Hormones - gotta hate 'em.

Since I'm keeping this blog as a semi-journal (hey - I'll print them out some day), I have got to tell you the conversation we had on the way  home from church tonight.  Church was over around 8 & Courtnay warned me that Jaci was sad that she didn't get some prize.  (OK - pause - I thought it was a 'treasure chest' toy & I reminded Jaci that a lot of the junk in the 'treasure chest' came from her room.  But that isn't the prize she was talking about & I never understood what she WAS talking about.)  Anyway - Jaci is crying pretty much the entire way home.  I'm telling her she is just tired & since she was crying that she couldn't think of what prize she wanted, I was trying to help her think of something.  No surprise - she didn't like any of my ideas.  Lauren is silent the entire time.  Eventually, I get fed up & its no more nice mom:

Me:  Jaci, you know how when you're tired, you cry over stupid stuff?  This is stupid.  Who cares about a prize?  And you know what?  Since you are being so bratty about it anyway - I'm going to tell Courtney T that you can't have one.

Jaci: [sobbing] I can never make my mind up and plus, Maddie hasn't played with me in like 2 weeks!  (WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?)

Me:  Jaci - we've already talked about this yesterday.  Maddie is allowed to have more than 1 friend.  And you love the other girl she was playing with - so play with both of them.

Jaci:  I just know she doesn't want to play with me anymore!

Me:  Did she tell you that?  (no)  So don't assume that she doesn't want to play with you when you haven't even asked her.

During all of this, Jaci is still crying & I explain to her that just like we can love more than one person, we can be friends with more that one person.  We have this long talk about how if Maddie is playing with someone Jaci doesn't want to play with - all Jaci has to do is go play with someone else.  She said that made her feel a little better. I tell both girls to tell me about their day.  Lauren starts off that they went to The Wonder Place & there was either 1 kid or 50,000 there.  Jaci jumps in to correct her, saying there was in no way 50,000 kids there.  

Lauren:  Jace - I don't want to hear about it!  (Uh oh - my words just 2 minutes earlier)

Me:  Lauren - I can say that to Jaci, you cannot.  Be nice to your sister.

Jaci: [crying again]  Well, me & Maddie were teaching 2 girls to Texas Twirl with a pullback (don't ask) and Maddie MADE me teach them even though I don't even know their NAMES.

I tell her we've already had that conversation & we are talking about our days.  

Jaci:  FINE.  I tell you all the BAD THINGS that happened to me today!

I tell her not to say another word until we get home unless she can quit whining. (She wasn't crying about getting checked out & going to The Wonder Place, then shopping with KK!)  Then Lauren starts going on & on about her good day &  all her friends at school.  

Lauren: Mommy - if Gracie comes up to me & says 'can I be your friend?'  I'll just say YES.  Then when Isabella comes up to me & says 'can I be your friend?' I'll just say YES.  She goes on to name almost every kid in her class & Jaci cries harder with every 'friend.'  Finally - Jaci tells Lauren to quit because she is making her jealous & mad.  

Dang - its a long car ride.

Somewhere during all that, Jaci asks me for a coin.  Then she returns to normal.  I asked her what she did with the dime.

Jaci: [no tears & talking like normal] I just flipped it.  Heads was I start talking nice & tails was I cry all the way home.  And it was heads.

And just like that - the storm is over.  I give her a high 5 for pulling herself out of it & then tell her I'm going to buy her a quarter with 2 heads (1 on each side) for next time.

Think it will work?  Be sweet!

A Day in the Life of a Mom

While cleaning out my computer files - I came upon this. It cracks me up! This is something I did for church several years ago on Mother's Day. Its not in perfect sentences, but still a good read. Any mom will identify. And believe it or not - the girls are a few years older, but we are still just as busy... This is back when I worked 6:30 - 3 & actually got here on time!

