Managing life with 3 children under 4

Simple pleasures

2010-02-04T12:13:00.001-08:00

Simple Pleasures

I would imagine that reading my previous blog, it’s, um, no secret that this has been a rough week, despite being my birthday. My assistant has been a major pain in the arse. We have to put our dog to sleep tomorrow (he’s 15, has horrid arthritis, and has officially lost control of his bodily functions). My children are in dismal moods, and throwing tantrums like nobody’s business. The baby is grumpier than all getout, and won’t let me put her down. My birthday was fantabulous, with my kids and my hubby, but after yesterday, well, I need something to bring me back up.

I was stalking Kelly’s blog (www.kellyskornerblog.com) and she was writing about simple pleasures. I think I need to remember my simple pleasures to bring my mood back to where it belongs.

Like the smell of a baby fresh out of the tub.

The sight of a baby sleeping in my arms, or in his/her crib

Snuggling with my kiddos in the rocking chair

The smell of burning grass or a campfire

The smell of snowmobile oil

Warm blankets

Baby sighs

The first time your kids say Momma

Hearing someone say I love your hair

Being told I did a great job on something

Unexpected checks in the mail

Looking at my wedding pictures

The smell of my house after the maids leave

The smile on my son’s face when I pick him up at school

Hearing Jake yell Mommy’s here! When I pick them up at day care

Mia’s huge (mostly) toothless grin when she sees me

Mia’s new trick…putting her forehead against mine, staring into my eyes, and smiling

Mia’s other new trick…putting her head on my shoulder and snuggling in, even for a brief second

Lab puppies

Unexpected “Mommy, I love you”s

Thanks Kelly, for reminding me what life is all about!

What about you? What does it take to make your day?

To Whom it May Concern - Stuff it

2010-02-03T14:17:00.001-08:00

Please excuse me while I let off some steam...
To whom it may concern: (and you know who you are, because EVERYTHING seems to concern you)

I’d like to clarify a few things for you. You are not my boss. I do not report to you. Therefore, where I am is really not your business. So if I decide to use my lunch hour, which is really a lie, because it’s only 30 minutes, to take my kids to the doctor for a flu shot at 1:30 p.m., is that your business? No. Not to mention the fact that I didn’t hear your sorry ass on the 6:30 a.m. teleconference that lasted 2.5 hours. Nope. So don’t fricking worry about where I was, I don’t care that you were ‘looking all over for me’. I’m allowed to leave the building, and not tell you. Or anyone, if I don’t want to. So there. Besides, if you hadn’t been so flipping nosy last year about my kids and their doctor appointments, and if you hadn’t told me that I must ‘make up medical conditions so that I can take my kids to the doctor’, maybe I would have told you where I was going. Oh wait, that’s right, I forgot – I DON’T REPORT TO YOU.

On to the second order of business. If I want to have a meeting in my office, it’s my prerogative. I don’t care if there are 6 of us crammed in here. If I want to have a meeting so we can use my computer, I will do it. I don’t need your attitude, nor do I need you to throw things on the floor, especially my coat, to ‘make a point’. OH, and I recommend that if you DO plan on doing this, don’t go out and tell everyone that you did it, because there are only 40 people that work here. It WILL get back to me.

The third order of business today has to do with the paperwork I submitted today. Last time I checked, YOU do not need to worry about verifying my identity. YOU do not work for HR. Therefore, YOU do not get to tell me what does and does not work for identification. Did YOU get the theme here? I will submit what I have, and hopefully HR is ok with it. If not, I’ll submit something else. Oh, and don’t ask such stupid questions, like if I have someone at home that could drive other paperwork here to me at the office. Newsflash: My husband and I both work full time. Neither of us stays home with our children. I know that you think I am a bad mom, because I chose not to breastfeed my children, and because I had an epidural during childbirth, and oh, that’s right, because I ‘make up medical conditions to take my children to the doctor’, but you know, we can’t all be perfect moms. I’m not bitter though. You know why? Because I’m young, successful, and get to do lots of really cool things through my life.

So piss off witch.

PS, stop looking in my window every time you walk past.

Things kids say Thursday (Wednesday edition)

2010-02-03T11:13:00.001-08:00

My kids have been cracking me up. I truly love the ages they are, and (most of) the things they say.

My oldest has a book about Miss Spider and her new school at Sunny Patch, and it talks about how she doesn’t have the stomach for digging in dung. He asked me what that means, I told him. Fast forward to last night.

He was sitting on the throne, taking care of some business. He yelled to his father, I know what dung means! It means pooping! Guess what, I’m dunging right now! I’m dunging!

I fell over laughing.

My 2 year old took a while to start talking, and especially to start talking clearly. He told me last week, “Nikko poop outside”. Nikko is our dog, so yes, of course that’s where he goes. Jake likes to pretend that he is a dog, or a cat, at different points throughout the day. He told me, I poop outside. I a dog. I corrected him that, no, in fact, he does not, he goes in the house, preferably in the potty since we’re trying to get him to potty train. He keeps informing me that no, he will go outside. Since our dog is very old, and will be going to ‘live with God’ tomorrow, he has been, um, using our carpet as his dumping ground of choice this week, so I am fearful that I will be blogging soon about a 2 year old who is pretending he is a dog and either (a) pooping on my carpet, or (b), outside in my backyard, squatting. Watch for those updates.

In the meantime, the 2 year old has been investigating his own body. Last night in the tub, he was grabbing all things that ‘hang’ and checking them out. He told his daddy that his ‘rocks were falling off’. Uh huh. His father was laughing hysterically about that one.

Randomness

2010-01-28T05:49:00.000-08:00

On this frigid Thursday in the Frozen Flatland (I just heard someone say it's -10 with the windchill - ick!), some random musings...
...My 2 year old is such a drama king. The boy can go from smiling, giggling to "I sad", with his head down, in 3 seconds flat. When he gets to "I sad / mad / cross", he usually tries to march upstairs to his crib, climb in, and snuggle with his blanket and nuk. Has anyone gone through this? I just don't know what to do. In his state of drama the other night, I told him he had to eat his dinner, and he looked at me and said I no like you. Great. Thanks buddy. Guess what, it won't be the last time you feel that way, I'm sure.
....Not to be outdone, my almost-4 year old is going through this really emotional period, where he cries each time we drop him off at school or day care, both of which he LOVES. No idea what is going on. So we're going through the 'no crying incentive program'. If he has a good drop-off at either place he gets a sticker. When he gets 5 stickers at home, he gets to go to Walmart and pick out any new toothbrush he wants (this is because he used his the other night to brush each carpet-covered, doghair-disgusting step on the way up to brush his teeth, so his old one hit the trash and he doesn't like the new one). When he gets 5 stickers at daycare, he gets to go to his favorite icecream place. The program seems to be working!
....Did I ever tell you how much I love my Dirt Devil Broom Vac? With 3 little kids, and a dog who is afraid to walk on anything other than carpet, my floors are disgusting after every meal. Sigh. I love that broom, and the magic it works keeping those floors clean.
...My birthday is next week. I'm not really feeling any angst at being 31; I'm actually quite the opposite, and cannot wait to have another birthday! I love birthdays.
...The baby is finally sitting up on her own, and I couldn't be happier! I think this is a short-lived moment of pure calm bliss. This child can run, like nobody's business, in the walker, and she tries to get into EVERYTHING in the walker and when you are holding her. I suspect that once she starts crawling, well, chaos will truly ensue. The boys already get upset when she is trying to get into their stuff when they play in the kitchen on the floor. She pushes their toys around with her walker, partly to get a reaction I think. And since she can walk on the carpet, there is no safe place on the first floor. On more than one occasion I've had to tell them that if they don't want her in their toys they need to go play up in the playroom. Yes, I fear that peace and quiet is short-lived once this girl becomes mobile!
...I have an Etsy addiction. I ordered 4 year old birthday invites yesterday, and an I'm 4 t-shirt for his party and pictures, and then of course had to order (more) bows and barrettes, and an easter dress for the babe. Oh Etsy, I adore you.
...I am in need of a blog make-over. Any suggestions on someone / a site that is good to use? Inexpensive, please, but something that looks awesome.
...I love my job. I work at the same company I started at right after college, though I'm in my 3rd position here, but I truly love it, and the people I work with. We're in the midst of some changes, and I'm a little nervous, but excited about the changes. I am not a big fan of changes. I like things exactly the way they were. Is that odd?

