Rejuvenation

So I had to ask my husband how to spell that word, and then I checked it in Word to see if it was right. He's so smart- and good looking too might I add. Back to the task at hand...I really love my kids. But there is something so nice about going out to dinner without them. Me and 2 other girls hit the town tonight and went out to dinner for a birthday celebration. (That's about as wild and crazy as we get nowadays! Look out...3 mommy's on the loose! We almost ventured over to Target, too...Maybe another night.) Anyways, it is so great to be able to take your time at dinner and not have to worry about kids coloring on the kids menu, crayons on the floor or in someone's mouth, kids wanting to play on the toys, drinks dropping on the floor, your drink getting pulled over on you, the mess you've made on the floor, or the noise coming from your table. It was so much fun to be able to sit and talk and not to have to rush out of the place as fast as you can. I came home feeling rejuvenated (hence the title). All things aside, I do really love my kids, even while we are fine dining at McD's!

Butterfly, Butterfly My Friend

So I write this blog entry with some remorse. We had a little science project going on in our home that had kind of a bad ending. My in-laws brought us a caterpillar in a jar over Easter. The point was to see the caterpillar become a butterfly. Well, on Saturday the big event occurred. The butterfly emerged! Elle so lovingly named it Butterfly, Butterfly My Friend. She loved watching it in the jar. But things were all downhill from there. Maybe we left it in the jar too long...Maybe it got radiation from the microwave it was sitting on...Maybe it needed food when it emerged...Who knows why the little guy didn't make it. Anyways, so we eventually put the butterfly outside, but it just wasn't meant to be. On Sunday after church, the evidence of our inability to care for anything living was seen. Luckily Elle is really still to young to understand that because it was stiff and laying there, it didn't make it. We got rid of the evidence and on went the day. I guess we better never get a dog or a cat!

You Know You're A Mom If...

So I've used some of my spare time (haha) to think of a checklist of ways you can know if you have become a true "mom". So it goes something like this (and let me know if you can think of any others that would be fitting):

*You know you're a mom if...
1-You know all of the words to the Dora theme song
2-Watering the flowers and grass without the kids is a nice break for you
3-You wear pj's, comfy clothes, or sweatsuits 75% of the day
4-Your shopping cart is filled with diapers, goldfish, fruit puffs, juice boxes, applesauce, hotdogs that have been bitten into, and an opened cookie box (they'll let you pay for it still even if it's opened, right??? You had to keep your kid quiet somehow.)
5- You know where all of the public restrooms are at your favorite places to visit (ex:Target), and you have visited them frequently
6-Cleaning up potty from carpets and poop from clothes has become second nature to you
7-You really don't mind the smell of baby spit-up or baby poop anymore
8-The idea of getting a minivan sounds really appealing to you
9-You know who Thomas, Swiper, Blue, Diego, Bob, Strawberry, Joe, and Pupcake are
10-You've said, "You're walking a fine line" in the last 3 days (I really said that to my daughter the other day- can you believe it? My husband made some comment about how that was a mom thing to say!)

If you can relate to at least 5 of these, there's no turning back. Don't try to deny it- you have become a true mom!

Does Anybody Have A Caveman I Can Borrow?

I would just need him for a couple months or so. I'm looking for someone who might understand the language that is coming from my youngest daughter's mouth, and a caveman might just do the trick. So if anyone has one on hand, or knows one, or is themselves trained in the finer art of BC caveman talk, let me know, ok!!

So Maybe I'm Not the Best Parent...

Ok, so maybe I'm not the best parent. As you can see by the picture above, safety is obviously at the utmost concern in our home...ha...ha...! But I am trying, though. I think that when you are a kid you feel like your parents have everything figured out. But then you yourself become a parent and realize you don't know anything. Am I really responsible for these two kids? Someone gives me a lot more credit than I give myself. But really, I am trying. And at the end of the day, if we are still breathing, I guess the day has been a success. The house may be a mess, we may have shed a few tears (me and the kids), and got a few bumps and bruises along the way, but we made it through another day. Maybe when I turn 25 I'll feel old enough to have 2 kids...maybe not. I think I'll be 50 one day and be a grandma and be feeling like how did this happen, wasn't I just 17???

