think for themselves, and hopefully stand up for themselves. Right now, though, when they're both little and in need of rules and structure, it's driving their mama nuts.

Love you BG and LM.

The Lake!

Nana and Pawpaw bought a lake house!!

It's a four bedroom house, with a pier and dock, a pontoon boat and jet ski, and it's own lake front, and only 45 minutes from our front door to theirs. It's absolutely beautiful.

We went this weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for sun, water, and family fun.

Today (Monday), LM asked why we weren't going back today!

BG got on the jet ski, she said she loved it, that "Pawpaw go fast!" We tumped into the water, she didn't care, she's such a little daredevil.

LM swam in the water several times, we are so thankful that he had swimming lessons a few weeks ago so he was accustomed to the water. He and Daddy helped to fix the pier and dock, it's needs a little TLC, and they swam under the dock and checked all the wood and looked at the boats. We had cookouts and watched the sun set every night. There's a beautiful green lawn behind the house where the kids can play. It is such a wonderful retreat, all weekend I kept thinking how I was enjoying the feel of the warm sun, the sound of water lapping, children laughing, family time, good food, the wind on the water - how blessed am I?

When I asked the children what was their favorite part, LM said "Everything!" and BG said "The jet ski!"

Here are a few photos:

The view from the pier and dock.

A bit of the house and the gorgeous yard.

One of the older kids jumping off the pier into the water.

The dogs love it, too.

A view of the pier from the yard.

Fear

I always feel a tightness in my chest and just a twinge of fear whenever my three most loved people in the world climb into a car together and drive off. Even if it is only for a quick trip to The Home Depot, as it is tonight. I pray that God keeps them safe and protected while they are away. Sometimes I wonder if that fear that I have makes me strange in any way, but somehow I don't think it does.

Money

Baby Girl is definitely a walking, talking tornado today. I haven't done much but follow behind her to clean up her messes. It's amazing how fast she can destroy a room. :)

I found a twenty dollar bill in her piggy bank today. I have a few ideas about how it might have gotten in there, but I can't be sure. Either Monger put it in there or the ladies who gave me her baby shower (VM, SH, and CW) did it. I wonder how long it's been in there??

The Husband was home for five days straight while we had some tree work done. It was heavenly. He's back at work today and we miss him lots.

Well, off to do the mom thing!

Overachiever

Mama is tired.

Today I made three quarts of homemade chicken broth, a quart of homemade yogurt, from scratch waffles - I froze enough for about three week's worth of breakfasts - and dinner. Baby Girl was with me all day and I did several loads of laundry, made snacks for two school parties, had an impronptu play date with the neighbors, and did some cleaning. It's 7:29 as I write this and The Husband is still at work. I am sooo not complaining, I am just plain worn out. I'm sitting on the back patio and letting the kids play outside while I type this. They're digging in the dirt, which of course means they'll have to have a bath before bed.

Better get going. :)

I Want My Mommy Back

First, a picture. The Husband dressed Baby Girl this morning, and took her and Little Man out for doughnuts and a paper this morning. I just can't believe he actually took her out in public dressed like this. I can only imaging what people where thinking! (Besides I know her father dressed her!)

Today (Sunday) I woke up sick. Not terribly sick, but I have an earache that extends down to my jaw, a sore throat, and dizziness. The dizziness makes me feel like I've been out all night drinking. If I want to look for a silver lining I could say that I have the buzz without consuming all those empty calories. A stretch, yeah, maybe, but still true. :)

Anyway, after being up for a few hours I decided to go back to bed. Laying my head down on a pillow feels oh so good. A few minutes after going to bed, Baby Girl walked back to the bedroom, saw me in bed, and wasn't happy. She got a scowl on her face, angrily stomped her foot, and said, "No, get up! Wake up! I want my mommy back!!" Made me laugh, she has such a personality.

Oh, and I have my third black eye, courtesy of my children. This time Baby Girl was playing with her toy broom and accidentally hit me in the eye with it. I don't know how I haven't learned yet, but it's hard to keep your face away from your children!

Gross and Cute

The kids and I accidentally left a sippy-cup full of milk in the car. It's May and we live in the South. My car smells so very, very, bad, and the sippy-cup is in the garbage can.

Sippy-Cup = 1; Mom = 0

Baby Girl wore her hair in pig tails for the first time yesterday. Adorable! She keeps asking to look in the mirror and she gently runs her hand down the ponytail. I love that little girl. :)

Bits and Pieces

For the past week, Baby Girl (30 months old) has been calling me "Mom." I'm not a fan of this new development.

Little Man went home with Grandma to spend the night right after we bought his new light-up tennis shoes. Grandma called last night to say that she and Little Man turned out all the lights in her house and were having a good time stomping around and making the lights on the shoe light up. She said he was so very happy to finally have his shoes, and that his smile over them was priceless. Makes a momma happy.

Blogger has been having problems lately. Both yesterday and today I had ideas to blog about, the time to blog, and the desire to blog, all at the same time, which almost never happens. So I try to log on and write, and....CAN'T. Go figure.

Baby Girl has a new bad habit. During mealtime, she will take a bite, chew it up, then spit it out on her plate and say, "I don't like it." It's gross and irritation, she really isn't eating much, just chewing and spitting. Hopefully this phase will pass soon.

On a cute note, yesterday I was sitting in my bedroom folding clothes, and Baby Girl rounded the corner with her pretend birthday cake in hand, held it out to me and yelled, "Supwise!" She didn't just say it, either, but sort of jumped and threw her arms out, very energetic and very cute. Later on in the day while I was cleaning the real kitchen she decided she needed to clean her play kitchen. And she did. Very thoroughly and methodically. I think she may have gotten my cleaning bug, oh my. ;)

I just remembered this from our family vacation to Chattanooga. In our first hotel, we checked in and got somewhat settled when we realized that we were in a handicapped accessible room, which meant no bathtub. Having two small children and having no bathtub don't really go together, so we requested another room. A few days later, Little Man goes, "I want to go back to the candy happy room." It took us a few minutes but we figured it out - handicapped got switched around to candy happy. Cute. That's also how Monger got her name. :)

(Blogger is acting up again and won't let me spell check. Spelling is not my strong suit so I'm sure this is full or errors, please ignore.)

