I have not posted in a while and that is mainly because it is SUMMER! I love the summer. Summer is a no rules kind of time for me. Ice cream for lunch. SURE. Staying up late. NO PROBLEM. You all want to whine? Well, the answer for that is still NO. Sorry!
In all seriousness though, this has been a great summer thus far. There have been beach days, pool days, swimming lessons, camp, laze around the house days and of course, lots and lots of ice cream and popsicles.
As a kid, I remember going to the beach almost every day in the summer and we always stopped at our local Dairy Queen on the way home. The memories that a slushie from DQ or a soft serve with extra sprinkles can evoke for me are endless. I only hope that my kids will have similar and happy summer memories. Childhood seems to be getting shorter and shorter for kids and I want mine to get as many innocent and carefree days as they can. So, until summer is over, I plan to spend as much time outside making memories and smiles as much as possible. See you when its back to school time. And no, it is not all cherries and rose petals here, and I will be ready for the school bus come late August. But until then, I am signing off (unless something really blog worthy happens!)
Happy second half of summer!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Happy Mommy
In a moment of stress with the kids yesterday, I snapped at Sean and then later, when we talked about it, I realized that what really bothers me is that everyone expects me, Mom, to always be healthy, happy, feeling great, in the mood, smiling and giving compliments, and so on. While I am these things plenty of the time, I am also human and need to express my stress just as everyone else does.
Sometimes the kids really piss me off. Do they mean to? I do not think so. But they still do. And sometimes Sean pisses me off. Does he mean to? Absolutely not. I know it is not intentional and I also know that I am not always a party to be around and I can piss him off as well. The thing is is that, as moms, somehow we have pigeon holed ourselves into this supermom persona. Quite honestly, I would like to be regular mom, not super mom. I would like to be the mom who yells sometimes, who has a headache sometimes, and who really does not feel like parenting sometimes. Oh, wait.... that IS who I am. And yet, it is not widely accepted. We are just supposed to grin and bear it. Well, I am just not a grin and bear it kind of gal. Just as my kids and Sean let me know when their needs are not being met, sometimes I need to do the same.....so, if you hear some loud yelling later on, be not afraid. It is just me, telling my kids, that I do NOT want to cook five different things for dinner and that no matter how much they whine about it, this supermom has taken off the cape and is back to being a regular run of the mill mom....one who does not have the patience, nor the skill, to cook five different meals!
Sometimes the kids really piss me off. Do they mean to? I do not think so. But they still do. And sometimes Sean pisses me off. Does he mean to? Absolutely not. I know it is not intentional and I also know that I am not always a party to be around and I can piss him off as well. The thing is is that, as moms, somehow we have pigeon holed ourselves into this supermom persona. Quite honestly, I would like to be regular mom, not super mom. I would like to be the mom who yells sometimes, who has a headache sometimes, and who really does not feel like parenting sometimes. Oh, wait.... that IS who I am. And yet, it is not widely accepted. We are just supposed to grin and bear it. Well, I am just not a grin and bear it kind of gal. Just as my kids and Sean let me know when their needs are not being met, sometimes I need to do the same.....so, if you hear some loud yelling later on, be not afraid. It is just me, telling my kids, that I do NOT want to cook five different things for dinner and that no matter how much they whine about it, this supermom has taken off the cape and is back to being a regular run of the mill mom....one who does not have the patience, nor the skill, to cook five different meals!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Top 10
Top 10 things they should tell you in parenting books...but don't:
10. The amount of vomit that can come out of a child is quite disproportionate to his/her size...
9. Sibling rivalry should be called sibling combat...and it should come with the approriate armor.
8. The lung capacity of a small child is also quite disproprtionate to his size...
7. No matter what food style you adopt, you WILL serve macaroni and cheese more than you ever expected...
6. Your child loves you unconditionally, but he also assumes you are his personal servant....not sure which came first, the unconditional love or the position of personal servant...it is a chicken/egg question indeed.
5. No matter how hard you try, you will yell at your kids and you will sound like your parents at one point or another...it is inevitable.
