New Year's Eve - About 8 p.m.

As Christine was feeling today, I feel like my blogging sucks lately. It seems like all I'm doing is whining or moaning about something. Do you ever just get sick of hearing yourself bitch all the time? Humor me, I'm in a funk. I know you're thinking...AGAIN?!

I don't know if it's because Christmas is over (every year once Christmas is over, I get this feeling like, "Now what?")...if it's because the kids have been sick...or if it's because RD and I have been getting on each other's nerves lately...I just can't shake this pissy-mood I'm in. I sat down twice to write in my blog today, and I just couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Good example: I finished writing that last paragraph about five minutes ago and I am still sitting here staring at the screen.

So (notice I start a lot of sentences with so?) I guess if I can't think of anything worth talking about, I'll take my grumpy butt upstairs and see if I can find anything on tv...besides Carson Daly.

Happy New Year! *weak, forced, yet genuine smile* (Can it be forced yet genuine at the same time? I'll pick yes!)

Google's GMAIL

I have five GMAIL-invites available. If you are interested, leave a comment with your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. :)

SPLAT!!

I'm in a Snot War and the snot is winning.

I've tried to make it over to a few of my blog pals' sites, but there is oodles and oodles of snot waiting to be wiped off the furniture, floor, toys, highchairs, entertainment center, and probably the ceiling as well.

SA is still producing mass amounts of ooey-gooey slime, and it seems SJ willing to play along and start producing some ooey-gooey slime of his own.

I looked down at my pants today and saw all these mysterious, dried-up smears. I looked closer...then it dawned on me...more snot.

Off to clean I go...

Pet Peeves of the Day

I believe I have more pet peeves than the average person. I've more than once thought of writing a post filled entirely of pet peeves. If I were to do that, I would give away how truly bitchy and uptight I can be, and why would I want to do that? *innocent smile...heeheehee*

I'll post them every now and then, and I'll try to space them apart so you don't get sick of me whining about all the things people do that really aggravate me.

1. Scraping of teeth on a fork - *Screeeeech* Do people not realize how horrible it sounds to hear someone scrape the food off their fork with their teeth? It's like nails on a chalk board!
2. Slurping of soup and/or coffee - I realize it's hot, but do you have to make that annoyingly-loud slurping noise? It is possible to sip without making that awful noise.
3. They've always got it worse - When you talk about something bad that happened, or possibly you were sick, and the person says, "Oh...that's okay...I had such-and-such happen to me...," implying that whatever ailment they had or whatever happened to them just had to of been much worse. I'm sure their intention is not to say that you don't matter, but it is very belittling and discounts whatever it is you just said.
4. Phone etiquette - This may be a little over-the-top, and maybe I'm expecting too much out of people, but I think that when you call someone you should ask them if it's an okay time to talk (i.e., 'are you busy'...'is this an okay time for you'...'do you have time to talk', etc.). This always bothered me when I was at work - I would answer the phone, the caller (friend, family, etc.) would launch into whatever they had to say; nevermind, that maybe I was swamped or that my boss was possibly hovering over my shoulder. Now that I have kids it still drives me crazy. I could be in the middle of a feeding, changing a diaper, chasing babies in every direction...just ask if it's a good time. It seems to make all the sense in the world to me, but...I dunno...maybe my expectations are a little over-the-top.
5. Tardiness - Everybody does it. I know there are always exceptions. I just wish people would at the very least call. I think it is disrespectful of everyone's time expecting them to hold things off (oh...I don't know...like say dinner...or...opening Christmas presents) until you're ready to arrive. Because people like...oh...I don't know...us might have woken babies up from a nap so that we could arrive on time...only to wait around for an hour for everyone else to arrive.

Whew! I feel much better now! *haaaaa...breathe out...breathe in*

What are some of your pet peeves?

Birthdays don't count once you have kids

RD and I joke about how people don't really care about you once you have kids. For instance, when you see someone you know, or someone calls, they say, "Hi! How are the kids (or more often, the triplets)?" - no one cares how we are anymore. It's not something we complain about, it's just a fact of life.

Funny example, my birthday is tomorrow (Dec. 27), so when we were exchanging Christmas presents with my dad and his wife, he gave me my birthday card - out fell two fifties. I look up to say thank you and he says, "We thought you could buy something for the kids with that," then I think noticing a slight look of surprise on my face, he says, "or......do whatever you want with it."

Hmmm...they had just given the kids their presents...this was a birthday card addressed to me...yes, I think the kids would like mommy to have a new pair of jeans. :)

Drop it like it's hot

I've got nothing meaningful to say, but I just wanted to drop in to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! As I'm sure all you are, I'm going to be very busy for the remainder of the week. I wish I had time to visit each one of your sites to leave you a personal message, but unfortunately, my chicken and dumplins and cleaning are a'callin'.

Speaking of cleaning...I'm settling for sort-of-clean as opposed to the CLEAN-clean I was striding for.

Merry Christmas to you and your's!

I might sneak back a bit sooner, but for now, see you Christmas night! RD is now scheduled to work that evening. :(

You know you have kids when...

you have to schedule sex.

Lastnight a little after 7 p.m....

Me: I'm going to Target after Desperate Housewives...which means we have to have sex before 8.
RD: But I'm watching Extreme Makeover (Home Edition).
Me: Well you'll have to miss the end.
RD: But the end is the best part.
Me: We better get to it then. Let me put the quilt in the washer then I'll meet you in the bedroom.

HOW ROMANTIC IS THAT?!

You have GOT to be kidding me!

Whoever was looking for boyfriends who change their girlfriend's poopy diapers...I thought I'd seen the weirdest of the weird when it came to crazy searches, but you my friend, have been bumped to the top of my list.

Countdown to Christmas

I had this grand plan to bake dozens and dozens of cookies and make little goodie bags for all my friends and family. Okay, maybe not all of them, but a select few. Now Christmas is less than a week away and I don't see me donning an apron anytime in the near future. I guess those little goodie bags I bought from Current will have to wait until next year.

While the babies scratched each other, pulled each other's hair, and screamed in anger at each other over the prized-toy of the minute, I sat down on the floor to scribble out this week's plans.

Sunday

• Go to Target to get M's (RD's stepmom - whom I am crazy about) birthday gift, little gifts (that I forgot to put on my previous list) for RD's stepsister's and stepbrother's kids, shoes for SA and SJ to wear with their Christmas outfits, L'Oreal Moisturizer, and maybe some lipstick (If I can find a color I like. I'm very picky about lipstick.).

Monday

• Go grocery shopping.
• Make batches of food to freeze for babies.
• 11:45 a.m. - Home nurse is coming over to give the babies their Synagis shot for the month.
• Clean the bathroom.
• Organize Christmas presents into groups of events. Right now our bedroom in the basement is filled with presents - in no particular order. I want to get them into groups of who we're going to see (i.e., Christmas Eve - RD's dad's house, Christmas morning - RD's mom's house, etc.). It will make it much easier when loading up the car for each outing.

Tuesday

• Clean, clean, clean! I mean really clean. There was a good quote in the January issue of Parents Magazine - it couldn't be more true, "Trying to clean the house while your children are growing is like trying to shovel the sidewalk while it's still snowing." -Phyllis Diller At this point in our lives, I don't know if our house will ever be truly clean, but I'm going to make an effort.
• Go to Sam's Club to spend a buttload of money.