I suppose I should do something productive today, huh? I'm sorry for the random ramblings.

Things Kids Say Thursday...and a brief rant

2010-01-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

Jen over at Mud Pies for Momma has a great Things Kids Say Thursday weekly event, and I've been keeping track of the things my kids say (since they never stop talking).
Joey (3)
J: Hey Mommy, guess what I forgot to do!
Me: What?
J: Poop!
Me: Well get in there and go!
J: Hey Mommy!
Me: What?!
J: Wanna watch?
-------------------------------------------------

Jake (2)
Me: Jacob, what are you doing?
Jake: I eating the table (with his mouth on the table)
------
Jake: Aww, there are my guys! (when he saw me and my husband)

Now, for the rant. My husband and I both work full time. We go to the office Monday through Thursday, and our kids go to daycare, near my office, 20 minutes from the house. On Fridays, we both work from home. It's a great arrangement, but we need someone to come to our house on Fridays - it's silly to drive the kids 20 minutes, only to drive back home, and then go back 4 hours later and get them (I work half days on Fridays). So we decided to get a nanny to come to the house on Fridays. We picked one, she came 4 times, and then quit abruptly by email, no notice, just left one day, and then sent an email when she got home to say she quit. So we found another one. In hindsight, everything happens for a reason, and the new one, J, was awesome. She had a personality, the kids loved her, we really liked her. I gave her a raise after 2 weeks. She watched the kids from November through the end of the year. Then 2 weeks ago she didn't show up, no call, nothing. I called her, she said her grandpa had had a heart attack and she left for California immediatly but didn't have a number to contact me. I said ok, I understand, call me next week and let me know what is going on. No call. I called her again last Thursday, she said she was still there but hoping to be back this week. Then last night she emailed me and said she was staying out there indefinitely.

I'm compassionate for her situation; I feel bad, and if she is telling me the truth, I totally understand and don't want to be a jerk. What I'm upset about is that this is twice now we've been 'dumped' in less than 6 months! My kids are good kids, well behaved, we pay them good (I think) to watch the kids. I babysat even after I started working full time after college, watching kids on weekends. At 22 years old, I was responsible enough and mature enough to keep in contact with the families and let them know what was going on. I never quit, no matter how obnoxious the kids were (and my kids are not obnoxious). Yet in the course of 5 months, we've had 2 nannies, both in their 20's, quit unexpectedly. I'm just really frustrated, and once again, stuck and pissed.

Things I cannot live without

2010-01-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

With three kids under 4, there are some things that are just a necessity in life. Things that make my day easier / faster / happier / saner. I thought I would share with you the things that make my world go ‘round (besides my kids, of course).

First and foremost…

Spray n’ Wash STAIN STICK. (Only the stick; the spray ones have not worked out well for me)
We have tested this product on everything, and it has never let me down. Baby food carrots spit-up six days ago? Check. Markers in the white t-shirt? Check. Pizza sauce all over, dried nice and crusty? Check. What makes me the happiest is that I can apply it after the stain has been sitting for a week (I have 3 kids people, my life never slows down long enough to stain stick my stuff as soon as the mess happens!), and throw it in the wash just minutes later and the stain comes out! Every time! Hooray!

Next up: My Honda Odyssey

I was never one who wanted to own a mini-van; I despised them. But with 3 kids under 4, well, you can’t exactly buckle 3 large carseats into a Jeep. So adios Mr. Jeep, the love of my life, and hello Odyssey! There are so many things to love about my van, but the thing I love the most is that the 2 middle seats slide together, after I removed the middle mini-seat (yes, by myself, 9 months pregnant, because I didn’t want to wait for my hubby to do it). Joey is buckled in the back seat, and it’s so easy to just reach back and buckle him in, with the 2 babies in the middle. Easy and fast, that’s what my life runs around.

The Safety First Tubside Bath Seat

Have you ever tried to bathe 3 kids by yourself, at the same time, when one of them can’t sit up and another one would love to push her over if she could sit up alone? I love this bath seat; we started using it with Jake was a baby, and it never lets me down. Mia can play happily by herself in the tub while I wash up the boys, and she can interact with them, which she loves to do. We have absolutely gotten our money’s worth out of this thing. I don’t have to worry about her being safe and trying to hold her up while I wash the boys, nor do I have to try to figure out when to fit in her bath and a separate one for her brothers. Some day, yes, but not today my friends.

Sleep sacks, sleep sacks, sleep sacks

Until recently I would tell you that a sleep sack is the only thing that keeps Mr. Jake from crawling out of his crib. He’s now mastered removal of the sleep sack and climbing out of the crib. But that’s beside the point. We had a very crappy builder build our house, who apparently filled the walls with, um, air, and thus the babies’ rooms are very cold…think 62 degrees when the rest of the house is 72. Enter said sleep sacks, to keep my babes bundled and snuggly. My 2 year old loves his, and asks for them at night at bedtime – “I need my nuk, night night, and sleep sack (or shweep shack, as he pronounces it)

Carter’s and Oshkosh B’gosh outlets

Did you know that these two stores have no return policy? As in, if I buy this snowsuit today, and keep the tags on it and the receipt, I can return it next winter if it doesn’t fit the Princess! And I get back what I paid for it, if I still have the receipt! Thus, I can buy now, on clearance, for next winter, and if it doesn’t fit, no big deal! Add to that the every-holiday-sales, with massive % off, and it just keeps getting better! Tip: staple the receipt to the tags, and hang it up in one piece, and you are all set!

My iPhone

I broke down and got the iPhone when my daughter was diagnosed in July with Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR) – I knew that this, in combination with her anemia and several other issues, meant I’d be spending a lot of time at the doctor’s offices. Little did I know what a lifesaver it would be. There are so many educational games for the little guys, they love going to the doctor and waiting for hours because they can play “Shapes and Numbers”, flashcards, watch videos, and so much more! And when I get to use my phone (i.e., when they are fighting over it so I take it away to break up the fights) I can check all 4 of my different email addresses in just a few slides of the finger. Oh how I love it! Not to mention I have both my work and personal calendar on there, and can add doctor appointments to both calendars as I’m scheduling the appointment, thus reducing the number of forgotten appointments.

My baby sling – Amy Coe Peanut Shell (I have the pink one, and it’s on Ebay or Craigslist if you live in Houston)

When Mia was born, we were so excited. Then after the 5 day stay in the NICU, well, we wanted to snuggle her. As week 2 hit, and the colic set in, we wanted to scream and pull our hair out. As we got towards month 2, and she was going through colic AND 4th trimester, I was considering joining the circus. Unfortunately they weren’t hiring, so I broke down and bought a sling. This, in combination with the Happiest Baby on the Block book, is the best money I have ever spent. EVER. I just pop her in, she falls right asleep, and voila, I can get stuff done! Hooray!