An Update in Pictures

I went on a girls' trip last week, the first time I've gone away from my kids for more than 24 hours in 4 1/2 years. It was looong overdue, and it was fabulous. Two friends, including "Cuz," and I took a road trip to New Orleans, I hadn't been in at least 10 years and I had missed it so. We skipped the college-ish drinking scenes and did some more grown-up stuff. Not to say that we didn't have a few cocktails or anything, we did, but thankfully we all agreed that downing hand grenades on Bourbon was a pastime best put behind us. :) We left on a Thursday morning and came back early Sunday afternoon, it was the perfect length away. It was enough time to relax and really start to miss my family and then it was time to come home. I took this picture when I arrived back home on Mother's Day, because I had just said in the car, "Maybe The Husband will have cleaned the house for me for mother's day."

Welcome home and Happy Mother's Day, lol!

The next picture can go under the heading of Why I'm Always Cleaning and Yet My House is a Mess. Meet "The Box." This box full of The Husband's winter clothes went into our storage room when we moved into our house 7 years ago. There it stayed for about 4 years, until one day we cleaned out the storage room and the box ended up being shuffled into the attic to be sorted through on a later date. Again, there it stayed for about 2 years until we cleaned out the attic and The Husband brought it downstairs to our bedroom, oh in November, he was going to go through it since it was full of winter clothes. Well, this box stayed by the wall of our bedroom until two weeks ago (end of April), when I finally had enough and The Husband moved it next to the stairs. Still full of winter clothes, and with a few newly bagged items on top. I am really chuckling as I write this, I'm not being snarky at all, but this picture truly says a thousand words.

Another addition to Why I'm Always Cleaning and Yet the House is Always a Mess.

The Pantry. I organize this pantry a little bit every day, and it gets a huge overhaul at least once a month, but this is what it looked like when I came back from my trip. Ignore all the junk food in there, I had been gone for a few days, remember? I see this and can only think that it's nice to know that my family needs me. :)

This next one I took after I made the bed for the third time that day. As you can see, making the bed around here is a HUGE waste of time. :)




I made yogurt! And it was easy, and it tasted good!! Baby Girl is eating us out of house and home with her yogurt consumption. Even when I buy the big tubs we are spending quite a bit of money on yogurt. So....I thought I would give making it myself a try. It worked, who knew you could make your own yogurt?!

Poor Little Man, his momma loves classic children's clothing, and classic children's shoes. So last year when he started asking for light-up tennis shoes, I balked - and said "No." Well, after nearly two years of asking, and when after completely growing out of the line of nice shoes I like to buy, I caved. He now owns light-up tennis shoes. He couldn't be happier with them, and that makes me love them, too.

MLK Says is So Well

Last night we heard the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces. I personally am glad that this man can no longer spread evil and misery into the world, but I am also deeply upset by the public celebrations over the killing of another. I understand that we all have a sense of relief and even a sense of closure, but feeling overjoyed just seems crude. I feel like we have lost a bit of ourselves by our reaction to the news. It just seems wrong to party and cheer. I know, I know, he was a horrible man, and if anyone deserved death than it is he. But is it up to us to decide such things? And will this really solve anything? Aren't there others literally lined up to take his place? I am conflicted. My friend K.A. posted this on facebook, and I think it is a perfect response to the events of yesterday and last night -

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction...The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. : - MLK, Jr.

Not a Good Day

Experiencing miscarriage number two. Excuse my French, but this f***ing sucks.

They Fight Sleep Like No Others

My kids, do, that is. Today Mama really wanted them to take a nap. It was one of those days that a mom counts down the minutes to a few minutes of freedom. I'm fighting some sort of bug, or allergy, or who knows what, all I know is I don't feel well. Also, I stayed up half the night because we were supposed to have really bad weather (when even the down to earth, nonchalant weather forecaster says it's going to be bad, I begin to worry, and he said things could get ugly.) So when I woke up at 2:30 a.m. and heard the winds picking up, I thought maybe I should check it out. So I went into the den to see what was going on, only to see - nothing. I was, however, wide awake. So I wait about an hour thinking I would get sleepy, but by that time weather was getting closer and the forecasters were on TV. Thankfully the tornado-producing thunderstorms petered out just as they were about to hit. I didn't even have to bring Baby Girl downstairs, all right! I was eternally grateful that I was climbing into my bed instead of the tornado closet but I was also oh so tired. Which brings me to nap time. Baby Girl wasn't having it. She fought from 12:30 until 2:00. Yep. And Little Man never did take a nap, although I somehow convinced him to stay in his room for an hour. All in all it was long enough to make a phone call to the school about next year and research and sign up for swim lessons for Little Man. Just as I was thinking about a catnap the beasts were awake. Oh well there's always an early bed time, right? Right. :)

Where Daddy Go?

The Husband went out of town earlier this week for a short trip. He left about 6 am on Tuesday and was back home around 10:30 pm last night (Tuesday). It seemed even shorter because I saw him on both Monday and Tuesday. It seemed like a long time to the kids, however, because Daddy was gone before they woke up Monday morning and didn't come home until after bed on Tuesday. They missed their Daddy. Monday night we were sitting at the dinner table and Baby Girl looks up at me with a questionable look and asks, "Where Daddy go?" I reply, "He's at work out of town. He'll be home tomorrow after you go to bed." Baby Girl scrunches up her face in that cute way she does and says, "I lost my Daddy." - pout Baby Girl loves her Daddy. And Daddy loves her back!