Wednesday

• Take presents over to MIL's house, so we don't have to lug them all over Christmas morning.
• 5:30 p.m. - Our friends, P & C, coming over for dinner (we're making chicken and dumplings) and to exchange presents.

Thursday

• Clean and clean again. Yes, it happens that fast.
• 5:00 p.m. - My dad and his wife, SM, coming over for dinner (we're baking a ham and making green bean casserole and Au Gratin potatoes) and to exchange presents.

Friday (Christmas Eve)

• 4:30 p.m. - Go to RD's dad's house for dinner and to exchange gifts with his dad's side of the family.

Saturday

• Make fruit salad to take to RD's mom's.
• Make relish tray to take to my cousin's.
• 11:00 a.m. - Go to RD's mom's house for brunch and to exchange gifts with "her side" (his parents are divorced). My mom will join us as well.
• 3:00 p.m. - Go to my cousin, LM's, house to exchange presents and eat dinner with my dad's side (my parents are divorced...which I've probably already mentioned before).
• Later that evening after we put the kids to bed, RD and I will exchange our gifts to each other. We figured it would be easier than trying to do it that morning while the kid are crawling all over us.

I thought I had an overwhelming week ahead of me, but it doesn't look so bad. I've got all my crossables crossed and I'm praying and wishing with all my might that we all stay healthy so we can enjoy our first Christmas as a family.

So, Pink Poppy, you've inspired me to make a list. Here's to hoping I stick to it!

Let's Get Ready to Rummmmbbbbllllle!

It has begun. The babies are turning into these little people with minds. These little people are slowly, no quickly, taking over our house.

Not only do they crawl away from us as fast as they can, they take little breaks to look back and give us a sly little smile and evil little laugh...then they're off! As soon as they see we're on their tail they switch into overdrive and scoot their little bodies even faster.

JUMP! JUMP! JUMP! JUMPIN' IN THE CRIB! As the diligent disciplinarians we are, we sternly say, "NO JUMPING!!" Stopping...nervous "uh-oh-face," then...JUMP HARDER! JUMP HARDER! JUMP HARDER! FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!! ROARING WITH LAUGHTER!

So this is how it begins. Who will win? Place your bets, folks. The little people are resting - regaining their strength for their next battle...the battle for the upperhand. I must refuel on some Diet Coke and practice saying "NO!" in the most serious, bad-ass way I can. I MEAN IT! *insert evil parental laugh here*

Big Lots = Big No

Today was a day to look forward to - I had an afternoon to get away! I started off with a stop at Club Diva, where I get my hair done. I got a trim and had her wax my brows. You can color me grateful that I am blonde, because if my eyebrows weren't white (yes, they're that blonde), I would be one bushy-browed-lady. I had fun dishing about all the people we used to work with, our Christmas plans, and some of our favorite shows (e.g., Desperate Housewives, Days of Our Lives, etc.). After that, I was off to wrap up the rest of my Christmas shopping.

My first stop was Borders - I picked up a gift certificate for my cousin L's son. Then I went nextdoor to Old Navy. If you haven't gone there lately - GO! GO! GO! I could not believe all the deals they have right now! I got black tights and a cute, black, button-up sweater that sort of flares out at the bottom for AR to wear with her Christmas dress. What's the deal with all these Christmas dresses having short sleeves?! Hello?! It's December! I bought a replacement gift for my cousin J's son because they sent the wrong size when I ordered on-line. I bought a cute fleece pullover top for myself - it was only $11!!! I bought a little lipstick case. And, finally, I bought RD a blue, fleece pullover and one of those bands that you wear around your head to keep your ears warm. I'm sure there's a name for it, but I've got no idea; and no, it's not earmuffs.

Then I went to Babies R Us to get some Stage-3 Dr. Brown's Nipples, which they were out of, and look for some shoes. I bought some Sketchers for the boys that were on clearance, as well as some more bowls and spoons for feeding time.

Then the big mistake...Big Lots. I had not been to a Big Lots in over ten years. The last time I went to one was when I had moved out on my own. I was in desperate need of plates, glassware, small appliances, you-name-it to get started. That was the first and last time I shopped at Big Lots. It was filthy. The store was filthy, the merchandise was filthy, and even the people were filthy. I hope not to offend any of you that choose to patronize this place, but I can only speak for the locations close to me, and trust me, you almost feel like you need a shower after leaving.

It had been many years, and I must say, they have great commercials. So great, that they convinced me to give it another try. Name brand items at close-out prices - sounds great to me! I hadn't stepped three feet in the place before I realized...nothing had changed. I let out a big sigh and thought that I might as well look around since I was in there. It was packed. There were moms with screaming kids everywhere and many girls that looked to be about 18 (and wearing a serious amount of make-up) doing their Christmas shopping. I was walking pretty fast up and down each aisle with my freshly-styled hair and my large Coach bag, giving my best I'm-not-as-snooty-as-I-look smile.

I turned the corner and nearly walked right into a mother that was so angry, her face was as red as Santa's big coat. The words I'm about to repeat don't sound so bad on paper, but imagine if you will these words being spout out by Linda Blair as she is projecting bright, green pea soup across the room, "I TOLD YOU...THEY DO NOT HAVE TOYS HERE. YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANYTHING. DO YOU HEAR ME? CALEB AND CONNOR, I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU PUSH ME ANY FURTHER...CONNOR! CONNOR! DAMN IT!!!! WE'RE LEAVING." OOOOKAAAAY. I smiled to myself as I passed her, knowing that my Linda-Blair-moment will come. It might not be for a few years, but it will come. Before I had children, I might shudder at the woman's voice, but at that moment, I felt sympathy for her.

I continued on up and down the aisles...nothing...nothing...finding nothing...okay...time to go. I head to the front of the store, ready to make my exit. There are four registers, all of which have long lines of people ready to check out. My eyes quickly scanned the front of the store and I realized that the only way to exit is to walk through the check-out lines. *SIGH* I had to pee, it was hot in there, my mouth was excruciatingly dry, and I felt panic setting in seeing I wasn't going to be able to get out of there - at least not as quickly as I wanted to. I looked at the last line and saw what looked to be an opening. Just as I headed in that direction I hear this voice that sounded like it was coming right out of Hell, booming out, "CONNOR! DAMN IT! I TOLD YOU!!!! THEY DO NOT HAVE TOYS HERE! YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANY TOYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS? DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND. ME? DOOOOO YOOOOOOUUUUUU?!" By now my state of agitation is pretty high. I had this extreme urge to go over to little Connor and say, "Listen, kid, they DO have toys here. In fact, that whole back corner is nothing but toys. Now...you help me get the hell out of here, and I'll buy you a damn toy." Wouldn't it be fun if we could say whatever we wanted to say, whenever we wanted to say it? Just for fun. THEN be able to hit rewind. At least we could get it out of our system.

The interaction that was playing in my head quickly passed as I saw my chance to exit was about to pass if I didn't act fast. I made my exit and took a big breath as I walked outside.

