Time to Refocus

I fell off the Healthy Eating wagon this week. Damn! I was doing really well, too. But being around all the holiday goodies, combined with being stuck inside during all this snowy weather, has taken it's toll. The damage will be revealed tomorrow morning at my Jenny Craig weigh in. One good thing about going back to work will be more structure and less time to nibble. Here's a pic of me with three of my good friends from college at our 10 year reunion in October 2005. THIS is how I want to look again--no double chin in this photo!

Just Chilling

It's after midnight. I should be in bed, but instead I've been on the computer for over two hours--reading the Sunday paper, blogs, facebook, checking out movie times, scheduling Hope's one-year photos, and oh yes--watching video clips from Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew2 on vh1.com. Kris is out of town until tomorrow afternoon, and it's been a busy weekend with the kids. This is my time. It's the only time of day where I have the luxury of focusing on only one thing for longer than about 90 seconds. I also painted my nails fire engine red, enjoyed some wine, and ate a little more sinful holiday food. Back to Jenny Craig tomorrow.

So to all of you, take some chill time for yourselves.

Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas with everyone in our extended families from Great Grandma Alice all the way down to baby Brady Stafford. Some highlights:

My firstborn turning seven years old! Where did the years go? He is a handsome, bright, creative, artistic, athletic, kind, thoughtful boy.

Hope's first Christmas--she looked so pretty in her holiday outfits. See for yourself!

Ross opening one gift on Christmas Eve and then stacking the rest of his gifts in the hallway--unopened. We all tried to get him to open his gifts but he just wasn't interested. So odd! He finally opened them...the next afternoon.

Ross and Grandpa Ward horsing around--wide smiles and lots of giggling.

Kris and me making french toast and deer sausage for our brood on Christmas morning. Yum!

A relaxing Christmas morning opening Santa gifts, eating breakfast, playing, and just lounging.

Me turning 36. Yes, Grant and I share a Christmas birthday. :)

Christmas blessings...

to all my blog friends. The boys are playing, Hope is napping, Kris and I are lounging around the house. All is right in our little corner of the world. May you have a joyous Christmas Eve and a wondrous Christmas Day!

A Typical Saturday Morning...

This morning, after feeding the kids breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen, getting Ross settled into a movie, helping Grant navigate nickjr.com to play some computer games, and getting Hope dressed, I decided to seize the opportunity to take a quick shower while Hope played quietly with toys in the bathroom....here's how it went:

Turn on water. Climb in. exhale a sigh of relief at the hot water and peace and quiet.

Oops. Exhaled too soon.

Ross, tromping up the stairs and into the bathroom: "Mommy! I have to go potty."

Me: "Try to unzip your jammies so you can sit on the toilet."

Ross, crying in frustration: "I need help!!" I peek out behind the shower curtain to see him flail-kicking his feet in a futile effort to whip the footie pajamas off his feet.

Me: "All right! I can help you, but you have to scoot closer because I can't reach you." I grab the toes of the jammies and yank them off, dripping a little water on them.

Ross: "Mom! It's wet!" Um, yeah, it is. I'm in the shower for pete's sake!

Me: "Okay. Rip off your pull up and sit on the potty."

It's quiet again. I lather up my hair and wash my face.

Ross, excitedly: "MOM! I went poop!" Super. How am I supposed to wipe his butt while I'm in the shower? Oh hell, he can walk around for a minute until I finish.

Me: "Try to wipe you bottom. I'll finish it when I get out." At this point, I hear the footsteps of my eldest barrelling down the hallway.

Grant: "AAHHHHRRGHH! I HATE it when this happens, mom! I accidentally hit something on the computer and lost my game and I was on level three! Now I'm gonna have to start over! UHHAHH!" (I'm not quite sure how to capture angry whining in print)

Ross: "Mom, I got poop on my finger!"

Me, losing it: "All right! Ross, come over here! I'll wash off your finger. Grant, all I wanted to do was have 20 minutes to shower and get ready without the two of you bugging me! GO GET DRESSED!"

I can hear little thumps on the bathroom floor. I peek out again and see that it's Hope. Sweet little Hope, scooting around on her bottom.

Finish showering. Turn off water. Climb out and dry off. Wipe a poop marble out of Ross's butt while both of us are stark naked. Lovely.


What is it about being a mom that turns you into a female version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin? When I go to the bathroom, they find me and walk in without even pausing. "Mom, guess what? Ross threw a lego at me and it almost hit the side of my head." When I'm getting dressed, they come in. "You have boobies, mommy." When I take Hope upstairs for her nap, two boys who were completely oblivious to my presence mere moments ago suddenly realize I am not on the same floor of the house as they are, and they race up and into Hope's room to be with me.

May I just say that in our house, the boys NEVER walk in on Daddy in the bathroom or follow him all over the place. I guess I'm just special. ;)

Parenting Drama

My friend AJ's recent post on her blog inspired me to tell a few of my day to day stories of....MOM ON THE RANT.

I love my boys to pieces, but more often than not these days, they hear me say any one (or more) of the following:

You guys are driving me nuts!
Mom's going crazy!
Lord, have mercy.
What the...? ROSS!!!!

Ross. He's my pistol. Red headed, strong willed, and two and a half. You do the math.

This morning, Kris left for work early so I was responsible for finishing breakfast and getting all four of us out the door. I was aiming for an 8am departure and doing pretty well: Grant had brushed his teeth, blown his nose, put on his shoes, and was zipping his coat. I had Hope buckled into her carseat, hood up, blanket tucked from her feet to her chin, and nuk in mouth. My bags were packed, I started the car, and had my own coat on. Ross had been playing "hide and peek" by opening and closing the bathroom door about a million times, but whatever. I opened the door with his coat in hand and what do I smell? The little stinker crapped in his pull up! Damn!

So--I quickly walked Grant across the street to walk to school so he wouldn't be late, then raced back into the house to change Ross. Coat off, leave baby in carseat on table, and get Ross upstairs to a bathroom with wipes. He was crying because he wanted to walk Grant to the neighbors, too. when I tried to explain that we needed to change his pants, he became ticked and screamed...and screamed....and screamed. This is what he does when he's mad and tantruming. I practically had to wrestle the 36 pound bruiser to the floor to get the poopy pull up off and clean him up. "Ross, stop screaming. It hurts mommy's ears." SCREAM "Ross! Stop it! Be quiet!" SCREAM "Put your feet in the pull up!" And on and on. We finally made it downstairs and after more resisting--the kid is obstinate--I got his coat on, buckled him into the van, put Hope in the van (poor Hope...she waited a long time this morning), and got us out the driveway--at 8:20.

OH MY GOSH. And that was just the morning. Pick up at the end of the day involved an even bigger tantrum because he wanted to change his wet pull up and I took his shoe off for him to start the process. "NO! I was doing that, Mommy!" SCREAM, SCREAM, SCREAM! Right there in the middle of Lommen Hall, Ross fell to the grimy hallway floor for an all-out tantrum.

I have to give credit to Grant--he remained calm the entire time, which helped me hang on to a few threads of sanity.