Brown Water Can Put A Crimp In Your Day

Wow, wow, wow. I'm having a really hard time with the kids today. I'm not sure what it is, but they have been so high-maintenance lately. They've been a bit needy, too, but I expect that and that's ok considering what happened last week. That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about it that I set them up with crayons so I can do the dishes or start dinner and two minutes into it they want play-doh. Or I get Little Man set up with the wii and two minutes into it he's throwing a huge fit because he wants to go to a different level or play a different character and he needs my help to do that. And they do it again and again (and I don't mean that I ignore them while doing this, either, or that I do this after being busy all day). Seriously, kids, I used to get pushed out the door into the backyard and told, "Do something," when my parents needed a few minutes to accomplish something. I know this is a phase, but getting constantly interrupted is not something I handle very well. I'm working on it, I've improved so much, even The Husband says so, but having a few simple items on my to-do list (like make dinner so we can eat, swish the toilets so they aren't nasty, or load the dishwasher to we're not looking at piles of dishes - I know better than to expect to do something complicated like organize or paint a room) and not getting them done without ten (or twenty) interruptions drives me insane. Literally. I lose it. Literally, the doctor gave me a prescription for happy pills this week. Which I haven't filled and may not fill, but it's nice to know they're there if I need them. Today was one of those mornings, where nothing got done. I was handling it great, though, I really was. I managed to not sweat the small stuff, and was happy that I even started a load of dishes and managed to wash two loads of laundry. Then I decided to give the kids a bath before lunch, they both needed one last night but due to pooping issues one child didn't get one. I figured I'd put them both in the bath and they could play and have fun as they love the bath. So I go to run the water, and it's brown. Dark brown. Oh gross, what the heck is this? Ok, no bath for the kids. And oh crap the load of dishes and two loads of laundry that I just washed in dirty brown water. Nice. I think that kind of flipped a switch for me. I turned into grumpy mommy, not so nice mommy, please sit and watch a cartoon, or three, so mommy can have a small mental break and regroup. So I call the utility company to ask what might the problem be and they have no idea. They said to flush each toilet five times every fifteen minutes for an hour, and if that doesn't fix the problem to call back. Wow, as if I didn't have anything better to do than spend five minutes out of each 15 flushing toilets. Which I guess I didn't, as we need clean water instead of nasty brown stuff. So an hour and another phone call later I find out that the fire department was out flushing the hydrant down the street, and that can send dirt into the pipes for a few hours. Ok, no big deal, I get it. I'll wash the dishes and clothes again, take a shower and give baths this afternoon instead of this morning. No big deal. I just wish my heart would stop beating so fast, and that the panicky feeling would leave. It's 1:00 now, is it too early for a glass of wine? Just kidding, sort of. :)

24 Hours of Insanity

Wow, the past 24 hours have been intense. Mama could seriously use a Xanax. Seriously. Here's why - Last night Baby Girl went to the ER in an ambulance (a separate post to follow), and after we got home we had about three hours sleep, courtesy of several breathing treatments. I'm not knocking them, they probably saved Baby Girl's life, she was just a bundle of energy at midnight and beyond! We had a follow-up appointment with her regular pediatrician this morning, and on the way there she started wheezing again. It scared me to death, it sounded just like she did before her attack came full on last night. The receptionists and nurse rushed us back to the exam room and we saw a doctor about five minutes after we walked in the door. Her oxygen fluctuated between 92-97, which the doc thought was no big deal. I may be looking for a new pediatrician, I have loved him as a doctor so far, but his laid back attitude about Baby Girl's oxygen level didn't sit well with me. He reiterated what the ER docs said, only he said giving her a hit off the inhaler every 4-6 hours was unnecessary, and to only give it to her if the skin between her ribs started to pull in during inhalation. Again, I'm not doctor but I did grow up around asthma and that seems like that's waiting a little too long, especially for a two year old. I want to use the medicine to prevent her from getting to that point. Anyway, after the somewhat alarming doctor's appointment, we went home. .... and drove through the worst storm. It was no Hurricane Elvis, but it was very similar. Very scary to drive through, but by the time I realized we were in a bad storm we were just about five minutes from home. We got home and the sirens were going off, I couldn't tell that in the car because of the loud rain and marble-sized hailstones rapping on the roof, and the cable, internet, and phone were all out. I had no idea if the tornado warning was for my area of the county or not. Little Man was home with Grandma, he was terrified and still in his underwear. I do not handle bad storms and tornadoes well, I turn into a puddle of jello. However, I had to keep it together and be a responsible parent, so I scrambled for some clothes for Little Man while calling The Husband at work to see if I can get a weather report. I needed to know if I should empty out the tornado closet (no small task, it's our toy closet and packed solid), and thankfully, The Husband told us the storm had already gone through our part of town, although it still looked scary outside. We actually drove through the worst of it. Trees swaying, stop lights doing nearly 360s, looking out my car window reminded me of watching hurricane footage on the tv. We did have some minor damage, and I stress minor. A sizable limb fell on our fence and the side of the house, knocking loose a several boards and damaging two window screen frames. Could have been much worse. Little Man enjoyed the clean up with his daddy and our neighbor, Mr. Jimmy, who broke out the chain saw. Well, I say that's too much excitement for one day. Waaay too many adrenaline rushes for me to handle with grace. Now who has some xanax? (just kidding)

