Go Badgers!

 Today was AWESOME!!  My mom was sooooooo generous and took our family to the Badger game!  I'm going to apologize right now for all the exclamation points that will be found in this post but I can't help it, today was so much fun!!  We LOVE the Badgers in our house.  I am a UW alum and love returning whenever possible, which is pretty much never because with four little ones, it is a feat to take everyone into Madison for the day.  Since my parents got season tickets this year, it seemed like great timing to take the kids to a game.  We didn't even care who they were playing, we just wanted to see the Badgers!

We got up super early today, uuuggghhhh, I hate waking up early.  I actually didn't wake up when my alarm went off because I am such a heavy sleeper but thankfully my husband set his own alarm so that we could all get up on time for the game.  Even though the game was at 11, we had to make sure we had plenty of time, there is nothing worse than trying to rush to get somewhere because children really have no concept of time or what it means to be late!  We parked and had snacks once we got to Madison and my two year old immediately began working his magic on the people in the parking lot tailgating and was able to play a few games of bean bag toss.

 He had high fives all around and my husband was surely winded chasing him from one tailgating party to the next while my two year old laughed wildly with a mischievous grin and twinkling eyes.  All the kids were so excited to ride the bus to the game.  Funny how magical a school bus is to a kid and how stinky, bumpy, and uncomfortable they are for adults.  The kids did a great job walking to the stadium, we had no stroller and the crowd was a massive sea of red.  It was so fun to see the kids saucer eyes staring down at the field seeing real football players for the first time!!  And my daughter loved seeing the cheerleaders with their shiny pom poms.
 All the kids loved Bucky and how he danced around and did push ups after each score.  And when the band played at halftime, oh man!  The kids thought that was even better than the football!!  I loved singing all the traditional songs and teaching the kids how to do the wave.  They experienced so many firsts today, it is unbelievable!  They all loved the "Jump Around" at the end of the third quarter, especially the baby!  We got some great pictures of the kids in their Badger red and the boys had new hats that they wore the entire time!  So cute!  My two year old made a bunch of new friends at the game and a woman sitting next to us held him for most of the third quarter, he is just so funny!  The Badgers won 45-0, which was awesome because we got to see a lot of touchdowns.  All the kids were so good at the game and had so much fun, I hope they remember today when they are all big and grown.  Of course the baby won't, but that's ok, I have a ton of pictures of her in her cheerleading outfit and I can tell her how she slept and played at her first Badger game!  Thank you to my mom and dad for making today possible!  AREN'T GRANDPARENTS THE BEST!!!

Go Badgers!  Hopefully today is a preview of the season!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Done with the first week!

The kids have finished their first week of school and everything went great!  They both love their classes and have made some new friends and caught up with old ones already.  I'm so excited to watch the growth of my four year old.  He is so impulsive and even though he is very smart, there are skills he has yet to develop, especially those that are fine motor.  I worked really hard with him to teach him to write his name this summer but none of my techniques were helpful.  I can't wait to see how he writes his name by the end of the year!

Meanwhile, at home, I am having a blast with my two year old.  Here is a synopsis of our day:  He wakes up, "where my shoes?", shoes on, shoes off, socks on, shoes on, shoes off, socks off, shoes on, eating breakfast, "where my water?", baby up, socks on, shoes on, watch a show, throw footballs, run around like a crazy person, color, do puzzles, shoes off, socks off, potty, eat a snack, socks on, shoes on, play more football, color, do puzzles, shoes off, socks off, eat lunch, go potty, TAKE A NAP!  I would have put more spaces in that description except the day moves along and my son moves constantly to the point that there are no breaks!  I am just trying to keep up with him, give him some fun activities, one on one time and take care of the baby too!  Good thing she is so content or my house would be destroyed by my two year old!

At least our days are not dull and by the time I have to leave to pick up my older kids, I wonder where the time went.  Once the big kids come home it is just as crazy.  They have to put away their school stuff, do homework and chores, watch a show, and clean up before dinner.  I don't know how people make dinner if it's not a casserole or something in the slow cooker.  If I can't make it ahead of time, we don't have anything to eat for dinner.  Thankfully I have a husband that will eat anything and say it's the best thing he's ever had.  Don't worry, I don't think my cooking is that great, I have children to squash that ego, lol!  Anyway, I can tell already that this year is going to fly by and I am really looking forward to some of the milestones ahead.  Tomorrow we are taking the kids to their first football game!  Go Badgers!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

First day of school

My two oldest had their first day of school today!  They were both so excited they were up before 6 a.m.!  I was a little worried about my four year old being nervous but I think because his big sister was so excited, he was too.  He is such a big boy!  I couldn't take the kids to school because of my chicken pox (sob!) and had my husband take a ton of pics of the kids.  I love to see their big smiles waiting for school to begin. 

The kids attend an independent Catholic school and my daughter is going on her third year there so she is a pro!  She has a bunch of friends from kindergarten and knows the lunch, bathroom, and recess routine.  These seem to be the situations that cause the most stress and anxiety and I tried to prepare my four year old as much as possible.  My daughter was very excited to share this part of her life with him too and was excited to be able to see him throughout the day and play with him at recess.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at their school today, I would have loved to have seen them playing together at school!

I had so much fun playing with my two youngest today.  I was able to have the house clean all day and I had a ton of one on one time with my two year old.  We ate breakfast together.  We colored together, talking about colors and how to write his name.  We also did puzzles together for a half hour.  It was so much fun, I can't wait to find more activities to do with him tomorrow.  If anyone has any great toddler activities or websites please send them to me!  The baby was so good all morning.  She is crawling in, over, and through everything and pulling up on anything she can find.  She is such a great baby and still hasn't gotten sick so I am praying she stays that way.

When I went to pick up the kids I could tell that they had been containing their excitement all day because once they got into the car they exploded like little bottle rockets!  They were talking and jumping and singing and teasing and being crazy.  They continued to be two wild and crazy kids (lol, sorry OLD SNL reference!) once we got home.  At home, my two year old joined in their wild antics and the only reason I really don't like kids getting crazy is because someone ALWAYS gets hurt and it's almost always my two year old!  I couldn't wait for my husband to get home because the kids were starting to remind me of baby pigs at a state fair and I felt like a person trying to round them all up.

Unfortunately the craziness continued all through dinner, baths and bedtime.  My six year old told me very matter of factly, "Mom, I have to get all my sillies out before school tomorrow!"  Uuuuhhhhh.  I hope she was successful!  I'm sure this transition will take a while and everything will even out but man do I have a headache tonight.  I feel like a kid crashing after a sugar high.  I can't wait to get to bed!  I'm so glad the kids had fun and are excited to go back tomorrow.  They love going to school as much as I love sending them and I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for them this year!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Last day of summer!!

It's true, summer is almost over.  We are enjoying our last hours of summer in the house, of all places!  It is so hot and humid outside and I am still feeling the effects of my chicken pox so we are making a complete mess of the basement and enjoying the last bits of carefree summer living!  No more waking up after 7 am.  No more staying in pjs or swimsuits all day.  No more lounging outside in the sun, only coming in to eat and take naps.  If I wasn't bogged down with a contagious and ugly looking virus I would have loved to have taken the kids to the splash pad one last time.