4. You will be tired...a lot. You will long for sleep long after the newborn phase ends. You will long for long lazy mornings in bed....and yet, somehow, you will be amazed at how much you love the snuggles from all those little ones at an all too early hour on a Saturday morning.
3. You will be amazed at the lengths you go to to find quiet...locking yourself in your room, your bathroom, your closet, or perhaps taking a drive to the local nunnery and hanging out there with the cloistered nuns in total silence.
2. You will love the sound of little feet running around...
and finally, last, but definitely not least....
1. When your child has diarrhea, whatever you do, do not put him in the tub to clean him up until you KNOW he is empty, otherwise you will have a VERY UGLY scene on your hands....very ugly.
10. The amount of vomit that can come out of a child is quite disproportionate to his/her size...
9. Sibling rivalry should be called sibling combat...and it should come with the approriate armor.
8. The lung capacity of a small child is also quite disproprtionate to his size...
7. No matter what food style you adopt, you WILL serve macaroni and cheese more than you ever expected...
6. Your child loves you unconditionally, but he also assumes you are his personal servant....not sure which came first, the unconditional love or the position of personal servant...it is a chicken/egg question indeed.
5. No matter how hard you try, you will yell at your kids and you will sound like your parents at one point or another...it is inevitable.
4. You will be tired...a lot. You will long for sleep long after the newborn phase ends. You will long for long lazy mornings in bed....and yet, somehow, you will be amazed at how much you love the snuggles from all those little ones at an all too early hour on a Saturday morning.
3. You will be amazed at the lengths you go to to find quiet...locking yourself in your room, your bathroom, your closet, or perhaps taking a drive to the local nunnery and hanging out there with the cloistered nuns in total silence.
2. You will love the sound of little feet running around...
and finally, last, but definitely not least....
1. When your child has diarrhea, whatever you do, do not put him in the tub to clean him up until you KNOW he is empty, otherwise you will have a VERY UGLY scene on your hands....very ugly.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Boogers and stuff
While on the phone with a friend (who is also a mom) the other day, I got to overhear the following conversation between her and her child, whom we will call Silly Girl to protect her boogery identity.
"Silly Girl-is that a booger on your finger?"
"Nope."
"Well, why don't you go get a tissue or a piece of toilet paper to wipe whatever it is off."
"Nope."
"well, what are you going to do with it?"
Silence
"Don't wipe it on me."
Silence
"did you just wipe it on the couch?"
Silence
"Did you wipe it on the rug?"
Silence
"what did you do with it?"
Silly Girl smiles...
Motherhood---glam-or-ous!
So, the other day, I took the kids to get their hairs cut. I had all four, but only two of them needed cuts this time. We got there and there was no wait, which was great. Ok, I thought, this will be quick and easy, and as soon as I had that thought, it was as if one of my children (who shall remain nameless) read my mind and decided to quickly turn my silly plan upside down in a hurry. When I say that the next 30 minutes were complete and utter torture, I am not exagerrating. Said child proceeded to scream (in the loudest and most obnoxious way possible) to the point that the women who worked at the place were starting to wonder if said child was possessed. Siad child then decided to touch everything and run around the place like a loon...throwing train tracks off the train table, opening bottles (yes, plural) of nail polish and spilling them, getting it on clothes, picking up a bottle of shampoo and then WALKING OUT THE DOOR of the place into the parking lot. I was watching said child so I watched the child do this and when he/she looked back, he/she knew I was less than pleased (read PISSED BEYOND BELIEF). All this because this child wanted a haircut too. I told this child that he/she could sit in the chair and get his/her hair sprayed and combed, etc too, but he/she freaked out more...wanted no part of that....UNTIL, we got in the car to leave and he/she realized that offer was off the table...
I love my children beyond belief, but this 30 minute time span was complete torture.
"Silly Girl-is that a booger on your finger?"
"Nope."
"Well, why don't you go get a tissue or a piece of toilet paper to wipe whatever it is off."
"Nope."