A Rite of Passage - Yes, Another One

Last night was the scariest night of my life. It sounds dramatic, but it's true. Last night I faced head on the fact that one of my babies might not be okay. Thankfully, blessedly, she is okay, but for a few minutes I was literally scared to death. The day started out normally enough. Baby Girl had been sick, again, with what seemed to be either another cold or allergies. I don't even take her to the doctor for these anymore, if I did we would be at the doctor every week, and all they can do is tell me how to best keep her comfortable - again. Around dinner time The Husband really noticed that Baby Girl was wheezing. She had been tired and needy all afternoon, and wanted nothing more than to be held and cuddled. "Sleep on Mommy, Sleep on Daddy," is what she would say. Anyway, I gave her the cold medicine the pediatrician recommended earlier in the week and began to get her ready for bed. I noticed really quickly that something wasn't quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The Husband had taken Little Man out into the front yard so he could burn off some energy before bed, but I thought they were out for a walk. Anyway, I didn't have anyone to consult with, so without much thought I decided to call the pediatrician. It was about 7:30 on a Sunday night. I left a message with the answering service, who promised me a nurse would call back within 3o minutes. Meanwhile, the way Baby Girl was breathing reminded me of when she had croup a few months ago. It was hot outside last night, so all I could think to do was open the freezer door and sit with Baby Girl in my lap, hoping the cold air would help her breathe a bit better. We sat there for about 15 minutes before the nurse called back, and after listening to me describe Baby Girl's symptoms she recommended to go to the urgent care center. We had to hurry, the center is about 2o minutes away and they closed in 55 minutes. So I go outside to find The Husband, I tell him our plans, and I hurry to get dressed. Yes, I was already in my pjs, I also needed a shower but was waiting on the kids to go to bed first. I knew the shower had to wait. As I was getting dressed things went downhill fast. Baby Girl started really laboring hard to breathe. The Husband, who has asthma, ran into the bathroom and told me to hurry, not to worry about packing a bag full of things to keep Baby Girl occupied, just to hurry! He said that he was going with us, that her breathing had gotten even worse and it wasn't safe to put her without an extra adult to attend to her. At that point, we ran out the door. Literally. Baby Girl didn't even have on shoes or socks. Little Man was with us, we didn't grab a sippy or a toy for him. We just left. I sat in the backseat next to Baby Girl and The Husband handed me his inhaler and says, "She's about to lock up, give her this." I don't, I didn't want to give her an adult dose, it didn't seem like it was that bad yet, but I held on tight to the inhaler. I sang songs to help keep my little girl happy and calm, and it worked. She was all smiles, even through she was obviously struggling to perform the most basic function - breathing. About half way to the center, I became really scared. Baby Girl was smiling, but there was a look in her eyes, it seemed almost like panic. She was trying to sing, but she couldn't. Her voice kept coming out almost like a gurgle. It was absolutely terrifying. I almost lost it. I imagined the worst, although i was trying hard not to. I had to keep it together, struggle that it was, because my main goal was to keep her calm so she could breathe easier. Little Man was the sweetest big brother. He knew something big was up, and he just kept singing with me, asking his little sister what song she wanted next after we finished one. I just love him, and her! They are the most wonderful children!After the longest drive in history, we finally made it to the urgent care center. I unbuckled Baby Girl from her car seat and didn't even wait until the car had completely stopped rolling before we were out the door. I walked right up to the front desk and said, "She's been wheezing, it's getting worse, and she's really struggling to breathe." The nurses stopped doing vitals on another child and immediately started working on Baby Girl. That poor other child, a small part of me felt bad about that, although I knew it was necessary. They walked us back to a room even as they listened to her lungs. They didn't even ask us her name, or for an insurance card or anything. I was so relieved and scared at the same time from their response. We were literally back in a room with an oxygen mask strapped to her face before The Husband and Little Man had a chance to walk in the front door. They ended up giving Baby Girl two breathing treatments, which helped her tremendously. The oxygen mask they gave her was shaped like a dinosaur, it had pink horns and feathers. Baby Girl loved it, touched it, said, "Roar," and laughed. Oh, my heart, I love you so much. After two breathing treatments her oxygen was at 95%. Not good enough to go home. The urgent care center was about to close, so they told us we would have to go to the hospital with her. In fact, they said she wasn't stable enough to go by car, because the breathing treatments might wear off, and she was still struggling to breathe and had a 95% rate even with an oxygen mask. So by ambulance we go. The fire department ended up showing up, which was pretty cool for Little Man, I just hope he didn't feel too left out that he didn't get to ride in the back with his mommy and sister. We were on our way to the ER, our first ER visit since becoming parents. While waiting for the ambulance, I joked with The Husband that we had done pretty good, we'd been parents for 4 1/2 years and were only now going to the ER. Also while waiting I called mom and asked her to meet The Husband and Little Man at the house, so The Husband could then meet us at the hospital. I felt bad asking her, she had just driven to Arkansas to see my grandmother who is in the hospital, and road trips are really bad on mom's back, but I didn't know what else to do. I also text my friend who is an ER nurse at the children's hospital. She wasn't working last night, and we were disappointed about that, but she called ahead of time and let them know we were VIPs. ;) So, the ambulance ride - it was pretty cute. Baby Girl was all hopped up on drugs at this point, and she was loving all the special attention. The ambulance has a special seat that folds down and turns into a car seat with a harness. So she was sitting up high in the seat, she had her pink dinosaur mask on, an O2 monitor on her finger, and a tiny little blood pressure cuff on her arm. Did I mention she was barefoot? I think I did. She was flirting with the EMT, extending her foot over to him, and saying, "Tippy toes." Actually she doesn't say tippy toes, but thankfully she had her mask on so the EMT didn't realize what she was really saying! Throughout the ride her eyes would get big and she'd say, "Oh, noisy!" and "Oh, bumpy!" It was very noisy and bumpy, riding in that big box is a lot different than riding in the back of a car! I debated taking a picture of her, she was so cute, and thankfully she had been stable for a while by that point. I didn't do it, though, it just seemed wrong to pull out my phone and snap a picture during all of this. We finally arrived at the hospital, escorted by two firemen/EMTs, and we had to do a quick check-in. At this point, the novelty had worn off for Baby Girl and she started acting out, not that I blame her. It was about 10:00, maybe 10:30 at night, so it was way past her bedtime, and she had lots of medicine coursing through her body. She was throwing her giraffe, her blanket, pulling things out of my purse and throwing them as well. The staff took it in stride, I'm sure they've seen all kinds of things from sick kids. Anyway, we got into a room right away, I'm not sure if it was due to the firemen escorts or the phone call from my friend Kelly. Maybe a combination of both, thank you, Kelly! Two nurses come in and hook her up again, heart leads, O2 monitor, but no oxygen this time. Baby Girl is relieved, she doesn't want anything to do with that dinosaur face mask at this point! All her stats look good, a sweet nurse brings her a toy and some books, and we wait for Daddy and the doctor. I crawl up onto that hospital bed and snuggle my Baby Girl. I felt like I almost lost her. I know that may sound dramatic, and I may have been dramatic, but that's how I felt. To see her struggle so hard for every breath and then to see her doing so well, asking for a red popsicle and beaming when she got it - Wow. I hope we're never that scared for the well-being of our children ever again. It has to be the worst feeling ever. Anyway, time goes by and we were seen by the doctors, she had a chest x-ray, which was fine, we get our medicines, and we go home. It's about 12:00 at this point. That's probably the quickest ER visit known to man, again - Thank you, Kelly! We arrive home with a Baby Girl who is WIRED! She keep rolling her head around and laughing. She even shook her head from side to side to make her hair fly. The nurse at the hospital saw that, snorted, and said, "Good luck tonight." We say goodbye to Gram, go upstairs to kiss Little Man goodnight, and try to go to bed. Yeah right! We end up watching two cartoons and then we just turned out the light. Baby Girl tossed and turned for a good bit but finally went to sleep. I wish I could say the same for me, did I doze - yes, sleep - no. Oh well, it isn't the first night of fitful sleep for this mama and I'm sure it won't be the last. Sweet Baby Girl was much better this morning, we woke up on the couch, I guess we fell asleep there after having to give her a hit off the inhaler at 5:00 am. What a night. I am so thankful, relieved, and happy that Baby Girl is all right, but I feel like I've run a marathon. My poor momma heart almost couldn't take it. Saying lots of prayers of thanks tonight. Thank you for igniting my momma instinct and getting me to call the doctor, thank you for igniting the daddy instinct and having him hurry us along. Thank you for modern medicine, and an almost empty waiting room. Thank you for family to take care of Little Man and make him feel safe and secure. Thank you for a wonderful husband who knows only how to be an amazing father. Thank you for the great response Baby Girl had to treatment. Thank you for her good spirits throughout the entire ordeal. Thank you for keeping her safe. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Blessed

