The missing book

This morning Anna asked me, "Where's the book where him gets stuck in the clouds?"

After she patiently repeated the question two more times, I understood what she'd said, but I I had no idea what book she was talking about.

I told her, "Hmmm... I don't know." Trying to figure out which book she meant, I asked, "Who gets stuck in the clouds?"

"Him!" she answered.

I wondered if it was one of the stories in our Harold and the Purple Crayon Treasury, so I asked, "Was it Harold who got stuck?"

"No," she replied.

"Um..." I tried, "Is it a Mickey Mouse book?"

"No."

"A Dora book?  Does Boots get stuck in the clouds?"

"No."

I had no recollection of a story where anyone got stuck in a cloud.

"Can you tell me more about the book?" I asked.

"Okay," she said, "I'll tell you about the book."

"Great!" I said, sure I could figure out what book it was with just a couple more clues.

She looked me in the eyes and carefully explained, "It's lost."

Baby kisses, a plunger, and falling in love - A gratitude post

Once again I'm grateful for those little things that brighten my days.  With Luke sick again, sewage leaking into our basement, and a migraine even my perscription can't fully kick, I've welcomed all the smiles the kids have brought me this week.

One thing that brings me smiles a couple dozen times a day are little kissy noises Luke and Ally have started to make.  They started doing it because Dave and I kiss their heads a lot when we hold them. They couldn''t really tell what we were doing, but they started to mimic the noise.  So, I'd give Ally a couple little kisses on her head and then I'll hear her pppuh back. Or Luke would hear me kiss Ally and pppuh.  Since the noises always got them such a happy response from us, they now do it when we talk to them or to get our attention.  It's like they're blowing me little kisses throughout the day.  What could be better than that?

Today a plumber came to snake out the pipe that leads from our house to the street, hopefully preventing more sewage from entering our basement.  He arrived just as I was trying to get Kate ready for school, help Anna in the bathroom, and carry a sick Luke in the carrier on my back and a crabby Ally in my arms.  The situation was a little stressful.  It helped a lot when I came up from the basement and had Kate say, "Oh!  There you are.  I thought you were still in the basement talking to the plunger."  A picture straight out of a Far Side cartoon popped in my head and some of the stress melted away.

Anna has, of course, also contributed to the smiles this week.  When my dad was over Wednesday, she cuddled her head against his chest and said, "I love you, Opa."  He replied that he loves her, too, to which she responded with a conclusive, "We're in love."

Smile.

Why even tough days are wonderful

Four amazing blessings.

Three questions

Did you ever have one of those days that was so hard by 1pm that you had to just go and eat a big bowl of icecream, even though you're desperately trying to get back in shape after having twins and the icecream pretty much negates your healthy lunch of chicken breast and salad?  Okay, maybe that's too specific for most of you to relate, but that's been my day so far.  By the way, if it's slow churned icecream with half the fat, you are supposed to eat twice as much, right?  And, another question... does anybody in the world really consider a half cup of icecream to be anywhere close to a serving?

Witching hour

I think most moms agree things often get tough around dinner time.  We know the term "witching hour" for a reason.  Last night was no exception here. 

It was almost 6:00 and we were finishing up an art project at the table.  Although we usually eat between 6:30 and 7:00, whenever Dave gets home, Kate and Anna insisted they were starving.  They couldn't wait another minute for dinner.  Forget about waiting for Dave to get home; they could barely clean up the art materials, lest they pass out from malnutrition. 

I took the cornbread out of the oven and, since there was no chance they'd eat the white bean chicken chili I'd made for Dave and me, I began to whip up some scrambled eggs.  While I was standing at the stove, Anna spilled her milk.  As I took a deep breath, Kate verbalized what I was thinking: This was the third drink spilled today.

I wiped up as much milk as I could and rinsed the cloth in the sink.  When I turned back around, Anna was proudly holding a pair of scissors up in front of her face.  It took me a moment to register what I was seeing.  Was that cornbread hanging off the scissors?  Cornbread... and... hair?  Yes, hair.  A big chunk of hair, clinging to the cornbread-y scissors.  The scissors that we'd failed to clean up after the art project.  All I could say right then was, "Oh, honey..." 