So no matter how witty you are in those commercials, Jerry Van Dyke...four rolls for Scotch-Tape for 99 cents, just ain't worth it.

Stand Back

Just stopping in to say I won't be posting anything until...probably tomorrow evening. I'm way menstrual right now...and trust me...you don't want to hear anything I have to say in the state I'm in right now.

Tis the season for PMS!

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

I am just beside myself with excitement for Christmas!!!!!!!!! This is going to be the start of many wonderful Christmas' to come. I always enjoyed Christmas before, but now with our three beautiful babies, it's going to keep getting better!

Remember my crazy, hoosier neighbors? They have some Christmas decorations hanging, which is always nice (ah-hem), but they also have a Jack-O-Lantern hanging on a pole next to their driveway. When are we moving again?

I need to get on track again with my workouts. I've been eating fairly well, considering it's the holidays, but I haven't worked out in two weeks. The scale hasn't moved in quite awhile.... At least it isn't moving up.

Looking at Stat Counter, someone was looking for my site. Now...having a journal posted on the WORLD WIDE WEB, I can't get my panties in a bunch when someone I know reads it. There are a few posts I wrote that in hindsight I should've gotten my emotions in check before writing, but overall, there are very few things that I've written that would embarrass me if someone I knew read it (aside from maybe my mother). It's just sort of a creepy, weird feeling seeing that someone was searching for this site. So, whoever you are, I hope you're enjoying. :)

There's a new Crate and Barrel that opened up close to my house. I'm going to check it out tonight with my friend, C. Something tells me our bank account is going to take another serious hit! I'm hoping they have some bathroom fixtures there (I know Pottery Barn has them, but I'm not sure that Crate and Barrel does) - RD is wanting me to pick up a new faucet and light fixture for our bathroom.

I can't believe how fast this year has gone. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was bedridden, flipping through the channels, eating ice cream sandwiches and waiting for RD to bring in the mail in hopes of seeing some fun Christmas cards. :)

We started a new feeding schedules for the babies yesterday. So far it seems to be going quite smoothly. Previously they were eating two solid meals a day and had four bottle feedings; now we are feeding them three solid meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) and have only three bottle feedings. It sure will be nice saving money on formula. Hopefully things will be a bit easier once we get the routine down, but for now it doesn't seem to be saving any time by cutting out the one bottle feeding. Which makes sense considering we added a solid feeding. I don't know where I got the crazy idea that this would be more time-efficient.

The kids (I've found I've started calling them "the kids" now a lot more than "the babies"! eek! My babies are growing up!!) have about 30 minutes left to nap, I'm going to try and get some presents wrapped.

Until next time...

WHAT? WHERE? HUH? WHAT HAPPENED?

In an attempt to get some housework done, I put SA in the exercauser, SJ in the swing, and AR in the highchair. I scooted them all up next to each other so they could make goofy faces and laugh at each other.

AR had dropped her tupperware (the lids make great toys!), I bent over to pick it up, and *SHA-ZAM!*...SA reached over and pulled my pants down.

Oh...you just wait, buddy! When you're old enough for "paybacks," you're soooo getting it! ;)

Compliments for Dummies

We had a good time at the party. We didn't get to bed until much later than I'm used to (oooohhhh...11:45 p.m.! We're party animals! haha!), so I am exhausted today. I tried to sneak a nap in this morning, but the babies weren't cooperating and the phone wouldn't stop ringing, so mission unaccomplished. I don't know how I made it those first three months with the babies not sleeping through the night, because I am one who needs my sleep - I'm a big baby without it.

RD and I were joking about my poncho before the party. I expected heat for it, but I didn't care, I was having fun with it. When we got home I told John that one of his friends complimented me on how I looked and how I thought that was nice of him to say - women are always throwing compliments around at each other, so a compliment always seems to weigh more when coming from a man. I spend the majority of my time at home wearing yoga pants and a cotton tee, hair pulled back in a ponytail, so it was nice to feel pretty for a change. Then RD, not knowing it kills the point of what he was trying to do in the first place, tells me this, "Yea, I told him that you thought people would make fun of you for wearing that, so I told him to tell you that you looked nice." Then he gives me this big smile as if to say, "See how sweet I am?"

Okay, that was nice for him to do - but first, I really don't care if people make fun of me for what I'm wearing. My goodness, I'm 30 years old and I could care less. I kind of expected it and I was ready to laugh along with them. Am I supposed to care if someone doesn't like what I'm wearing? And second, God love 'em, if he wants to be so kind as to tell someone before I arrive to make sure they tell me I look nice, that is very sweet of him, but you're not supposed to turn around and tell me about it!

Men! They try...but they just don't get it! :)

And the winner is...

Head on over to the Best of Blog Awards 2004 to nominate your favorites!

Thriller

As babies are crawling all over RD while he's sitting on the floor, he says, "I feel like I'm in that Michael Jackson video with all the zombies."

So Help Me God...

I find myself saying this a lot lately, in my head that is. And it's usually directed towards my husband, and it's usually something pertaining to the kids.

This morning started out like this...

I was in bed trying to sneak a few more minutes sleep. AR and SJ were standing in their beds, jumping up and down while holding onto the rails. This has ended badly many times. *BOOM* Now...keep in mind that I got up at 2 a.m. to tuck SJ back in as he had crammed himself into the corner of his crib. Then between 6:30 and 7:20 a.m. I had gotten up several times to either throw more toys in someone's crib, comfort after one had fallen, etc. - anything to get more sleep. Whatever made me think that I could get some quality sleep in the next 10 minutes is beyond me (it was 7:20 a.m. and we start our day at 7:30 a.m.) It wasn't a head-crashing-against-the-rails-boom, it was more like a fallen-flat-on-the-mattress-and-got-the-shit-scared-out-of-me-boom, but there was a little more urgency to it then that. I was tired. I was fed up. RD had been pressing snooze on the alarm clock for the past 20+ minutes. Why can't HE go make sure SJ is okay?!

Me: Can you go make sure he's okay?
RD: nothing
Me: Since you have to get up anyway?
RD: made a sound that sort of sounded like a yes.
Me: thinking, "So help me God, if I have to go in there...!!!!!"

Nothing...nothing..."Whaaaiiilllll"

I then got up in a huff and went in there - absolutely fuming.

RD: I was going to go in there!!

When? When was he going to go in there? I already feel like an awful mom now anyway. I shouldn't have waited for RD...I should've just gone in there. SJ was fine. He got his arm caught in the rails when he fell. He was more startled than anything, but he was fine.

In many ways I feel like having children has given me more patience, made me more tolerable of many things, yet where my patience has suffered is with my husband.

I have many times thought to myself, "So help me God if he doesn't...change that diaper...take that box downstairs...make that formula...So help me God if have to do that I am going to burst!!!!!!"

With the upcoming New Year I've decided what my New Year's resolution is going to be...to be more patient with my husband. He is a wonderful husband and father and he deserves the patience I would give to anyone else.

Speaking of patience, AR has used all her's up and is ready to get up from her nap. So off I go!

But first let me ask you...what is your New Year's resolution?

Hey, Mr. Postman...forget something?

Today is what...December 8? We've only received three Christmas cards so far. pout...pout.

