Therapy session #4939

Tomorrow is a new day, THANK GOD! I went to bed last night telling Kent, "Tomorrow will be a good day, I am going to enjoy the kids, play games, do puzzles and spend quality time with them." This was after our day of cleaning out the "art closet." I finally decided the hall closet could no longer be an art closet, it just wasn't working for me. Play-dough, paint, markers...etc. were not meshing well with my coats that were hanging in there. SO, I pulled everything out and started fresh. This took the entire day. The poor kids had to stay away while I tried to weed through all of the special projects that they didn't want thrown away. It was stressful to say the least. We made it through and I was glad for a fresh, new day, today..... a good work out and no clients today.... just some snuggle time with my kids.

This is just a typical day for all of you moms out there, I just need to vent and let you know you're not alone....when you see a frazzled mom with lots of little tots, please smile at her and give her some hope! (Instead of looking at her in disbelief like she's the worst mom out there).

It started out ok.... it snowed! We had a nice breakfast, got Brayden to school and headed to the YMCA. Ellie chose to not be safe in the parking lot and refused to hold my hand, lovely, great, perfect. I had to carry her like a sack of potatoes while I was holding Dani's hand for dear life so she couldn't bolt. I drop the girls off in the daycare and immensely enjoy my work out. I pick the girls up, they're as chipper as can be and the second we walk out, Ellie AGAIN refuses to be safe. This is a big issue for me, I get very upset when she is deliberately naughty and it's a safety issue. I got her in the car and she proceeds to SCREAM the entire way home, why? Who the hell knows? Maybe she had the wrong colored panties on, maybe she had a hang nail, maybe she just wanted to drive me nuts!! When we got home, she said, "I don't want to be a naughty girl." Do we really have a hormone/drama issue at this age, that she can't control? It's def. looking that way.

The whole morning I was thinking, 'they must be really tired, they're being so naughty, they'll have a good nap today.' Not so much. They were bold enough to turn on their bedroom light and play and cook and build. I frown upon this, but really if they're safe in their room, who cares? It's when they walked out into the living room and said, "What are you doing? I'm all done sleeping." This is a REAL problem.

I decided to make good use of this no napping thing and loaded the kids up to go downtown for an errand. I stopped in the Gap to try on some things, and

Ellie shouts, "What's on your panties?"
Me: "Stripes."
Brayden (screaming): "Those are really beautiful panties mom!"

Really it just goes on and on.....one of those days, but it concluded tonight BACK at the YMCA. I was enjoying reading my book and watching Brayden in his swim lesson when somebody POOPED in the pool. That's it, lesson over! Seriously? We have 15 more minutes of this peace before I have to go unleash (take home) my darling daughters.

We are now in a battle to get jammies on.....tomorrow has to be better right?

*Smile Mommys, these are the best years of our lives!*

Backhoe needed!

This won't be exciting for anyone to read, but I had to post because I have a huge sense of accomplishment for my 3 hour chore this morning!

I tackled one of my worst nightmares this morning.....cleaning/junking out the girls' bedroom. Wow! Who knew two little girls could have so much STUFF!?! It's not just one of a lot of things, it is mostly two of most things, it could be two baby dolls, or in our case 20 baby dolls (who needs that many)? Or two of every kind of coat imaginable.... I know I am complaining but I am very grateful for what we have, and what has been given or handed down to us, I wouldn't trade that for anything! BUT jeez louise, the time has finally come to get rid of some of it! It seems like I am constantly sorting through their clothes and passing them on, but today I did even more. I filled up TWO garbage bags worth of toys, stuffed animals and baby dolls. I am very happy to give it to someone in need! I am going to give some to a few of my younger clients and then take a few trips to the Goodwill. I am thrilled to finally be able to see the carpet in their room. When I was finally done they just kept running around in circles in their room, there was actually space to move! I know it doesn't look too exciting, but we were all thrilled! Here is D in shock. I also took down the changing table/pad and now it is just a regular "big girl" dresser! I am so glad that I can put pictures in their room now, hopefully they will last and the girls won't break them.....