I took the scissors from her and wiped the hair from it into the trash bag.  Then, a sentimental notion made me grab a sandwich bag and retrieve the chunks of hair from the garbage bag to save them.  After that I went over to assess the damage.  As I ran my hand through Anna's hair and watched more chunks fall out, I decide this was a good thing.  What people have been assuming since I "trimmed" her bangs is now true.  She did cut her own hair.

Anna's salad

The girls are obsessed with shredded cheddar cheese.  I don't let them have it often, because I'm too lazy to wipe it off the table and chairs and sweep it off the floor.  They basically can only have it on something, like tacos, soup, or a salad.  Anna never has salad, so she's always frustrated when Kate gets shredded cheese on hers. 

Yesterday, I was thrilled when Anna asked for a salad.  I even got out the camera and took a picture of her eating her first salad.

I then turned by back to dish up the pizza, and this is what I found when I turned around:

She was trying to pick out all the lettuce.  I just stood there looking at her a moment, wondering how I didn't see this coming, until she asked me, "Mommy, can you help me get this cheese all on my fork?"

Two scoops

Now that Luke and Ally are feeling better, they're back to their happy selves. 
I almost forgot how much fun they are,
Ally, with her endless smiles
and Luke, laid back Lukey, just taking everything in.

In the last couple days Ally has learned to move herself around a little to get to things she wants.  She'll roll from back to stomach, pivot, roll again, basically do what she can to get to something.  She's ambitious. 

Ally had pears for the first time today, and she was thrilled.  She was never opposed to the cereal, sweet potatoes, or even green beans.  She went along with the plan, opening her mouth compliently.  But, those pears were another story.  I couldn't get them into her mouth fast enough for her.  At one point, I had to get Anna some milk, and Ally fiercely protested the pause it caused in her eating.

Luke is pretty content where ever he is, but he does love the Jumperoo.  He will jump until he wears himself out.  He'll rest his head on the edge of the seat, half asleep from the waist up while his legs continue to jump.  If I try to take him out, he'll protest. 

This afternoon, he'd stopped jumping for a few minutes and when I looked closer, he was actually asleep.  I reached to take him out, and there went his legs, jump, jump, jump.  Laughing, I took him out and cuddled him close.  I carried him upstairs for a nap.  The whole way to his room, his little legs went in spurts of jumps.

Right where?

I debated about posting this, because it's pretty gross, but I decided I would.  The incident was a turning point yesterday.  It struck me as so funny that it turned the day around.

Yesterday was turning out to be a rough day.  I was tired, and I was dreading the fact that Dave was going to be gone over night for a conference.  Anna woke up from her nap and said, "Hold me."  When I picked her up, I discovered she was soaked with urine and, therefore, I was too.  This meant changing Anna's clothes, my clothes, and the dreaded bunkbed sheets.  As I was dragging the sheets downstairs to wash them, I discovered Ally had pooped.  Every poop lately is a an indescribably disgusting mess.  While I was changing Ally, Anna came in. 

This is what Anna saw:

Anna looked at Ally for a moment and then helpfully pointed out, "There's still a little poop right there."

On a technicality

I'd always figured, if I were someday forced to prove my innocence in a court of law, I'd choose an experienced trial lawyer to present my defense.  The last few days have led me to wonder, however, if maybe I'd just let Anna take my case.

Tuesday I took Kate and Anna on a trip to Target.  We left immediately after our neighbors had given them brand new princess wands which make a noise that kids can't resist and parents can't tolerate.  I put up with the girls constantly pushing the noise button the entire way there.  After shopping, though, with my nerves already frazzled, I stated there would be no pushing the buttons until we got home.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I heard the noise.  I cringed and weighed my options.  If I chose to tell Anna to put down the wand and she didn't comply, I'd have to find a place to pull over and climb into the back of the van to take the wand from her.  I chose to pretend I didn't hear it.  Of course, the noise promptly sounded again.  Kate stepped in saying, "Anna, you can't push the button!"  Anna explained, "I'm not pushing the button; I'm pushing right here."  Evidently, she'd discovered she could move the wand to depress the button against her carseat.  So the entire 23 minute drive home, I got to hear repeated princess wand noises, but Anna never once pushed the button.