The kids had their orientation today at school where they posed for their yearbook pictures and dropped off all of their school supplies.
By the way, when did schools require so many school supplies?!  When I was a kid I remember having the usual, crayons, markers, scissors, glue, pencils, but now we have to supply glue bottles and glue sticks (16!), crayons, twistables, dry erase markers, binders, cleaning wipes, sharpies, the list goes on!  My husband had to take the kids because of my pox and he was SHOCKED at how much stuff he had to take in with him!  Lol!  He had to take several car loads into the school and he asked the kids to grab their backpacks on the way out the door. 

I had to laugh because clearly he hadn't picked the backpacks up or he would have known how incredibly heavy they were!  I joked with him that we should tell the kids that if they wanted to go to school they would have to be able to carry their backpack into school themselves.  I put my six year old's backpack on her back and she literally toppled backwards under the weight of her overly stuffed backpack!  My husband said the kids did a great job at school putting all their stuff in their classrooms and he said the kids were very excited about starting school tomorrow.  This didn't surprise me about my six year old.  She has wanted to live at school since she was THREE!  I thought my four year old would be a little more anxious, and maybe he will be tomorrow, but I was relieved to hear him talking excitedly about school.


Tonight will be about my husband and me making sure that everything is ready and set for the kids tomorrow.  That means making sure uniforms are ready, shoes are easily found, lunches are packed along with snacks, backpacks are packed, paperwork is filled out, and that we all get to bed early enough to not be too tired tomorrow!  One kiddo in school was a lot of work and there was always something to do or be remembered, I'm a little nervous to find out how much more work it will be with two.  You would think the less children you have at home during the day, the easier it would be but that does not seem to be the case!  The more kids in school, the more there is to keep track of and younger siblings, traveling husbands, and unplanned illnesses can make keeping up difficult.

All good things must come to an end.  Thankfully, this good thing ending leads us into another great thing.  We will relish the school year just like we did the summer and we will miss school when we are faced with the last few days of the school year.  For now we will just enjoy the moment because there will be so many more moments to enjoy tomorrow!!  Please God, watch over my two older children tomorrow.  Thank you for the wonderful things they will learn at their much cherished school!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

 

 

 

Chicken pox suck!

Ok, I am officially on day 3 of having the chicken pox rash.  I have pox from head to toe, not as bad as it could be but I am still in a lot of pain, discomfort and am itchy!!  I couldn't sleep last night because no matter how I turned in bed, I was still uncomfortable and couldn't stop the itching on my face.  I have a lot of pox on my face and scalp and broke down in the middle of the night and took some benedryl. 

I am so thankful that my parents have my three older kids.  I want to just lay on the couch and sleep but I can't sleep because it hurts.  It hurts to walk around, it hurts to nurse and hold the baby.  I have been good about not scratching but sometimes I'm scratching and not even realizing it.

My biggest concern is still for my baby girl.  She is so little, I just can't imagine her being in pain, itchy and uncomfortable like me.  I'm amazed that she hasn't broken out yet but unfortunately, she has another 10-14 days to catch it.  Please God help us all heal quickly!!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

So....this happened...

I got chicken pox.  Yeah, it sounds weird.  Maybe some of you remember my post about my husband having shingles?  Well, as much as I THOUGHT I stayed away from him, apparently it was not far away enough.  I joked about sending him to his mother's house until his rash was completely gone and now I wish I had!!  I've had a headache since Sunday or Monday.  I thought this was due to not wearing my glasses while on the computer and reading so I put on my glasses, took ibuprofen and ignored it.

Tuesday I was feeling nauseous and just not right.  So after a pregnancy test revealed that I am NOT pregnant, I figured I was getting the flu, which I get surprisingly often.  I felt nauseous all day Wednesday and had a fever so again, I abstained from eating a lot and thought I needed to brace myself for the flu.

Then last night, I had my husband turn off all the fans and cover me with 5 fleece blankets and still couldn't get warm.  My fever spiked to 102 and all I wanted to do was go to bed.  I was so exhausted that I could barely get up the stairs and change into long sleeved pjs.  In the middle of the night I woke up in a sweat and tore off all of my layers, thankful to break my fever, only to find what I thought were spider bites on my face.

I was still feeling nauseous this morning and was running a temp between 101 and 100.  I was also extremely exhausted and started to do what you should never do-self diagnosing.  After paging through some extremely rare possibilities, I stumbled onto chicken pox.  Wait a minute, could it be?  I was so careful....I looked at the symptoms.  I had every single one, except for pox.  I ran to the bathroom, lifted my shirt-AAAAHHHHHH POX!  Holy crap, pox?  I checked my legs, yes pox.  And my face?  Well, let me just say, it is throbbing from pox!

I called the nurse, she laughed and said, "Yeah, sounds like chicken pox."  Well, my concern is not really for myself, I'll be ok, albeit uncomfortable, tired and nauseous, but my true concern is for the baby and anyone else that I came in contact with that could get this.  Don't worry, I made all the calls to people I saw in the last few days.  The nurse says the baby will be fine but will probably get it, although on a positive note, she can't scratch so that makes it a lot better for her.  She didn't think my two boys would get it either since they have had one varicella vaccine already or that they would just get a mild case.

As for me?  Well, I guess I forgot to ask about myself, mother's are sorta known for that I suppose....I did call my OB to see what I can take to relieve itching and pain since I do still nurse throughout the day.  Now my eyes are focused on my littlest one, praying she either doesn't get it or doesn't get it too bad.  We will gladly accept some prayers for us to get well quickly!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Calm before the storm.

Just when you reach a place of peace and tranquility, along comes catastrophe.  I woke up with a headache and feeling nauseous (no I'm not pregnant) and with 80 degree weather and high humidity, we decided to just play inside.  I have all the window shades closed to keep out the scorching sun and the cool air is keeping the house comfortable.  The three big kids are doing a great job playing with each other, calmly reading books, and dancing to music.  The baby is happy crawling around and exploring each toy in the living room. 

The alarm on my phone went off (yes, I'm that anal with my schedule) to let me know it was time for lunch so I asked my two year old to go potty so we could sit down and eat.  He ran to the bathroom and I began to hear the splishing and splashing of water.  Wait a minute, what?!   Why the, what?!  I quickly ran over to the bathroom, still within sight of the living room, and immediately saw that the toilet was creating a small flood in my bathroom, hallway, dining room and kitchen.  Now keep in mind this is TOILET water.  I quickly go into crisis mode yelling for the kids to get every towel they can find in my bathroom upstairs. 

The boys ran upstairs like mini aid workers passing towels down the stairs like an assembly line.  I ask my daughter to go over by the baby and keep her occupied with Kix, her new found greatest pastime.  Where do I start, where do I start?  The water is flowing like a mini river stretching to find an outlet.  Do I start at the source or go for the mouth of the river?  I choose both, throwing towels at the toilet like grenades hoping they stop the hemorrhaging.  Then I run to the dining room and lay towels down like sandbags to keep the flood from spreading.  The boys, oddly enough are not interested in being caught in my frantic storm and run down to the basement, just wanting to make it out of the kitchen alive and dry.  My daughters are in a paradise of toys where the flood will not threaten them.