Two Little Thoughts...

1- So she did pee today. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised. But we almost made it the whole day. The accident occurred around 8 p.m. And to make matters worse, it didn't even happen at our house. So now she's marking her territory at other people's houses, too. So beware if you invite us over...
2- Today my oldest daughter and her friend decided to take a trip to Dallas. You may think they are a little young to take on such a large adventure. Kids are starting things young nowadays. Don't worry- they didn't make it far (they only hitchhiked to the local Wal-Mart for some snacks for the roadtrip before we caught them. Just kidding- they didn't even leave the house.) Anyways, they did turn my daughter's room into a disaster zone. They obviously thought this was going to be a long trip because they managed to empty almost all of the contents out of her dresser drawers and put most in a pile. I guess the bright side was it made it easy for me to sort through her clothes and put the winter stuff away. Let's just hope that next time they only want to take a trip to the backyard.

So If My House Smells Like Pee...

So if my house smells like pee, it's not because we inherited a new dog or invited a stray cat to live in our home. (Although we did have my in-laws dog here this weekend, but I don't think she peed in the house.) We still don't really have a pet (unless the caterpillar turning into a butterfly my in-laws brought counts, or children count. And if you think about it, kids are pretty similar to pets. You have to feed them, bathe them, clean up after them-in many ways:)- and take them on walks). Anyways, back to the task at hand, if my house smells like pee it's because my 3 year old daughter seems to have forgotten how to use the toilet. Maybe it's some sort of regression phase or something- she's reverting back to her babyhood. Just kidding. But really, she peed on the bathroom rug today and on the couch (which is the worst because then we have to strip the slip cover and clean the cushion.) It's like when it rains, it pours. We can't usually have just like one accident. It'll be like 2 in one day, and then another one the next. So lets hope we don't have an accident tomorrow. But I better be prepared, just in case.

Even Babies Have Cellulite

I want to make everyone feel better about their bodies. If you think that you have cellulite because of some poor food choices in the past, you are wrong. My one year old has got the cutest, dimpliest, cellulitey thighs ever! So don't blame yourself- you were born with it! Isn't that good news!
My second thought- As the heat approaches (which I was reminded of today as I was sweating pulling a wagon full of four children- so much for my shower today, and I actually did my hair, too- what a waste of time!) I have to wonder who in their right mind a long time ago decided that Houston was a good place to settle and create one of the largest cities in the US? Did they not live here between the months of May and October?? So I don't know whether to blame good old Christopher Columbus, George Washington, or Abe Lincoln, but whoever it was must have been tired of exploring and just said here's the spot. Maybe their kids had said "are we there yet?" one too many times so they gave up and just set up camp in Houston. All things (like the heat and bugs) aside, we actually really do like living here, especially in the cooler months of the year.

Will you have eyes?

So today I was engaging in a type of fun parental torture with my oldest child. It's the type when you play along with an irrational three year old thought (that you probably placed in her head at some point or other) until the point that your child is really upset, but you can't help but almost laugh. The irrational thought- if you eat a popcorn seed, you will turn into a popcorn tree. So, of course I ate a seed (I love the ones that are just barely popped), which then in turn started the torture process. I was going to turn into a popcorn tree. I would just be in the backyard and she could water me. Well she didn't like that idea too much, and the kicker comment was (with a sad voice) "will you have eyes?" Eyes?!?! I'm going to turn into a tree and she cares whether or not I'm going to have eyes! Anyways, at least she loves me enough to want to keep me around. So I guess for tonight, I won't become a tree. Although at times, it might be kind of nice...