This morning I was playing on the floor with the babies while Kate and Anna played dress up together.  Anna walked over and put her foot up against Ally's head.  I've disciplined her at least a dozen times the last few days for doing this, each time telling her firmly, "Do not put your foot on the babies."  This morning, before I could even say a word, Anna proudly explained, "I'm not putting my foot on Ally's head.  I'm putting my sock on Ally's head!" 

Although I may have been slightly amused, I didn't let it show.  I told her we don't put our feet on the babies at all.  And, to cover all my bases with this little girl, I expressly stated each possibility: bare feet, feet with socks, feet with slippers, feet with tights...

A while later, she put her foot on Ally again.  "Anna," I began, completely exasperated.  She interrupted, "Mommy, my foot is not on Ally.  It's on Ally's pajamas!"  

As I sigh just thinking about all of this, I've come to my conclusion.  I would certainly let Anna handle my defense in a trial.  She wouldn't even have to prove my innocence.  I'm sure she would get me off on a technicality.

We found the tree

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree,
but Ally looks nothing like me. 

It all made sense when we found Dave's mom's baby pictures...

Weekly gratitude: Super hero

I joined the Weekly Gratitude movement, as a way for me to keep things in perspective.

Once each week, I write about something I am grateful for that week.

As our family is recovering from its long bout with RSV and related complications, I'm grateful for our returning health.  But this post is dedicated to someone who is unfortunately often overlooked and generally under appreciated: my husband.

Although I find it easy to show my children how much I love them countless times each day, Dave often gets lost in the shuffle, especially now that we have so many little kids to care for.

Since we've had these kids, actually since I've been pregnant with them, he's been nothing less than a super hero.  He works hard at a stressful job and comes home to a messy house, crabby kids, and a grumpy wife.  He helps get the kids to bed and then helps clean up the mess that I've let accumulate all day.  He gets up in the morning so I can grab a little extra sleep, and somehow manages to juggle the kids while getting himself ready for work.

He does all this without ever letting the stress show.  He remains calm and positive.  He never responds to the kids and me with anything but patience, even when it seems impossible to do so.  He keeps a sense of humor and helps us all enjoy life.

He's my other half, a half whom without, I'd be a disaster.  He's my balance.  I can be impulsive, sometimes extreme; he's even keel.  He keeps me in line when I'd otherwise veer off course.    I'm a better parent, because I have him as a partner.  I'm a better person, because he's in my life.  He sees me as the person I can be, even when I'm not.  He makes me want to be that person.

After 14 years, Dave still makes me laugh every single day.  He's the person I want to spend time with and the person I want to tell things to.  He makes my life better.  I'm so grateful to be sharing my life with such an incredible person.

Not *just* a mom

I'm decided to post something about me.
Not about me as a mom, but just about me.

Just about me; just for fun.

A dozen confessions

Today's topic is a fun one.  I'm going to make some confessions... nothing to get me convicted, but possibly institutionalized.

1.  I still leap into the bed at night so nothing grabs my feet from underneath.

2.  I sometimes brush my teeth in the shower when I'm in a hurry.

3.  Try as I have to learn them, I still get some states confused.

4.  Before I had kids I often wondered how I could possibly love a kids as much as I loved my dog.  And, now 5. I sometimes wish my dog would run away and get found my another family.

6.  I hate changing bunkbed sheets and do it way less than I'm even willing to admit in a post titled "confessions."

7.  I'd rather read John Grisham than Jane Austin...  and 8.  I don't like Shakespeare

9.  I really love disposable diapers, as earth-ruining as they may be.

10.  I always sound out word verifications.

11.  I cry (not tear-up, cry... I mean, like, almost sob) every time I hear Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle."

12.  I spend the day composing narratives in my head of everything I do.

Want to confess something of your own?  Share it in the comments.

Bad mommy days and a hideous but therapeutic cake

Part I:
Today was definitely a bad mommy day.  The last couple weeks haven't been easy with the kids sick, but things got even harder when I got sick last weekend.  This week has taken its toll on me. 