"well, what are you going to do with it?"
Silence
"Don't wipe it on me."
Silence
"did you just wipe it on the couch?"
Silence
"Did you wipe it on the rug?"
Silence
"what did you do with it?"
Silly Girl smiles...
Motherhood---glam-or-ous!
So, the other day, I took the kids to get their hairs cut. I had all four, but only two of them needed cuts this time. We got there and there was no wait, which was great. Ok, I thought, this will be quick and easy, and as soon as I had that thought, it was as if one of my children (who shall remain nameless) read my mind and decided to quickly turn my silly plan upside down in a hurry. When I say that the next 30 minutes were complete and utter torture, I am not exagerrating. Said child proceeded to scream (in the loudest and most obnoxious way possible) to the point that the women who worked at the place were starting to wonder if said child was possessed. Siad child then decided to touch everything and run around the place like a loon...throwing train tracks off the train table, opening bottles (yes, plural) of nail polish and spilling them, getting it on clothes, picking up a bottle of shampoo and then WALKING OUT THE DOOR of the place into the parking lot. I was watching said child so I watched the child do this and when he/she looked back, he/she knew I was less than pleased (read PISSED BEYOND BELIEF). All this because this child wanted a haircut too. I told this child that he/she could sit in the chair and get his/her hair sprayed and combed, etc too, but he/she freaked out more...wanted no part of that....UNTIL, we got in the car to leave and he/she realized that offer was off the table...
I love my children beyond belief, but this 30 minute time span was complete torture.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Migraine anyone?
So, I think I have finally figured out why our kids like to bang their heads against the walls. They are trying ever so cleverly to self induce a migraine so they can see if the migraine in fact really warrants all the drama that we (the parents who get them) say it does.
Well, kids, since I can see you have not successfully self induced a migraine yet (since you are still moving, functioning, and making a lot of noise), let me help you get the idea.
One-Imagine your head is a tire. Say it is supposed to be inflated to 30 psi normally, well, go ahead and inflate it to 40 psi instead. That ought to give you a nice head start as to how this will feel.
Two-Get a bunch of big rocks. Imagine someone is picking them up and throwing them at your head, from about an inch away.
Three-Close your eyes as tight as you can. See how dark that is? Well, guess what, not dark enough.
Four-Imagine your head (but no other part of your body) is about 20 degrees higher in temperature than it should be.
And five- In your best four year old high pitched scream, yell loudly over and over again so that your ears ring and your head nears explosion.
Your head is throbbing, sweating, and you generally want to crawl into a cave and hibernate in complete and utter silence and darkness.
OK, now that I have created a good picture, I hope that will clear some things up for you.
I used to get migraines a lot when I lived in Texas and, let me note, I do not find this coincidental. In any event, my initial drug of choice was a bag of M+M's and a can of cold coke while lying on a cold floor in complete darkness. Sounds fun, huh? It used to work. But when that trick stopped working, I actually went to a doctor and got a prescription for a little magic pill that would dull the migraines when I got them.
When I moved back to New England, my migraines pretty much stopped. Not a coincidence. Anyway, for the first time in years, I am now the lucky winner of what is going on a 3 day migraine. It is unbearable. I have taken drugs, drank caffeine, taken to my bed in complete darkness, and nothing is touching it.
Please, oh gods of migraine healing, please come and taketh this away. I am begging you....
Well, kids, since I can see you have not successfully self induced a migraine yet (since you are still moving, functioning, and making a lot of noise), let me help you get the idea.
One-Imagine your head is a tire. Say it is supposed to be inflated to 30 psi normally, well, go ahead and inflate it to 40 psi instead. That ought to give you a nice head start as to how this will feel.
Two-Get a bunch of big rocks. Imagine someone is picking them up and throwing them at your head, from about an inch away.
Three-Close your eyes as tight as you can. See how dark that is? Well, guess what, not dark enough.
Four-Imagine your head (but no other part of your body) is about 20 degrees higher in temperature than it should be.
And five- In your best four year old high pitched scream, yell loudly over and over again so that your ears ring and your head nears explosion.