It seems we usually have more than that by now. I have no business whining about it considering I haven't mailed mine out yet...though they are stamped and ready. :)

I love getting mail, always have, which makes December even that much more fun for me. Christmas AND birthday cards (my b-day is Dec. 27).

Maybe tomorrow. *sniff*

I got it now

The holiday spirit that is.

My weekend at the lake did it. I love, love, love giving gifts! I love the anticipation of seeing their reaction, seeing how happy they get when they see what I carefully chose for them. And...I'm not going to lie, I love receiving gifts as well. New things are always fun - and it's always fun to see what my friends and family see as "my style."

I have our Christmas cards all ready to mail. They didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. We dressed the kids up in these cute velvet sailor outfits RD's stepmom had bought for them. As you can imagine, trying to get three babies to cooperate for a picture isn't an easy task. It became obvious pretty quick that RD and I had different visions in mind for our photo. The babies were crawling all over each other, at least one would be crying at any given moment - I liked the chaos. I thought it would make for a cute picture - three babies in a heap - it made a funny photo that would give people a glimpse into what life's like around here. RD didn't see it the same way. He wanted the "perfect picture"; three babies smiling and sitting upright. Neither of us got what we wanted. The only one that turned out okay enough to use for a card was just sort of blah. Sure, they look cute, how can they not? ;) It's just not a picture I'm excited about. Plus, I took the picture then went straight to Wal-Mart. What I didn't notice was the major red-eye the kids were sporting. When I showed RD the finished product he said, "Nice devil children." Humph...oh well. I'm going to keep my eyes out for some cute photo cards from our friends; I want to ask them where they had them done. I was not at all happy with the quality from Wal-Mart. My cousin referred me to them saying they did a great job, but it looks and feels so cheap to me. It's not that I think Christmas cards are that important, but this picture on the card might be the only one some friends and family will have of the kids for awhile, so I wanted it to be nice. There's always next year, right?

We have a Christmas party to go to this Saturday, plus the regular family get togethers on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I would like to find something fun and festive to wear. Sweaters with appliqued snowmen and Santa Clauses are not my thing, but I was thinking something more along the lines of maybe a red or green poncho. I'm not wanting to spend a lot of money so maybe Marshall's or TJ Maxx would be a good place to look.

Well...now I'm just rambling because I don't feel like doing anything truly productive - like cleaning or laundry...

I hope you're all ready for Christmas, or whatever it is you celebrate this season.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome Home to Me!

I'm back after a long and wonderful weekend. I had an amazing time with my family - and once again I am amazed at how wonderful the women in my family are.

As excited as I was, my weekend didn't get off to a very good start. I knew I would miss the babies (3-4 hours is the max I'd ever been away from them), but I didn't realize how hard it would be just to walk out the door. I was a little on edge all Friday morning - I was excited, but at the same time I dreaded saying goodbye to the kids. I helped RD feed them at 11 a.m., then put on my coat, ready to go. I hugged RD and each of the babies, then headed for the door. AR comes crawling as fast as she can, following me to the door. Here come the tears. Not her's, mine. After RD pushed me out the door, I hit the road. As soon as I merged onto the highway Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved comes on. I've danced to this song with AR many times, so this tune just pumped up the flow of my tears even more. Next song was Remember When by Alan Jackson. It's now obvious, the radio is showing no mercy.

I knock on the door of my Aunt J's, my eyes all puffy and wet. She immediately grabs me and gives me a big bear hug and says, "I've been there, honey. I know it's so hard the first time you're away from your kids. The first one's always the hardest - and you've got three! Three first ones! It's got to be three times as hard. We're going to have so much fun, sweetie. Let's get your bags and forget those tears." And that's just what I did. I needed this weekend away. I needed it and the babies probably needed it, too. I'm always there with them; I think it will do them good to be without their mommy for a day or two.

There were three cars heading down - seven of us total (me, three cousins, two aunts, and my Grandma). When we first arrived we sat down and wrote out our Christmas lists, went through some pictures, and made our plans for the weekend.

Friday night we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I had a margarita, and that one (wonderful) margarita had me giggling and giddy. We shared many stories, some old and some new. We then got some groceries and settled back in at the condo to rest up for our busy day ahead. The condo by the way is my Aunt J's. They've had a condo at the lake for about 8 years or so. It has three bedrooms, sleeps 12, two "family rooms" , 3.5 bathrooms, a full kitchen, large screened-in deck - a wonderful set-up.

Saturday morning was our day to shop. We spent the better part of the day at the outlet mall. To our surprise, it wasn't crowded at all. This was really surprising considering the wonderful, mild weather and it being December, so close to Christmas. We had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. The plan was to go see a movie (Christmas with the Krank's), but Grandma was too tired, so we rented a movie (Jersey Girl). It was AWFUL. We didn't even make it to the end. We started trickling off to bed one-by-one, each saying as we go, "I'm tired. I don't care how this ends." I keep getting more and more convinced with each movie that Ben Affleck is an awful actor.

Sunday morning we went out for a late breakfast. It was an all-you-can-eat breakfast, so I stuffed myself with French toast, biscuits and gravy, bacon, and orange juice slushes. I got my carb-fix for the day! We wrapped up the day with more shopping then headed home.

I walked in the door around 7:30 p.m. - just in time to put the babies to bed. The whole ride home I had visions of the babies squealing with glee at the sight of me...didn't happen. In fact, AR acted like she wasn't quite sure she knew me. She kept looking at RD for reassurance. Great. Just great. Also, looking around, the house was spotless. RD had scrubbed the floors (by hand!) and had washed and put all the dishes away. Now that I've swallowed my pride, I'm ready to ask him what his secret is. ;) I already knew that I was married to a wonderful man, a wonderful father, but I'm once again impressed.

So that was my weekend. I had a wonderful time, ate my weight in food, and spent way too much money.

I'm already looking forward to next year!

Be Back on Monday!

I have lots to write about, but unfortunately no time to do it. I'm going to be heading off to the lake tomorrow for some serious shopping and some serious chow.

Have a great weekend!

Blogmania

Blog will be a new entry in the 2005 version of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas!

Okay...I don't mean that, but I'm trying. I'm really making an effort to get in Christmas-mode, but it ain't happening. I guess it doesn't help that Thanksgiving didn't feel like Thanksgiving. I'm accustomed to fighting off the extreme urge to puke from stuffing myself silly, but instead RD and I went home with stomachs grumbling with hunger.

We decided not to put up a Christmas tree this year. Our house is so small and it is already quite a task trying to keep the babies out of harm's way - I can only imagine the hunger for destruction in their eyes if we added that tall temptation adorn with bright lights. There's always next year - when we should hopefully have enough room in our new house to have a tree far out of their reach. For now I've put out knick knacks here and there. I just can't get into the spirit...not enough to pull out everything. I have so much Christmas stuff...you name it and I have a Christmas replacement for it...salt and pepper shakers, plates, glasses, spoon rest, the cats food bowl mat, throw pillows...and even a Christmas toilet brush (ick! Don't worry I don't use it...it's just for show), etc. If I drag all that stuff up here, it just means I have to drag all that stuff back downstairs in a month. It's not seeming worth the effort right now.