I caught RSV from the kids, and it made my asthma really bad.  By Tuesday night I was struggling to breathe and was placed on oral steroids, but by Thursday night I was in even worse shape.  To make matters worse, I haven't been getting much sleep because I can't breathe.  Yesterday and today I've been on high dose of steroids and an Albuterol nebulizer treatment every three hours.  The steroids make me feel really on edge, like insanely crabby.  The Albuterol makes me shaky. 

Even on my best day, I'm not the perfect mother, but one thing that's important to me is that I speak kindly to my kids, that I don't yell.  And, that's something I've been pretty good at doing.  In my five years of parenting, I could probably count the times I've raised my voice...on both hands, but still on my hands... until yesterday. 

In the past two days, I yelled four times.  It wasn't crazy yelling, but I raised my voice at Anna. Three of the times it was because she was doing something dangerous with one of the babies, but, even so, I know other ways of handling that.  The last time, though, it was because she didn't answer me when I asked if she wanted her taco on a shell or without a shell.  I yelled, "Anna!  Do you want a shell or not!?"  Really?  Wow.  That's a proud parenting moment right there.

So, I stopped what I was doing and talked with Kate and Anna. I apologized.  I explained that I have been crabby, and that it's not their fault.  I told them I'm sick, and I'm in a bad mood.... I haven't been acting like I want to act...  I've made mistakes and that I'm very sorry.  I promised to try to work on being better.  I ended by telling them that it's not okay for me to yell.

A few minutes later, I was cleaning up after dinner and Kate and Anna were arguing... again.  Anna was screaming at Kate.  I almost said my usual, "Anna, we don't yell in this house," but the irony of that stung my brain before it even made it to my mouth.  So, instead, I said a weak and exhausted, "Anna, please try not to yell."

Kate said to me, "She is probably learning it from you."

It's been such a long couple days.  I just stood there, looking at the sink, willing myself to make it another two hours until bed time.

"Well?" she prompted, "Don't you think so?"


And, now for Part II:  So, what's with the cake?
During this same time, I was simultaneously trying to make Anna's birthday cake and clean up oil that the guys who took out our old furnace's oil tank tracked throughout the house. The oil has been causing me stress because it smells and I worry that we're tracking it into more areas in our house.  Once I got half way through the oil job, Dave had to leave for the evening.  I brought Luke and Ally into the kitchen to play in their jumperoo and exersaucer and had Kate and Anna help me with Anna's birthday cake for her party tomorrow.

For some reason, I always make a huge deal out of birthday cakes. I think it's because most of the time you see a picture of a birthday from someone's childhood, it's him with his birthday cake.  It seems like that's their main memory of that birthday.  I guess I've always thought if it was a wonderful cake, they'd think, "Wow, my mom sure loved me."

Yes, even as I write that, I know how ridiculous it is.  But, I never wrote it before, so it always made perfect sense to me.  Here are some past cakes:


Anyway, as I'm in the kitchen attempting to cut the cakes into the perfect Minnie Mouse ears, mix up four different colors of frosting, put the frosting and tips into bags to pipe it, and, of course, have Kate and Anna help, Luke and Ally start to cry.  The cake starts to crumble as I frost it.  Kate and Anna start to argue.  Anna begins to insist she wants a Daisy cake instead... or maybe Abby Cadabby.  I start to completely. Lose. My. Mind.

I try to hold it together, but begin to get short with Kate.  I begin to get shorter with Anna.

I look at Ally crying in her high chair and it finally dawned on me that my kids don't need a perfect cake.  They don't even need a great cake.  But, they do need a great mom.

I did something amazing for me.  I let it go. 

Even as I decided I'd let it go, I went back and forth in my mind.  Maybe I could dump the cake and make another, just a simple layer cake and put a Minnie Mouse figure on top.  But, I knew I didn't have the energy even for that.  Maybe I could just buy a cake, but I... I couldn't go that extreme.  (I'm rolling my eyes at myself even as I type that.)  Okay, I'd dump the cake and make cupcakes...  No.  I knew what I had to do.  I had to just quickly slop together the rest of cake with the three colors of frosting I'd made, and I had to accept it wasn't going to be perfect, not even be good.   And then I'll go play with my kids, which is what really matters.  