I use every towel in the house and my feet (there is no way I'm using my hands!) to clean up the water, then wrap each towel inside itself and throw it in the washing machine.  I am never so thankful to have washing machine with a sanitary cycle, ready to kill the bacteria lurking in each soppy mess.  Then I pull out my antibacterial spray and vigorously wipe down the floor until it is so clean it shines but I know my OCD will force me to go back into the former war zone and obsessively clean it at least once more.  And the PTSD I have acquired from seeing toilet water running through my home will keep me from seeing anything but germs and bacteria where toilet water once stood.

Ok, I'm clearly exaggerating here but it's funny to me how God must have seen me becoming complacent in my day and decided to liven it up for me.  He always keeps me on my toes.  Maybe He just wanted to see if there would be swear words emanating from my lips or prayers....

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

8 years ago today....

Today is my anniversary!  I still remember the first time I met my husband.  We knew each other a little bit because we worked at the same summer job but we didn't really know each other.  Apparently he was going to ask me out at work and chickened out.  That night I went to a bar with some friends from work which was weird because I never went to the bar or hung out with people from work like that.  And who would come strolling in but my future husband!  He walked in with a girl and I totally ignored him figuring he was with his girlfriend.  I ended up chatting with him at the bar because my best friend wanted to say hi.  We played pool (I found out the girl was not a girlfriend) and when he was about to leave I went out on a limb and asked if he wanted my phone number, only to be shot down with a quick, "Nah, but you can have mine if you want it."  Uhhh.....really buddy?  Sure, whatever.  He told me to call him in ten minutes and when I did, he told me he was coming back to get me.  I had butterflies then and I still get them now-8 years later!

We have been pretty much attached ever since that summer meeting and I can't help but reflect on how blessed I am that God chose him for me!  This blog is a love letter to my one true soul mate, the only one I could imagine navigating this life with.

Dear Hubby,

I love you more now than I did then because there are so many more dimensions to our life.  You are an amazing father.  I thank God the children have a father like you to be the yin to my yang.  You lighten things up when they become to serious, you are goofy when I am not, you are silly when I am tired.  When you come home from work you immediately dig in to what needs to be done with the house and with the kids, so much so, that I wonder how I handled them all by myself when you were gone.  You are the one who wrestles, climbs, gets dirty, and finds creepy crawlers.  You are the swing pusher, the football thrower, the bike fixer.  You are the strengths to my weaknesses.  I love how much you love and care for our children.  I love that you never shy from your duties to them.  I love how open you are to adding to our chaotic brood!

You are my best friend.  You know me better than I know myself sometimes.  You can read me like an open book when I am trying my hardest to remain shut.  You never gave up on me even when I was at my darkest point, even when I had given up on myself and us.  You are the one I love laughing with, you are the one I want to hold me when I cry.  You are the one who understands that when I am angry, I am really just hurt.  We have had our trying times and weathered out our storms alone.  But I know for certain that I only want to trudge through future obstacles with you by my side.  We are stronger together than we are apart and it took facing difficulties to realize it.  I believe God put me here to be with you, that I was created to be your wife.  I am so blessed and honored to be the mother of your children.

Thank you for providing for our family, for going to work and carrying the financial burden of our survival each and every day.  I have faith and confidence in your ability and desire to take care of us.  I am thankful that you love your role in our family and cherish mine.  I hope you know that I love my role in our family and cherish yours as well.  I love that we are a team, I love how perfectly we fit.

Thank you for being the husband I never could have imagined but am so grateful that you are!  I love you today and everyday.  I can't wait to see how our love will continue to grow and change.  Thank you for being mine, I will forever be yours!

Splish, splash!

The weather has has been absolutely amazing lately and we are relishing our last days of summer!  My two year old wanted to play in the water outside and I suddenly decided to put the baby in a suit too!  She loved being in our little "splashy" pool, as the kids call it.  She crawled all over, hitting the water, laughing, and playing.  Why didn't I think of this before?!  There wasn't even enough water to cover the bottom of the pool but she had so much fun I must have taken at least 25 pictures.  My two year old was so good too, getting her toys to play with and not splashing at her at all. 

And then when we were out there it hit me, this is what it's going to be like when my two older kids are at school.  They were playing in the house and didn't come outside with us and it was so peaceful with the two little ones but at the same time I felt a sense of sadness at not having all of the kids out there.  Is that weird?  I love having my kids at school, I could never survive homeschooling, but there's a part of me that just wants them around all the time...

Thank you God for showing me the serenity in today.  Help me to not be too depressed as my little ones get bigger, and bigger!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

How long do I have to be the Tooth Fairy?

My baby (ok, she's six) just lost her first tooth.  How exciting!  She was psyched to put her tooth under the pillow last night.  Just in case anyone has a child reading this blog, I'll give you a second to ask them to stop as I am about to reveal something major....Are you ready?....Ok.....I am the Tooth Fairy!  Ok, I know all of you know this but this is the newest role I have taken on.  I've been Santa for a while, which I must say is pretty easy to do.  I keep presents hidden in a closet way up high.  I hide the wrapping paper too!  Then, while kids are sleeping, I bring all the presents out and put them under the tree before they wake up on Christmas morning.

Being the Tooth Fairy is much harder and more nerve racking!  First, we almost lost my daughter's tooth.  While we were heading up for bed last night my daughter asked me where her tooth was.  Uhh.....I had no idea.  She told me she had it in a baggie on the kitchen table and my heart dropped into my stomach.  I had run around the house picking things up and putting everything away before dinner and at the time I didn't think about it, but after my daughter asked me, I distinctly remembered throwing out a (seemingly) empty baggie on the kitchen table.  So I had to go digging through the trash, which of course had all of the disgusting food and scraps from dinner in it, including the coffee grounds my husband conveniently waited to throw out.

Thankfully I was able to find the tooth and put it in a different, cleaner baggie.  My daughter excitedly put it under her pillow and begged her four year old brother to stay asleep so the Tooth Fairy would come.  Then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  I asked my husband around 10:30 if he thought the kids had been sleeping long enough to go in there and switch the tooth for a quarter.  He thought they would be in a deep sleep so we proceeded upstairs, quarter in hand.  He asked if I wanted a light on while I went in there.  Uh, no.  I don't really want to get busted on my first go at being the Tooth Fairy!

I went in on my hands and knees and crawled over to my daughters bed, carefully finding the bed skirt and moving my hand closer to the pillow, nervous I might run into her little hands or poke her in the face on accident.  I found her pillow and slid my hand underneath.  Success!  I felt the baggie and slipped it out from under her pillow.  Then I could hear my son starting to move in his bed and began to panic.  I quickly started to stuff the baggie with the quarter in it under her pillow and was sure that the crinkling of the bag would wake her up.  I ran out of the room not even sure if I had gotten the baggie completely under her pillow or not.    My heart was racing!  I was so scared that one of them would come running out of the room and catch me in the hallway, tooth in hand!

Luckily, everyone stayed asleep and my daughter awoke to a bright, shiny quarter under her pillow that she quickly showed all her siblings and then stuffed in her piggy bank to make sure it didn't get lost.  So seriously, how long do I have to be the Tooth Fairy?  I want my kids to have some of those "magical" experiences I remember from my own childhood but it is so nerve racking to make sure that spell does not get broken.  How old are your kids when they stop believing?