Your head is throbbing, sweating, and you generally want to crawl into a cave and hibernate in complete and utter silence and darkness.
OK, now that I have created a good picture, I hope that will clear some things up for you.
I used to get migraines a lot when I lived in Texas and, let me note, I do not find this coincidental. In any event, my initial drug of choice was a bag of M+M's and a can of cold coke while lying on a cold floor in complete darkness. Sounds fun, huh? It used to work. But when that trick stopped working, I actually went to a doctor and got a prescription for a little magic pill that would dull the migraines when I got them.
When I moved back to New England, my migraines pretty much stopped. Not a coincidence. Anyway, for the first time in years, I am now the lucky winner of what is going on a 3 day migraine. It is unbearable. I have taken drugs, drank caffeine, taken to my bed in complete darkness, and nothing is touching it.
Please, oh gods of migraine healing, please come and taketh this away. I am begging you....
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Yes, I am a slacker
and have not been posting as often as I once envisioned. Allow me to elaborate on some of the reasons! Buckle up, some of these reasons are downright ugly, but don't worry, most are just funny! This is going to be a stream of consciousness type of post...here we go
Easter brunch--all in all, it went well for brunch with four small kids. But let me start by saying the restaurant first seated us literally two rooms away from the buffet. I understand they wanted to seclude us so to speak, but we also need to be near the food!!! I mean really, what were they thinking? Anyway, we asked and they moved us graciously. The food was good but I estimate that we got up to get food at least 30 times. Not kidding.
The amount of time spent plunging toilets, wiping asses, cleaning dirty underwear--disproportionate to the amount of time I spend on my own personal hygiene...and if you live near me and see me on a regular basis, I am sure you will agree.
Discipline--Disciplining children sucks and when you have to discipline several at once, but NOT all four, things can get quite hairy. Me no like. I hate the tactics I have come to use, but you gotta get them where it hurts, and in the case of my kids, it is the stuffies they snuggle at night. Needless to say, I see a lot of nights without those oh so special stuffies ahead. Granted, taking one away seems silly when they all have about a thousand on their beds, but they do have clear favorites, so I know what to take to make it hurt! The non-listening whiny behavior has got to stop. Oh yea, and the kids need to stop it too!
OK, this post is not really all that funny or entertaining I am realizing, so I will post and move on....gotta give my audience something.
Easter brunch--all in all, it went well for brunch with four small kids. But let me start by saying the restaurant first seated us literally two rooms away from the buffet. I understand they wanted to seclude us so to speak, but we also need to be near the food!!! I mean really, what were they thinking? Anyway, we asked and they moved us graciously. The food was good but I estimate that we got up to get food at least 30 times. Not kidding.
The amount of time spent plunging toilets, wiping asses, cleaning dirty underwear--disproportionate to the amount of time I spend on my own personal hygiene...and if you live near me and see me on a regular basis, I am sure you will agree.
Discipline--Disciplining children sucks and when you have to discipline several at once, but NOT all four, things can get quite hairy. Me no like. I hate the tactics I have come to use, but you gotta get them where it hurts, and in the case of my kids, it is the stuffies they snuggle at night. Needless to say, I see a lot of nights without those oh so special stuffies ahead. Granted, taking one away seems silly when they all have about a thousand on their beds, but they do have clear favorites, so I know what to take to make it hurt! The non-listening whiny behavior has got to stop. Oh yea, and the kids need to stop it too!
OK, this post is not really all that funny or entertaining I am realizing, so I will post and move on....gotta give my audience something.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
May I have your attention please?
Attention future parents, moms to be, toddlers playing house and mommy on the playground-let this be your official warning: Parenting.IS.challenging.
And no, I am not just talking about the sleep deprivation and self induced crankiness that follows. While that first part sucks, apparently, no one tells you that it just gets more and more challenging. Sure, there are joys to go with it too--first smiles, first steps, first words, hugs, kisses, etc. And these are the things that will get you through. But truly, just like with pregnancy, the general public just does not forewarn you about all the not so fun stuff. Let's categorize this into five categories.