Clumsy, Wrinkly Mama

So two thoughts for the day:
1- I have got to be the clumsiest person around. Today while at the zoo, I was attempting to retrieve my youngest chubby daughter from the water squirty things (we'll call them that for lack of a better word) so we could change and get ready to go. The goal was to retrieve her and minimize the amount of water that got on me. With that being my goal, don't ask me why I decided to walk right down the middle of the squirty things. I really thought that if I went quick enough, the fountains of each side wouldn't get me. Well, the plan had a little hang up- I had forgotten about the large fake bird with a fish in it's mouth on the post that squirted out water. So of course that sprayed me, and then I tried to jump up onto the dock and slipped and fell on my knee. Totally embarrassing!
2- Aren't I too young for wrinkles? I mean, I'm only 24! But, lo and behold those nasty things have found a home right on my face by my eyes. I think I'll blame it on the kids (just kidding). So a few weeks ago, at the young age of 24, I found myself in the face care aisle at Target browsing through anti-aging remedies. With so many out there (and might I add, some are quite pricey) I settled on a nighttime firming cream. Fat chance it will help anything, but at least I'm trying, right???

My Large Headed Child

So today was Mya's 15 month check-up. Well baby visits are always an exciting milestone to reach. After waiting about 45 minutes in the waiting room, we were called back. (Luckily Elle had preschool and Mya was happy or the wait would have been slightly more painful- and I did entertain myself with a kids book looking for prehistoric sealife- we have to get educated somewhere, right??) Anyways, I was very curious (as any mom would be) to find out where my daughter ranked in on the growth charts. I thought she had a good chance of being in a high percentile for weight considering the amount of food she amazingly consumes. (I thought their tummies were only the size of their fists or something- isn't that on a Gerber commercial? I guess their children weren't eating 2 Eggo waffles or almost half of a Totino's pizza with no problem.) So turns out she is only in the 50% for weight (by some miracle) and the 45% for height (which is better than the 3% percentile which was what she came in at during the 12 month check), but the kicker was...92% for her head size! Maybe that's where all the food is going! I mean my husband sort of has a big head, but not abnormally so. Anyways, maybe now I can justify that all that food is just feeding her brain!

Swim Suits, Swim Suits

So I am on the hunt for a new swim suit for my daughter. Shopping for a swim suit for myself is yes, very complicated, but I am sort of picky about the styles I like. It must be somewhat modest, sort of cute (no one wants to look like a frumpy old mom), and must definitely have pads up top. Anyways, I am trying to get a swim suit for my daughter now as the heat of Texas is quickly approaching. But I'm picky for her, too. She also needs one that is semi-modest, very cute (have to dress the kids at least as cute as I dress myself, most days cuter), and also must not be ultra revealing up top. I don't know who designed so many of the girl swimsuits. You would think that someone by now would have told them that the little straps don't do much to keep the top covered. So needless to say, that our trip to Target today was not a success. Could it have been the fact that Elle tried to wander off, or Mya got twisted around in the cart and then was crying as I tried to sort through the swim suits in search of a suitable buy? That definitely did not help the situation. Maybe I should write the general board of fashion about the girls swim suits now days. Or maybe I just need to give myself 2 hours at Target, but who has that in these mommy days. Maybe popcorn would have helped...

The 4:20 Bus

So I think that the worst time of the day is 4:20. (And not because it has ties to Hitler, Columbine, and other not so great things). There is this bus that drops kids off from school every school day (and it actually comes maybe closer to quater to five but I like to call it the 4:20 bus). I hate being home when that bus comes around because that is the worst time of day! Nothing exciting is happening at 4:20. The kids are usually awake from naps, or if they don't take naps (like my daughter) they are bored or hungry or something. It's not dinnertime, but it probably shouldn't really be snack time either. We've probably exhausted ourselves of all remotely entertaining things to do around the house and have definitely watched more than our fair share of TV or movies. And then comes the 4:20 bus to remind you that your husband is still not home yet (and at times, may not be home for a long time), and that you are still at home bored with bored kids at this not so great time of the day.

So here's where the 2 activities a day plan comes in handy- one before lunch, and one after naps. So whether the second activity is something great like Disneyland, or just something more ordinary like the mall toys or the park (or on desperate days McDonald's), it's got to be better than hearing that bus roll by.