What a great morning! I'm having one of those wonderful moments of clarity, when I realize how incredibly blessed I am. I have a loving husband who is a good man. I have healthy, happy, loving, and fun and goofy children who make me smile every single day. I have a nice home. Forget that it's on the small side, and that it's nothing fancy. It's comfortable, pretty, it brings me joy (especially today because it's clean!!), and it provides shelter and a loving space for my family. We have our health. We have fun together, we all flew airplanes at the park yesterday, Little Man, The Husband, and I laughed so hard together! The Husband has a good job, which provides security for us, which lets us breath easy at night and enjoy the small things. And countless other things, like being able to have extras like going out to eat, taking the kids on a trip (the space museum and a train ride are in the works, I can't wait!), and signing Little Man up for a soccer league. I love my life, thank you , God for blessing me in so many ways.

New Mom Registry Woes

I love looking at the gift registries of new moms. Sometimes they are absolutely freaking hilarious! Don't worry, I'm not passing judgement, I was a new mom once, too. I'm sure if the veteran, seasoned mom that I am now was able to travel back in time and take a peek at my old registry (as if, if I could time travel I wouldn't waste it to do something so lame, maybe to be that new mom again, but reviewing my registry -no) I would probably get a few laughs at myself as well. I looked up the registry of a friend today, she's expecting her first baby this summer. Here are a few standouts- 40 pairs of socks, 32 of them white, all sized 0-6 months!! Holy Batman, you will lose a few socks, but not nearly that many! An 8-pack of white is all you need, if you're adventurous you can add an 8-pack of colored socks, too. 5 packs of 152 sized-1 diapers! I will admit, this is much better than registering for umpteen newborn diapers, which always makes me cringe. My firstborn skipped the newborn size all together, and was out of size 1 at about a month and a half. At least diapers are easy to exchange for another size. A complete coordinating layette, you know, onesies, pants, shorts, little shirts, mittens, hats, and, yes, more socks (I didn't count these socks in the original 40 pair), that comes in a boxed set. Plus, four packs of bodysuits and a handful of outfits. All cute. Cute, cute, cute, but all sized 9 months and smaller. The baby doesn't really need all that much to wear. Really. A few layette items will do, as well as a few "going out" things. I know my kids often wore the same few outfits over and again, and they had a lot of brand new, with tags items hanging in the closet. This is definitely a case of less is more. Also, after having my showers for my first child, I realized that it was pointless to register for clothes. People love to buy baby clothes, you will get them by the bucketfulls, and it won't be what you registered for anyway. Often a good thing, as my kids received some cute and unexpected clothes! 8 hooded towels. Yes, eight. This one really had me rolling. Eight! What are you going to do with all of them? When you have a newborn or an infant, heck, even a toddler or preschooler, you do laundry EVERY DAY. When you're super busy you put it off to every other day, but still, you're always doing laundry. So two hooded towels should be just fine. :) Again, I'm not passing judgement, although I realize to some this may sound like a real b*tchy post. It's not!! I would never, never say anything to a friend in real life, or even write this if there were any way anyone could figure out who I'm referring to. I just got a laugh and thought I would share. It's just the perspective of a mom whose been there a time or two. :)