And, although it's just a cake, this was a huge step in letting go of my insane perfectionism.  And, to make that step an even bigger step, I'm going to post a picture of the hideous thing that is passing for my daughter's cake tomorrow.  I'm even going to post a close up of the worst part. 

Ta da!

Pretty darn ugly, but not TOO bad, right? 

Scroll down.

Yep , that's cake crumbling all over the place,

not even remotely covered with frosting.

One big step for me; one horrendous looking birthday cake!

My favorite things

Oprah can do it, so why can't I?

I know there are probably a couple dozen answers to that question, so, for the record, it was rhetorical.

The idea for this post started with an email from my sister-in-law asking for recommendations on a baby carrier.  (Yeah, people should know better than to ask for my opinion.  My opinions tend to flow freely when they're not requested, so you can only imagine what happens when they are requested.)  And baby carriers are one thing I have an especially strong opinion about... the poor girl.

Anyway, after giving out very specific advice on that topic (It was requested!), I thought of a few other things no parent should live without (in my "humble" opinion, of course).  

There are two great things about doing this in a blog post.  (1) I will hopefully get it out of my system so I don't tell every random mother I meet at the library that she should get a sound machine.  And (2) people can just click that X in the upper right corner of their screen when I begin to get on their nerves!

Without further delay...

1.  Flip Potty Toilet Seat

I just realized again today, as I was scraping residual poop out of Anna's potty chair, just how much I love our flip potty toilet seat (which Anna won't yet use).  Kate used a potty chair for a couple weeks, and then we used one of those padded rings that you put on the toilet for a couple months until we happened upon our beloved flip potty seat at Home Depot.  Although the padded ring is better than a potty chair, it's still gross.  Where do you put it when you're not using it?  And, don't even get me started on how germy they must get.  These flip toilet seats are great, especially for kids with mini-bottoms like Kate who still needs to use it at age five!  The potty seat is right there all the time, but it clings magnetically to the cover so it's not in the way when you don't want it.  I can not wait until Anna will use the toilet and I can stick the potty chair in the attic for a couple years!

$40

 

2. Nose frida

This is like a turbo-powered bulb syringe.  When you first hear about it, it seems like the most disgusting thing possible, but it's not like you're thinking.  You do use your mouth to create suction (I'll pause while you gag.), but there's a filter so that snot doesn't come within a foot of your nose.  (Kissing your sick kid is way grosser, I promise.)  The suction you get can't be replicated. This thing gives you the ability to clear out your sick sweetie's nose so he can actually breathe.

$16



3. Swaddle Sleepsacks/ Early Walker Sleepsacks

Most parents of young kids know about sleepsacks.  They're a safe way to keep your baby warm when he's sleeping.  But, when the twins were born, we discovered swaddle sleepsacks.  There's a band that velcroes around the tummy.  You can swaddle your baby, arms in or arms out, for more peaceful sleep.  When he grows too old for the swaddle, it disconnects and you have a regular sleepsack. 

We used a sleepsack with Anna until she was two and a half, but she couldn't walk in it, so we couldn't put it on until the minute before she went to bed, and we always had to take it off immediately. They now make sleepsacks where you can slide your toddlers' feet out so he can walk with it on. 

(Note:  There's an additional benefit of sleepsacks that Dave shares with his patients.  Sleepsacks can also be a great way to prevent a little one who is about to learn how to climb out of a crib from actually doing it.  It's way harder to climb out with a sleepsack on.)

$16



 4. Qwaruba Slippers

And now something for yourself! These are a splurge, for sure, but they are the best slippers ever. They're made with real sheepskin. I had no idea what that meant until I got these slippers for Christmas a few years ago. I just knew they felt like the most comfortable thing you could put against your feet. But, it also means that your feet stay warm, but because sheepskin breathes, your feet never get sweaty. Your feet actually stay the right termperature no matter what the temperature is outside. And, another thing...I find this fascinating, but because of the lanolin in wool, sheepskin is a natural moisturizer, as well.