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Reaching major milestones!

OH MY GOODNESS!!  My oldest has just lost her first tooth!  I can't believe my baby girl is getting so big.  I remember how hard she worked to get those little teeth to pop through the gums when she was just seven months old and now, just as quickly as they have come, they will be lost!

I know it must sound silly to be nostalgic about tiny little baby teeth wiggling their way out to make room for some big girl teeth, but it feels like this milestone is bringing us into the next stage of childhood.  My little girl has taken her first steps towards becoming a BIG girl (insert tears here!).  People always tell you that time flies, but sometimes I get so caught up in the day to day that I feel like I forget to look up and when I do-gasp-my kids are inches bigger and reaching another milestone.

I take a million pictures of my kids and tons of video, even just of everyday stuff because I don't want to forget a moment!  I remember how special it was for me to lose my first tooth and to finally be in a grade that is a number and now my oldest has achieved both of these things!  The more I look at her, the less she looks like that round, chubby cheeked, gummy baby.  Seeing her lose her first tooth and seeing her excitement about getting older, makes me excited, scared, and anxious for each milestone that is yet to come.

Please God, help my daughter face each new chapter of her life with the same excitement she has now.  Thank you for the beautiful journey that we, as parents, get to be a part of in our children's lives!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Why?

I think I have said this before but two is my favorite age!  Two year olds still take great naps.  They are so inquisitive and full of curiosity at the world around them.  Two year olds discover something new about their environment every day.  They learn new skills, can reach higher heights, and are ever more anxious to do things "All by my relf!"  I love how language development seems to explode at this age as well.  Most kids are usually saying words and starting to string them together but sentences are so much more complex at two!

My two year old's language makes me laugh everyday, it is so cute I can't stand it!  I have to get it on video because there is no way for me to imitate it and in ten years I probably won't remember how he sounded.  My little guy was a little slower in language development than my four year old and hubby and I wondered when he was ever going to start talking.  It was totally worth the wait!

Here are some of my favorites:

Any songs he sings, especially in church because he is the loudest singer and so emphatic!  I am also really enjoying his rendition of "Happy Birthday". 

"That scare me."  It's not just the fact that he says this all the time, or the tiny little voice he uses, it's is the big puppy dog eyes and the slightly upturned mouth that let me know he is saying it to be silly that pinches my heart every time!

"I need that."  He just started saying this.  How do kids come up with saying things they need?  We were in the store and he said, "Oooo, nummy food mama, I need that."  What?  I'm sorry but this is so cute it actually makes me want to buy what he is asking for!

"Hi" "Bye" and "He no say hi/bye to me."  He has to say hi to everyone, about two inches from their face and opening and closing his hand like he's doing Morse code.  He is so friendly and wants everyone to be his friend which causes him to be terribly offended when someone does not return the greeting.

"I no see."  He says this anytime he is asked to go and get something.  He will haphazardly look around him and then resort to saying he can't see the item in question.  Mostly this is in protest for doing anything himself when he would really rather have you do it for him.

and finally

"Why?"  This is his newest and cutest response.  When I ask him to go get his pjs, "Why?" or there's no more cereal, "Why" or I need you to put your shoes away, "Why". 

Man, kids are cute.  I must say that like a hundred times a day.  Thank you God for my most adorable clan of cuties!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Can anybody hear me?

I am very blessed.  My children are very well behaved, most of the time.  I don't worry about taking them places in public because I don't have children who tantrum.  They have good manners at the table and play nicely with each other (sometimes better than others).  My one major complaint is when it's time to CLEAN UP! 

Like most kids, they have no problem making the basement and the backyard a complete disaster.  Sometimes I wonder if they even play with the toys or if they are actually just taking them out one at a time and strategically placing them around the house so it looks like a tornado came roaring through.  I mean, how is it possible to play with every single ball that we own and not one of the balls is within five feet of another or any toy that actually requires a ball?  I know the kids did not play with each of the 20 necklaces in the dress up bin yet somehow there is one under the couch, in the cushions, in their beds, and in the bathtub!  And I am certain that it is impossible to play with all three bins of kitchen stuff and even though the bins are empty, there is not one item actually in the play kitchen.

It's not really the mess that bothers me.  Ok, it is.  Who am I kidding?  I can't stand when I walk into the basement and can't remember what the color of the carpet is because there has been a blanket of toys for the last three days!  It makes my skin crawl, like there are spiders all over me and I just can't shake them off!  Maybe that's a little extreme, but I love tidiness and order, I am a full blown type A personality, so to see that NONE of the organization I have put in place is being utilized makes me beyond irritated. 

So why is it that when I ask my beautiful, well behaved children to clean up, they have suddenly developed the inability to follow directions?  I mean, it's not like a new concept around our house to pick up after ourselves yet every time, it is such a headache.  I begin by asking nicely, we may even make a game out of it, or a competition but when I look and see them singing, jumping, laughing and PLAYING, I am no longer in the mood to make it fun.  So the conversation then turns to this:  "Clean up.  Clean up.  Clean up.  Clean up.  Clean up.  Clean up!"

Then I turn to, "If this isn't cleaned up, I am putting all the toys on the floor in a bin and we won't play with them for a week!"  Only to have my four year old suddenly decide to be helpful by saying, "Here mommy, you can put this one in the bin."  Hey, it's supposed to be a punishment buddy!  Although I would say, my least favorite response to "clean up" is, "I am" while they are clearly in the midst of building a tower larger than themselves.  "Uh, what's that then guys?"  "Well, we have to put all the legos in a tower in order to clean them up."  As they procrastinate in a job that they will inevitably have to finish, they start to make excuses as to why they just can't clean right now.  "I'm starving mom.  I really am.  I'm so hungry, I can't clean until I have a snack"  I don't know how to type that so you can tell the high pitched, whiny, on the verge of crying voice that they use.

Now some of you may be thinking that if I wasn't so type A and they could just dump the toys into big bins rather than organizing them, that clean up would be easier.  Let me assure you, this is not the case.  Outside we have two large bins and all the kids have to do is fill them up with the toys.  We have the same struggles.  It makes me wonder if my children's bodies have suddenly become made of tin and they are like the rusty tin woodsman in The Wizard of Oz.  Or maybe the consistency of the air has changed to that of thick vanilla pudding. 

Whatever it may be, I have the feeling my frustrations with having a clean home are just beginning.  I don't even want to imagine what their rooms will look like when they are teenagers!  So what are some of your tricks?  Would love to hear anyone who has advice on motivating children to clean.

This picture doesn't even begin to show how messy it was.  This is more than halfway through the cleaning process!



                                             Getting closer....

Finally!  A clean basement!  And I've only given myself a small headache in the process.  Now for upstairs.....

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Savoring today...

Ok, so for those of you who had to read my ranting, anger filled blog yesterday, let me just say I'm over it.  I woke up today to a gorgeous, sunny day and while I was playing with the kids outside, I couldn't help but be filled with contentment.  I prefer contentment over joy, as joy seems to me to be more of a temporary feeling.  I really hate being ornery or angry and just can't hang on to those emotions for very long.  And when it's as peaceful as it was outside today, how could I possibly not just relish in the perfection of the moment?