The baby walker

Now before you start in on me, yes, I know they aren’t recommended. However, we only put her in the walker when we are right there with her, doing things in the kitchen. She is within eyesight 90% of the time, and within arms length about 89% of the time, there are no stairs nearby for her to fall down, and she is safe. This little girl can work magic in that walker that I’ve never seen with the boys. We put her in there while in the kitchen, to get stuff done. She runs in this thing, easily maneuvering around the table, into anything her brothers are playing with. She chases them, pushes their toys away, gets to the dishwasher and steals the kids’ plates out of it, and then runs away. She can reach the Fridge Farm, and plays with it more than the boys ever did. Her newest trick this week is to walk around the entire first floor of the house – she is strong enough to walk with it on the carpet, and she can get around our living room (and yes I can see her, thanks to our very open floor plan). She visited her brother in the bathroom this morning, to see what he was up to. She can go check on the door when the doorbell rings. And while she loves to follow me around, the fact that I can get things done while she zips around and causes a ruckous really makes my life so much easier!

There are a lot more things that make me so happy, and my life so much easier (the noise machine and the Miracle Blanket, when she was a newborn, for example; Baby Genious videos; Crayola Color Wonder Markers) but for now, I’m just going to enjoy the bliss that the above items bring to my life. Serenity now.
Anything you can't live without? I'd love to hear!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T08:53:00.001-08:00

It's hard being an up-and-coming Diva

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T07:57:00.001-08:00

I've waited my whole life for this...

Wanted: Teething or Not

2010-01-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight I learned, I have 3 hard-core criminals living under this roof. Well, not hard-core per-say, but in Mommyland, they would be considered hard-core.
Exhibit 1:

Every time the dishwasher opens, there is a little girl in a walker who runs, as fast as she can in her walker-running style, to get whatever she can out of that dishwasher. Preferrably dirty dishes, she steals them quicker than you can get to them, and runs away with them.

Exhibit 2:

Notice the two plates stolen (repeatedly) out of the dishwasher. Don't let that sweet and innocent face fool you...

this babe was busted tonight, red handed!

Then there is criminal #2 - he goes by Snot nose Sam on the streets of this town, mostly due to the fact that he is either constantly teething, or sick with some sort of cold he got lord knows where. When left not alone, but unsupervised for less than 2 minutes, he vandalized a very crappy kitchen table, that mother of said criminals was actually very fond of.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you exhibit C:

Yes, those very teeth marks on my table are from Snot Nose Sam, who, when I asked him what he was eating at dinner time, responded "The Table". At least he's an honest criminal.

And last but not least, we have the Snowball thrower, who harrasses and throws snowballs at innocent mommies all over the driveway.

Yes indeed folks, it's a wonder that their antics haven't been reported before (in all honesty, they would have been blogged about sooner but this slacker mommy has been too busy...chasing teething criminals around the house, trying to protect furniture). They're lucky they are cute.

Not Me! Monday

2010-01-11T14:23:00.001-08:00

It certainly has NOT been me that has neglected my blog for several weeks for a number of reasons, which I will not complain express frustration about. Ok, maybe I will. This long list of reasons includes, but is certainly not limited to, sick children, the holidays, sick children, preschool class changes, arguments with my husband which lead to some minor depression and complete lack of enthusiasm about anything, sick children, and frustration about the weather (8 inches of snow in one day last week!). But, I’m back, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! (I’m sure you are utterly ecstatic about this!)

It’s also not me that had one child with tubes put on at the end of last year, and another one set for this week, which would give us…drum roll please…4 sets of tubes for 2 children in 3 years. It’s definitely not my house where 2 teething children reside, one of whom has started sleeping through the night (small celebration dance) and the other whom has decided he enjoys climbing both in and out of his crib. I’m not the mother who is so frustrated with Mr. Crib Climber and his behavior of late that I addressed it with my pediatrician today, for fear of waiting any longer and ending up on Super Nanny. (Any thoughts on dealing with a teething 2 year old who throws food across the room on a regular basis, hits, yells, and throws extremely unpleasant tantrums are welcome!). It wasn’t us who were sitting in the living room yesterday watching football, and nearly fell over in shock when my 2 year old came walking into the room and said I climb out of my crib mommy. It wasn’t me, at that point, who nearly burst into tears for fear of what is to come – big boy bed…no naps…up all night…in the game room playing with toys at 3 a.m….help!

On a brighter note, it’s not me that is so excited and proud of my 3 year old who, after just 5 days in his new preschool class, knows that Grover Cleveland was President of the US twice. How many of you knew that? Admit it, come on. I absolutely did not! It’s really sad that, with a 3 year old in preschool who will be in kindergarten in the fail, it’s already obvious to my husband and myself that he is smarter than us.

Don't forget - Shop for Anissa tomorrow!

2009-12-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

Aiming Low, a community site started by Anissa Mayhew, is hosting a "Shop for Anissa Day" on December 10. Visit their site for vendors who will be donating the days proceeds to Anissa and family. Visit http://aiminglow.com/ for more info, and to shop tomorrow. I'll be giving 50% of my profits tomorrow to the family, so be sure to visit my Uppercase Living website and order to benefit Anissa! http://cmartino.uppercaseliving.net/

Thousand Word Thursday

2009-12-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

This is how we spent Thanksgiving...with my little Jakey, in the hospital. He had bacterial pneumonia, and was there for 2 days. My poor little guy. His daddy stayed with him the full 2 days, and I am so grateful for him doing so. But my baby Jake, as we've always called him, missed his Momma so much, that when I would call for an update, while at home with our other two sick munchkins, Jakey would start crying, w hich in turn set me into tears. Now that he is home, if I am leaving the house without him, he starts crying...Don't leave me Momma. and to top it off, his voice is very raspy still, kind of high-pitched, and adorable, to the point where I want to scoop him up and just hug and snuggle him. Instead, as he continues to feel better, his level of naughtiness increases (he has a lot of lost time to make up for, since he was so sick for over week with a high fever and the nasty cough). At least he hasn't forgotten how to put himself in a timeout.

Hope 4 Anissa

2009-12-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

On December 10, I will be participating in a fundraiser called Hope 4 Anissa. Anissa Mayhew, an amazingly strong and brave woman who has faced down a child with cancer, and a previous stroke, recently had a stroke, and is in the hospital fighting for recovery. She has 3 young children at home, as well as a loving husband, but with mounting medical bills and the holiday season nearing, their financial needs are greater than ever. You can read more about Anissa at http://www.hope4peyton.org/.

The online support the Mayhew Family has received thus far is astounding, but as we head into the holiday season, with mounting medical bills, it's needed now more than ever. Therefore, a website that Anissa wrote blogs for, http://aiminglow.com/, is sponsoring Shop for Anissa Day on 12/10.

Shop for Anissa Day, on December 10th, will feature a select group of vendors and shop owners who have generously agreed to donate a percentage of their sales that day directly to the Hope 4 Anissa fund. You can visit this website - http://www.aiminglow.com/ - where you can access my sales, as well as other gracious vendors and shop owners who are working hard to support the family.

I really appreciate your support in this great cause. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Top Five Benefits to Having Children

2009-11-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

As another mommy blogger got me thinking, I realized that there are a lot of benefits to having children that you don't read about in baby books. Here are my top 5:
1. You get really good tables at restaurants when you have a stroller. Since the stroller needs to be out of the way, we tend to get nice, front corner tables with great views, out of the way of all the servers. Fine by me!

2. They will pick things up off the floor and put them away / bring them to you / throw them away. This benefit doesn't start until they understand commands, at about 18 months or so, but it's so much fun! And, it allows me to not have to bend over so much.

3. (At least at my house) they LOVE to clean the kitchen with different electronic devices, and dusting is really fun! I'd never take advantage of this (insert sarcasm here), but if I did, I'd let them sweep with the Broom Vac to their hearts' content, dust bust the living day lights out of every booster chair and under the base boards, and dust the rungs of all 8 chairs in the kitchen. Oh, the joy!

4. Come age 3, laundry is a lot of fun for them, and they can fold wash rags, bibs, burp rags, underwear, and some shirts and pants. With 3 kids and 5 - 7 loads of laundry each week (seriously, I think my neighbors are dropping off their laundry when I'm not looking!) it's a huge help!