I also got out the comforter covers that I bought a while ago and finally put them on their "big girl" beds. They were happy for new blankies too. Wow, I can't believe my girls will be three in two months!

Here are their cute little "twin" picture frames. They each have sayings on them that I love!

I also had to include these pics. of story time that I had with the cousins a few days ago when they were over. All the big kids sat in a semi-circle and were ready to listen. It was so cute!

Ellie decided she was going to read her own book to Owen.

*Take note, that pile of toys in the corner is no longer there!!! I sorted all of that stuff too, and I made a "baby station" in a corner of the living room where the two cradles, two doll high chairs and two strollers go, along with a doll changing table. We are set!

My Little Fish

My excited little boy: I signed Brayden up for swimming lessons at the Y. Now that we're finally members, lessons are half price. You can't beat that. B is thrilled! Luckily I signed him up the day before it started so he didn't burst with excitement within 24 hours, but that's all I heard for a day, "I CAN'T WAIT FOR SWIMMING LESSONS MOM!" I was thrilled that he was excited and loves the water as much as I do. He did great, it was the first time I've seen him have a hard time listening to a teacher because he was SO happy! He only got to swim with the teacher 3 times in the half an hour because there's five kids in his class. Hopefully next session I can find a class with less kids and he'll get more one on one time. While he was supposed to be sitting on the steps waiting for his teacher, he took it upon himself to venture out and test the waters. He went flailing into the open water and doggy paddled/splashed/sunk for a few feet. He thought he was the best swimmer there, you couldn't help but laugh at his bravery/pride! This was also the first time I witnessed him leading the naughty pack, by not following the rules. Not saying it has never happened before, but he is usually smart enough to not be outright naughty when I'm sitting RIGHT there.

As he was swimming back with his teacher, he yelled across the pool, "MOM, do you see me!?! Why aren't you taking more pictures!?! Take more pictures of me MOM!" My face turned beat red, what am I raising? I guess I should put my camera a way for a while!

It was a very fun night with a very proud little boy! We may not have a Michael Phelps on our hands, but we have one eager little guy!

~By the way, the goggles were a must, and they were lost after the first night. Who knows, they may turn up some day.

Party Time!

Last week we took "rainbow" cupcakes to my Grandma's to celebrate her Birthday. I think she turned 84 (?) The kids are thrilled to sing Happy Birthday to anybody and everybody. The girls say Happy Birthday to me everyday, and it's usually followed by a few verses of singing. They think it's hilarious. I frankly don't get it. But here they are partying it up: Brayden, Dani and Ellie

Guess, I caught Grandma by surprise. :)

And of course I had to add the Potty Party picture:

It's official! Ellie is now potty trained. She has done amazingly! We are quite proud of her. Now once Dani decides she's ready, we can start saving $80+ a month on diapers! (Towards the end, I was only changing them 2-3 times a day. I figured they should sit in their tinkles and be uncomfortable and WANT to wear dry panties. Dani doesn't really seem to care though. :)

Note: I took this pic. because D is actually wearing panties! She sat on the potty and tried, so I let her put "panties" on, even though they're really Brayden's old Elmo underwear. The minute she walked out of the bathroom she tinkled on her floor in her room....ok maybe it was 5 minutes later. You gotta love that sneaky girl. :)

Ahh, just breathe!

Our little getaway.

Gorgeous mountains surrounded us.

Outside of Uncle Uli's where we ate lots of fondue!

Kent and I were very fortunate to have a night away! My mom came and stayed with the kids while we used a gift certificate for a B & B in Leavenworth. What a wonderful 24+ hours of relaxing, talking, and walking. It's so nice to be able to hang out with my husband without our screaming, needy children. :) It's fun to meet the guy that I married and be able to laugh with him again, without all the stress of "normal" life.