 



 What a beautiful scene!  As school quickly approaches (two more weeks!) and I face having two kids in school instead of just one, I am filled with emotion watching my children getting bigger.

 I remember when my baby was so tiny and worrying about how quickly she was (or wasn't) gaining weight and now she is eating baby food, Kix, and crawling all over!  She is so happy and content, she's an amazing baby!!

 Watching my older daughter with her makes my heart swell, she is like a little mommy, always concerned for her younger siblings and helping them and playing with them.  It is so beautiful to see the two of them together, I hope they maintain this sisterly bond!

 I am in complete awe at God's beautiful creations.  I remember bringing home my oldest, she was so tiny, and praying that she would be healthy.  I remember wondering if we would be blessed to have more children, the road to having my oldest was so long and difficult...

 So to be blessed with four, I could not feel any luckier!  To be able to spend these wonderful days at home with them, I know what it truly means to be blessed.  I read a blog yesterday where a woman expressed that "the rainbow is enough".  I knew exactly what she meant and could not want for anything more than I have today.

I hope I will have a picture with more children someday, but if I don't, I know my children are enough.  Thank you God for the gift of my family and these beautiful summer days to remind me of my blessings!  Help me to cherish each moment I have with them, especially the serene ones like today!

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Busy Mommy Blogger

What happened to customer service?

I had one of the worst experiences at a clothing store today.  I can't stand when stores have poor customer service or are outright rude.  Don't they care about my business?  Well, if they treat customers the way I was treated today, I guess not.  I used to work in retail in high school and college so it's not like the retail world is unfamiliar to me.  I guess I'll start at the beginning....

I had to buy clothes for my four year old who starts school this fall.  He needed white polos and blue pants for his school uniform so after shopping around online to find the absolute best price, I decided to buy the clothes from JC Penny.  I was a little weary to purchase from them at first since they have been in the news so much because of their recent struggles to revamp the company and also for inflating prices just to make items seem like they are "on sale".  JC Penny allowed me the option to ship to the store saving me money on shipping so I decided to make my purchase. 

I received a call about two weeks ago (well, 17 days ago, as I was told today!) that I let go to voicemail.  It was from a clerk at JC Penny saying that I had a package that I could pick up at any time at the registers.  I had just had my oldest daughter's pictures done there so I thought the message was about picking up her pictures and sent my husband that night to get them.  I didn't think about the message again until I received another call a couple of days later.

Again, a clerk from the store left me a message saying the exact same thing, I had a package at the register that I could pick up any time.  "Oh!", I said to myself, "The clothes are in!"  I was so excited to get them but there were a few things that came up in the meantime and I didn't have time to drive out to the store.  I wasn't worried about it though since the message said I could get the items "at any time".  JC Penny called me the next day and this time I was able to pick up and talk to the clerk.  I told her thank you very much for calling and again she said that at any time I could pick up my items.  I told her that I would be getting out to the store in the next week or so and thanked her again before hanging up. 

So today I headed out there to get my son's clothes and was told, "We sent your items back.  It had been longer than ten days and we didn't think you were going to come."  She also said, "We contacted you to let you know they were here and you never came."  Now, let me just say, I don't care that the items were sent back, according to the clerk they are only able to hold onto the items for 10 days (which she later told me very rudely that they had actually held mine for 17.).  It bothers me that, 1.  they never told me I needed to pick the items up in a certain amount of time and 2.  made me feel like it was my fault they had to send them back.  Then then clerk very rudely told me, "Well I can order these again for you if you want."  Well snarkiness never makes me want to spend money anywhere so I asked her for my order receipt and told her I would buy the items elsewhere.

When she handed me my receipt I responded with some snarkiness of my own (I know, real mature, but I couldn't help it!) and told her, "Thanks!  Lesson learned.  Next time I'll go somewhere else!"  She very quickly told me, "Well, you did get three contacts from us!"  To which I responded, "Excuse you, in not one of your contacts did you once say I needed to be here in a specific amount of time and had I known I would have been here."  And her response was, "Well maybe."  I was walking out the door but immediately turned around and said, "No, not maybe.  Had I had the courtesy of being made aware, I would have been here." and proceeded to walk about before she could open her rude little mouth again.  Ok, maybe that was a little harsh, but I HATE confrontation and felt a definitive need to defend myself.

So what happened to customer service?  Would it have been so hard for her to just explain the policy and apologize for the store not making the policy known to the consumer?  Why wasn't I given the opportunity to know that there was some kind of deadline on picking up my items?  Again, I don't care about the items being sent back and I would have reordered them from JC Penny, had the clerk just been courteous and understanding.  You cannot blame me, the consumer, for being unaware of YOUR store policy if you tell me it's ok for me to pick them up anytime! 

I guess I am done ranting about my frustrating shopping trip that was supposed to be a five minute pick up.  Thanks for listening to me vent!  I really just can't stand the attitude that customers aren't valuable.

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

How to survive being a SAHM.

I just had a conversation with a neighbor who quit her job due to frustrations and decided that she would stay at home with her two children until she decided what she wanted to do next.  I talked to her before she had her first day at home and she was very excited.  She was excited to spend more time with her children and to have time to get some projects done around the house.  That was a week ago.  I spoke with her this morning, two hours into her new career of being a SAHM.  She was already miserable.  She was saying that the reason she didn't stay at home is because she's bad at it and is anxious for school to start.

I have been at home for 6 years now and I know exactly where she is!  People who don't stay at home think it is easy to be at home with little people who are unable to care for themselves.  They think I am on vacation every day.  Ummm....it is definitely not a vacation to be in a house with four small children who all want and need different things constantly.  It is not easy to have to nurse the baby while your two year old is holding their crotch because they have to use the bathroom while the four year old is swinging a toy around, hitting your six year old with each swing.  In order to maintain my sanity there are some things I do.

1.  Keep a schedule.  I like to know when things are going to happen with my kids.  I like to know what time we are going to eat breakfast, lunch and take naps.  Especially when the kids will be taking naps.  When the kids are on a schedule, they also know what to expect each day.  I don't have to struggle with kids taking naps because it is the same every day and they just understand that napping is something they will do that day, like brushing their teeth.  A schedule doesn't have to be so rigid that fun things can't be done, it's actually the opposite.  With having a schedule, I know when I can fit fun activities in for the kids, like going to the park or the pool.

2.  Have your children nap.  God gave children naps so parents could recharge.  I use the children's naptime for many things.  I like to eat my own lunch in peace while they are sleeping, catch up on the news, prep dinner or make dinner ahead of time, read, fold laundry, pick up the house, workout, or (dare I say it?!) take a nap myself.  When the children are napping I get much needed "me" time.  There is no one pulling me in any direction and I can just do something for myself, even if that is having the house be completely silent for a while.  With my four and six year old, they have rest time or quiet time.  They quietly read books and take time to just calm their bodies for about an hour.  They actually really enjoy this time.

3.  Take time for yourself everyday (or at least MOST days).  I usually take my "me" time during naps but there are times when that doesn't happen and I will ask my husband when he gets home from work to take the kids for a while, even just a half hour is enough sometimes.  Sometimes I will run to the store alone while my husband is home with the kids.  I don't think it matters what you do, as long as you just have a little time to be yourself instead of MOM.