5. A whole new appreciation for holidays. It's amazing to look at Christmas lights through the eyes of a 3 year old. It doesn't matter how crappy they look, how badly they were put up, or how gorgeous they are, they are all so cool in his opinion, and I love driving around the neighborhood that extra time just so he can check them out!

What about you, what are YOUR top 5 benefits to having children?

Time out For Mom! Theta Thursday!

2009-11-12T05:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I was lucky enough to go on a date. With my hubby (never mind that we did have our daughter in tow, but she was quiet and mostly kept to herself, and she DID get us the best table at the restaurant), and our good friends from next door. We went to this really adorable Italian restaurant, and then strolled the streets, visited some candy stores, and just behaved like children in, well, a candy store. But it was so refreshing, so needed, and so much fun! Thanks for the date, love!

Thousand Word Thursday

2009-11-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

This guy...

has really kept me hopping lately. In the past 3 weeks, he has been in the ER twice, at sick call 3 times. He has had croup, bronchitis, pink eye, and now an ear infection (#5 since his tubes went in last April). To add to the fun, he's getting his 2 year molars AND going through terrible 2's. As I'm sure you can imagine, the fun just never ends! (insert sarcasm here).

During tantrums, he's been known to throw himself on the ground and purposely hit his head, just to get a reaction.

He likes to put his feet on the table when he is done eating, again, for a reaction.

He'll throw food to see what I say.

He tells me that he is going to hit "I mad, I going to hit", or that he is going to throw something. I find it very nice of him to alert me that the bad behavior is coming, though really, I'd just prefer it didn't happen at all. But I digress.

Yesterday was no different. He had been up crying for an hour the night before, and when I asked him what hurt, he said his ear. So, off to the doctor we went yesterday, and sure enough, it is a lovely ear infection. As we are leaving the building, he wants to run. We start to run, he falls, and hits his head in the parking lot. (Again with not winning Mom of the Year award). We get in the car, he's crying, doesn't want to go to day care. I'm rationalizing with him at the stop light...and get rear-ended. Yep, all of these events happened within a 10 minute time frame. Not sure if I should be thankful or not, but the car accident got him to stop crying. I told him someone had hit us, and for the next 10 hours, he kept saying Somebody hit US, in this adorable little voice.

So here's to life calming down with him over the next 3 weeks. We're hoping that he's just doing a big run of the illnesses now so that the winter can be a healthy one. Ha ha. Good one.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T05:41:00.000-08:00

Oh how we will miss this dog!

Mom of the Year

2009-11-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

This week's reason why I will not win Mom of the Year...on Saturday, my own mom was down visiting, and was going to take the boys out for dinner. She was getting shoes on them, and they both have the same pair of adorable Adidas shoes, but obviously in different sizes. Let me precede this by saying that earlier in the week, my husband and I had a conversation about their shoes, and how we thought maybe it was time to get bigger ones, so on Thursday night I had measured their feet and referred to the Stride Rite website and noted that Joey should be wearing a 9, and Jake a 7. I thought, oh good, Joey is currently in an 8, so we need a size bigger, and jake is already in a 7, so we're all set. So on Saturday, I told my mom that Joey wears the 8's, and Jake wears the 7's. She puts the 7's on Jake, and then tells me that the other shoes are smaller, a 6. I'm confused, partly at the shoes and partly just a natural phenomenon these days. I search the house high and low, and then come to the conclusion. Joey has been wearing 7's, and Jake has been wearing 6's. And it's hard to get nominated as Mom of the Year when your kid is wearing shoes 2 sizes too small and you don't even know it. Duh. I have a masters degree and yet I can't figure out his shoes are too small?

So on Sunday, I loaded up the kids to brave shoe shopping alone with 3 children. We went to the SR outlet, and with help from the kind measuring lady, my oblivion for the obvious was confirmed. I let each boy pick out their own shoes, and Jake picked out some shoes with a firetruck that light up. And today, I'm thankful he did. You see, the boy is so excited about those darn lights. He played with his shoes for about an hour on Sunday afternoon, just watching them light up. Yesterday, as we waited 2.5 hours at the doctor's office for his newly obtained pink eye diagnosis, he turned the lights off and would stomp his feet and watch the lights. He would put himself inside the cabinet under the exam table, and watch the lights. And those $30 shoes provided him an hour of entertainment at the doctor. When we got home, he realized that as he walked up the steps, they lit up. And again, those $30 shoes provided another hour of entertainment. The pure look of joy, and knowing that my 2 year old, who rarely gets anything new, is so excited about a pair of shoes, just warms my heart and makes me feel like, at least in HIS eyes, I AM mom of the year!

Oh what a week!

2009-11-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a rough start to the pre-winter season at our home...between bronchitis, ear infections, croup, colds, and now pink eye, well, I'm ready for Calgon to take me away! But I've been having a great time home with my kiddos. I learn all kinds of things from them when we are home sick. For example, Joey loves to make "deh signs" - which, when he says it, sounds a lot like DEATH SIGNs - as a mom of a 3 year old, this, of course, did not make me happy when I heard him tell me this is what he wanted to make. I finally asked him to show me what he was going to make, and he pointed to the words in his book - Make Designs! Of course, when you are 3 and learning to read, Designs can also be pronounced DEH signs.

I've learned that Jake will repeat anything you say, and that his talking is getting so much better, as is his comedy skit that he's preparing for later in life. Our dog, who honestly,won't make it to Christmas, and possiblty not to Thanksgiving, was laying on the floor and Jake laid nose-to-nose with him and said What's the problem Nikko? Tell me, what's the problem? Minutes later, he was standing by the kitchen chairs and said I going to blow my nose on Joe's chair. I said absolutely not, which he didn't listen to, and then he decided he needed to blow his nose on his OWN chair. He really is a sweet, loving boy, but the things that cross his mind that he then acts out, well, I fear for the number of times we will end up in the principle's office in about 5 years...

I've learned that no matter what, Mia wants her mommy, and she is very afraid of any loud noise. The neighbor's dog barked at her, and she flipped out. Her daddy made a funny noise at her, which he does to the boys all the time, and she flipped out. She surely is a 'sensitive soul', as our pediatrician calls her. Not sure how that will bode for her in the future.

Mostly though, I've learned that I"m not cut out to be a SAHM. I love being home with my children, I love spending time with them 1:1, and I treasure these times as I know as they get older they'll get fewer and fewer. But I do love to go to my job, and be challenged by things like erectile dysfunction and BPH (well, not me personally, but the studies I manage). And I love the flexibility it's given me to be home when I need to but be there when all is well. Now if only I could figure out how to be at work and have my house magically clean itself and my laundry magically put itself away.

I have some confessions to make

2009-11-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Really today, I am just really flying in the wind. I don't really have much desire to do anything at all, my most recent study has been cancelled (I work in clinical research), and really, I just don't feel like doing anything. But I do have some confessions to make to you, my blog friends, about things on my mind lately.

Like the fact that after 3 children, I think I need a boob job - please excuse the language. But I'm tired of looking like a 12 year old girl. And so, this will be on my Christmas wish list this year. I wonder if Santa is giving these out?

And I'm confused as all get out by Mia's night time schedule, or lackthereof. The child has the same routine every.single.night, eating at the same time, bathing at the same time, etc. And yet one night she can sleep from 8 - 4 without eating, and the next night, she's up at 2 a.m. needing to eat. And talk. I'm not quite sure what the heck she needs to talk about at 2 a.m., but surely it can wait until the sun comes up?

I'm also floored by my 3 year old, who last night in the car blurted out, Mommy guess what 4 times 5 is, and then told me the correct answer. He proceeded to do multiplication facts on his Leapster for about an hour, and then this morning on the way to preschool.

