Ommmm.....

After a hectic day, my husband and I decided to go on a "yoga" date. So once the babysitter arrived we were out the door!

We were a few minutes late for the class and were not able to sit next to each other. That may have been a good thing, because I am not a good yoga student. Part of the problem is that I get too "hooked' on things. Once the deep breathing started, I was a goner and I don't mean that in a good way. With one eye cracked open, I start scanning the room. I noticed people's dirty feet. I checked out people's weird expressions. Where is the clock? I couldn't find the clock and I felt like going nuts. I tried to listen to the instructor and focus on my breathing. The more she talked the more I felt like hyperventilating. I needed a clock. What time is it? I needed to know!!! I couldn't focus on the breathing without knowing how much longer I was going to be stuck in the yoga room.

After a few deeps breaths, I tried to give in and except that I had to be stuck in the smelly yoga room for a whole hour and a half. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't relax. I couldn't stop thinking!!! At one point, I almost fell asleep but I woke up startled to what I thought was a lawn mower. Turned out it was the room chanting!?! Ughh...it felt like forever.

Finally it ended and I was free! I met up with my husband, who expressed a little disappointment because he was expecting a power yoga class. Me on the other hand, realized that I need the boom, boom of loud music playing in the background. I need the sweat and the aching of every inch of my body. I need the aggressive workouts. My personality is nothing but intense, so why did I think I could do yoga!

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!

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...

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!!!!

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!!!

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.

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...

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.

Day glow pink....

If you've been following my blog, you'd know by now that I have a very creative 3yr old with an incredibly active imagination! The days of her stripping, pulling her poopie diaper off and finger painting on the wall are gone. The bedroom has been emptied of anything that she could possibly have fun with during naptime. The lamp has been removed, so she can't wear the lampshade on her head as she dances around the room. The toy bin is gone, so she can not line up her dolls and stuffed animals, then cover them with band aids. Most of the art has been removed from the walls, so she can't rearrange it.

So what is left for her to do doing during naptime? Sleep, I would think, but now who am I kidding! So now really what is there left to do???? Well, to take apart her bed, of course and "paint" the walls with Vaseline! As I stared in wonderment at her room. I keep thinking how could this happen? I had removed everything that I thought she could get! The only thing I had left in the medicine closet of her bathroom was a small jar of Vaseline. A small jar of goo, aka Vaseline, would be way too appealing for my daughter. And now how did she reach the medicine cabinet? Well, she had opened each drawer of the bathroom vanity to create her own steps!

She explained to me that she was "cleaning" and the furniture needed to be polished. As I assessed the situation I see that she had "polished" the entire bed, 1/2 the wall, her bedding, and the mirrored closet doors. Yes, she was a busy bee! To top it off she pulled out the decorative flowers on her bed that covered the screws that hold her bed together. I am positive if she had been able to rig something together to get the screws out, she would have!

After all said and done the room is back to normal. It did take several washings to remove all of the Vaseline from the linens. The only hint left from the crime scene is the shiny patch of paint on the wall that now looks like a day glow pink!

We stole shoes:(

For some strange reason I thought it would be a fun adventure to head to the mall with the 3 kids. Now what was I thinking? Not only was it one of the hottest days of the year, but it was a little too close to feeding time for the twins. But I figured what the heck, let's go! In the beginning things were going well. At the first store we purchased some shoes for my daughter, along with a pair of angel wings, a cookie and 3 helium balloons. This didn't seem too bad. In hindsight, it was just a case of overconfidence!

With the helium balloons secured to the stroller, my daughter happily eating a cookie and angel wings strapped to her back we moved onto the next store. We arrived at Stride Rite, tried on what seemed like every shoe in the store and finally purchased one pair. My one son starts crying, and we head to the bouncy castle. My plan was that while my daughter was jumping, I'd be able to feed the twins. As we get to the bouncy, the crying turns to high pitch wales and his brother chimes in. The twins are now crying in stereo. As I bend down to take my daughter's shoes off, but what is on her feet but a pair that we had not purchased. We stole shoes! Yikes...not good!!!

I pick up my daughter, we can't scuff the shoes now! She starts crying because she thinks she can't bounce. The boys are crying. I am holding my daughter, pushing the double stroller, getting poked in the eye with an angel wing and getting slammed in the head with 3 helium balloons. I walk faster, start sweating, walk even faster, and the crying is getting louder now. The walk turns into a jog. Still more crying. I'm hot, the kids are hot. We finally made it back to Stride Rite to return the shoes. We retrieve my daughter's beat up old Crocs and head back to the bouncy castle. I am now sweating like pig, have two crying babies on my hands and one very confused 3yr old! Things were not good. I think I have learned my lesson. We'll head back to the mall again, but maybe for a nice leisurely walk and to enjoy the bouncy castle. As for running errands and shopping, I think I'll leave that to the Internet. That way I'll know that I have paid for everything!!!!!

What's in your underwear drawer?

Every morning I start my day with a smile. It's not necessarily because I had a great night sleep or that I am this wonderful optimistic person who wakes up ready to take on the day. It's because every morning I find a "surprise" in my underwear drawer.