4.  Find the humor.  Children are frustrating as much as they are enjoying.  I try to laugh with my children every day.  When my two year old is crying because he doesn't want to stop playing, I laugh, sing and tickle him to take his mind away from being sad.  Even in the middle of being frustrated with a child making poor choices, I remind myself that this span of time when my children are little is so small in the grand scheme of life.  I never resent where each of my children are right now or what their needs are (which at times are A LOT) because there will come a time when they don't need me at all and I will wish they were little again.

5.  Ask for help.  I'm not the best at this one but I do ask my husband to help.  Sometimes I get frustrated because I want him to just know what needs to be done the way that I know what needs to get done but men really aren't like that typically.  So I ask my husband to do things like the dishes, setting the table, changing a diaper, switching laundry, whatever.  If I ask him to do something he is more than happy to help and then I don't have to walk around in a huff doing everything myself, secretly seething inside expecting him to ask me what needs to be done.  I also ask my parents for help.  I have asked my mom and dad to take one or two of the kids overnight, for the day or just for a couple of hours.  If my husband is traveling I will sometimes see if my mom can come over to help with baths and bedtime.  I have even had neighbors help when I was really in a pickle.  It doesn't really matter who it is, just don't be afraid to ask for help.

6.  Find others like you.  I have a SIL with 8 kids so I talk to her a lot because she knows exactly what I go through as a SAHM.  I also talk with other mom's at my children's school because there are a lot of big families and SAHMs there.  I enjoy talking with the other mom's in the neighborhood too just to find out what struggles they are having and how they are working through them.  I have gotten some great advice that way.  When I only had my oldest I went to a weekly playgroup and I loved it.  That is too hard now with having such an age range but I would definitely recommend it if it works for you.  And of course the blogosphere is a great place to meet other moms!

Staying at home is really hard but incredibly enjoyable.  There is nothing else I would rather be doing.  You can't stay at home expecting other's to appreciate the sacrifice you are making for your family-they won't get it.  I am really blessed to have the opportunity to stay home and a husband who is supportive and understanding of my role in our family.  I would love to hear what other's do to survive being a SAHM! 

Thank you God for the gift of staying home with my children today.  Help me to take care of myself so I can best take care of them.

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Baby, you're a firework!

Hubby and I took the kids to a fair in town.  It is one we go to every year and I've been going to it ever since I was a kid.  We downplayed what we normally do because my husband is still in pain with shingles but the kids at least got to ride some of the rides.  Later we walked up to my parent's house and the kids ate and swam in the hot tub, which they love!  It is so cute to see them all swimming and splashing in there, you would think it was a full sized pool.  Then we had the kids shower and get pjs on because the best was yet to come-fireworks!  They have an awesome fireworks display and the kids were so excited.  We packed special treats and juice and were out on the driveway just in time for the fireworks to start.

Only problem is, they didn't.  9:15 rolled around and no fireworks yet.  I was trying to get the baby to sleep in the bjorn because at this point it is way past her bedtime, so my husband pulled out some glow in the dark bubbles.  The kids were so excited and took turns blowing bubbles.  My two year old's face made me laugh every time I looked at him because the bubbles had gotten all around his mouth and all you could see in the pitch black was his glow in the dark mouth moving!  Lol!  It was so cute!  9:30, no fireworks.  9:45, no fireworks.  Are you kidding me?  When are these (insert swear) fireworks going to start!  I was starting to feel that they were not worth the wait and contemplated putting kids in the car and leaving.

Finally, 10 pm, fireworks!!  I don't know how anyone, at any age can see fireworks and not smile.  The kids loved the fireworks and I loved seeing the kids light up with each one.  Then it occurred to me, each of my children is a firework.  My oldest, is every pink, purple, and dainty firework that bursts in the sky because she is a tiny, dainty, girly little person.  My four year old is those fireworks that spin and scream all over the sky because he is constantly moving, making noise, and never stays in one place too long.  My 2 year old is that firework that you see going up, up, up and looks like it will be boring or small, but once it bursts, it is huge and takes up the whole sky.  And when you look at it, you can't help but smile at how this tiny flame brought such big joy.  And my baby is the fireworks show on the ground, all the little shooters than don't even get higher than the trees.  Because even though they are small and sometimes hard to see, they bring something different and unique and beautiful.  Man, my children are amazing and I can't help but watch something as beautiful and unique as fireworks and think how lucky I am to get to see fireworks everyday!

Thank you God for my beautiful little fireworks and I hope there will be more to come!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

My poor quasimodo!

My poor husband!  He has come down with a case of shingles and it is only on the front left quadrant of his face.  You wouldn't think it would be that bad but the poor man has shingles in his eye and it is so swollen he can't even open it!  He looks as bad as he feels.  He tried to muscle through but was actually sent home from work and is now napping like he should be.  Our dinner plans are canceled so all the work yesterday was rather unnecessary but oh well, I'm not one for entertaining anyway.  It's kind of funny because when he first went to the doctor and found out he had shingles, I could not even see a rash.  We looked it up on WebMD and joked about how horrible shingles look and he was glad his wasn't that bad.  Guess we spoke too soon...

I love my husband but his red, bumpy, swollen face is pretty gross and with one eye perfectly normal and wide open and the other sealed shut because of a puss pocket, he looks pretty gross.  The kids however don't seem at all affected by his new appearance.  And even though they are sad he feels sick, they are mostly just interested in when he can wrestle with them again and if he will be able to take them on the rides at the fair tomorrow.  I love how blissfully unaware children can be.  There really is nothing more precious than the innocence of a child.

In the meantime, even though he's here, it's more like I am by myself since he is on A LOT of medication and he can't touch the baby because she has not been vaccinated.  Not that I am worried.  I am comfortable running the house by myself when I have to.  I mean, if I can take care of three kids while I am eight months pregnant with the flu while my husband is in Germany for a week, this will be a piece of cake!  I just hope he feels better in time to go to that Packer game...otherwise I guess I would have to go for him, lol!  Please God, help my husband heal and thank you for the gifts You have given me so that I can manage until he does.

Btw, sorry for the TMI!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Busy, busy, busy!

Today was crazy!  I am a total homebody and love NEVER leaving the house.  It's way too hard with naps and schedules to try to throw in an excursion as well.  Today, however, I had to run an errand and thought it would be fine because I am trying to get my infant on a different nap schedule before school starts.  I am a crazy schedule mommy and really despise doing anything that disrupts our plan!  So after we all ate breakfast, got dressed, brushed teeth and fed the baby, we packed into the car and drove to Wal-Mart.  I never worry about taking the kids to the store which, might sound weird, but even though they are all so little, they are always on their best behavior.  Maybe that's because we go to the store so rarely!  It must look odd to see a lady with a baby strapped to her chest walking with three other small children because we got a lot of stares as we walked through the store.  I also got a lot of, "Oh my, you sure do have your hands full!"  Also typical although I never really know what to say to that so I usually just smile and agree.  I am zoned into just getting through the store fast enough that their good behavior doesn't wear off!