I also must confess, while I've become addicted to both reading and writing blogs, I hate the way my own blog looks, and am in search of someone to design one that looks, well, nice.

We also got results yesterday from my husband's CT scan. They showed calcified granulomatous disease in his lungs. I'll admit, I'm scared to death. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac as it is, and this terrifies me. Was it passed on to our kids? How severe is it? Why the hell hasn't his doctor called us with results? Why did we have to call the radiologist and get the report for ourselves? Sigh. These are just a few of the things rolling around on my mind.

So in a twist on Just Wondering Wednesday, I just wanted to confess to you the things I've been tossing around lately. You know, since I'm just so busy at work and all...

Wordless Wednesday - Lady Bug and her Train Gang

2009-11-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

Not me! Monday

2009-11-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

It's that time again, time to get off of your chest all the things you didn't do last week, because you are a responsible grown up who would never handle yourself in that manner! Just as...
I most certainly did NOT forget my baby in the car at Walmart on Saturday night, long enough to walk into the store and get a cart and head towards the food. I then most certianly did not run as fast as I could, faster than I have in my whole likfe, to get her, and feel like the world's most rotten mother, person, and human being. And I have not lamented over it for the past 3 days.

My husband most certainly did not ask me on Saturday while trick or treating if this is how dark my hair really is. I mean, why would I dye my monotonously dark hair with some fabulous highlights? I'm most certainly not that vain. And I absolutely did not crash my work computer on Friday reading blogs...only to require 3 hours of IT repair on Friday and another 3 hours today. Nope, not me. I spend all of my working time WORKING, not reading blogs.

I also did not run straight into Joey's bed last night with the laundry basket on my hip, only to take a huge gouge out of it and win myself a humongous bruise. I'm so much more coordinated than that! And right now, at this exact moment, I"m definitely not watching Kate: Her story on TLC and secretly wishing for a reconciliation, for the family and the kids. Nope, not me, for sure!

Anticipating Halloween

2009-10-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

With Halloween tomorrow, the countdown has begun at my house, for both my kids and myself. I am so excited to dress them all up in their little costumes, and take them out trick or treating. The boys are going to be Thomas and Percy, and Mia is going to be a ladybug. Joey is SO excited about Halloween this year - he asks me no less than 3 times per day, every day, if today he can go trick-or-treating. I'm not sure what brought on this wave of excitement from him, though I do anticipate that once tomorrow comes, and he sees the bigger kids in their 'scary' costumes, well, he won't be nearly as excited as he is right now. But his wave of excitement has given me a whole new perspective on the day, and has even made me more excited. You see, normally I don't like Halloween. I don't like to dress up in a costume, never have, don't care for trick or treating, and just don't really care about Halloween. I just see it as a stepping stone to my very favorite holiday, Christmas! And then my next very favorite, my birthday! (It's on Groundhogs Day, which technically is on the calendar and in my book that makes it a holiday. It's my birthday, I can make the rules if I want to). But having kids who are getting older every day, whether I like it or not, I have a newfound respect and excitement for all things holiday, regardless of the holiday. And for that, I am thankful this Friday morning.

Things Kids Say Thursday #7

2009-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love hearing the things that come out of my kids' mouths...to be that young, sweet, and innocent...or young, deviant, and mouthy...
Joey: Let's play circus. You sit there, and Mia, you sit there (Mia can't sit yet, so really, she sits where I put her). Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Math Circus (we've been watching this a lot lately). Today, we're going to learn about quidgets. (pulls out cars). I'm going to throw my quidgets in the air, and you can count them!
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Joey: Mommy, what is Mia going to be for Halloween?
Me: A ladybug. Why do you ask?
Joey: Oh. I thought maybe she wanted to be a train this year.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Joey: (During his halloween party yesterday, singing a song about sticky bubblegum) Mommy, this is the part where I can't talk!
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`

Jake, who is just 2 and becoming more vocal:
Me: Jake, eat your beans.
Jake: Momma, I hear monsters. No monsters, don't eat my beans! Momma, monsters eat my beans.
Me: Nice try. There are no monsters, eat your beans.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Jake: Momma, I hear coyote. He want to eat my toes.
Me: The coyotes won't eat your toes.
Jake: Otay. Coyotes eat your toes?
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Jake, every single time we have to stop at a stoplight or stopsign: Doe (go) Momma, no stop. Hurry up!
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Jake, having a tantrum over something or other, sees the baby, Mia, who is smiling at him: NO MIA, NO LAUGHING!, which, of course, just sets my husband and I off and we are cracking up that he is so upset that she is 'laughing' at him, given that she's 4 months old.
*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`
Jake hates it when anyone in the family sings. I love to sing silly songs to the kids, and this has caused a love of singing in Joe. Every time I sing, Jake says No singing Momma. Last night in the car, Joey was singing along with the Math Circus video. Jake started saying No Joe, stop that. Stop singing Joe! No more singing Joe! Of course, Jake is 'allowed' to sing whatever he wants, just not the rest of us.
Oh how I love my kiddos!

Thousand Word Thursday

2009-10-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

We moved to our subdivision 3 years ago next week. We purchased our lot on my due date, on a whim, not planning to buy a house. However, the location was ideal (park in the front AND back yard!) and after showing up unexpectedly on the next door neighbor's porch to ask them their thoughts of the neighborhood, we were sold. In hindsight, we should have done more research, especially since the builder bunked up our basement causing it to have a huge crack in the wall, and the builder then went bankrupt 3 days before our 1 year anniversary. I digress. This purchase was both the best and worst decision we ever made. You see, in moving to the house we moved to, we made some of the best friends we have ever had. Our next door neighbors, the ones where we showed up on the front porch to ask what they thought, have become both my husband and my, as well as our children's, best friends. We talk to them daily. Our boys are best buds, and even when they see each other 3 or 4 times a week, still act as though they haven't seen each other in weeks. These 3 boys (well, mostly the older 2, but the younger one tags along) can play together for hours and you don't hear a single bit of fighting, yelling, screaming, etc. They have so much fun, and are so silly. They have a standing play date each Friday afternoon. They go to the same preschool. My middle guy, Jakey, adores their oldest girl, Em. He has a huge crush on her, and just adores her. The mom, one of my best friends, is one of Jakey's favorites, and he calls her "My M-". He, we, truly adore them, and are so thankful that they are our next door neighbors!

Time Out for Mom THETA Thursday

2009-10-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

So what did I do with my 1 hour to myself this week? Hmmm, I'm trying to remember if I even GOT an hour to myself this week, with 3 sick kids and a sick husband, halloween preparations, and sheer exhaustion. Oh wait, I do recall a few minutes to myself. It wasn't an hour, but it was time to myself nonetheless. I took a shower (gasp) and was able to go to the grocery store, where I strolled slowly around the aisles, and soaked up the silence. Ah, I do so love a trip to the grocery store, sans children! However, I have big plans for my time to myself this week - I'm going to the Packer game (hopefully!) on Sunday! I will thoroughly enjoy my time with my hubby, bro, SIL, and 50,000 other people as we watch the Pack take down their former leader! Happy Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday - ER fun

2009-10-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my son - Jacob was in the ER for the 2nd time on Monday night. and what the heck do you do with a 2 year old in the ER for 2 hours? Well, if there is a puke bucket available, make it a drum! Or a hat!

Just wondering...Wednesday

2009-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

Edited:
I am also wondering if anyone has any tips on discipline / behavior control for 2 year olds...mine has the same rules as my 3 year old, who is relatively obedient, but my 2 year old is becoming unruly, and honestly, I don't really want to end up on Supernanny...