Leavenworth is a cute little Bavarian town with lots of shops and snow sports. We walked and ate our way through the beautiful streets. It was the first time either one of us had been there and we would definitely go back, it was such a great getaway! Thanks Mom!

Computer overload and lots of rambling

Ok, it has been a while since I have posted.....things have been crazy, busy. Kent took a week off, so I wasn't on the computer as much as usual. Then our computer crashed...then we got it fixed, then it crashed again, and I just realized none of our pics. are on our computer. uh, hello, that is a huge deal, hopefully Kent was smarter than me and has them backed up somewhere...? anywhere...? I was planning on posting some X-mas pics. so I guess I will just ramble about the latest happenings.....

Ellie: We are on day 3 of potty training! This time it is for reals! The first day she was 1/6, I did a whole load of laundry just from her clothes that day. The good news is, the one out of six opportunities, she pooped on the potty! Phew! It has gotten better everyday since. She loves her "pretty panties" and she struts around the house with just a shirt and her pretty panties. Some are flowers, some are princesses, some are B's old underwear. :) The funny thing is, they're all different sizes and about half of them are too big and ride up her bum like a thong. I know, I know, that is horrible to say, especially when it's your OWN two year old. Come on, baby Elle, I don't want to have to start worrying about such things. She is going to give us a run for our money, along with Miss Dan Dan:

Dani: Miss Danielle is on her own schedule, and isn't even pretending to be interested in the potty, she won't even sit on it now. The bad thing is, Ellie will get potty treats (2-3 mini M & Ms) and SHARE them with Dani. What do you do in that situation? Ellie is being super sweet, but not helping on the motivation front for D. ?? Danielle has been busy with her "Brand new baby" (this is the baby's name), my mom and dad got the girls a high chair, stroller, and bed set and the girls LOVE it! She is quite the little mommy, she takes very good care of her baby. The other day she was picking it up from the stroller and she grunted, "uhhh." Kent and I looked at each other and thought, 'maybe we shouldn't grunt or be exasperated every time we pick Dani up.' It's just that D is solid and seems heavier than E even though they're the same weight. You learn alot about your parenting skills when you watch your kids with their babies. :) I won't go into detail about the time-outs, and all the trips they take to go get coffee with their strollers. hehe...

Brayden: B is our little dictator of the house. He seems to have become more and more bossy, and the girls take it. They pretty much do anything he says or suggests. He has a very bossy tone and he stands with his hand on his hip while he addresses them. I have no idea where he learned this behavior. Some of his phrases I've overheard make me grimace. "How many times do I have to tell you....? Are you listening to me? I told you to... Man, who is the bossy one? I guess I am just teaching him good leadership skills, right?

Kent: Kent is in Detroit this week, probably thrilled to have some quiet time after the holiday chaos and a week home with us. No, I know he was really disappointed to leave us. :)

Christy: I have a very sore, tired body from working out at the Y and swimming laps in the pool. Swimmers out there, I need help! First of all, I never realized how much work REAL swimming is. I get so tired....I have to alternate with a kick board so I don't drown, which brought me to the idea of wearing flippers. :) I know how hot I would look, then I decided against it because I figure they won't let me wear flippers in the sprint triathlon I signed up for in July. YES, I am going to do it, right now I am on my own, does anyone want to join me in training, or for the race? It is in Coeur d' Alene on July 25th. I have digressed, my swimming questions are: 1. My swim cap squeezes my head so tight, it feels like my brains are going to ooze out of my ears. Is this normal? Does it eventually stretch out? Are there different sizes, cuz I couldn't find sizes? This also results in lovely lines on my forehead, which don't go away for hours....painful, very painful. I swam without the cap the other day and it was much better! I am just worried all the chlorine in the Y pool is going to make my hair dry, turn green, and/or fall out. My other question is: Tips? Any tips on how to improve form/stamina, besides doing it over and over? I need all the help I can get!

That's all for now, thank you for reading my rambling, if you made it through it all, and let me know if you have any tips for potty training or swimming.