What does have that feeling of Christmas is our bank account. Yikes! Every year our Christmas budget gets quite the hike. This year is no exception. As I've mentioned, RD does like to keep a tight reign on our monetary matters, but even so he is quite generous when it comes to gifts. That hasn't kept him however from wondering where all our money is going.

Me: RD, have you looked at our bank account yet.
RD: slowly No...why?
Me: I did a lot of shopping (on-line) today. You might freak out.
RD: How much?
Me: Knowing if he was the one who did the shopping, he would be able to give me the amount - to the penny - that he spent at each store. At this moment I'm wishing I would've kept track a little better. Um...around $400...maybe $500.
RD: You're done?
Me: No. Almost...a little over halfway.
RD: $1,000? We're going to spend $1,000? My God...who are these people?
Me: Well...we're exchanging gifts with your sisters (and their husbands) this year. Something we didn't do last year. Um...there's more kids on my side now...and...
RD: It's okay. It's just...sigh...that's fine.

Poor RD. As much as I know he hates to spend money, he does appreciate the holidays, and does truly enjoy giving gifts....but I think this is one time of year he'd rather not have his nose in our bank account everyday. He's going to be all nervous until December 25 about the money we're spending, but I know when he sees the smiles on our family and friends' faces, all worries will be forgotten.

I'm going to the Lake of the Ozarks this weekend with the girls in my family. It's an annual trip we take every year where we eat ourselves silly and put a good dent in our Christmas shopping. I'm sure the outlet mall with be oozing with Christmas, so that should smack some holiday cheer into me. ;) And, yes, RD will have the kids ALL TO HIMSELF for over 48 hours!! That's reason enough to cheer!

And guaranteed they will keep him plenty busy. So busy in fact, that he won't have even a minute to worry his handsome little head about how much money I'm spending. ;D

Kudos to all SAHP's

Do me a favor. Do you have a friend or family member that is a stay-at-home-mom or dad? Give them a call. Tell them how great they are. Tell them how much they are appreciated.

Let them know that you know that what they do every day matters. Because unfortunately, there are too many people like this in the world who just don't get it.

Thank you

I just wanted to thank everyone who has sent well-wishes for RD's grandfather. He is making wonderful progress and I attribute a lot of his success to the many prayers that have been made for him.

Thank you everyone for being so kind.

Grandpa

Grandpa did have a heart attack and continued to have chest pains throughout the night. He had five bypasses yesterday and so far is recovering very well.

Turkey Day

We had quite a day. We set the alarm to ensure that we would get a good start to the day. Things started off quite smoothly...

We got the kids fed. RD played with the kids while I showered and prepared my broccoli rice casserole. We got bottles and food ready for the babes to take with us...then it was bottle-time once again. We fed the kids, then as soon as we were done RD took a shower and got dressed. He comes out, looking quite handsome I must say, with the look of a man on a mission.

Me: Can you keep an eye on the kids while I get dressed and fix my hair?
RD: Can't. I gotta load the car.
Hmmm...let's see. I'm standing there in sweat pants and a t-shirt, the kids are still in their jammies...but RD has a job to do, and he takes this job very seriously. Nevermind that as he's walking around in his Dockers, Tommy Hilfiger sweater, and shiny loafers, his wife and children look like they just rolled out of bed...but the van will be loaded, and that's what's important.

Okay...looking at the determination on his face to do his very important task, I realize I must improvise. SJ is happily jumping wildly in his exersaucer, so he's fine. I can't put the kids in their own cribs or they freak out thinking I'm putting them down for a nap, so I put SA in AR's bed and I put AR in SJ's bed - they love it. It's an adventure for them. Yes! This is working, so I go in the bathroom to blowdry my hair.

Ahhh, yes, the blowdryer. SJ is terrified of the blowdryer. I can see him from where I'm standing...blowing...and he is screaming and crying, looking at me with deep concern; so I'm dancing around and making happy faces while I dry my hair, hoping to convince him that I am not caught up in some torture device...that this is actually fun and I am 100% okay with this loud tool, so he should be too. At this point RD walks by carrying who-knows-what, and he gives me this look as if to say, "Aren't you going to do something with him?!" I do my best not to give him my devil-wife glare and continue on with my hair.

Now I'm ready, the car's loaded up, now we have the kids still in their jammies - it's now their turn. RD is mumbling under his breath the whole time, he's in "rush-mode" and it's obvious I need to stay out of his way. As I was trying to put AR's beautiful, white tights on, she's trying desperately to roll over onto her stomach to "talk" to the cat that's meowing at her from down below. As this is happening, I'm realizing that the make-up I so carefully applied is now rolling down my face as I sweat profusely.

Now everyone is dressed. Everyone looks wonderful. Time to hit the road!

Everything went great. The babies were so good. They cried for just a little bit - it always takes them a bit to warm up to people, but it didn't take long. AR took a little nap in my Grandma's arms, SA took a nap in the Pack 'n Play, and SJ...well...he refused to nap, but considering how tired he was, he behaved quite well.

Everyone fussed over the babies, and RD and I couldn't be more proud. On our drive home we both realized, through the excitement of it all, we really didn't eat much. We were starving. Of course, nothing was open; and since we so desperately needed to go grocery shopping, it was slim pickings in our cupboard.

We got the kids fed and off to bed, and I rounded up enough stuff to make some white sauce and I cooked up some noodles. We settled in on the couch, ready to enjoy the rest of our quiet evening, and the phone rang.

It was RD's sister. She was calling from their Grandpa's house. He was having chest pains, he had pains going down his arm, and his stomach was upset. RD rushed out to meet them at the hospital.

He called me a little after 10 p.m. and they were still waiting on test results. He got in a little after 3 a.m....he's still in bed. I'm anxious for him to get up so I can find out how his Grandfather is doing. His sister called this morning, but was quite frazzled (understandably), so I am still unclear on his status.

So for now, I'm waiting for RD to get up. He works late tonight, so I want to let him sleep as long as he can.

To keep my mind off things, I think I'm going to start working on our Christmas decorations. In the meantime, please keep Grandpa in your prayers. :)

Happy Thanksgiving...

...everyone!

We had quite a day, and I must say that I am so proud of our little munchkins! They did so great today and we had a lot of fun showing them off.

I'm getting ready to watch the Seinfeld special, but I'll be back on-line tomorrow evening to recap the day.

BTW...didn't Mia do an excellent job?! I LOVE it! If you're looking for a blog-lift, head on over to Ciao! My bella!

aaaaahhhhh-choooo!

I don't know if I mentioned it, but we took the kiddos to my cousin's son's birthday party Saturday evening. Probably not a good idea. So far the kids seem fine, but I've come down with what seems to be the flu.

Mia has finished the design for my blog and it turned out great! Since I'm not feeling well, I'm not sure if I'll be writing much the next day or two, but I'll try to get down here so I can get it installed as soon as she has it ready to go.

In the meantime...

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Oprah's Favorite Things

I am so disappointed. I always look forward to Oprah's Favorite Things, a show she has every year in which she gives away to the audience all her favorite gifts for the season.

She always has a good number of high-priced items on there each year, like camcorders, digital cameras, cell phones, etc., but this year almost every item was out-of-reach for us regular-Joe's.

I am excited (and envious!) for the teachers that were there to receive the items, and I am glad that she saw to it that the audience members receiving the gifts this year were so worthy, but I'm bummed that there weren't more reasonably-priced items. In the past I purchased one or more items off her list for gifts, and some for myself. I think there were 4-5 items on her list that were lower in price (i.e., bundt cake, tea, cd, etc.).

Oh well. Waahhhh. I'll stop whining.

CAUTION: OBJECTS ARE LARGER THAN THEY APPEAR

I got some good advice from the book The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood. One of which was that I would feel and think I looked skinny long before I truly am.

Prior to starting this weight-loss challenge I had lost 54 pounds of the 71 gained during my pregnancy. Since starting the WLC I have lost 9 pounds, so I am still 8 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, which was already 20 pounds over my ideal weight; yet I'm still walking around feeling like hot stuff. The way I'm strutting around, it's safe to say I have a new appreciation for how I used to look.

I've always been a very...very modest person. Of course RD has seen me in all my glory, but I'm not one to walk around the house naked...um, no. Pre-pregnancy RD was giving me grief one day about being so modest. He said to me, "You know...someday you're going to realize how good you look now and wish that you'd walked around naked when you had the chance. It will take you getting pregnant and gaining weight, getting older and having things sag to realize how good you look right now. Right now will be your 'remember when'. Take advantage of it!"

I rolled my eyes at him and went on about my business, but deep down I knew there was some truth to it. What scared me at that time though was thinking, "I don't like my body now...but this could be as good as it gets!" I shuddered at the thought.

And he was right. It took getting pregnant and gaining weight to appreciate the body I had then, but not only that body, but my new one as well. I have a whole new appreciation for how I look. Getting stretched and pulled and growing to the size of a small Buick has made me finally realize how beautiful my body is. No I'm not a perfect size six, and yes I do have a whole new appreciation of control-top underwear, and I still cringe a bit when looking at my profile in the mirror - but I'm finally comfortable in my skin.

I was wondering how being 8 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight I can now comfortably wear size medium tops when before I wore large. It's not that I'm miraculously smaller at this higher weight, but I spent too many years wearing these ridiculously baggy clothes in an effort to hide all my imperfections. Ironically, those baggy clothes just made me look bigger anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I still care what I look like; I'm not denying that, but I'm going to stop being so hard on myself.

I don't look so bad afterall. :)

No Time for Lazy

After I put the kids down for their morning nap, I looked around at a house that desperately needed to be cleaned. I don't work out on Sundays, so I had a good hour to get a good chunk of the cleaning done before the kids got up. Well...I didn't get any cleaning done. I headed down to check my e-mail and before I knew it over an hour had passed. There's always the next nap!

Their next naptime approached and I was so excited at the decision I then made. I decided I wasn't showering, not even changing clothes, and damn it, I wasn't going to clean. I decided today was my day to be lazy. I put the kids down for a nap and then went to lie down for a nap myself.

I tried desperately to relax, to let myself unwind and enjoy the peace and quiet. All I could think about was the trash piled up in the kitchen waiting to go outside, the dishes that needed to be put away, the laundry waiting for me in the basement, the floors that needed to be cleaned, and more.

So much for peace and quiet - I just couldn't stand it anymore. I got up and cleaned at a fast and furious pace, trying to get it all done before the kids got up. I didn't get everything done, but at least I made some progress.

Maybe I can schedule in some lazy-time later this week. :)

"When's the last time you...

...checked the mousetrap?"

That's the question I asked RD about an hour ago on the phone.

RD: laugh "This morning. I heard it go off right before I left. I meant to tell you when I talked to you earlier. I didn't have time to get it out. He wasn't dead yet when I checked."

Me: "Well he's dead now."

Ugh. Damn mice.

Lesson of the Day

Please remember when you set that very poopy diaper down on the floor next to you...there is another baby waiting right behind you to pick it up...

and put it in their mouth.

I Gotta Laugh

Just to give you a picture of what it's like around here...

It took me at least three minutes to get my butt off the floor, from start to finish. Everybody wants to be on my lap. They can easily be distracted with a toy, but once they see their brother or sister is on my lap, well that's just not acceptable. I was reading them a book before naptime, I put SA on my lap (the poor guy has been neglected the past couple days b/c AR and SJ have been requiring my constant attention), then as I start reading AR crawls up onto my left knee and SJ crawls up right on top of SA. Poor, poor SA - he looks up at me, upside down, as if to say, "DO SOMETHING, MOM!" I skipped to the last page in an effort to avoid a complete meltdown...mine. It's time for me to get up...and I can't move. All three of them were piled on top of me and I was finding it nearly impossible to get them each off of me without setting them up for a fall...that or they're back on my lap before I get another one off.

It was quite comical really. Between that and trying to change a diaper on a baby who's determined to be on his stomach, I feel like Super Mom - FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET!

News Flash!

Tyra Banks has irritable bowel syndrome?

Apparantly so. Would you believe that FOUR people reached my site through this search?

It looks like Enquiring minds want to know.

Wait...there's FOUR?!

I try really hard not to "mother" my husband. I watched my mom break my dad down over the years by constantly telling him what to do and how to do it.

I've watched women "mother" their husbands and have thought to myself, "I'll never do that!" You know what? It's pretty hard sometimes not to do that. Call it mothering call it nagging, whatever you want to call it, it's a role that's very easy to fall into.

I found myself falling into this role. I would tell RD to do this, remind him of that, try and "help" him with this. Sure...as a wife and a friend I should help him when I can, remind him of things, but it's a fine line sometimes. What I would call helping, RD would define as nagging. If I step outside of the situation I can sometimes see his point.

I think I had gotten a lot better. I learned to bite my tongue about a lot of things. I came to accept that he wasn't always going to carry his cereal bowl into the kitchen...he would often forget to rinse all those yucky hairs off the soap after his shower (yuck!)...leave his shoes piled up by the front door...put his socks in the hamper...put the chips in the pantry when he's done, not just on the kitchen counter, etc. Some things just ain't gonna change.

Now the hard part. Parenting.

So he doesn't do things just as I would do them. So he calls the bottle ba-ba instead of bottle (how will they learn?!). So he lets them crawl around on the floor right after they drink their bottles instead of having them sit for a few minutes (what's a few puke spots here and there?). I can deal with all that. No problem.

BUT...he has a way of leaving little trails wherever he goes. When he eats popcorn it gets everywhere. As he's eating Bugles on his way from the kitchen to the living room he leaves a trail. He ate a Klondike Bar lastnight, crumpled up the wrapper, tried to toss it on the table, and it landed on the floor - it stayed there until I picked it up. Some things ya just can't let go. I went over to see what SA was messing with...he was eating...what was it....a DAMN Salsa Bugle! GRRRRRR!!!!!

So I had to put on my nagging-Mother hat and kindly remind him to please be more careful with dropping things on the floor.

Maybe I just need to realize that I have four kids in this house, not three. ;)

I'm ready for my massage now

You are looking at one stressed out woman.

We went to a multiples class when I was pregnant, I had mentors through a local mom-of-triplets club, etc. We were given oodles of much-needed advice from these oh-so-wise parents, and we continue to benefit from much of their information to this day.

The first two months with the babies are a blur. We were going on 2-3 hours of sleep, barely having enough time to go to the bathroom much less eat a good meal...those were crazy times. We asked some of the other parents of multiples, "Does it get easier?" They would give us a knowing smile and say, "Not easier, just different."

We were very lucky in that our babies started sleeping through the night at a very early age. AR was sleeping 8-hour nights by 9 weeks, SA & SJ by 12 weeks, and they were all sleeping 12-hour nights by 4 months. Once we hit that 4-month mark it was heaven. I'm sure people got sick of hearing us talk about how easy our three babies were, but in looking back to what we'd come from, it WAS!

Don't get me wrong, NOTHING can compare to what we went through those first two months. I don't think anyone truly knows sleep deprivation until they have a baby...or three. But...I'm surely not singing about how easy things are now. I now know what that little grin was about when we asked that question...will it get easier? I wouldn't say it's easier, but it is most-definitely...different.

As I've said repeatedly, I hate to complain. I love my babies with all my heart. I'm a woman who rarely...okay, I wouldn't say rarely, but let's just say I didn't show emotion as much before. Now I can just look at my babies and cry because I'm so damn happy. But, I'm tired as hell!

They're all in every direction...all at once. They now know how to get out of their bouncy seats, so we can't even "tie them down" anymore. This is what's coming out of my mouth all day:

Stop that!
Get that out of your mouth!
Get back here!
NO!
Stop (chewing on her foot)!
Let go (of his hair)!
NO!
Stop it!
Let go!
You're gonna.....OUCH! Too late.
Don't do that!
NO!
Let go (of that poopy diaper)!
Let go (of your penis)!
Stop (poking him in the eye)!
Let go (of her face)!
Gimme that!
Stop jumping!
RD...help!
I MEAN it...I'll be RIGHT back!
NO!
Please Lord, help me.

I could go on and on...but you get the point. I am just exhausted.

The other day I asked RD, "I'm so exhausted all the time. What do you think I should do? (thinking there's some miracle cure! ha!) What's wrong with me?"

RD, "What's wrong with you? Them (pointing to the babies)."

Me, "Yea. (Knowing he was right...nothing more to it.)"

We talk about how it will be easier when they're walking and can follow, talking and can tell us what is wrong....but it won't be easier, b/c what's "hard" will be something else. It's never easier, just different.

I was so grateful to my mentors when I was pregnant. These women had been through exactly what I we went through, and answered all my, sometimes whacky and crazy, questions. I wanted to be able to help someone as I had been helped, so I am now a mentor to a woman who is 29 weeks pregnant with triplets. I invited her to our house to come and get a peek into what is an average day with three (wonderful) babies. :)

She was looking on and asking a lot of questions, one of which was, "I keep hearing we're not going to get any sleep. Everyone keeps saying how crazy it's going to be...feeding babies...getting no sleep...does it get easier?"

Me: Once you hit the 3- or 4-month mark things will get much easier...then...I don't know about easier, but it's just...different. Grin

COMING SOON: New Look!

Thank you to Christine for referring me to Mia who will be redesigning my blog template.

I know my blog site is lacking in visuals, so I decided to bring in some help to give it a snazzier look.

Thanks...I think

RD isn't big on giving compliments. He means well...it's just not in his nature I guess. It's something I've finally come to accept. There were plenty of occassions where I got all dressed up...walked out ready for him to melt...and...nothing. He doesn't always say the right things at the right time, but there are times when he'll surprise me and be so damn romantic that I swear someone took my husband and replaced him with the man before me!

Then there are those other times...

About a week or so ago he out-of-the-blue said, "You're more motherly now."

Me: WHAT? What do you mean? What's THAT supposed to mean?
RD: You're more motherly.
Me: Yes, I heard that...what's that supposed to mean? Is that supposed to be good or bad?
RD: Good. Gives me a look like I was crazy not to see what a wonderful thing it is he just said.
Me: Motherly is good?
RD: Yes. Again, sounding irritated that I've obviously missed what was supposed to be a compliment.
Me: Well...thanks...I guess.

Then just lastnight we were lying on the couch and he slaps my ass once...then does it again.

Me: What are you doing?
SLAP
Me: WHAT are you doing?
RD: You used to jiggle more. You're getting tighter.
SLAP
RD: See? You used to have 3 or 4 jiggles when I'd do that, now it only jiggles once or twice.
SLAP
Me: Stop it.
RD: laughs SLAP
Me: Are you done? sigh

Gosh...he better stop or I'm going to get a big head.

Thank Goodness it's Monday!

Remember on Halloween the whole mess with us not going b/c there would be sick kids there? It turns out everyone that went ended up with a bad cold a few days later. Damn, it sucks to always be right. LOL

Our neighbors are making progress. They actually took down all their Halloween decorations a few days after the holiday. Last year there were a few days where it looked like they were celebrating Halloween and Christmas at the same time!

I've been eagerly looking at real estate listings for what seems like forever. I would show them to RD and he would shake his head and say, "We're not moving for so long, what's the point?" Well, now he's finally showing interest. It's recently hit both of us how close moving really is. He's started looking at listings with me (on-line and in local real estate pamphlets), and he's been trying to give me an idea as to what kind of house he likes. We've agreed that I'll do the looking, narrow it down to 3-5, then we'll go look together and make a decision. This sudden realization has inspired him to start cleaning! He's been cleaning out the basement and has started on some of the upstairs closets. I can't believe it's so close!

My weight loss has finally started up again. I hit a plateau for awhile. It seemed I was still getting smaller, but the scale wasn't changing. Maybe I was gaining muscle. ;) Yea, right. Maybe... :)

I got a new hair cut the other day; I really like it. I have bangs now and she put in more layers to give it more oomph. I took in a picture of the Nubelle's new haircut (on Days of Our Lives). I also had her put in some honey-blonde tones along with the highlights.

Did any of you watch the American Music Awards? Kenny Chesney is known for his tight jeans, but MY LORD!! I don't think I needed to know he hangs right. Yuck. Anna Nicole Smith. 'nuff said. Josh Grobin (sp?) sure can sing. I found it odd he was nominated in the Pop category. Okay, that heavy, looong kiss Usher gave his mom after one of his awards...made me a bit uncomfortable. :/

Okay...SJ is crying. It was way too early for them to get up yet...sigh.

Just a Little Crazy

Everyone has their little quirks. RD and I have more than our fair share of them. We're both very anal and obsessive about some things, most of which, we don't agree on.

I get crazy about the cleanliness of things. Though the house has gone to the pits a bit since the kids have arrived, there are some things I can't...or won't let go. I still Swiffer the floors everyday. C'mon! They're crawling around everywhere...I can't stand to have cat hairs and who knows what else on their hands...which go right in their mouths! I roll their beds and the quilt they play on everyday with a lint-roller. Again with my paranoia over what's going into their mouths. I wipe down all their toys with Clorox wipes at least once a week. And a little over-the-top, but I won't put them down on the carpets in the bedrooms unless they've been freshly-vacuumed. I know this makes me a bit looney, but remember what I said several posts ago about my problem with germs? I wasn't kidding. :)

RD...oh, RD. He gets crazy over our checking account, important papers and/or documents, bills, etc. He is on-line every day checking our bank account. A couple months ago I went to Toys 'r Us, and I wasn't even out of the parking lot yet and my cell phone was ringing - he was asking me what I bought for $XX.XX. On our honeymoon, he kept all our important papers in a large manilla envelope. He kept these in a safe in our room, and he would check everyday to make sure it was still there. I stayed as far away from these papers as I could...b/c as crazy as he is with his IMPORTANT PAPERS, he can't help but lost all these important things he so obsesses about, and I wasn't about to let him blame it on me! I think he's on his third birth certificate since we've been together. He's the one who obsesses over the location of all these things, yet somehow I am the one who always knows where everything is. Maybe it's a guy-thing. I've talked to some friends about this - RD will be looking for something for 20 minutes, then I'll find it in 10 seconds. I've watched him in action...an important step he leaves out is that he doesn't pick things up. He looks around but not through the house, if you know what I mean. And bills...well...they get paid at the latest two weeks before their due date. I swear he breaks into a sweat if it's the week of and it hasn't been paid yet.

What brought this whole post about was his mad dash around the house this morning, looking for his birth certificate. I reminded him of his "important papers" file in the basement. His response? "It wouldn't be in there." Huh? If not there, where on earth would it be? Can't help ya, babe! So, he's on his way to get yet another birth certificate. He needs it so he can send a copy along with an application he's sending to a local hospital. He's having to pay $300 just to apply to each place. Isn't that crazy?!

So that was our crazy morning. I was running around with a lint-brush and RD was running around looking for his missing-in-action birth certificate.

We're a crazy family, but I love it!

NOW I can get on

My computer was acting crazy lastnight and I was unable to log on. Oh, well. It's time for my morning workout, so I don't have time to write; in the meantime, check this out. There are some pretty funny/interesting comparisons.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Wonderful movie. I highly recommend you see it!

Backblogged

I haven't had time to get on-line this week. The time I usually set aside for e-mails, blogs, etc. I've had to run to get errands done and spending time with RD. I've got lots to blog about, but I'm getting ready to walk the treadmill.

RD's working Sunday night, so I'll be back then. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Well, duh!

Lastnight after RD came out from (re-)tucking the babies in before we went to bed:

RD: It smells like shit in there.
Me: Yea.
RD: Why does it smell like that?
Me: (Are we seriously having this conversation again?) Because we have three babies.
RD: But why does it smell like that?
Me: The diaper pail's right by the door.
RD: It smells like shit.
Me: (Slowly) Yes...it's filled with poopy diapers.
RD: But it's supposed to keep that smell out.
Me: (Under breath) Maybe you should write a letter.
RD: What?
Me: I said that maybe you should write a letter.
RD: Well, that's stupid.
Me: Yep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

If you haven't gone to www.overstock.com yet, GO! They have so many amazing deals!

I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping on-line, but I keep finding things for me! :)

Testing 1-2-3

Today the kids skipped their third (cat) nap. They're at the age that it should not be necessary anymore. I just put them to bed, and right now I'm listening to three, overtired, crazed babies protesting from their cribs. I'm in the basement and it sounds like the ceiling above me is about to cave in.

Let's hope day two goes better...

A Typical Day

I’ve been asked a few times what a typical day is for me, so here it is! :D

7 a.m.
· The babies start playing, laughing, and babbling in their cribs. I then bury my head further into my pillow, praying for more sleep.

7:30 a.m.
· I wearily get out of bed.
· Put their bottles on the stove.
· Go get each of them up and change them out of their pj’s, then put them in their bouncy seats while I heat up their fruit and cereal.
· Feed them their fruit and cereal, then prop them in their Boppy Pillows to drink their bottles. They’re getting closer to being able to hold their own bottles – once they do, we will move to the high chairs. I’m usually watching “The Today Show” while they’re eating.
· When they’re done I put them back in their bouncy seats to let their bellies settle. While they’re doing this, I eat a bowl of cereal, then clean up the kitchen.
· Then it’s playtime on the floor. I spread out a large quilt in the living room, scatter a bunch of toys on the floor, and they go at it. All the while I watch from the couch (or get on the floor with them) and try to keep them from hurting themselves or each other. They’re really into touching each other’s faces right now. We’ll be lucky if they make it to grade school with six eyes between them.

9:00-9:30 a.m.
· When it looks like they’re showing signs of getting sleepy, I start singing a song to get their attention so I can rally everyone around me, then I read them a book. Then it’s down in their cribs for a nap.
· While they’re napping I walk on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes, watch yesterday’s Days of Our Lives, then check e-mail, Blog, etc.

10:00-10:30 a.m. (depending on when they go down)
· One baby goes in the exercauser, one in the swing, and one on the floor.
· If I’m really inspired to keep working out, I do floor exercises alongside whoever’s on the floor; otherwise, I’m walking around cleaning/picking up.

11:00 a.m.
· Feeding time! Bottle then bouncy seat. I’m usually watching “The Ellen Show” while they’re eating. I prop their bottles, so it’s hands-free for me.
· While they’re in their bouncy seats I eat some lunch and look through the mail.
· Then it’s playtime on the floor once again. I’ll let them play on their own for awhile, then I get some one-on-one time with each of them (e.g., I sit them on my lap and do flash cards, sometimes sing and/or dance to/with them, etc.)

12:30-ish
· Song, read story, nap.
· This is when I take my shower, get dressed, etc.
· Check e-mail again…try to get cleaning, laundry done, etc.

2:00-2:30 p.m.
· One baby in exercauser, then two on the floor. They tend to get more needy around this time so I’m always down there with them trying to keep everyone calm.

2:45 p.m.
· I feed them their veggies and cereal. Then in their Boppies for their bottle, then bouncy seat. I usually watch “Dr. Phil” during this feeding.
· Playtime on floor.

4:30-ish
· Short cat nap. I either make/eat dinner, make phone calls, or hit the computer – depending on whether or not RD is home.

5:00 p.m.
· One baby in exercauser, hold one, RD holds one or swing.
· If RD is home, this is usually when we eat. If the babies are restless, we put in a Baby Einstein video so we can eat.

6:30 p.m.
· Change babies into pj’s, bottle, then bouncy.

7:00 p.m.
· Dim lights.
· I usually sit on the floor with them or take turns holding each of them.

7:30 p.m.
· Read story to them, then off to bed!

Once they’re in bed we clean up all the toys, put the bouncy seats and quilt away, etc. It then finally looks like adults live here.

The rest of the night is our’s! If RD’s not home (or asleep) for the morning feeding, I make the bottles for the next morning before I go to bed.

At some point during the day (sometimes every other day, depending on how it works out) I make a gallon of formula. I have to run 1-2 loads in the dishwasher everyday (which means our kitchen counters are always a mess), and I have to do laundry every damn day. It's amazing how much laundry three little people can produce!

As they're getting more mobile, my regular cleaning is going by the wayside. They're just too busy for me to be worrying about putting things away constantly - then in the evenings I am just too damn tired. So lately our house has been in constant disarray.