This cold, damp, rainy Wednesday, there are a lot of things on my mind. My family has all been sick for the past week or more, and it's really become frustrating, as it seems we are in a never-ending cycle of sickness. To top it off, we are anticipating some news on the health front for a family member that could be really, really not good, and I am anxiously awaiting that information. The wondering what the results will be has clouded much of every day, despite my best efforts to avoid those thoughts.

However, there are other things going on. For example, where in the heck did my 3 year old learn the word 'pick axe'? Last night he told me that he was using something as his pick axe, and I nearly fell over. We don't talk like that, we don't OWN a pick axe, heck, I don't even know where to BUY a pick axe!

With everyone being so sick, I'm also trying to figure out if my 4 month old is just dramatic with an attitude, or if there is really something going on with her. She's not been eating well at home, has been a bear to put down for a nap, yet is supposedly the exact opposite at day care. Does she not like us? That surely can't be it; I mean, her closet is filled with cute clothes, and of course we know that money buys love, right? JUST KIDDING! I'm just not sure what the heck is going on there.

I'm also wondering if I should push my pediatrician to 'untie' her tongue. I know this can cause speech issues, and it seems as though she's having problems eating solids due to being tongue tied. So the question is, now, or later?

But mostly, I'm just wondering, does anyone want to buy a Longaberger basket? :) Happy Wednesday!

Not Me! Monday

2009-10-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

It’s Not Me! Monday again, the blog carnival created by MckMama. Given the events of this past week, there are a lot of things that I surely did not do.

For example, I did not miss last week’s Not Me! Monday because I was ~~tunneling through~~ cleaning out Mia’s closet so she has somewhere to sleep this winter. Nope, I would never have that much crap in a closet, nor would I let my child sleep in a closet because her room is in the 50’s in the winter. We have such a fabulously crafted home that it would be nice and comfy cozy all year round. (Excuse me while I fall off my chair laughing). I also did not end up at the doctor’s office / acute care center with every single one of my kids this weekend, only to find out we are the lucky recipients of: Ear infections, croup, and roseola. My children are the PICTURE of health, and we would never be infected with that many ailments. I also did not bid on not one, not 3, but 7 Longaberger basket iron racks in the hopes of winning 1 to put in my kitchen, and end up with 2. Woops. I’d never be that irresponsible. I did not end up sobbing at the table last night because I was so frustrated with my baby for not sleeping and just crying instead. I’m a level-headed mommy who, despite feeling rotten, is always loving and nurturing. And I absolutely did NOT feed my kids muffins for breakfast and eggs for lunch because I feel like complete crap and don’t want to cook anything at all. Even though I’m sick, I’m a mommy, so of course I’d never skimp on meals for my kids because I’m sick.

Things Kids Say Thursday

2009-10-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

I love that kids have no filter, and they say the cutest things. My kids, of course, are no exception :) Of course, I'm probably biased. Below are some of the cute things they've said to me this week...
Joey ( my 3 year old): I love my baby sister. Mommy, when the next baby is in your tummy, I want it to be a girl.
Me: there won't be any more babies in Mommy's tummy.
Joey: Ok, when the next baby is in Daddy's tummy, I want it to be a girl.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jake: I snuggle with you Momma
me: Ok. Are you ready to go in your crib?
Jake: No, not yet.
(Jake yawns, pulls out his nuk)
Jake: I tired. I half doe to bed.
(puts nuk back in)
Me: Are you ready to go in your crib now?
Jake: Yes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Jake, jumping out of a box: Jake in the box!

What about you, what are your kids saying that just cracks you up?

Thousand word Thursday

2009-10-22T06:03:00.001-07:00

How much more amazing does life get than when your newborn baby is (finally) snuggled in your arms, sleeping peacefully, and is gorgeous and the new love of your life?

Theta Mom Thursday

2009-10-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday again (hooray! Thursday, I have missed you so!), and it's time for my time out! What did I do with my time out this week? Well, last week on Friday I went to a CAbi party (some sort of clothing trunk show, but I don't know more than that - details coming). I, of course, had the baby with me, since she's basically attached to my hip. But there were others there to entertain her. We went to the party, which never happened. You see, the demonstrator never showed up, but the mommies had lots of fun chatting!

I got another time out alone on Saturday morning...I got 2 whole hours to myself to - brace yourself, this is big - get my oil changed. Exciting stuff, huh? This oil change was followed by a trip to get a flu shot, and really, how much more exciting can a day get than that? But you know what, I don't care - it was me time, by myself, and I got to play with my iPhone by myself, no little hands trying to steal it away to play games!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Just wondering...Wednesday

2009-10-21T08:14:00.001-07:00

Just wondering…Wednesday

This week my head has been filled with so many ‘to do’ list items, there’s not much I’ve been wondering about. But there are a few things, such as…

- Do all 3 year olds suddenly turn on the attitude and the sassy mouth, telling their parents to “do it, now”, etc?

- Why has my 2 year old suddenly become the big bully when other kids are over?

- How many more days can I hold my tongue with the preschool director?

- Does anyone really care if my house isn’t spotless when they come over?

- Does anyone need a size 18 month boys Children’s Place winter coat, hat and mittens?

- Or a Fireplace Hearth protector?

- Or some swaddling blankets from Kiddopotomus?

Doing it the best way I know how

2009-10-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

I read this fantastic post this morning over at Buried with Childrenhttp://mimitchells.blogspot.com/, about doing the best we can as moms, the best way we know how. I tell my husband, and my children, many times during the week that I'm doing the best I can, and that needs to be enough. Yesterday, as Princess cried for 30 minutes and I had no idea why, I did the best I could. When Captain Chaos was throwing apples across the table because he was tired and ready to go take a nap, I did the best I could to stop the behavior. When ICE was having his 3rd meltdown for the day, I did the best I could to make it stop without screaming at the top of my lungs for everyone to just quiet down for 15 minutes.

You see, as a working mom, I'm gone Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. until 5:15 p.m. When I get home (and I know I'm just preaching to the choir here), I have to get dinner ready, feed the baby (who always wants to eat immediately when the boys are hungry), and feed my husband and myself. The dog wants to go outside. Baths are in need, as Captian Chaos can't eat a meal without putting some of it in his hair / on his head / in his ears, and Princess is a pro at spitting up in that crack in her neck, which just grosses me out. Bottles need to be made, and the kitchen cleaned up. And me, I just want to sit at the table, read the mail and perhaps play one (or 10) levels on my really fun Iphone bubble pop game. Is that too much to ask?

I love my family, with everything inside of me, but some days, I just want to scream to the world, I'm not perfect, I do the best I can every single day with what I have, and some days, I just don't care. So there.

Some Uppercase Living photos for you

2009-10-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

For those new to Uppercase Living, here are a few things we've done at our house or others have done. Enjoy!

Thousand Word Thursdays

2009-10-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Time out for Theta Mom Thursday

2009-10-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Every mom needs time to herself...and Theta mom said I should spend an hour on myself, so I did! (I love having someone else to 'blame'). How did I spend my hour? Playing with all my new Uppercase Living stuff, of course! I recently got my Photo prints, and some new vehicles for Captain Chaos' room, so I put them up, and they look darn cute if I do say so myself! I also made some really cute coasters for my boss, and the hands board for Captain Chaos to put his cute little handprints on. Oh how I love making new UL things! If you're curious, would like more info, or want to get your own UL products, visit my website - http://cmartino.uppercaseliving.net/. It's such a great stress reliever, and an even better way to decorate your home!