Sight-the THINGS you will see. Dear lord, prepare yourself. You will see kids put their hands in their pants, pull it out, and then (wait for it)-SNIFF. Ack. You will see way too much ass crack. You will see nose picking. You will see too much.
Sound-the NOISE. The level of noise. The whining. The crying, The screaming. The repeating the things you say, and it is only the choice words at the most inopportune times such as shit, dammit, and so on.
Smell-See my first anecdote in sight. Way too much poop smell, and vomit smell. Too much.
Taste-well, this can be good or bad. Sometimes, you have to taste a child made concoction. Something like raisins and peanut butter and pickles all stuck together in a ball. Ack. On the other hand, a sweet slobbery popsicle kiss can be oh so sweet.
Touch-While there can a lot of touching, too much sometimes, there really is nothing as sweet as a kid snuggle or a bear hug. The problem is, those seem to be fewer and farther between lately.
In any event, the point is this: parenting is like a roller coaster. You make it up the hill of sleep deprivation and then you breeze down the hill of they can't move yet or talk yet and all they do is smile! AH. But before you know it, you are climbing the hill of the terrible twos. And then you coast down through consistent naptimes. Then you climb through potty training and breeze through NO.MORE.DIAPERS. And then before you know it, you realize you have made it through all the checklists and now, your primary role, as it has always been but possibly clouded by those milestones and checklists, is to raise a good, honest human being. One who makes good choices, who is kind and honest, who can make friends easily and can be a loyal friend. One who will look to you and watch your every move and will try to be like you, thinking you are the be all and end all. Now is the time that I should be on my best behavior, at a time that I feel is so challenging and overwhelming as a parent. Sigh.
So, let me reiterate. Parenting. Is. Challenging. Buckle up. You are in for a wild ride.
And no, I am not just talking about the sleep deprivation and self induced crankiness that follows. While that first part sucks, apparently, no one tells you that it just gets more and more challenging. Sure, there are joys to go with it too--first smiles, first steps, first words, hugs, kisses, etc. And these are the things that will get you through. But truly, just like with pregnancy, the general public just does not forewarn you about all the not so fun stuff. Let's categorize this into five categories.
Sight-the THINGS you will see. Dear lord, prepare yourself. You will see kids put their hands in their pants, pull it out, and then (wait for it)-SNIFF. Ack. You will see way too much ass crack. You will see nose picking. You will see too much.
Sound-the NOISE. The level of noise. The whining. The crying, The screaming. The repeating the things you say, and it is only the choice words at the most inopportune times such as shit, dammit, and so on.
Smell-See my first anecdote in sight. Way too much poop smell, and vomit smell. Too much.
Taste-well, this can be good or bad. Sometimes, you have to taste a child made concoction. Something like raisins and peanut butter and pickles all stuck together in a ball. Ack. On the other hand, a sweet slobbery popsicle kiss can be oh so sweet.
Touch-While there can a lot of touching, too much sometimes, there really is nothing as sweet as a kid snuggle or a bear hug. The problem is, those seem to be fewer and farther between lately.
In any event, the point is this: parenting is like a roller coaster. You make it up the hill of sleep deprivation and then you breeze down the hill of they can't move yet or talk yet and all they do is smile! AH. But before you know it, you are climbing the hill of the terrible twos. And then you coast down through consistent naptimes. Then you climb through potty training and breeze through NO.MORE.DIAPERS. And then before you know it, you realize you have made it through all the checklists and now, your primary role, as it has always been but possibly clouded by those milestones and checklists, is to raise a good, honest human being. One who makes good choices, who is kind and honest, who can make friends easily and can be a loyal friend. One who will look to you and watch your every move and will try to be like you, thinking you are the be all and end all. Now is the time that I should be on my best behavior, at a time that I feel is so challenging and overwhelming as a parent. Sigh.
So, let me reiterate. Parenting. Is. Challenging. Buckle up. You are in for a wild ride.
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