$60



5. Ergo Baby Carrier

And now for my inspiration for this post!  I tried every type of carrier on the market with Kate...literally.  I had two styles of Bjorns, a sling, a wrap, a modified wrap, and a framed backpack.  Every one hurt my shoulders and/or back. (After more reading, I realize some weren't good for Kate either.)  And then I found the Ergo.  [Cue harp music.]  It is divine!  It never hurts my back.  It can be worn in the front or in the back, and the baby is in a natural position that doesn't put any unhealthy pressure on his hips.  The Ergo is a little more expensive than many other types of carriers, but it is the only carrier you will need, from the newborn stage (if you buy the infant insert) all the way until the child is 40 pounds.  Trust me, I spent a lot more on my arsenal of carriers before I found the Ergo, but that's where Craigslist came in handy.  (Funny side note: I resold my sling to someone... for her chihuahua!)



$90

I wore Anna, who was colicky and never content unless being worn, so much that Kate (two years old at the time) needed one for her "babies." 
Notice she is wearing her "younger baby" in front and her "older baby" on her back.

Wearing Kate at 3 1/2

Although Ergo doesn't recommend this,
there really aren't a lot of good twin carriers on the market.

6. Sound machines

White noise has changed my life!  We originally discovered white noise when we lived in a neighborhood with a barking dog and a lot of cars with their bass turned way too high.  Since then, we've had kids and discovered more and more benefits of white noise.  Babies are soothed by white noise, and since it blocks out other sounds, our family has been able to sleep, despite what's going on around us.  My kids have never been woken up by someone coming to the door or by construction on the neighbor's house.  My older kids can use regular voices, even when the babies are sleeping.  And, any time we stay in a hotel, we bring along a sound machine or two and the slamming doors and voices in the hall don't even bother us!

$25

Okay, I suppose my very favorite things are my kids smiles, kissing mooshy baby cheeks, hugs and cuddles, and sometimes a little quiet time with a chai tea and the computer, but the above things are my favorite things that money can buy.

Please take a moment to share a couple of your parent must-haves in the comments.

Anna's birthday

The rest of Anna's birthday was a lot of fun!  She even ate something besides Life Cereal!

We made a big Minnie Mouse pizza!  Anna liked the idea so much she chose it over her beloved Life!
 

I discovered a delicious recipe idea!  I have a lot of pizza crust recipes, but the one I made yesterday was, by far, the tastiest crust I've ever made, and it was easier to work with than many others.  I actually used the soft pretzel recipe (with 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 3 cups all-purpose flour).  It was soft, fluffy, and delicious!

Kate made a banner for Anna's birthday and, to keep Anna from writing on the banner Kate was making for her, Anna made one that said, "I love my daddy!"

Because I'll be making a cake for the birthday party, we just made cupcakes yesterday. 

But I had a fun idea!  We made five large cupcakes (in a jumbo muffin pan) and ten regular sized cupcakes.  We then used the large ones for faces and the regular ones for ears.  I printed off some Mickey and Minnie Mouse heads and cut out just the faces.  I used contact paper over them so we could put them on the cupcakes. 

Happy Birthday, my big three-year-old!



Anna likes it!

If you're too young to remember this commercial... well, I just don't want to hear about it.

Anna turned three today!  She decidedly wanted her party at Grandma's, so we'll be celebrating there on Sunday.  I still wanted to make her actual birthday special, though, so among other ideas I'd planned to have pancakes (with three candles in hers) for breakfast.  

When I announced my pancake plan to Anna, she furrowed her little brow and told me she wanted Life Cereal.  It's her birthday, so I gave in. 

A while after breakfast I asked her what she wanted for her birthday lunch.  I suggested pizza.  No.  Mac and Cheese?  No.  Chili?  Nope.  Life Cereal, of course. 

She happily devoured her second bowl of cereal for lunch.  She also ate asparagus when she saw Kate was having that with her lunch.  Life Cereal and asparagus, a classic combination. 

Considering she's been too sick to eat much of anything except two small shakes in over a week, I am happy she's finally eating.  But, I'm wondering if I should change our family's "you pick the family dinner on your birthday" tradition...  Well, I like Life Cereal.

Anna likes it!  Espcially when she can eat out of her new Mickey Mouse bowl.