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MOM

- alarm goes off at 5:45 – I hit snooze twice
- Get up, get dressed, brush hair/teeth, say quick prayers, out the door
- Go to work for 8 – 9 hours
- Leave work, stop to get gas, go pick up the kids
- Have a short conversation with MIL – were the kids good today, did they go potty, what/when did they eat last, thank you for keeping them, love you , bye
- Get baby in her car seat, get 1 whiney 4 yo in her car seat
- Argue all the way home b/c she wants to stay at grandmas & why don’t I let her do whatever she wants like grandma, she can’t hear the radio, she’s bored, and would I please pull over and get the marker she dropped in the floor board.
- Whiney 4 yo cries b/c the baby is laughing at her and its not nice to laugh at people, and she’s STILL bored, and it only takes 5 minutes to get from MIL to home
- Stop & get the mail, 4 yo wants to sit in my lap & help pull the car from the driveway to the garage, so I let her
- Get home, unload whiney 4yo & baby that’s still laughing at whiney 4 yo. Try to get both kids, shoes that have been kicked off, 2 lunch boxes, diaper bag, purse & mail all in 1 trip
- Feel like a pack mule – open the door with one my pinkie and foot, finally get in and pile everything on the bar
- Try to go to the bathroom by myself – FAT CHANCE – both kids follow me to see what I’m doing
- Make 4 yo go to bathroom while we’re in there, wash hands, change diaper, wash hands again, go fix snacks
- Pick up baby’s snacks from off the floor, get her out of her highchair and shake her a little bit to let all of the cheerios fall back on the floor that I just cleaned
- Put the baby down for a nap, thank God that she is easy to get to sleep
- Play game with 4 yo
- Start load of laundry, try to convice 4 yo that folding towels can be fun
- Hubby calls to see whats for dinner, OOPS, I haven’t even thought about dinner
- Hurry to thaw chicken, make salads. 4 yo wants to help with the salads, she spills bacon bits all over the floor
- She doesn’t want to sweep them up, but does.
- She tries again with the bacon bits and spills them again. She is adamant that cleaning makes her arms tired, so I sweep them up this time.
- Get chicken cooking, salads are made put them in the fridge
- Baby wakes up, I put her in her highchair w/ cheerios to keep her quiet.
- 4yo goes out to swing on her swingset, so the baby wants to go too. So – we go swing.
- YEAH! Papa comes over so I hold him hostage – he plays school w/ the 4 yo while I put the baby back in her highchair and give her more cheerios.
- Wonder if its possible to OD a baby on cheerios, figure surely not or there would be a warning on the box, so I go ahead and give her another handful.
- Finish up dinner, say bye to Papa
- Hubby calls – oops changes have to be made in time to show the clients in the morning, hopefully he’ll be home before midnight.
- Girls & I eat dinner WHY AM I EATING STANDING UP?, put hubby’s dinner in fridge.
- Try to straighten up the kitchen while kids are occupied
- I realize I have not sat down since I got home
- Baby starts crying, its bed time, but her fingernails need to be clipped & she has peas in her hair
- Put both kids in the tub. Hurry & wash baby’s hair.
- Fight w/ 4yo who is convinced if her hair doesn’t stink, she doesn’t have to wash it
- I decide I can take another shot at the towels that need to be folded while girls are playing in the tub
- Tell 4yo not to feed the baby bubbles by the spoonful
- Tell the 4yo not to waste shampoo. Reminds me to call my mother and apologize for all the shampoo wasted while my sister & I made shampoo burritos
- Get baby out, diaper, lotion & pjs on, tell 4yo to dry off next time before she gets out
- Wipe up all water that is tracked from the bathroom
- Put baby to bed, thank God again that she is easy to get to sleep
- Get pjs on 4yo, brush hair, dry hair, braid hair, brush teeth, turn on computer for her to play games
- She asks how many games she can play, I say 2, she plays 4
- While she’s busy with that, I go ahead & make lunches for tomorrow, lay out clothes, pack diaper bag, tape a note to the door to remind hubby not to forget meds in the morning
- Tell 4 yo to go to the bathroom, piggy back ride to her bedroom, OOPS, I forgot to get her water – in the ELEPHANT cup, she takes FOREVER to pick out which stuffed animals she wants to sleep with, finally we are all set.
- I tell her a short story or read a short book, we say our prayers, kiss goodnight & go to heat up the baby’s bottle
- I get 10 steps away from the 4yo room and she has to go to the bathroom AGAIN, and I forgot to turn on her fan
- I put her back to bed & tell her don’t call me again unless its an emergency
- Remind her that an emergency qualifies as blood, barf, or bathroom
- Go back to heat the baby’s bottle up, get baby up & feed her & change her diaper
- Put the baby back to bed, thank God AGAIN that she is easy to get to sleep
- HA! Now its my time! I get to take a shower & dry my hair in peace. But..
- Oops – I forgot to feed the dog. I let her in, and runs straight for under my bed.
- I coax her out from under the bed w/ a piece of turkey
- The dog eats and I put her back outside so she can go to the bathroom. Feel like the bathroom police b/t the dog, diapers & forcing the 4yo to go
- Bring the dog back in & put her in her kennel
- I wonder how many times I Have bend over to pick something up & wonder how people do it with more than 2 kids and with no family to help/hold hostage
- The day’s been so busy – I want to call my friends w/ no kids and warn them! Tell them how jealous I am of them that they can go to sleep when ever they want and don’t have to make anyone go to the bathroom
- But – instead of calling I decide to finally finish folding that load of towels that I’ve been trying to get to all evening.
- I find a hairclip that got washed with the towel. I smile and think of when the 4yo had the towel wrapped around her like a cape.
- I step in the shower and see a bucket & ladel & think of the shampoo concoction that was made in there just an hour or two ago. I smile.
- I go to brush my teeth and see all the toothbrushes arranged to spell part of Haley’s name – I smile
- I bend over to pick up a cloth diaper for what seems like the 200th time that evening, but this time I smile b/c I think of how the baby holds it when she sucks her thumb
- And a transformation takes place in just a few moments. I’ve gone from wanting to call my friends w/ no kids to warn them, to wanting to call them and ask them what they are waiting on – they should be envious of me!
- How I’m amazed that God has given me 2 beautiful, healthy girls & how astounded I am of the love I feel for them as I kiss them goodnight while they are sleeping.
- While they are asleep, I think I want several more kids – just like the ones I’ve got!
- Hubby finally gets home and tells me about the crazy evening HE’S had
- I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow and before I know it, I’m hitting snooze on that alarm again.


So the moral of this story is – kids & dads – today – give your mom a long hug & a good smooch – then let them go take a nap – they are exhausted!!!