Rite of Passage

I feel like Little Man and I have experienced a parental rite of passage together. Yesterday Baby Girl and I sat in carpool line, picked Little Man up, and headed home. We weren't but a few yards from the school property, (and a good 10 minutes from home) when I heard Little Man say, "I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Uh-oh. I didn't think much of it, he looked fine, but still I hit the gas a little bit. It wasn't but a few seconds later, though, that IT happened. Buckets of IT. Lots and lots of IT. Everywhere. I didn't have so much as a kleenex to help clean Little Man up. I did manage to spot a wayward sock in my passenger seat. I usually don't keep random things in my car, but I had recently bought new running shoes and packed a pair of socks, and I guess one fell out of my purse and onto the seat. We used that to wipe up his face, but the rest of him, his booster seat, under and behind the booster seat, the floor - covered. He was wearing a rain jacket, but nevertheless the two layers he had on under it were soaked. His underthings and socks were even soaked. Am I giving you enough of a visual image? It's an understatement to say that it was gross and disgusting. Anyway, we made it home okay. I kept asking Little Man if he was all right, or if he could wipe his face. Poor thing couldn't even talk, he just kept replying with noises, "Uhhhhhhhhhh." I got the nasty clothes off and in the wash, and got my sweet thing settled on the couch. My dear, sweet, wonderful husband came home after a long day's work and cleaned out my car. If that's not love, I don't know what is. Little Man was fine after about an hour. He's been a bit, um, backed up this week, and I think that's what the problem is. I don't think he has a bug or anything. I've kept him home from school today and am giving him lots of juice, fruit, and a bit of medicine. Hopefully he will find relief soon, and for both our sakes I hope it comes out the right end. :)

One Day

Wow, we are having one of those days. Actually, it's probably just me, but it seems like we've "had one of those days" for several days in a row now. The kids are doing crazy stuff. Actually, it's probably just normal kid's stuff, but mercy! Seriously. I know that one day my house will be clean, and quiet, will stay clean, and be mostly clutter-free. I know that one day I will be able to finish a simple task quickly, without an interruption (or twenty), and that I will easily be able to check off everything on my to-do list. I know that. I tell myself that when it takes me 20 MINUTES to unload the dishwasher, because I'm constantly having to stop and attend to something the kids need. Even though I set them up with a game, or colors, a book, or even a cartoon beforehand. One day I'll be able to cook dinner without a toddler literally hanging off my leg, and often repeatedly pulling down my pants in the process, saying, "Hold you, hold you" over and over again. And without a preschooler crying and throwing a fit because a toy isn't working right, or he wants to do something that requires grownup hands and my hands are busy at the stove. One day everyone will eat the meals that I cook, and enjoy it, instead of taking one look at something they loved yesterday, grimacing, and saying, "I dooonn't like it." One day everyone will go to bed without a tantrum, or without dragging the process out to 2 HOURS with "I have to go to the bathroom (when they don't), or "I need a drink of water", or whatever comes to mind to drag out bedtime for 5 more minutes. One day the The Husband and I will have enough energy after the bedtime process to have a real conversation. As it is, we have several pressing family matters that need attending to, but since one of us passes out before the other finishes making sure Little Man is asleep and won't come running downstairs the second we make it down ourselves, those important conversations aren't happening. One day. Oh, I know that this time is fleeting, and I'm not wishing it away. Truly I'm not. There's a big part of me that wants them to stay little forever. I know that soon enough they'll be rolling their eyes at me, and saying, "Mo-om" at everything I say or do. Soon enough they'll think I'm a do-do and don't know anything about anything. Then they'll go to college, leave, get married...my house will be clean and quiet....and I will miss them so much. I will miss this so much. I know that. This is just a little vent. Sometimes it's hard that I feel like I never get anything done, and that my house is always a mess, even though I clean everyday. Sometimes it's just frustrating. But it's so rewarding, and lovely. I love my kids! I am SO BLESSED!! There isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. I am so very, very, very thankful that I am able to stay home with my precious gifts, my two slices of heaven. Some days, like today, I just need to remind myself of that.

Aw, Dammit

From Baby Girl today -

"Aw, dammit!" - in an entirely appropriate context. I wonder who taught her that phrase? Hmm, I think I'm guilty of that one.

...and I'm about to enjoy nap time. After a few days of go, go, go and very little rest or sleep at night, I'm going to put the kids down for a nap, sit on my bed, eat my lunch, and watch my DVR. Heaven.

Sleepless

Little Man last night:

After nearly two hours of "bedtime," he snuck back downstairs and asked to sleep in our bed. I said "no," as neither the Hubs nor I sleep well with our tossing, turning, arm slinging, and kicking son in our bed, although we do enjoy having him with us. So then Little Man says, "If you let me sleep in your bed I'll snuggle with you in the morning, if you don't I won't give you any snuggles." The Hubs looks at me and says, "Snuggles, the only currency he has." Guess where Little Man slept? That's right...yawn.