Once we got home, the kids sat down for lunch.  While I was making sandwiches, cutting fruit, pouring milk, and feeding the baby, I was also making dinner and putting it in the slow cooker.  Anyone with small children and hoping to have more should invest in a good slow cooker.  Don't buy a small one for thirty bucks.  Buy the good one, even though it's more, it will last longer and when you have very little time, a slow cooker always has dinner ready!  I use mine all the time.  As soon as the kids finished eating I put my two year old down, then nursed the baby and put her down for a nap as well.  Then I ate really quick, wrote a daily scripture blog, played with my two older kids for a little and then started cleaning the house.  As soon as I finished picking up I had to start making dinner for tomorrow.

No, I'm not that organized, although I would love to be!  My mother in law and her sister are coming for dinner tomorrow.  I hate entertaining about as much as I hate excursions!  I made a black forest cheesecake for tomorrow that I have never made before so hopefully that turns out.  Then I made all the toppings for my strawberry pecan salad.  It is my favorite salad and so pretty but a lot of work so I only make it when we have company coming over.   I cut the onions and strawberries, caramelized the pecans and fried the bacon for the salad before running upstairs to get the baby who had woken up.  I nursed her and then got my two year old out of bed.  My husband came home shortly after which would be helpful except he just came down with shingles!

I have never had or been vaccinated for chicken pox and neither has the baby so he cannot help with her and I have to keep my distance from him as well.  We had an insurance claims agent over because we are having an issue with our roof right now.  As soon as he left we slammed down some dinner and I put the baby back down for a nap before our haircutter came over.  Then each kid and my husband proceeded to get haircuts.  While they were getting haircuts I had a jeweler I hired to make a necklace come over to show me a mock up before putting the order in.  Whew!  When do we get to relax?!  While my husband was getting his hair cut, I showered the three big kids and put them to bed.  Then I had to nurse the baby, bath her and get her down for bed.  As soon as I got her down I had to run to the store for my husband who is in so much pain and itchy from the shingles. 

So here I am finally able to relax, blogging just to vent while my husband falls into a benedryl slumber.  Hopefully tomorrow is slightly less hectic!  Thank you God for helping me get everything done today, I don't know how I would do it without Your help!  Please help me keep up with everyone tomorrow too!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

My oldest son has just discovered that toads live in our yard and he can catch them rather easily.  Umm...gross.  It's not like he just sees a toad and tenderly places it in his bug box.  No, he picks up the toad, squeezes it until it slimes his hand, moves it to his other hand, holds it by the leg, then grabs it around it's belly, before squishing it between both hands, and then places it in his bug box.  Then he proceeds to touch his clothes, mouth, and (aaahhhh!) siblings.  Next, since my four year old is rather impulsive, he will make his way into the house where he rubs his hands on the furniture, kitchen table, and refrigerator while I scramble after him trying to convince him to wash his hands before touching anything in the fridge!  I get squeamish just retelling it!  Now keep in mind as well, that he does this every time he goes outside.

My four year old has also developed an odd habit that my daughter did not: the inability to hear the word no.  Does anyone else have a little boy who hears you every time you say it's time to eat, or play, or have a treat, but somehow, even if he is two inches away from you, can't seem to hear you telling him no?  I can't tell you how many times I have said, "No, no, no, NO!" and not even received a glance over the shoulder.  Really?  He is clever too.  When I ask him why he didn't stop when I said no he will usually respond with, "I didn't know you were talking to me."  Hmmm, I didn't know looking someone straight in the eye while telling them "no" was sending an unclear message about who I am directing that "no" at. 

Okay, so let's try a different approach, shall we?  I mean, I am an education major and I did work with kindergarteners so I should have some other tools at my disposal.  So instead of being a "no" machine, I attempt to avert his attention to a more appropriate activity.  For instance, when he is wrapping his body around the baby like a boa constrictor, I ask him to find her a toy rather than tell him to stop grabbing her.  Or, when he is tackling his little brother to the floor because he has the ball he wanted to play with, I ask him to help me find a different ball.  Unfortunately for me, his ability to block out the word "no" has morphed into the ability to block out any directive that is not one he is interested in hearing.  Yes, my beautiful boy has developed the rare gift of hearing only that which he desires to hear.

So my next strategy is to sit down with him and talk to him before the behavior occurs.  So here's an example.  "It's time to clean up, ok?  Can you do a really nice job so that you don't have to take a time out and we can all go inside and eat?  I know you are an excellent cleaner!"  And he will respond with, "Yes mommy."  So I'll say, "Remember what the consequences are if you are not following directions."  "I'll have a time out."  "Right.  Do you want a time out?"  "No."  "Ok!  Let's see how quickly we can clean up!"  Yet, literally, as soon as we finish our conversation, he is putting the sidewalk chalk in his mouth and running around trying to get his little brother riled up.  Uggghhh.  My head is in my hands now in case you can't tell.

Oh well, at least I know I tried.  Guess I'll try again tomorrow in the hopes that I am somehow able to crack the dome that keeps out that which he does not want to hear!  Please God help me to appreciate my beautiful boy, even in times of frustration.  Thank you for my son, snips and snails and puppy dog tails in all!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

What did he say?

My two year old wakes up talking.  The second I open up the door I hear, "Hi momma!" and he doesn't stop talking until he falls asleep at naptime.  In fact, the only way I know he is asleep is because he isn't talking anymore.  I love all of his little one liners.  We just celebrated my oldest daughter's and my birthday so he has been singing that very often.  He has also just learned the word "scare" so he likes to say that a lot too.  He will often say, "That scare me momma." with a very sad face and when I ask him what scared him, he will look around the room to find something to name as the culprit. 

I love that he is always in conversation with you.  And if you are not responding with some "mmhhmms" or "oh I see" or "really?", he will repeat what he is saying over and over, increasing his volume until you do.  Most of the time I don't really know what he is saying exactly.  I might be able to get the gist of the conversation or the topic he is referring to, but I can't always make out specifically what he is trying to communicate to me, which is fine with him, as long as I just keep responding!  I have started to whip out the video camera as much as I can with him because he is at such a cute stage in his language development that I know soon I won't remember how funny he used to talk and all of his little catch phrases.

I think that two is by far my favorite age.  I know that might sound crazy, I mean who wants to deal with a boundaries pushing toddler completely incapable of reasoning?  But I have had two other two year olds and I have to say, that age is just a blast.  By three they know the rules very well so it's not as "cute" when they misbehave but at two they are just learning the ropes, testing the waters, and trying to figure out what is and isn't acceptable.  When a six year old is sneaky it is more a practice in dishonesty but when a two year old is sneaky, they are usually trying to be silly and who can resist that little grin and the twinkle in their eyes that tells you they know they are doing something mischievous?  I can't tell you how many times my husband and I have to leave the room because we don't want him to see us laughing, because if you let them see you laugh, forget about it!  You are done!  They will then know it is funny and proceed to showcase whatever inappropriate behavior it is as often as possible just to get a snicker out of you!

Now don't get me wrong, I love and appreciate all the stages of development.  There is something precious in each stage of a child's life and we are careful to emphasize where each child is in that development to help them feel proud of where they are.  But, ah, those two year olds.  With their silly, quirky ways.  They just win me over every time and even their misbehavior is too cute to hold a grudge against.  Thank you God that I will have another two year old to come and hopefully many more!  Please help me to have the energy to continue to keep up with them!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

Let's get back to normal, shall we?

