Wednesday, September 30, 2009

It's official...I am a loon!

There is something wrong with me...I just can't stop. What is it that I can't stop? Well just about everything. I can't stop thinking of new and unnecessary things to do. I can't stop doing laundry, cleaning or the dishes. I can't stop thinking about my kids. When I am with them, I feel as if I need to do more for them and when I am away from them, I feel as if I didn't do enough with them! I can't stop volunteering and I can't stop thinking of new business ventures.

The fact that I'm a loon, became profoundly obvious to me last night as I was steam cleaning the family room carpet. Yes, steam cleaning the carpets...at 9:30pm! What normal person does that?!? Then after I completed my cleaning frenzy I proceeded to cast 3 concrete stepping stones for my daughter's preschool craft project. I of course volunteered to oversee it and have been obsessed for the past 3 days with creating mosaic stepping stones. Tonight, after everyone went to bed, I was in the laundry room, sorting itsy bitsy mosaic tiles into color piles. I did this because I wanted to simplify the project for seventeen 3yr olds. Like that's possible! Please don't get me wrong, I love everything I do...I feed off of the craze in my life. It is my state of blissfulness. Most don't understand me, but like I said I just can't stop!

Someone once told me that, as a mom I was too hands on. I was perturbed when I first heard this statement. I mean, how can one be too hands on? Now I realize that I may be too hands on with everything. I am confirming what everyone else knows...I am a loon!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Think twice before parking next to a minivan!

I know moms in minivans get a bad rap, but please, please think twice before parking too close to a minivan. I know cars are larger and the parking spots are smaller, but please try to notice the space in between you and the next car.

As I tried the other day to get my twins into the minivan, the car next to me was so close that I couldn't even get the carseat through. I went to the other side of the car where there was a little more room. If I had a car without sliding doors, I definitely wouldn't have been able to crack the door open enough to get my babies in. As I tried to manipulate the carseat, with my one son in it, through the tiny space, I hit the car next to me. I cringed and felt really bad. There was no damage but there was no way I could get the boys in otherwise.

I looked around half hoping the owner would come, so I could apologize and maybe politely comment on staying in the lines. Yes, a little passive aggressive, I know! But no luck, no one else was around. It was just a very crowded parking lot. So again, please think twice before parking too close...

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

And we thought we had it bad...

Today was one of those days where all the plans get tossed out the window. I was prepared to drop my daughter off at school and then take the twins to physical therapy with me. Something I really needed since my back has been aching from lugging all the kids everywhere.

But when my daughter woke up this morning, she was covered head to toe in hives. Her poor little face was swollen and so were her eyes. I frantically called everyone to cancel my appointments as well as called the doctors office to see if they could squeeze us in. Yes, they could, but we had to get there ASAP. So I ran around the house like a mad woman, making bottles, packed the diaper bag, changed everyone and threw some waffles in a bag for my daughter. We made it out of the house, into the car and arrived at the doctors office in record time, but of course we had to wait, and wait...

We waited an hour or so. The twins got cranky, because it was nap time. My daughter was agitated because she couldn't stop scratchy and me, well I was pretending not to notice the ruckus my family was making.

I think we officially scared the entire waiting room from the loud screams coming from the room we were in. A nurse knocked on the door to make sure we were alright. The doctor tried to calm the boys down. Another nurse tried to help only to be rewarded with projectile spit up from my one son. To me it was just another day with the kids. The noise just doesn't phase me, but for most it drives them nuts.

With a prescription in hand, a lab work form, my kids and I depart the doctors office. As all eyes focus on me, I survey the waiting room. Yup, lots of first time parents, embracing their little ones, afraid that their kids may catch the "screams". A few parents give me an embarrassed smile, some look at me with pity, but most just looked relived that they are not in my position. As we walk out the door, I hear one husband say to his wife "and we thought we had it bad"! That made me laugh and kept me laughing all day long. Good thing, because the tears from the kids lasted all day long too!!!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

There is something wrong with the toilet...

Just as I am about to relax, because I think all three kids are sleeping, I hear a rumbling from up above. My daughter is awake from her nap, or did she ever really nap? As she comes running down the stairs with a plunger in hand, she is yelling that there is something wrong with the toilet. This is not, what one wants to hear a three year old proclaim!

Off the couch, I start running towards her, because now the rumbling I heard from up above distinctly sounds like the toilet running over. Yikes! My daughter is so excited, jumping up and down happily declaring that she had tried to fix it. Wasn't she a great mommy's helper? Yes, what a helper she is!?!

As I assess the damage, I see that a whole roll of toilet paper is stuck smack dab in the center of the toilet bowl. A whole package of baby wipes and a little rubber ducky has all made it to the party! The floor is soaking wet as well as every towel that my daughter could find. In case that wasn't enough her little potty is full and there is some poop in the bathroom sink! How and why does she consistently do stuff like this?? Where did I fail? I always gave her plenty of attention. I mean really now, who does this????

Since my daughter was born she has always kept me on my toes. At 9 months she figured out how to "swing" her legs and up over the crib. She has disrobed and rubbed poop everywhere. She has polished her bedroom with Vaseline. She has put her potty in her bed so her toys could use it. She's broken 3 crib tents and bent her rail that prevents her from falling out of the "big girl" bed. She has covered the walls with band aids and now has a great desire to figure out how the toilet works and where the water goes!!!

Oh my! She just keeps going. Don't get me wrong, I love her zest and energy for life. I love that she is so curious and how she wants to continually learn. She makes me smile and fills my heart with so much joy. But sometimes she tests my patience like nothing else. But I guess that is what children are all about. They teach us, just as much as we teach them. She has taught me to always smile & laugh because otherwise I'd be crying, especially after seeing poop floating in the sink!!!

Friday, September 11, 2009

9/11

Today is a day that will always remind me of how precious life is and that everyday is a gift. 8 years ago my life was almost terribly altered but fortunately my story has a happy ending. My dad is a 9/11 survivor. I will never forget that day and where I was when I heard the news. I think back and realize that I was on one of the last flights to arrive into Newark, NJ. Arriving into Newark at 2am I made the drive to upstate NY to visit my family. I knew I would be delayed so I canceled my work appointments in Manhattan the day before.

As I played with my nephews & niece I remember the TV going out. Then the phone started ringing and we heard the news. It was the longest morning of my life. Knowing that my dad was in the World Trade Center and worked on one of the higher floors, it didn't seem the he could have been one of the many fleeing from the towers. Fortunately he was. Bits and pieces of what he saw has come out, but he doesn't speak about that day much. I know he saw the first tower struck by a plane as he was looking out the window drinking coffee. A kind soul let him use their phone to call us.

This morning, as I was driving I looked around. Everything has gone back to normal. A car cut me off. I saw two people arguing over a parking spot. Sometimes I think we all take things for granted. I know I do. Today, I hope everyone takes a moment to reflect, stop and think. Life goes by too fast and we can't control what's going to happen next.

As I dropped my daughter off at school, the woman in the office complimented me because I am always smiling. Trust me I am not always smiling. I truly feel that at times I have so much going on, it is easy to get overwhelmed. My survival mode is to smile and just keep going! So for today, let's all smile and count our blessings.

Monday, September 7, 2009

She's hardcore....

I have my very own personal trainer, and it's awesome. The best part is that I don't pay her, she always wants to be by my side and she's hardcore! Who is this person? Well, It's my three-year-old daughter! When I have the twins in the double Bob stroller, my daughter likes to sit on the front. If I am running, well maybe not running, considering I am pushing a 100lbs and people are passing me as they are walking by. My daughter sits in front, yelling, "Faster mom, you can do it". "FASTER...I said FASTER"!!!! Yes, she's a tough one. The other day I was about to collapse from the run and when I told her I couldn't run anymore because my lungs were burning she said, "feel the burn, now RRUUNNNNNNN"! Yes, she keeps me going...

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

It was a good day:)

Every day is a good day, but today was exceptional. It restored my faith in people. For the past few weeks I have seen people not say thank you for a good deed, borrow things and not give them back or in general just be taken advantage of! I sometimes feel that I have become a source of great entertainment and amusement as people watch me struggle with my tandem stroller. I guess it may be funny for some to see me half stuck in a doorway as the door slams me in the ass!

But today, all the stars must have been aligned! It started out as I dropped my daughter off at school. The woman in the office kindly offered to watch the twins while I ran my daughter downstairs to her classroom. Then during a Target run, I noticed the woman in front of me at the register, buying a Leap Frog Reading Toy. I was thinking of buying it for a Christmas gift and once she noticed me peering at her item, she offered to run back to the toy department and get me one. It was on sale for $12.00 from $50! Another man offered to load my cart and then another person offered to help get the cart to my car. This was amazing, since I am so used to pulling the shopping cart behind me as I push the double stroller with one hand. Since the twins were born 5 months ago, not one person has ever offered to help while I've been out. So this truly caught me by surprise and I was so overwhelmed with the generosity of it all. As I rambled on to each person about how kind they were, they were amazed that I was amazed! It was a good day indeed.