Just wondering...Wednesday

2009-10-14T08:14:00.001-07:00

Just Wondering…Wednesday

I have to start off by saying I’m in a bad mood. It all centers around my son’s preschool. For the past 2 days, when I’ve dropped him off at school, the school director has been the teacher who is taking kids out of cars, and opening the door, which isn’t unusual for her. However, both days she was so friendly and smiley to the mom / dad / child in front of us, and then so rude and impolite to my son and I, I want to scream! Both days, she looked me straight in the eye, no words were spoken by her, no smile, nothing. I was friendly, smiled at her, but was, and am, seething inside. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what would cause her to be so rude to myself and my son. I’ve paid my full tuition for the whole year, early. We drop him off on time, and pick him up on time. He comes prepared each day. He’s a polite, nice, well-behaved kid, shy even. So what the he** is her problem? I have a suspicion as to what it could possibly be, which is something so stupid and irritating that I just don’t even know what to do.

We had ICE evaluated at 2.5 years old through our school district, because he was hypersensitive to noises. They do free evaluations for all children in the district ages birth through 3, no referral required. My husband and I have always thought he was advanced for his age, what parent doesn’t, but mid-way through the evaluation the teachers told us that he is gifted and referred us to the gifted coordinator for the district. We’ve been working with her ever since, trying to figure out what we should do for him with regards to schooling to offer him the best opportunities possible. Prior to enrolling him in any preschool, I called several places, including his current school. I explained the situation politely, without bragging or saying much more than he’d been identified by our district, and they are working with him and us, and asking what they would do for him at the school if he is ahead of his peers. In conversation with a good friend this morning who has taken her children there for several years, she and I agreed that we think this may be it.

So now what do I do? I’m going to kill her with kindness, every day. But do I confront her as to why she is rude? If I do, I think she’ll be even worse. Honestly, at this point, even though we’ve paid for the full year, I want to pull my son out and put him somewhere else, where the director is kinder. But I won’t do that. Too hard on him, for one. We are debating the decision of early kindergarten versus a 5-day program they have at the preschool that is supposed to be fantastic, to the point that the kids in that program learned more last year than the kindergarteners in our district did. But honestly, right now, I just want to say heck no, we’ll go somewhere else. I’m so torn. So today, I’m just wondering…what the heck did I do to this woman, why she’s being so rude, and what to do from here. Sigh. Happy Wednesday.

Not Me! Monday

2009-10-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

It's that time again...time to admit, or not admit, all of the things I didn't do last week, which would be super embarrassing if I DID admit to them.

For example, I most certainly did NOT find Captain Chaos playing on top of the stove as I was helping ICE in the bathroom. I am far too responsible to let my 2 year old play unsupervised (NOTE: the stove hasn't been used in weeks, so it wasn't hot, not even close).

I also did not buy 5 different dresses for my father in law's wedding, in the hopes that one would WOW my husband. I'm very frugal, you know, and don't care what others think. Nor do I now need to return 4 of said dresses. That would simply be a waste of my shopping - I mean, lunch - time.

I did not wear high heels last week for the first time in at least 8 years, in preparation for the wedding, and curse every single step I took. I am a very elegant woman who likes to dress up and wear nice things, and heels are just part of my daily routine having 3 children under 3.

I did not accidentally drop Captain chaos on the floor while dancing with him at the wedding. I'm a very careful mother, and I never would do anything silly like that.

And worst of all, I did not get shampoo directly into Captain Chaos' eyes yesterday when he wanted to take a shower while I was. He got in, I started shampooing my hair, and he looked up at the exact wrong moment, only to get it directly in his eyes. And I did not cry with him, feeling so terrible for the poor little guy.

Phew, I feel much better getting all of those things that I did not do, off of my chest.

Phew!

2009-10-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a whirlwind of activities at our house. Let's summarize, shall we?
- Our nanny, A, who told me just last week that all was well, up and quit - by email, with no reason nonetheless - after leaving our house on the 2nd. So, that left us in a bind of seeking a new nanny to come to our house on Fridays. Sigh. So I've been searching and searching for a new nanny. We have 3 potentials, that we have started interviewing. More on that later.
- My FIL got married this weekend, to a very wonderful woman. However, this left me doing something I haven't had to do in 3 years, buy a dress! The search was long and arduous. After 3 kids, I wanted to buy something that would wow my husband but cover my, um, unflattering baby carrying remants. Finally, Thursday, after shopping every.single.day at lunch, I found one that he liked! The wedding was fantastic, the kids had an absolute blast, and it was really just a fantastic night.

- The boys have been asking to get pumpkins for several weeks now. Our sitter has them at her house, and every day, Captain Chaos throws a fit when we leave because he wants to 'pet the pumpkins', which isn't slang for anything. He really likes to sit and pet the pumpkins. We decided we would go Saturday morning, since the wedding wasn't until 4:30. Well, ICE woke up at 7:15, which is never good; Captain Chaos woke up with a dirty diaper and terrible diaper rash, crabbier than all get out. Princess was awake from midnight - 1:30 a.m., and from 5 - 7 a.m., just talking to herself. Keep in mind she sleeps in our room and thus I was wide awake listening to her talk. And talk. And talk. She apparently had a lot to catch up on with herself. Thankfully, pumpkin picking went well despite that 45 degree windy morning with bad attitudes all around (DH included), but they had a great time and we came home with 3 pumpkins! Hooray!

- We're now interviewing our 3 nanny choices. The first interview arrived and shared with us that the drive was longer than she thought and thus it wasn't a good fit. Excellent. The second interview, yesterday, was both good and bad. She wants to do a 'nanny share' with another family, so she will be coming to our house with another little girl, who is 3, and watch all 4 kids. She is a former day care teacher, so she plans lesson plans each week for the kids, teaches them letters / numbers / colors / shapes / reading; brings felt boards and does circle time and lots of other preschool stuff, which sounds great to me. She showed up in her very expensive car...with her lip ring, and told us about her professional dirt bike rider boyfriend who is in Belgium and will be living in China for the next 2 years. Excellent. I was impressed with the activities she does, her assertiveness, the fact that she washed her hands immediately when she walked in. I was not impressed with the lip ring, the boyfriend, the fact that she weighs 100 lbs, as she told us, and her assertiveness (not sure how I feel about it. I didn't know this would be such a hard process. We have one more interview to go, and I am hoping it goes well.
- I have loads of laundry that never seem to go away. Yesterday didn't help, either. My parents were in town from the wedding, and when they left, I showered and got ready for our impending visitors. Captain Chaos decided he wanted to shower too, and I proceeded to get shampoo directly in his eyes almost as soon as he came in the shower. My poor little guy. It truly was 'a one in a million shot, doc, one in a million shot'. Our next visitors showed up as I was still cleaning him up. They stayed for several hours, and left around 3, at which point I started putting plastic on Princess's windows to try warm up her room from 64 degrees to at least 66. Nanny #2 arrived, and then left, we had dinner, baths, bed, and bedtime for me. So no work got done yesterday, which means even more needs to get done today.

Looking forward to a more relaxing week this week. No need to shop daily for a dress (so instead I shopped for the kiddos today!), no wedding this coming weekend, and no chaos coming...at least until next week!

Just wondering Wednesday

2009-09-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

As always, (if always constitutes the last 2 weeks), there are a lot of things I'm wondering about this sunny, chilly Wednesday, and I thought I'd share them, like....
- why would an elevator company put the telephone button to call the police low enough and uncovered for a child, perhaps a 2 year old, to push before his mom could grab his hands? (this may have been my son)
- if it's really a bad thing to eat half an apple pie over the course of 3 days? I mean, there is a lot of fruit in there, that must count for SOMETHING
- why my dog crapped on the carpet in the middle of the night
- when my motivation to do actual work will return
- how this afternoon's doctor appointments will go
- why no one has started a cupcake drive through service, where you could get cupcakes and other yummy frosted pastries on your lunch hour
- if people that get au pairs regret it, or are thankful they did it
- if my 3 year old really plays with other kids during preschool, or if he plays alone
- why my 2 year old feels that the top of the stove is the best place to play (thankfully I never cook, so it's never hot)

Just wondering these things...and wondering what my readers (are there any?) are wondering.

Not Me! Monday

2009-09-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs I read frequently (ok, daily), My Charming Kids, hosts a really fun blog each Monday called Not Me! Monday. Since every week is a chaotic mess of crazy events, I thought I'd share my own Not me! Monday.

Last week after my husband called me to tell me he was taking Captain Chaos to the ER after he fell and hit his head square on some brick steps, I most certainly did not stop to pay for my Gap purchases, rather than put them back and run out the door to meet my husband and child. Nope, that would be very selfish and inconsiderate. The very next day, I didn't find Captain Chaos, fresh from the ER with a nice big bandaid on his head, standing on a chair playing on my stove (In all honesty the stove was NOT on, nor was it hot, or even been used in the past, oh, 4 days). Nope, not me - I am a far more responsible parent than that.

I didn't use my t-shirt to wipe spit-up off of Princess's face. That would be just plain gross, not to mention the fact that we have close to 5 dozen burp rags around the house, any one of which I could have used. Nor did I tell ICE to use his shirt to wipe his nose when I was trying to feed the other 2 kids and couldn't find a kleenex, napkin, or even baby wipe to use. Nope, not me, that is also just disgusting, and we have far better manners than that.

What about you? What did YOU not do last week?

How do you make it happen?

2009-09-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Everyone that knows me knows that I am not, nor have I ever been or claimed to be, an immaculate person to live with. Things get set down, and then cleaned up several days later. That's how I grew up, that's how I am, and despite my best attempts to change that, it hasn't happened. End of story. This has always been a source of contention between my husband and myself. He likes everything cleaned up all the time, off the floor, off the garage floor, hung up / in a cabinet / on a shelf (except that he doesn't like to put nail holes in the wall...therein lies a whole other dilemma). I digress. I work full time, 9 hour days Monday through Thursday, leaving the house at 6:30 and getting home about 5:15 at night. I have 3 children under the age of 4, one of whom, Princess, loves to be held all the time, due to her history of being such a colicky baby. So I need to knw - how do other moms, working full time, keep their houses clean on a day-to-day basis? I'll take any tips or guidance I can get on this one.

Just Wondering...Wednesday

2009-09-23T06:09:00.000-07:00

I find that there are a lot of things I'm 'just wondering' about...so I thought I'd share them.
Today I'm just wondering...
- why my 2 year old, Captian Chaos, wakes up at 7 a.m. but is still so tired - perhaps he should learn to sleep in?
- why my 3 year old, ICE (In Charge of Everything), has an incredibly long attention span but can't seem to watch TV and eat breakfast at the same time?
- when my 4 month old, Princess M, will learn to sleep through the night.
- why Captian Chaos feels the need to scare Princess M when she is sleeping, thus waking her up and causing her to cry the entire ride home from Day care
- what ICE really learns at preschool, since his daily answer to the question What did you do today is "I don't know" or "Nothing".
- why Captian Chaos seems to be even more devious when he is sick or just getting better - case in point: yesterday we got home from day care, and while I was helping ICE in the bathroom, I heard a clanking noise. I ran out to find CC standing on their toy chair next to the stove (which was not on, or even hot or anything, thankfully) playing with his Cars. Of course he got reprimanded and a time out, but seriously, where did this come from?
- if I'll find something to wear to my FIL's wedding in 2 weeks.
- if anyone will end up reading this blog anyway

And you, what are YOU wondering?

I've finally done it

2009-09-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

My husband, W, has been encouraging me to start a blog since our baby was 2 months old, to document all of the trials and tribulations we've gone through with her, as well as those that we encounter in our daily lives. So here it is, I've finally given in. Not that I mind; I love talking about my kiddos and what's going on, in the hopes that either someone else has gone through something similar and has some words of wisdom, or that someone else can learn from what we've gone through.

Which brings me to the story of our little Princess M. She was born at the end of May, full term, after a rather non-eventful pregnancy. I will absolutely claim it was the easiest pregnancy of my 3, despite being extremely sick the first 4 months, and discovering she'd brought me into a state of hyperthyroidism during my pregnancy. However, beyond that, it was so much easier than any that I'd gone through with the boys. The delivery itself was also uneventful, and she arrived in all her glory with a strong set of lungs and a loud voice.

Several hours after she was born, it was discovered that she was COOMBS positive - meaning that my blood was in her blood. Since I'm O+ and she's B+, well, we've clashed from the start. Princess M suffered from a blood incompatibility - my blood cells were producing B antibodies, meaning they were killing all the B blood cells...which is all she had, faster than she could produce more. The side effect of that then is severe jaundice, and Princess M ended up in the NICU under triple light therapy for the first 6 days of her life. We were able to visit her whenever we wanted, but could only hold her for 10 minutes at a time, and she had to be in her bili blanket while we were holding her. Needless to say, even though it's not a huge deal, it was still traumatic for us as we watched her bili numbers rise and rise, topping out close to 14, and knowing the bad things that could happen thanks to Mr. Internet. Luckily, none of those things happened, as she only hit 14, and they tackled the problem fairly early, though it may have been even better had the hospital tested the cord blood immediately as per protocol, rather than 5 hours after she was born.

Regardless, she came home at 6 days old, with instructions for immediate doctor visits and blood draws for bili levels. Over the next 6 weeks, we went to the pediatrician's office weekly, sometimes 2 times per week, for heel sticks and blood draws to find out what her numbers were. The reason for having to go that long? Well, no one told us that one side effect to being COOMBS positive is anemia, which can be very dangerous for a newborn. Since the blood cells were breaking down so fast and her body wasn't able to produce them as fast as it was losing them, she was anemic, which meant daily iron for the first 2 months of life. We were, and continue to be, extremely lucky to have a great pediatrician, Dr. G., who watched the numbers very closely, called me every time we got the results, and consulted with doctors at Children's and shared their feedback with me. We also were able to make our own treks (2 of them) down to Children's to have blood drawn and meet with the doctors, who were fabulous. Thankfully, as Princess M hit 2 months old, her anemia resolved itself and she levelled out to where she should be for a child her age.

However, the week before she hit 2 months, she ran a high fever while we were on vacation at my parents' house. Given her age, I knew immediately we needed to head to the ER, where they ran a bunch of tests and told us she had a UTI and we needed to head to Children's up in the Valley to be admitted for antibiotic treatment and monitoring. Over the next 3 days, she was diagnosed with Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR). VUR means that urine flows back up from the bladder into the kidneys, rather than just emptying out. We had a follow-up VCUG, which is an x-ray where it was discovered that she is also lucky enough to have a duplicated ureter (tube coming out of the kidney) running to her bladder.

You see, everyone develops several sets of ureters during development inutero, and they disappear, except for one set (there is a more scientific explanation, which you can look up; I'm too lazy to type it all out). Anyway, one of hers stuck around, which is making the VUR worse. VUR has 5 grades of severity; Grades 1 - 3 are managed with daily use of antibiotics, and 4 and 5 are usually treated with surgery. Princess M is a Grade 2 on the left, and a Grade 2 and 3 on the right. What does this mean for her? Well, after meeting with the urologist, our action plan is daily antibiotics until she turns 1, with another kidney ultrasound at 6 months (December) to look for kidney damage, and another VCUG at 12 months to see if the reflux is gone, unless she has another UTI before then. if it's gone, hooray, end of story. If not, we discuss more antibiotics versus surgery, and the liklihood it'll go away on it's own is, best case scenario, 40%. So while we pray it resolves on it's own, we're trying to keep in mind the realities of the situation. It also means constant monitoring of her temp, and if she has a fever, we take her in for a urinalysis. Fun times, huh? If anyone else has gone through this, let me know what happened in y our situation. I'll share our daily trials and tribulations with a 3.5 year old, 2 year old and 4 month old...it's bound to be chaotic but fun!