I love the weekends, who doesn't!?  Hubby and I took the kids to a local zoo that is free yesterday.  My two year old was entranced by all of the animals.  His eyes were like saucers the entire time and seeing each animal brought on a new experience for him.  It was so exciting to watch!  My 6 year old also had a very exciting day because she discovered she has her first loose tooth!  Don't we all remember that feeling of being able to wiggle our tooth, wondering when, oh when, will this tooth ever fall out?  After watching all of her friends lose teeth, she just can't wait for her tooth to finally fall out. 

The weather was beautiful yesterday and the kids were so good at the zoo, we decided to take them out to dinner as well.  We spent two hours at a restaurant and even allowed the kids to go to bed about an hour later than a typical night.  I could not believe how well they all behaved at the restaurant!  Even the baby was good.  She just stayed in her car seat the entire time, eating baby food and playing with her feet.  The kids ate well, sat still and used great manners.  What more could parents ask for?!

Well forget about it.  We paid for that good behavior yesterday with some horrible behavior today!  Since my two year old skipped a nap yesterday, he was absolutely exhausted today.  I don't know how your kids show exhaustion, but mine cry.  A lot.  So every time he asked to do something or have something or see something, and the answer was no, he proceeded to cry for about 10-15 minutes.  He did this all morning.  In the car, at church, at the breakfast table, outside, inside, at the lunch table.  Then, while I was preparing dinner at lunchtime, feeding the baby, washing the dishes, and while my husband was working out, my precocious two year old decided to pee his pants while sitting down at the table.  I say "decided" because he has been potty trained for almost 6 months and he never has accidents.  He then proceeded to splash the pee pee around with his hands and feet, laughing hysterically.

I am usually calm and cool but after all of the crying, I couldn't handle it.  I yelled for my husband to come and help, which he did and after cleaning him up, he promptly put him down for his nap.  He was clearly tired because he fell asleep immediately.  After his nap, I assumed that he would feel better and well rested.  He slept for four hours!!  I was WRONG.  Terribly, terribly wrong.  He cried.  A lot.  He cried so much that I had to take out my video camera.  I know that might sound mean but come on, what better opportunity would I have to someday show him how he used to behave!  Lol!  The funny thing was, he liked the fact that he was being video taped so after crying for a couple of minutes, he began to laugh and sing songs.  He is such a ham!  Even when he is crabby or misbehaving, he is so darn cute! 

Thank you God for the amazing, memory making days like yesterday and the hair pulling, memory making days like today!  Please help me to handle both with appreciation and patience.

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

How many kids do I have?

Let me just start this blog with a disclaimer:  I love my husband.  He is by far the best partner I could have imagined for myself to raise a family with.  We are very much in love and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

Okay, now that I have made that clear let me continue with my blog.

I have four children 6 and younger.  I am constantly helping them all day.  Children question everything and everything can be questioned.  Children always need help finding their things and need frequent reminders to put their things away so that they can be found the next time they are needed.  Children ask, "What should I eat?"  So why is it that my husband seems to fall into this category as well?  Is he not capable of figuring out where the ketchup is in the fridge?  Is he not able to read the bottle of dishwasher detergent to figure out how to put it in the dishwasher?  Why am I supposed to know where his shoes, underwear, pants and shirts are? 

I am very good of keeping track of my own things and the millions of responsibilities I have in keeping the house in order and the children taken care of.  I work very hard to juggle all the duties of being a SAHM, but when he throws his responsibilities in as well, it's like the straw that breaks my back!  When I was a kid my mom used to joke, "Why do I always have to be the MOM?"  Now I know why.  Once you are a mom, you are eternally responsible for everyone around you and there is no one who is responsible for you!  I relish in my duties as a mom but I am not my husband's mother and find no enjoyment in being responsible for his duties.

Most days my husband walks in the door after work and is somehow able to conjure up about 15 questions in less than a minute.  What's for dinner?  Do you know where my sandals are?  Where are the kids?  What should I eat for a snack?  Do you know where my blue shorts are?  Did you get the mail?  Where's my water bottle?  Do you think I should have a soda?  Oh man, I could go on but I'm getting a headache already.  And he wonders why I tune him out so often.  I have even told him, "When you ask me more than one question in a row, I stop listening."  My favorite question (insert sarcasm) is, "Why are you crabby, did you have a bad day with the kids?"  NO!  Did it ever occur to him that when he comes home the last thing I want to do is to have another child who needs my help and attention?  Doesn't he see that the baby has a poopy diaper, my four year old is coloring on the table, the oven is beeping that dinner is ready, and the sink is still full of the dishes from lunch?

Thank you for allowing me a moment to vent and please forgive me for such a long negative blog!

I pray that I will be blessed with more children but right now I have FOUR.  Please God, help me to have the same patience with my husband that I strive to have during the day with my children.  Thank you for my husband also because for each of his imperfections he has dozens of positive attributes!

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger

The joys of motherhood?

How come when you find out you are pregnant, no one tells you the truth?  No one tells you that there are some things you should savor because they will soon never occur again, at least not until your children are old enough to not want to have anything to do with you!  There aren't a lot of things I want.  I don't want a new car, I don't need a new house, I don't care about vacations or going out to dinner.  I don't need fancy designer labels or 100 pairs of shoes.  There are really only two things I want and I don't think it should be too much to ask for.  Maybe some of you moms will be able to empathize with me...

All I want is to be able to go to the bathroom and take a shower without children walking in, arguing, needing assistance, or just plain wanting to visit.  Let me put a disclaimer out there:  I love my children and spending time with them.  I love sharing special moments with them and I appreciate how much they want to be with me because I know a time will come when they don't want their friends to know they even have parents.  That being said, is it too much to ask that when I am on the toilet, that my children could understand that I can't help them?  Why do they think I can make a sandwich while I am clearly busy. 

When I am asked if I can put butter and syrup on their waffles while I am, well, you know, I want to respond with, "Are you kidding me?  Can't you see I'm a little tied up right now?  Is it that hard to wait until I am in the kitchen?"  Why is it that the second I step into the shower, someone comes in the bathroom crying because someone else isn't being nice?  All I want is to have a five minute shower where I can wash the stink from the previous day away.  I'm not even asking for a long time in a bubble bath or even enough time to shave my legs in the shower!  I'm just asking for FIVE minutes so I can wash the grease out of my hair.

These are the things that no one tells you.  No one lets you know that you will never again have privacy!  I'm not trying to complain, well maybe I am...lol!  I love how much they need me right now and at the same time, sometimes I loath how much they need me right now.  It is such an odd paradox to be in.  And as I listen to my two oldest hysterically laughing downstairs, I realize that while I only wanted to have ten minutes to enter a quick blog, I really better see what is so funny because when children are laughing that much, it usually means there is something inappropriate going on!!

Thank you God for all the times my children drive me crazy, what a great way to help me learn the virtue of patience, charity and temperance!  Please help me to appreciate them while they are little and not be anxious for when they are older and more independent.

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger