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.

Maybe I'll Make a Record

I walk upstairs to get the babies up from their nap and what do I see? Cybill Shepherd is on the Jane Pauley Show (which totally sucks BTW) singing about having the Menopause Blues. Yes, folks, Cybill Shepherd sings.

You've got to be kidding me.

I thought I'd seen it all when I saw Regis Philbin had a new CD out, but oh no...there's more!

You're Killing Me, Smalls!

As if it's not hard enough to walk away from a crying baby when you put them down for bed...but then they get to the age that they start reaching out for you as you walk away.

My heart is breaking.

Hail to the Chief

Congrats, George!

Smells Like a Memory

Familiar smells, sights, and songs always bring back old memories:

Smells

• The first smell of Autumn reminds me of a drive I took in high school. I was sixteen years old and had just broken up with my boyfriend, who was three years older than me. I was heartbroken after finding out he had been cheating on me through most of our relationship. I didn't want to home and explain to my mom why my face was all red and blotchy from crying, so I drove around for about two hours with the windows down - reflecting on our relationship and thinking this was the end of the world. Ahhh...if we only knew then what we know now. So now when that first smell of Autumn comes, I think back to that night - only now I'm not sad, it makes me smile when I think of how silly I was.
• Moth balls - I can't help but think of my Grandma & Grandpa's old house; and that smell followed them when they moved into the mother-in-law's quarters in our house when I was in 8th-grade.
• The smell of Drakkar. I, along with all my girlfriends, LOVED this cologne. It seemed that every guy I knew wore this when I was in 11th-grade. If they didn't wear this, they wore Polo. In 11th-grade, my friend, V, had a party every weekend. Whenever I smell Drakkar (which is very rare nowadays), I think of her parties. All the cool guys were wearing it. ;)
• Chlorine. The smell of chlorine always reminds me of swimming in my cousin's pool.
• Aussie Hairspray (the purple bottle with pink print) - I think that's the name...something like that. I was out of town for a weddding and had to stop at a QT to pick up some hairspray - this was all they had. The smell of this spray reminds me of when I worked at a local movie theatre. I know I had to of used it at home, school (after gym), etc., but for some strange reason, it reminds me of working at this theatre. I would keep a can in my purse to "touch up" my 3-inch-high bangs. Gotta love the 80's!

Songs

• "Angel" by Aerosmith - This always reminds me of my first "real" boyfriend, Tyler. This was our song. He's also one of those what-was-I-thinking-boyrfriends. Poor guy.
• "Heaven" by Brian Adams - The first song I ever danced to with a boy...that wasn't a relative. :)
• "Heaven" by Warrant - This was the song of me and that boy who broke my heart...the one that sent me driving around town.
• "Don't Speak" by No Doubt - I have to laugh when I hear this. I dated this guy on and off for about a year or so. I finally got sick of his antics and broke it off. He shows up at my house the next morning crying, and playing this song loudly outside my apartment. "Doesn't this remind you of us," he asked. Um, no. This guy works with one of RD's best friends. I told RD's friend that I went on one or two dates with this guy - I was too embarassed to admit to any more than that. This ex would flip if he knew RD's friend knew me. I received calls and cards for a few years after saying that I was "the one that got away." Again, poor guy.
• "The Chair" by George Strait - It's RD and my's song. Talk about a wonderful memory. It always reminds me of the night we met.
• "Groove is in the Heart" by DeLite (?) - Another high school song. It reminds me of this goofball we hung out with, Al. He swore the song was, "Grover's in the Hole." I can't help but move to the beat when I hear this song.
• Almost any song from the late-70's - early-80's. My mom was a shopaholic (and still is, though she's flat broke, but that won't stop her). Every weekend, and many weeknights, she would drag me from store to store. They always had the latest soft-rock hits playing in the background. Now when I hear one of those songs from way back when, I think of hiding inside those rounders and making silly faces in the mirrors of the dressing rooms.
• Stale beer breath - my dad.
• Cigarette smoke-filled houses, clothes, cars - my parents. I was always embarassed to have friends over because the smoke was so thick.
• Diesel - the smell of diesel fumes always reminds of looking for my bus in grade school. Walking up and down the aisles of those big, yellow buses, looking for #47. Aahhh...smell that fresh air.

Sights

• Big, fat, fuzzy caterpillars - In preschool, and on into grade school, I took great pleasure in making a little home for these little critters I would find during recess. I would set up a bed of grass in my pencil box, and check often with excitement, waiting to see that perfect little cocoon.
• Pencil erasers - Not the ones already atop your No. 2, but the kind you buy separately to put on your pencil once your eraser has worn thin. These little pink cone-shaped erasers made perfect make-believe lamps in the little village I had made in my lift-top desk for my Astrosmurfs (from McDonald's...the green, UFO smurfs) and Smurf figurines. I would fold up a piece of Kleenex for them to have a bed.
• Trapper-Keepers - I always had fun picking a new one out each year. Heaven forbid I use the same one two years in a row! I had great dreams of being very organized at the start of each new year. It didn't take too long for that dream to lose its thunder.
• Clogs - I saw a little girl wearing clogs just yesterday. I didn't know people still wore these. I went through so many pairs of clogs when I was little. I have a scar on the top of my left foot to prove it. Damn, I loved those shoes...those loud, ugly, dangerous shoes.

The Things We Do For Our Kids

I've always been a bit on the goofy side. If you know me you're thinking, "A bit?!" Just when I thought I couldn't get any goofier, I've found myself doing some pretty silly things for the children.

• Sing and dance around the room like a fool. The louder, whackier, and crazier the better. The babies love it! It'll quiet even some of the loudest of cries.
• Sing and talk in a sing-songy voice as loud as you can when you go in the other room. The babies are now needing proof that I am still in the house when I turn the corner.
• Stick your finger in a poopy diaper. When you want the other babies to sleep that bad, you'll do anything to avoid turning on the light. Why turn on the light when you can just stick your finger in to check for evidence?
• While arguing with your husband, do your best to keep the anger out of your voice. When you start to notice your voice raising a bit, turn to the babies and give them your best smile - reassuring them that everythings OKAY.
• When desperate to sleep, hide that cordless phone with the ringer-control under the biggest pillow you can find. Better yet, stick it at the bottom of your husband's sock drawer.
• When your babies get restless, turn on some soft music and dance them around the room. You'll find that it's just as relaxing for you.
• Another reason to make your own baby food, it tastes much better...to YOU!! You'll be testing the temperature quite often of many-a-meals, so you might as well make it tasty. Fresh is always better!
• Catching spit-up in your hand. You see it coming...the baby's about to blow...it's a new outfit...or a clean rug...if you're fast, you just might be able to catch it in time!
• Go out in public with spit-up stains all over your shirt. I went to the grocery store the other day thinking, "I don't look too bad, only three spit-up marks!" Of course, I ran into two people I knew. Maybe I'll have to rethink things next time... ;)