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!!!

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...

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!

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?

I will always be in your heart!

Yesterday, I started reviewing the list of school supplies that my daughter would need when she starts preschool in Sept. Not only was I overwhelmed with how much she will need, really she's just 3, so I don't understand why the supply list is a full one page but I was saddened at the prospect of dropping her off each morning. As my daughter was trying on her little school jumper, my lower lip quivered and my eyes welled up with tears. My daughter consoled me and said "don't worry mommy, I will always be in your heart when I am at school". Yikes! That's what I used to say to her when I would have to leave to run errands and we were dealing with separation anxiety. When did our roles reverse? As I think about it, maybe I was the one with separation anxiety and never her! Could that be?!? How sad:(

When everything goes awry.

I don't know what to do? After 3yrs of carefully screening what my daughter watches, who my daughter plays with and keeping close tabs on her to ensure that she properly behaves, all that goodness flew out the door in the one hour that I left the house for a manicure! She had a playdate with acquaintances of my husband and learned how to push, spit and empathetically say "no way Mom". Yes, my beautiful blond daughter with the doe eyes and the look of pure wholesomeness is now hocking major luggies. What to do...I just don't know? It has taken me three days now to deprogram her and I don't even know if it's a success yet. I know I can't shelter her forever, but my theory was that if I kept her away from the bad behavior for as long as possible she's would recognize it and know to do the right thing. For a 3 year old this is an impossible task. Now who was I kidding...

I love my Wii Fit

As a mom of three (I still can't believe it!), I find it hard to cram in any time for myself. If I do have any free time, I usually am doing dishes, laundry, cleaning or showering and not really doing anything fun. But recently I broke out my Wii and started working out with my 3yr old. I absolutely love it. It is a good way for us to spend time together, laughing and having fun as we do the hula hoop or go for a "run" together on the Wii Fit. It has become the only way I can sneak in a little exercise and my daughter loves laughing at/with me while I jump around like a mad woman. I have fallen in love...with my Wii Fit!!!!

A little too creative...

The "big girl bed" has arrived! I am a sap, because of course, I cried once it arrived. How fast time goes by. Now that my daughter is not "trapped" in her crib, her imagination has gone wild. The first night, she was so excited that she fell fast asleep in her new bed without even realizing that she could escape. That didn't last long. The next day at nap time she figured out that she could jump all over the bed. Then she proceeded to get in and out of her bed over and over. In and out she went, under the covers, out of the covers, pillows tossed on the floor and then back on the bed. I am of the mindset, that I don't care what she does, as long as she is quiet and stays in her room. Well, that may not be the smartest philosophy. As I watched her in the video monitor, with the lampshade on her head, her clothes on backwards, I noticed a strange object in her bed. At this point I knew I had to go in. Once I entered the room, it was hard not to laugh and I wasn't sure if I should be mad or not. All of her toys and stuffed animals were lined up perfectly on the bed. Some were covered in band aids, a few had books placed on them, some were covered in toilet paper (clean thank goodness) and the strange object was her potty and Raggedy Ann was "using"it! In the sternest voice I could muster, I inquired as to what was going on. With her eyes wide she looked at me as if I was the biggest fool on the earth. Her toys were sick and she was taking care of them and Raggedy Ann had to use the potty, of course she couldn't go in her pants! I was thrown off guard. I truly didn't know what to do and the way she answered me, so matter of factly made it even harder. I think every parent wants their child to be creative, but can there be such a thing as a little too creative? I think so!

Call me bitter?!?

Today was the first day of my husband's "vacation" from work. We decided not to go anywhere because the twins are just 8 weeks and it would be easiest to stay local. So I hired extra help to have some free time. The morning did not start off well. My husband took his car in to get fixed and the shop found a few unexpected things wrong with it. Not a good start. As we drove up to Legoland California with our 3 year old, I could see my husband start to relax. We arrived and everything was going well, nice weather, nice lunch, nice rides, but everything went south real fast, once my husband lost our daughter in a play area tunnel. Yes, not good, and I was not a happy wife. Fortunately, I found her in the midst of a ton of kids having a blast, fully unaware that I had half of the play area park attendants looking for her. So maybe I am bitter, but it's not why you may think. It's not because my husband lost our daughter, not because I am tired, or not because I have spit up constantly stuck on my right shoulder. I am believe it or not, all fine with that. But what I am not fine with, are the wise asses that call my husband and ask him if "he's ready to go back to work, yet?". So I have to wonder what type of "friends" would do that? Is it because they are SO miserable at their jobs that they wish they could take two weeks off? Or is it because they are miserable when they are home with their families and want everyone else to be just as pathetic? Now really, why would anyone ask that question? You know, they only want to hear the bad stuff, and they are not asking to lend support or empathize. They just want a good laugh. Well, knowing that we have 8 week old twins, a 3 year old toddler and no family in the area to help, all I have to stay is yes, things are stressful at times. Sometimes 3 kids cry simultaneously, laundry is piled up, but we are surviving and it's NOT as bad a people would like to hear. The twins are on a 3 hour feed schedule during the day and sleep 5-6hrs each night and my daughter is in bed no later then 8pm. So yes, things are on the upswing and we are getting out of the trenches. So a word to the wise DON'T call and ask if my husband is ready to go back to work, as if that is a place of sanctuary and we are the worst things to be around. If you do, be prepared for the Italian wrath of words. I will start calling you at work and ask if your day sucks, if business is bad and don't you wish you were home? And if you are home I will hunt you down there and annoy you. So really people, come on lets grow up because we've all been in the same boat...