Would you like some cheese with your whine ma'am?

I am in a whiny mood, so please pardon my rantings and ravings today.

Would you like to know how many times I have had to wipe a snotty nose today? What do you mean no? Come on, join in the fun. I have three children with runny, snotty noses. I have spent the majority of my day trying to wipe up the snot. Annie runs from me as soon as she sees the tissue. Izzie actually tries to blow her nose, but not into the tissue. Drew just fusses at me about not wanting to blow his nose. And when he does, we go thru 5 tissues. It's all truly disgusting. I have been wiping snotty noses for what seems like five months now. Every time they get better, it starts all over again.

The decibel level is my house at this very moment is much too high. I have had to remind Megan from the moment she got up this morning that we "don't yell in the house". Bet you can't guess what she's doing now? Come, guess. Yes, yelling. She has NO concept of a quiet inside voice, unless she is at school. I can verify that, as I volunteer in her classroom every other week. When she is there, she is polite, quiet, pays attention, respectful even. She is NOT that child at home. (Sidebar~I put the kids to work setting the table, and then banished them upstairs to play in their playroom. It's now eerily quiet up there. Wonder what they're plotting).

Oh, did I mention that it SNOWED AGAIN today? For crying out loud, I've had enough. I know I live in Maine, but the calendar reads Spring, and I am ready for Spring, damn it.

Ok, I've ranted enough. Thanks for reading. Send me love, will you?

I should be doing other things, but I'm blogging instead.

I should really be doing something productive. Like tidying up the living room, or folding laundry (since Doug did all the rest of it this weekend, I should be able to manage at least one load, don't you think?). But, instead I'm blogging. It feels productive, even if it's not making my house cleaner. I just spent some time visiting some blogs and now I feel like blogging. So here goes.

We had an odd weekend. Odd because we were a man (ok, child) down. My mother-in-law picked up Meg from hockey yesterday and took her for the weekend for a visit. So it was only 5 of us, and it was strange. Strange because it was relatively quiet, strange because Drew didn't have too many meltdowns, and strange because I wasn't even here when she got home today! No, I was off teaching a scrapbooking class when she arrived home. I guess she was so happy to be home she cried. It's been awhile since she had a sleepover with either of her grandparents, and the last few have included Drew, so while she was happy for some quiet time with her Mimi and Bumpa (her names for them), I think she was so relieved to be home. And she came home with new toys for everyone (except her parents, I just realized). For a 7 year old, she can be extremely empathetic. She got the twins a pink Fisher Price school bus to play with, because Drew still plays with the other one we have (and quite frankly refuses to share). She got Drew a Curious George stuffed animal and Matchbox car, because he loves monkeys and cars. She got some things for herself too, but nothing outrageous. She was so excited to show me everything she got; it was really sweet to watch. And tonight she finally lost a tooth that has been loose for about a hundred years. It was so bad that she refused to CHEW on that side of her mouth for fear it might fall out (her irrational fear of loose teeth comes from me unfortunately. Eww).

The twins became completely unspooled when I got home today. They're perfectly content when I'm not here, but as soon as I walk thru the door they go berserk. They start crying almost instantaneously and since they're talking a bit, all I hear is "mamamamamamamamama" until I pick one of them up. They are crying tears of joy that I'm home. I think I need to get out more!

The other funny thing about the twins is their reactions to things. For instance, we get deer in our backyard. Our backyard is 12 acres of woods. It's been a harsh winter here, and the fact that we still have 4 feet of snow in places means that the deer are coming for food. They've found that food source in our bird feeder. So, if the girls see deer, they let us know in this fashion~point wildly and yell "deeeahdeeahdeeahdeeah". They also do that when there aren't any deer there as well, just to remind us that out back is where the deer are. It's so cute to watch and listen to. I am pretty sure that now that they are talking more, they aren't going to stop. And honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about that. I already carry on more conversations than I can handle. Maybe I'll have to start drawing straws, or ooh, even numbers like at the deli. Then, when I call someone's number or pick a straw, we can have a conversation together. Hmm, I'll have to give that one some thought and let you all know what I come up with.

Oooh, I've been Tagged!

I got tagged by Mommy Brain with a meme.

Rules are:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Well alrighty then! Here goes:

1. Remember standardized testing? Well, the ONLY things I remember from that are the following: a "baloo" is a bear and "wuzzle" means to mix. WHY I remember those things is totally beyond me.

2. I cannot reconcile the fact that I used to be so neat and tidy with the person I am now (that person being the one who cannot find the top of her gorgeous kitchen island). I see piles of stuff and immediately shut down. It's just awful.

3. When I graduated from high school and left for college in New York, I swore to my parents that I was "never coming back to Maine". Hmm. My father constantly reminds me of that. It gets on my nerves.

4. I'm related to Lizzie Borden on my mother's side. So look out! Whack, whack, whack (37 more times).

5. I passed the Maine Bar Exam on the second try. I missed passing the first time by 3 points. And I don't practice law anymore.

6. I went to Ground Zero with Auntie Nettie in 2003. Doug couldn't understand why I wanted to go, but it was something I had to see for myself. It's something I'll never forget.

7. I am not a funny person, per se. So, when I make a funny, I feel like someone should throw a parade in my honor, or at least laugh with me. Laughing at me makes me cry.

So, there you have it. Now you join in:

Auntie Nettie at Auntie Nettie's Attic
Jane at Flax Hill Garden
Sam at The Way Life Is
Thia at Untangled Web
Amy at Tulip and Turnip
Creative Kerfuffle
Di at Motherhood is Painless

Hope you'll play along!

'Tis the Season!

So, I am a member of THAT Nation. Know what I'm talking about? No? Bet this will help:

Yes, we are RED SOX fans. No, this is not a recent picture (I WISH!). And no, I don't have anything for the twins.....yet. We were indeed up at 6 am the last two days to watch the Sox in Tokyo. With the kids. You know, before breakfast. Ok, so I "listened" to the game (HA. Actually I slept thru the first two innings both days). We are going to attend (sans children of course) 1 game this season. And it's our first Sox vs The Evil Empire (uh, I mean Yankees) game. In September. Which means it could be a really great game, or meaningless. Doesn't matter. We're going with friends and we actually got tickets. Now that the Sox rule the baseball world, getting tickets requires some finagling. First, you have to sign up for the chance to have your name drawn to perhaps, maybe, if you're lucky, purchase tickets. Then, you either get the "you're a loser" email (which I got 3 of, lucky me), or the "hey, you lucky bum, you get this once in a lifetime chance to maybe purchase tickets". Then, on the appropriate day and time, you log on via secret, special links and wait. Yep, you wait in a "lobby" FOREVER, hoping that you'll get in to purchase tickets. There are several games to choose from, but you can only pick one. And then there might not be any tickets left for the game you choose. I'd have better luck in Vegas. But anyway, on the appropriate day at the appropriate time, we logged on and waited. And on that day, we were to be attending Disney on Ice~Princesses. And as the time ticked, ticked, ticked away and we were still in the baseball lobby from hell, we got a bit panicky. How will we get tickets? We can't let this opportunity pass us by. We have to leave to take the twins to grandparents so we can take Meg and Drew to the Disney on Ice show (for which we had front row seats thank you very much). Thank goodness our friends were home when we called, and we gave them all the secret handshakes, etc. and they waited in the baseball lobby from hell for awhile, and acquired the tickets (kind of a letdown, now wasn't it?). And those tickets are now worth $500 each if we choose to sell them. Which of course we won't. Because maybe Beckett will be on the mound (I love him!) like last year when we went (courtesy of one of Doug's clients!!!) and maybe it will be a game that means something. But who cares!?!? Baseball season is here and we're ready! Go Sox!

The weekend roundup~yeehaw!

We had a pretty decent weekend. It all started, for me at least, with a nice arrival in the mail from my old friend Jane. She had read about the sock incident and sent along a lovely striped pair for me. I was having a very cranky Friday and that cheered me up. Thank you Jane!


Saturday was a good day. It started off early, watching Megan play goalie for the first time. She was so excited to be a goalie, but so nervous that we had to practically force her onto the ice. Once she got out there though, she was AWESOME! We were so proud of her!

Saturday night we had a little date to go see our niece and nephew in their high school performance of Guys and Dolls. They were incredible, as always. We can only hope that our kids grow up to be as talented, smart, wonderful and caring as their cousins.

We had a nice Easter as well. Ok, so you can't tell from this photo (Izzie was mad because we wanted her to stop playing for the photo op) but the Easter candy hunt was fun, the kids got loads of stuff from everyone, and we got to visit both families over the course of the day. It's so nice that our parents only live 10 minutes apart.

So, that's it. Now we're back to Monday. And the girls are back to a barely 45 minute nap. And still no one has invented the coffee IV.

Hooked on a feeling

I met Doug back in high school. Back when he was a football player and I was a band geek. Back when teenagers are too stupid to realize that just because he's a football player and she's a band geek doesn't mean that they can't be friends. That was the social nature of our high school though, so even though we had calculus class together, we only ever said hi to each other, every day for an entire school year. It was not love at first sight.


Even when we started spending time together, the summer after we graduated, it wasn't love at first sight (not for me, I mean). He was nice to me and he carried on conversations with my parents, and we had fun together. But I was going to New York for college and he was staying in Maine, so of course nothing was going to happen between us.


Well, time went on during my freshman year of college and I had a couple of boyfriends, but Doug and I chatted on the phone (that was before email and all that jazz, can you believe it?). I distinctly remember the moment I knew that I felt something for him, even if it was unnamed at the time. He called me to tell me he had been in a car accident. He was fine, but I remember asking him if I should come home. Things changed for us then; we spent all the time I was in Maine together. That summer, between freshman and sophomore year of college, we became an "item". We've really never looked back.

We didn't have an easy romance. We spent 7 years apart, seeing each other only on school vacations, the random long weekend, or weekends once I moved to Boston for law school. Oh, I could have attended UMaine Law, but who knows how our story would have ended. When we finally married, everyone commented on how relaxed we seemed at our wedding. For us, it was a "well it's about time we got married" feeling at our wedding.

This year we'll celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and our 17th anniversary of being an "item". We were just talking last night about how we're almost to the point of having spent half our lives together. It's that feeling from way back when that we have that keeps us together I think. We're comfortable, but not so comfortable that we don't make an effort to work on our marriage. We're each other's best friend. I can't imagine not having him in my life. He knows when to make me laugh, when to give me a hug and when to shut up and listen (even if he doesn't always hear me, he IS listening). Love you baby.

The "Pick your Battles" Battle

I hate the phrase "pick your battles". It is a truly annoying three-word sentence. The reason I hate that phrase is because I am SO LOUSY at picking my battles with the kids. And hence I have large amounts of gray hair that I cannot attribute to my husband. And that infuriates me. Because really, I've been with him for 17 years, so all those grays really are his doing.


Ugh, I digress, again. The reason I am so lousy at picking my battles is that I am a Type AAAA personality, so of course what I say, should go. HA. HA. HA. If I say "Drew, lunch is bologna and cheese" then of course that is what lunch should be. Right? No. Not. So. Much. What inevitably happens is Drew (sorry buddy, but you're my target today) will hoot and holler about wanting yogurt for lunch and I will hoot and holler right back about me being the boss, and lunch is what I give him. Please tell me why I fight with a 3 year old about lunch (or some other silly sundry). I sound completely insane (now, no comments please). So if I KNOW that I sound insane and I KNOW that fighting with my kids over silly little sundries is dumb, then why don't I stop? That is my battle. My "pick your battles" battle. (I sound like Dr. Seuss). I don't know where to draw the line. If I give in every day with the bologna vs. yogurt argument, then do I give in with 3 hours of tv vs. 1 hour of tv? Do you see my problem?

Of course, not every battle is one that should even require a discussion. NO, they will NOT run with scissor, knives or other sharp instruments. NO, they will NOT hit/kick/knock over their baby sisters/me/their father. NO, they will NOT go out of my sight in our woods. Too bad I'm the only one that believes those rules are not arguable. In my pretty mind I make the rules and everyone follows them.

So, if you have a solution to my "pick your battles" battle, drop me a comment! I'm all ears.

Parenting

I have to thank Amy for today's blog idea. I actually didn't know what I wanted to blog about, but her post got me thinking.

I think parenting is the hardest thing I've ever done. I've been a SAHM for a little over 3 years now, and I worked outside the home for 4 years before that (when I only had 1 child). I don't think you can compare the two; it's like comparing apples and oranges. Each has its own set of unique circumstances, and there is no way I can say one is better than the other. But parenting itself is just a difficult job all its own.

Parenting is hard. Anyone who says that parenting their children is all sunshine, rainbows and ponies really needs to stop trying to impress everyone else with their parenting skills. I'll say it. Parenting sucks sometimes. Like those days when the kids start bickering at the breakfast table at 7:15, and the babies dump their bottles all over the trays and no one will cooperate with getting dressed. Those are the days when my Type AAAAAAA personality kicks in and I yell. I know, I should just relax and go with the flow. But really, when I have 4 kids to get down to the bus stop at 8 am and everyone is crying and screaming, why on earth would I just smile and go with it? And why would I pretend to the rest of the world that it's all good? So that I look good to some other mother? Forget it. I actually don't care what people think of me. Oh, I used to care what people thought of me. I used to care an awful lot. But then I realized that I am doing my best (most days) and that if someone thinks they can do better, just give me a shout out.

Since when did raising our children become some sort of competition? Why is it so hard to admit to another mother that parenting is hard? Oh yes, I'm sure that I've been guilty of glossing over the tough times so that I don't sound like I'm complaining. But then there are the days when I count the hours until the kids go to bed and I don't care who knows.

Please, don't get me wrong. I love my children. I would do anything for my children. I love their kisses, hugs, funny looks, silly sayings. But being their Mama is challenging and I will be the first to admit it.

My Monday Triumph (Edited to Show THE SOCK!)

Oh what a morning I had! I say that in the best possible way. You see, last week, I lost a sock. Not a kids sock, but a Mama sock. A Mama sock without any holes in it. That my friends is a big deal in this house, because, as it turns out, most of my socks have one, or several holes in them. I hate wearing socks with holes in them, but as I have very few pair that are intact, I have to make due with what I have.

But, I digress. I spent the better part of last week looking for said sock (did I mention it's pale pink with cute polka dots on it, and the toe and heel are periwinkle? Do you see now why I just had to find it?). I went thru all the clean and dirty laundry, looked under beds, under the washer and dryer. Still, no sock. It became an obession that went something like this: "Meg, have you seen my polka dot sock?" "Drew, have you seen my polka dot sock?" "Doug, what did you do with my polka dot sock?" WOW. I had so many other things to obsess about, like my other home needing a tenant ASAP, and the state of my kitchen, but I focused my energies on that darn sock. After doing laundry again this weekend, said sock was nowhere to be found and I was pretty sad.

But this morning, I triumphed! I decided to go thru the twins' bureau, just in case. Guess what I found? Oh come on, guess! You're right~my sock. Sitting on top of the girls' jammies in the bottom drawer of their bureau. I held it up high and yelled "I found my sock!" like I'd found a million dollar check hidden in there. Who knew that such a little thing could make me so happy?

Then my husband came home at lunch and made fun of the gray streaks in my hair, and that hapiness just went away. He did tell me that I "should go get that colored right away" as if that made things better. I know he meant well. However, I am just reminding him that he can end up in the doghouse with Swistle's husband, so he best be careful.

Saturday fun

This is how we spent our Saturday morning. We ALL got haircuts, but today was the first haircut for Annie and Izzie. They did amazingly well. No screaming, no fussing. Next week is kid pictures at the Picture People, so they needed to look glamorous of course.

It's been a long week here. I am finally starting to come thru this bout of bronchitis, thank goodness. I could still sleep all day, but since I'm not allowed, I'll just go on. Our tenants at our house in SP decided to break the lease and give their notice, AND not pay their last month's rent. I've spent the week trying to deal with that, and let me tell you, it's not pleasant. I am not one to want to put anyone out on the street, but I also never wanted to own two homes, pay mortgages on two homes, and try to pay all our bills on Doug's salary. Never become a landlord. Take it from me. It's no picnic.

But, it's Saturday and the kids and Doug are outside playing in the snow, somewhere. Yes, it snowed again last night. Not a ton, but enough to cover what is the beginning of mud season (remember when I mentioned a 5th season here in Maine? It's almost upon us! I promise to take pictures when it's in full swing!) The twins are sleeping off their haircut adventure and I just watched the Bruins beat the Flyers in OT. Can't really beat that, now can you?

A monster ate my books

When Meg was a baby, she loved books. She loved to look at them, touch the pages, talk to the pictures. She was very kind to them and I was thrilled. I love books and I like to see them treated nicely. She was so nice to the books that they were still in good condition when Drew came along. And that's when it started. The monster that ate the books moved in. Drew was that monster. He chewed every single board book that we had. And if that wasn't enough, he tore them apart. He bent them backwards so that the bindings broke. It was heartbreaking. So heartbreaking that I took all the books away.

Fast forward to Annie and Izzie. They did NOT acquire Meg's delicate touch. Annie has succeeded in ruining at least a half dozen books in the last month. She chews the covers, bends them backwards and steps on them. Izzie has just discovered how wonderful the books taste and she too is chewing covers, etc. I don't know what to do. I want them to like books, but I think they've taken it to the extreme. I don't want to take the books away, but I am at a loss as to how to stop the destruction. The are not fans of the cloth books~not tasty enough I guess. Shall I just season all those lovely books with a bit of salt and pepper and let them chew away?

The kids

What gets your kids to come to the table for dinner? My kids generally loathe mealtime, because a) it forces them to stop playing and/or killing each other, b)it requires them to sit still and c)because we don't always eat hot dogs/mac and cheese/pizza. BUT, there is one meal that gets them singing and hopping all the way to the table and we just ate it. TACOS. The kids (and by kids, I mean the older two, because Annie and Izzie, well, they're asleep and have been for about an hour) LOVE LOVE LOVE tacos. We buy the Ortega Hard and Soft Taco Dinner Kit and they eat like ravenous wolves. It's great. Even Drew, who soaking wet barely weighs 30 pounds, can tackle 3 tacos with ease. Now granted, we need to hose them down when they're done eating, but still. A meal eaten without complaints is worth all the wet paper towels in the world.

****

Remember when I said that Izzie was getting a tooth and was ahead of Annie? Well, I was wrong. Annabelle sprouted tooth number 8 yesterday and Isabelle's came in today. Not sure how Annie knew that Izzie was getting hers, but somehow she just had to beat her. At least these teeth seemed easier than the others. I am just dreading the molars though. Thank goodness the cribs have the clear plastic chew bars on them, because Drew nearly ate his crib apart when he was teething.

****

Oh, and Izzie has decided that the whole walking part of her life is A-OK with her. She walked all over the place today. And not along the furniture, laughing like a lunatic either, but across the room, from me to the wall, or to a toy. The laugh that she gets is really creepy. Our babysitter says it's like she knows something and isn't sharing it with the rest of us. It's that "he-he-he" kind of laugh that makes you wonder. But, until her head spins around, I'll take it as a sign of happiness.

Yes, Princesses can wear Hockey Skates

These pictures were taken within 12 hours of each other (unfortunately, the dressed up Megan comes before the Hockey Girl Megan).

So yes, all you mothers of girls out there, they can be princesses and hockey players at the same time!

DST and other sundry Monday things

I am not a fan of Daylight Savings Time. Well, that is not entirely true. I am a HUGE fan of darker mornings where my son, who usually rises at 5, actually sleeps until 7. That is a miracle of gigantic proportions, and not at all brought on by any unnatural substances. One night does not a new pattern make, so I reserve judgment.

What I am NOT a fan of is eating my dinner in sunlight so bright that it feels like noon. Also not a fan of that fact that DST is earlier this year. Usually, DST coincides with the sprouting of flowers, temperatures above 35 degrees and oh, no snow on the ground. None of those conditions exist here. There is still so much snow on the ground that I am anticipating it being July before it's all gone. I totally understand the premise behind DST. I too am happy with the thought of lower electric bills since I won't have to light every light in my house in order to make dinner. Not having to put our outside lights on at 4pm is nice. But it's only March 10th, we have 4 feet or more of snow on the ground, and DST is supposed to be indicative of spring. Seems a bit of a slap in the face to me.

On another note, my husband now has the bronchitis ick that the kids and I have. Mine has turned into a really nasty cough accompanied by a wheeze. Carrying the twins up and down the stairs brings out the nastiness of the wheeze. I sound like a smoke a pack or two a day (which byt the way, I don't). Oh, and for fun, Annie and I took a tumble on Friday.

Yes, the tumble was a very bad mama moment, even though it was an accident. It was one of those moments that make you feel horrible as a parent. You think, "First, do no harm" (ok, so that's the Hippocratic Oath, but you get the point). I was carrying her across the living room that was littered with toys (you can see where this is going, can't you?) to get her sock, and I stepped on a toy. The next thing I knew, we were face down on the floor and her head was against the speaker. She seemed ok at first, until I noticed the blood. She cut herself just outside her eye. And got a little bruise on her cheek. LUCKILY, it was nothing more than that, and even the bruise is barely noticeable. I drove my shoulder into the floor and it is only now starting to feel better. Guess it could have been much worse. And she gave me a big smile and a hug to let me know it was all ok. What a good girl.

TGIF. No, really!

Thank you for your kind comments about our flu-ridden family. I am LOVING the Amoxicillin the doctor prescribed for all of us. Best invented drug, ever. Can't wait until it works on us all!

I am actually looking forward to this weekend (now, if you read last Friday's post, I was singing a different tune) for the following reasons: a) Doug will be home to take care of us all, b) it is the LAST weekend of Meg's twice-a-week hockey c) Doug will be home to take care of us all (hmmm, pattern?), d) tomorrow night is the Daddy-Daughter Dance and Meg is SO excited to go and e) Doug will be home to take care of us all.

So, poor Izzie. Not only does she have ear infections, bronchitis and a sore throat, but tooth number 8 is about to pop thru. Poor baby. She is finally one up on Annie in that category. She has always been a bit behind Annie in everything (being Baby B and smaller at birth didn't help). She said words first, but is still trying to figure out the whole walking process. She CAN walk, but opts not to, unless it is along furniture, at lightning speed, laughing like a person possessed. Annie, on the other hand, has been walking since she was 10 1/2 months old. No, I'm not joking. WALKING SINCE 10 1/2 MONTHS! Meg walked at 1 year (on her first birthday) and Drew walked on Meg's 4th birthday (so, at 13 months). So, a child walking at 10 1/2 months has been, well, interesting to say the least.

What is everyone doing this weekend? I do hope it's something fun! Drop me a note and tell me all about it. I will be administering antibiotics and maybe even trying to find my house under all the mess. Anyone want to help?

And the winner is.......

THE FLU! The version of the flu running rampart in these parts as felled 5 out of the 6 of us. Those 5 have bronchitis, sore throats, fevers, and for the twins, ear infections. Can you guess which one of the 6 is healthy? Yes, you guessed, it, my husband! How does that happen? Why is that fair? So, not only do I need to administer antibiotics to 4 children (and keeping them straight while I'm sick myself is going to be a challenge) but somehow I need to remember to take my own. I have barely slept the last two nights, as Drew has been in our room every half hour needing "hugs" and last night Annie was so congested it was causing her to have trouble breathing. So, I brought the monitor back into our room so I could hear her if she start to have troubles once we went to bed. Of course, that meant that while she slept, I didn't, because I kept that "ear open" for the first sign of trouble. Now, before you all go "poor you", and Doug gives me crap, HE was the one up with Drew every half hour. And then he got up at 5 and traveled to New Hampshire today. So, I won't give him too much trouble for leaving me home with 4 sick children. And for some reason, when children are sick, it seems like everything is so much more traumatic. Take today at the doctor for instance. As soon as Isabelle saw our beloved doctor (he has been my doctor since I was 8 or something like that), she started to cry. So, Annabelle started to cry. He hadn't even LOOKED at them yet. Not sure if it's a twin thing or not, but it's funny/sad/annoying/sweet. And since I don't feel well, I can't decide that right now. I just know I'm counting the hours until Doug returns, so he can tuck me into bed.

Snowy Day, Take 45

It's another snow day here. It's barely snowing, but it rained, then iced over, and apparently that combination is just enough to keep Meg home from school. On the day she was well enough to go back. Needless to say, it's going to be a long day with a girl who'd rather be at school than home. I'm pretty sure they'll be going to school thru the end of June, easily.

I've been reading many, many blogs these days. I just randomly read comments on the posts of my favorites, which inevitably gets me to other blogs. It's been fun and enlightening. I learned that I am incredibly luckly when it comes to having children. When Doug and I decided we were ready to have kids, we said "let's try to have a baby". That was March and in May we were pregnant. Who knew. Doug was sad we didn't get to try that hard. Funny how those comments would haunt us later on. Meg and Drew aren't 4 years apart on purpose. We tried so hard to have a second child, but not nearly as hard as others I've been reading. Turns out I could get pregnant, but not stay pregnant. Third time was the charm after two miscarriages and we were blessed with Drew (not without a scare, but still, he's here!). And so then the twins......that was just a "well, if we get pregnant, ok, a third is ok". HA. Cosmic forces at work.....and two more came. And it was a long, and boring pregnancy. By boring, I mean this: no bed rest, no NICU (the girls were induced at 38 1/2 weeks! I begged, begged, begged the doctors to let them be born!), no medical issues at all. So, by boring, I mean VERY LUCKY. The only issue we dealt with in the beginning was that Izzie had to have some ultrasounds on her hip to make sure she didn't have any issues from being breach my entire pregnancy. I read other blogs and I feel for you other bloggers. I cannot imagine what you've been thru. I guess I am a bit spoiled. Maybe I shouldn't complain so much. Kids are fun, exasperating, beautiful, crazy, sweet, loving. The list goes on and on. I'm glad we're all here to share our stories.

Confessions

I have some confessions to make (luckily, they are not at all earth-shattering):

1. I enjoy playing on Webkinz. What, you don't know about Webkinz? Oh, it's that buy a stuffed animal and then bring it to life in the virtual world craze I SWORE (just ask my MIL) that I wouldn't get Meg into. HA. Silly me for putting it out there. She got a Webkinz for Christmas (from Santa). I play in the arcade to earn her Kinz Cash so she can buy her bunny Rosa treats. And for fun, I adopted a virtual dog for myself. Good lord.

2. I like kids music. The Wiggles? Check. Laurie Berkener? Check. Dan Zanes? Check. I can sing along to just about every song. I have NO IDEA what is out there for popular music these days.

3. There are days when I absolutely abhor being a SAHM. Those are the same days I absolutely abhor my children. Hmmmmmm. Is it ok to love, but not always like, your children? I really hope so!

4. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up (I mean, when my kids are all in school). The whole lawyer thing was just a passing phase, some sort of insanity, maybe even a craze. It was NOT for me. I'd love to be a teacher. I am too chicken to take the teacher certification exam. Mostly because I don't think I know much of anything anymore.

5. Blogging is like legalized voyeurism. Actually, I'm not even sure it's legalized, but it's plain fun. I love reading other blogs. It makes me happy to know I'm not the only crazed person out there who consumes too much coffee, needs a nap, has too many toys, occasionally wants to throttle her husband, wishes that life was a bit less hectic and a bit cleaner. And I'm so glad that some of you leave me comments. Makes my whole day!

Hooray for Mondays?

THIS was the highlight of my weekend:

Yes, those are my babies, hugging. TOO DARN CUTE! And sorry, those are my husband's legs, in the way. Annie was all into hugging Izzie on Saturday and Doug managed to capture it (and his fleece covered legs) in process!

The rest of my weekend wasn't that thrilling. Well, Auntie Nettie called to cheer me up from NYC on Friday night and that was quite nice. We hadn't chatted in awhile. She asked if I was going to have any more winter babies (!) since all my children are born in December or January (oh yes, spring is BORING in Maine!). NOPERS! We are all done, officially. Doug had the big V on Friday, and since he felt it necessary to tell everyone about it, I'm throwing it out there in bloggerland. And do you know what a husband with the big V can do for THREE WHOLE DAYS afterward? Hmmm, do you? That's right, nothing. No lifting of anything over 15 pounds (i.e., you, wife, shall carry all groceries, babies, middle children), no snow shoveling, etc. So I did laundry (which, got PUT AWAY! HOORAY!), did the grocery shopping, wrangled children of all sizes and shapes and everything else all weekend. And I was dog tired (whatever that means).

And then I read Swistle's post over the weekend and decided that she rocks. I took her advice and created a nice "Monday house" to wake up to today. Which my three youngest children managed to destroy in about 3 nanoseconds. At least for a few minutes it looked nice! And by "house" I mean the area that the general public can see~you know, the living room, kitchen and dining rooms. The upstairs of my house will continue to fester in filth.

But I digress. No, I am not complaining that Doug had the big V. It was time, really, it was. And I am glad that today he is feeling better, back at work. But today I have four children at home instead of three. Megan is sick today with whatever version of the flu is going around her school. Poor thing~she sounds awful, with a nasty cough and sore throat. Which of course I am feeling like I have too. Joy. And she is sad, because today is Dr. Seuss's birthday and that meant Green Eggs and Ham for school lunch, and a celebratory birthday cupcake, and she is missing all of that. I will have to recreate that special lunch when she is feeling up to it.

Ok, Blogger, why are there no spaces between my paragraphs? I see them here, but they aren't on the preview. Grrr. Do you hear me Blogger?????