This and That

It seems like we've been so busy lately. I'm not really sure what we've actually been actually doing, but it's taking up all our time! One thing I know that's a time eater is The Husband's work schedule. True, he is self-employed and gets to set his own schedule, but for someone like him that just means he works, and works, and works. Lately it's been 11-12 hour days, six days a week. It's been hard. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I'm so glad he has a great work ethic and is working so hard to provide for his family. That's not lip service, I really, really am grateful. His hard work allows me to stay home with the kids and do things like journal our lives via a blog, take the kids to Aardvark classes, and be a part of Little Man's school community. I am forever grateful that I get to do these things during this season of my life. Like I said, though, it's been hard. The kids have had dinner, bath, and stories by the time Daddy gets home, and by that time momma and daddy are exhausted. The good news, though, is that Hubs is working towards a goal! We are hoping to move this summer!! Whoo hoo! I can't tell you how excited that makes me. I love our little house, and our neighborhood, but it's time to move on. I'm ready. We had a realtor come look at the house last week and give us a list of things we need to do to prepare to list the house. After a week of thinking on it, the Hubs gave the green light to go ahead and proceed. The Hubs needs time to mull things over, lol! Anyway, hopefully by the end of the summer we will have sold our house, bought a house, and have a move under our belts!

On another note, here are a few cute things from Baby Girl -

She loves her Woody and Jesse dolls. She calls Woody, "Boody." Adorable. Yesterday we were riding in the car, and she was clutching "Boody" and Jesse to her chest, and said possessively, "These are MY kids!" Over and over she kept calling them, "my kids." So sweet. She's also in love with her toes. She talks about her toes all day long. Tippy toes, tippy toes. Only she doesn't say, "tippy toes." Use your imagination, but what she says sounds a little dirty, as "tippy" is a hard word for a two-year-old to say!

That's about all. Little Man's year of pre-k is almost over, I can't believe it! We are on spring break this week. The Hubs is planning on taking a day off (hallelujah!) and we might go camping overnight at a campsite that's only 30 min from home. I hope it works out, that would be so much fun!

A date with my favorite boy

I took Baby Girl to school today, for an extra day, so Little Man and I could enjoy some time together, just the two of us. We started off at Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and some playground time, then on to Whole Foods for a chocolate chocolate chip cookie, then a trip through his favorite parking garage, and finally home to watch a movie. Lovin' it. :)

Little L (Baby Girl)

Sweet Baby Girl has been up to quite a bit lately. She has turned into such a daddy's girl. When she wakes up and we walk out of her room, she stands at the top of the stairs and yells,

"Daddy? Daddy? I wake up, Daddy!"

He also gets most of her hugs and kisses, and I admit it makes me a jealous. :)

From Baby Girl yesterday: While playing with the Woody doll from Toy Story- the doll has several phrases, one of which is "Reach for the sky!" Well, when the doll said that phrase, Baby Girl repeats it, stretches her arms up as high as she can, then says,

"I can't do it, Mommy. I can't reach the sky."

Also, we have an old-fashioned tin lunch box that we fill with small toys and crayons and take with us when we go out to eat. I opened it up recently and found two forks and two spoons, and they weren't ours. I racked my brain, where did you go eat last, and remembered. Sunday morning brunch with Nana and Pawpaw at IHOP. I also remembered the confusion of the missing silverware once our food arrived at the table. Chuckle. I've saved it and will return it one of these days. :)

Baby Girl is talking lots now. I like how she phrases her name. She always says, "Help the L." or "Carry the L.," "Tickle the L." Cracks us up every time.

She is a happy, energetic girl who loves her momma, daddy, and especially her big brother!

Sweet Baby Girl

Ah Baby Girl, my child who gives me a daily dose of smiles and laughter, as well as making me feel like I could admit myself to the loony bin on most days.

She's so sweet and full of life. She is exuberant about EVERYTHING!

And last night she ate roasted butternut squash like it was candy, shoveling it in her mouth as fast as we could replenish her plate, and who just ate half a zucchini for lunch.

I am amazed.

Hmmm

I just spent an unplanned half an hour washing walls and door. Let's see, mustard, purple popsicle, dried crackers, and lots of unidentifiable stains and morsels.

The kids eat at our kitchen table or the breakfast bar, except for maybe a bowl full of grapes or goldfish.

How???

Story of my life

Wednesday night I got a black eye, a BAD black eye, courtesy of Little Man's hard head. He was being goofy, I wasn't paying attention (didn't realize I needed to) and his head went - BAM!- into my face. Ouch. It rattled my teeth and I heard a "crack." I'm really not sure where that crack came from, unless he broke one of my facial bones, which is entirely possible, but who knows. Anyway, all is well, I'm a bit sore, I look like I've been in a fight, but in the end Little Man is okay and so am I.

So, less than 24 hours after the head banging incident we get a call from a friend of ours. A professional photographer friend. He hasn't taken pictures of us since The Husband and I were engaged, oh, about 7 years ago. Any-ole-how, he asked if he could do a family photo shoot... for a local magazine...ASAP.

I have an impossible to hide, swollen and red cheekbone and now deep purple (a color I didn't even know existed in nature) eye and I get asked to be a a photo shoot for a magazine. Huh. Go figure.

Story of my life. Can't help but laugh at it.

The good news is, I think our friend can wait a week. Surely the black eye and bruised cheek will have healed by then? I only hope I don't fall down on this ice and bust my lip before then. ;)

Protector

So earlier today, Baby Girl was staging a nap mutiny via screaming, crying, and flinging everything in her crib across the room. After several minutes of this, and many attempts by me to calm her down and get her to sleep, Little Man decides to try. He walks into her room, right up to her crib, and says in his sweet little voice, "I'm going to take a nap now, too. I'll be right next door, and I'll leave my door open so I can protect you and keep you safe. I love you."

Melted my heart.

I love that my kids love each other, and are best friends. It was one of my huge worries when I was expecting Baby Girl. "What if they don't get along, what if Little Man hates being a big brother?" Turns out I needn't have worried at all. He is the best big brother I could have imagined. What a lucky Baby Girl.

Making cookies and freshly vacuumed floors

It's a cold, rainy day around here, so after Baby Girl and I picked up Little Man from school we decided to make cookies to help pass the time. The disasters that followed are worthy of a comedy routine. In fact I'm writing them down so that one day I might sell them to fund my retirement. Here goes...

Little Man cracked the egg, then, due to the slippery nature of a cracked egg, he dropped it onto the counter, where it dripped onto the drawers, cabinet doors, and floor.


Baby Girl knocked over the bowl full of dry ingredients.


Baby Girl was constantly trying to get into the flour, baking soda, honey, and anything else that would make a royal mess.


I substituted honey for maple syrup. The honey taste is overpowering, and the affect is that the cookies taste like a spoonful of honey.


Evidently I sat my bag of chocolate chips too close to the hot stove the last time I used them. Most of the chocolate chips had melted together into one big chocolate mass.


Baby Girl kept reaching for chocolate chips while I was chopping up the big chocolate mass with a huge, sharp knife.


And lastly, as I was putting the cookies into the oven, I tipped the baking sheet a little too much, and all the cookies on that pan slid onto the bottom of the oven, where they immediately melted in a big buttery, chocolately mess. Fantastic.

I said a few choice curse words in front of the kids, including probably the worst curse word you can say in front of a child. Luckily I caught myself just in time and changed the word. Close call.

I slammed the oven door a few times out of frustration.

And then, after all this occurred, I yelled at the kids, as they kept getting too close to the oven while I was doing my best to wipe melted chocolate out of a hot oven. Yelled.

A bright note, after it was all said and done I looked at the kids and sadly said, "I'm so sorry I yelled, I feel like such a bad mommy." And I really, really did feel that way. My sweet Little Man looked at me compassionately and said, "No you're not, Mommy, you're a good mommy." And he came up to me and gave me a hug.

What would I do without those sweet little beings?

Shrinking by the week

So the week before Christmas I joined a boot camp. It's an exercise program taught by an honest to goodness retired drill sergeant. It's also a little different from most boot camps, as it's not a month-long class taught by an exercise enthusiast, but instead it's a year-round, outdoor experience taught by a drill sergeant (who happens to also be an exercise enthusiast!). We are even affectionately called maggots on occasion. :)

I am loving it.

There's just something about getting up at 5:10 to go workout in a parking lot, in the cold, and be done before the sun rises. Camaraderie abounds.

If I tried to do these workouts by myself at home, or even in a gym, I would quit halfway through. They're hard. However, when doing it with 30 or so other people, who are grimacing and grunting their way through it just as you are, it becomes easier. And the hour flies by.

It's also so very nice that I get home and at the very least I am wide awake and out of bed before the kids wake up. My kids are demanding when they wake up. Milk - now, breakfast - now, cartoons - now. No time to change the pull-up, warm them up with socks and a sweat shirt, or even for Mommy to go potty or make coffee. Now, now, now! Sometimes after boot camp I'm even able to take a shower, get dressed, and make a pot of coffee before the little monsters, er... sweethearts, wake up. Heaven.

And the icing on the cake, oops I mean healthy, all natural, low fat snack, is that I've lost about four pounds. Now I know some people might not dance a jig over four little pounds, but that comes out to a healthy average of losing one pound a week, lost over the holidays, from someone who is only about 15 pounds overweight. Seems pretty good to me! Let's also not forget the fact that I've gained a lot of muscle. Heavy muscle. My legs and arms already look more muscular. No jiggle - anywhere. Even at rest. My behind and belly are not quite there, but they're closer. There is definition in my abs. Yes, my "15 pounds overweight I've had two children abs" have some definition.

And it's only week four!!

Whoo hoo! God willing and the creek don't rise I see a bikini in my summer future! :)

Busy

It is 1:17 pm. So far today I have completed an intense, one-hour workout, thoroughly dusted the entire downstairs, finished the laundry, baked two loaves of from scratch bread (no bread maker here!), made homemade, from scratch soft pretzels for a healthy snack, cleaned the kitchen (no small task after all the baking), fed two kids lunch, put them in their beds for a nap, picked up so I can vacuum, soothed a sickly baby girl, and purchased a new dresser.

This mama is plum wore out!

The OCD Wagon

This self-professed OCD clean/neat freak has fallen off the wagon.

My house is a disaster. All the time.

Why clean when the little munchkins destroy it faster than I can work?

Seriously, I take time to clean the kitchen, and in the meantime they've pulled every toy out of the toy closet. So I put the toy closet back together and they've gone upstairs and dumped all the cars, dinosaurs, etc. out onto the floor. I can have them help me clean up, and I do, but that takes
f o r e v e r .

I'll go on and say that it's not lack of time that keeps me from cleaning, it totally isn't. If I stayed off facebook, and stopped reading blogs, and turned off the tv I could get a lot done. Maybe. Some days I DO turn off the computer and tv and still not much gets done.

Thankfully The Husband doesn't mind, or really notice, for that matter. He could live in a hovel, and as long as he had ramen noodles in the pantry and clean boxers he could go on unaffected.

I've just lost my motivation. Really. Why bust my behind when by bedtime it's a disaster all over again. Toys everywhere, yogurt/applesauce/take your pick smeared all over the kitchen counters/chairs/floor/cabinets/table/take your pick.

We've discussed hiring some help, but that seems silly. I am a stay-at-home-mom, after all. Plus it's not that the house is impossible to clean, it just doesn't stay clean. It literally makes me think, "Ahh, bleecch," when it's time to clean.

Well, Little Man starts going to school five days a week next year (sob!!), maybe my house will be clean then.

Or not.

Balance

It's so hard to find balance.

It seems that we have kid-centric days where we have a lot of fun, but nothing else gets done, or I plop the kids down in front of the tv all day and I get to knock off my to-do list.

Of course, I know that my kids are always most important. More important than a clean house, or a delicious meal, or whatever else...but still.

Hmmm, will to work on that.