At this point in time it not only holds my undies, but it is the new storage space for the Hungry Hungry Hippo's marbles, a pacifier and a few random papers. This is the place of choice for my daughter to put her prized possessions. So every morning I have to laugh, because everyday it's something new. So what's in your underwear drawer?

What's wrong with me????

I recently went to dinner with a good friend of mine and half way through dinner she decided that I needed serious therapy. Normally, I would have been insulted, but I really respect my friend and maybe she was on to something. So the next day I discussed it with my husband and he declared "yes, that there is something wrong with me"! I sat there with my mouth wide open...almost speechless, but much to my husband's dismay not entirely speechless! So what is my problem? Well I can't let go, I am a helicopter mom, I can't say "no", I keep taking on new projects and the list goes on and on. First off, my daughter starts preschool on Thurs. I have called the school and almost canceled her enrollment. Changed my mind, found a different preschool and signed her up. I changed my mind once again and decided she was going to the original school. I then made special drop off and pick up arrangements to fit into the twins schedule. I have been crying for weeks that she is leaving. Left the purchasing of her school supplies until the very end, just in case I change my mind again. Now that I am committed (at least for today) I volunteered to be the classroom head mom. So when I told my husband I wanted to be classroom mom, he asked me if that was a really smart thing to do? Didn't I have enough going on? Yes, I have a full plate. I have a small import business, my custom art business, my blog, my baby product review site, I am a co-chair for the San Diego Chapter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I have 3 kids, a husband, do an endless amount of laundry, grocery shopping & cleaning. To top it off last week I felt as if I was running an at home daycare. Last week I watched my kids, another 3yr old and a 6 month old! So why, oh why can't I let go? Why can't I just be a mom.That is really all I want to do and it should be fulfilling enough, right? Every time I take on a new project, in the back of my mind I know I shouldn't, but I just can't stop. So maybe I do need therapy after all. Well, at least to learn to use the word "NO" and be okay with it!

Go Daddy!

This evening, when my husband arrived home at 5pm, he surprised me by saying that he had made an appointment for a one and a half hour massage at 6pm and that I should take it. Well, it didn't take me long to grab my keys and run out the door! Then it dawned on me that he would have all three kids. With no dinner made, all three kids to feed and needing to put down for bed, I retreated back into the house. He said he could handle it, he'd figure it all out and I should relax and enjoy the massage. What a guy!!!! Well when I returned home at 7:40pm, the house was quiet. Could this be? Did he do it? As I tip toed up the stairs, I heard him and my 3 yr old daughter singing soft lullabies. There she was tucked neatly in her bed, my husband in the rocking chair burping a baby and a satisfied smile on his face. Yes, two down, one to go! As I fed my other son, I thought about what a great job my husband did. Not only did he make a shrimp and linguine dinner, he managed to get two bottles made, 2 kids fed and tucked in. As I finished feeding the last baby...time check 7:55pm, all I could think of was "Go Daddy, go"!!!

8am to 8pm

It amazing to have gone from being completely exhausted to feeling human again in just 4 short months. Thanks to Babywise the twins go down around 7pm, I sneak in and feed them at 8pm and the don't make a peep until 8am! What a blessing. So many people say I am lucky. Yes, I know I am, but I do think it's not just luck. I put a lot of time into sleep training my kids. In the beginning it was round the clock every 3 hours for the first 6-8 weeks. I did what everyone thought was foolish, I woke not one but two sleeping babies! The Babywise premise is it to get the infant on a schedule. So you get them fed before they get too hungry, too agitated and too hard to calm down. For me it worked, but you have to be dedicated and disciplined. So it is not for everyone. My daughter is a perfect example that Babywise works. The first time around I may have chalked it up to "luck" but now that the twins are here and they are sleeping well I have to believe it was my diligence to follow a schedule. So, this evening I am looking forward to laying on the couch and watching a movie with my husband by 8:30! Wow, even I am amazed!!!!!

It's not you, it's me!

We've all been there at some point in our life, when we've had to break up with a boyfriend who was text book perfect, but yet something was just not right. I myself have had to use the "it's not you, it's me" line, and recently I found myself almost having to use that line again. Seems rather strange to me since I am happily married and have three kids, but there was a person in my life who had been sucking the daylight out of me. When I would tell my dilemma to other friends, I was advised to "dump her" or "break up with her". I found this so disturbing, even though after every time that particular friend and I would talk or meet, I left feeling unsettled, aggitated and even sad. I couldn't quite forget how she was there for me or what a reliable friend she was. But when does the bad out way the good? This was and still is my greatest struggle. I kept making excuses for her unkindness or her rudeness. Eventually I did "let go" of the friendship as hard as it was for me. Almost instantly a weight had been lifted from my shoulders and I was able to focus on my family with pure joy. This is when I knew the decision was right. Now that we have broken up, it is interesting to see things more clearly and recognize how much time I wasted discussing her issues with my husband. I am only sorry that I didn't do it sooner. Now if only I can get my husband to break up with the downer in his life...