Hello Door... Hello Stitches

This has taken me forever to post, because I got a new phone and I just learned how to put the stinkin' pictures on the computer.  Anyway, on March 2 Julia got to go to Urgent Care.  

We were all having a rough day.  Well, really I was having a rough day, so everyone was having one.  Julia was about to drive me insane and Raef tried to help me out. He picked her up and swung her around blindly to take her out of the room. Her head made an unfortunate introduction to the corner of the very heavy door.

3 stitches!

But she still kept a positive attitude. Of course, this was before it took 3 nurses and me to hold her down and get her stitched up. She was not happy then.  But a few lollipops later, and it was all okay.

It's the Little Things That Count

Julia got some hand-me-down clothes from a friend of mine, including this adorable pajama set, a silky two piece Little Mermaid outfit, with puffy sleeves and all. She loves it. She felt so pretty and it was fun to see her run around in this. 

 

And I am not one to squelch individuality around here. The sooner these kids learn to do it on their own, the easier it gets for me.  You know, it is the little things that really add up to big changes.  Potty-training would be an obvious example.  The more ignorant I become of their bathroom exploits, the happier I am.

It is also those little things like being able to get their own water, or a snack, or scrub the toilets that really puts a smile on my face.

Eli is definitely exhibiting more independence everyday. He is getting better at putting his own clothes on.  Take for example this picture...

 

He selected this outfit and put it on.  I didn't really notice the pants until we got to co-op.  Yes, they were backwards, were riddled with knee holes...but they covered him. Why should I get mired down into frivolous details?

Pink Slip Time

Do you see this face? 

 

 This is the face of a victoriously potty-trained little tike. That is right. Harry has arrived and all I can say is, "Hallelujah!"  The kid has really got it down.  You know that is the case when they will just go on their own, when you don't have to give them a reward besides a high-five, and when they will ask someone else to take them when they are in nursery.  

That means I have five, count them...FIVE potty-trained children.  

This is my official pink slip to Huggies, Pampers, and the mostly generic Walmart diapers I have purchased over the past 10 years.  

Never again.

Cinderella's Feet... Blech!

I have a bone to pick with Cinderella.  Well, not with her personally, but with the whole story really. Lately my little ones have discovered the iconic princess and so I have been reminded of this story from my childhood.  And I am not sure it is such a good influence on them.


Look, what is wrong with having big feet?  I mean, really!  News flash people...I have big feet and since I have endured three pregnancies, they have grown to a whole new size.  I really feel kind of sorry for Drizella and Anastasia. They are being discriminated against because they have big feet.  Like you can't have a glass slipper unless your foot is a size 6?  Is someone only pretty and virtuous and good if they have small feet?

I would be grumpy too if glass slippers were that small!

 
Do I really want to brainwash my daughter into thinking that small feet are equivalent to beauty and grace and goodness?


Don't get me wrong...I know Drizella and Anastasia have their character flaws and all, but focusing on their feet. Now, that is just plain wrong.

Yeah, whatever!

 So, for all you big-footed beauties out there, (Drizella, Anastasia, Paris Hilton), we aren't going to take this lying down. We are putting our feet down. We won't be trodden under foot. I mean, you won't understand us, until you have walked a mile in our large shoes. So, don't jump to any conclusions about us because we march to the beat of our own drum. 


We are footloose and fancy free because we always put our best feet forward.


And I couldn't possibly put my foot in my mouth because my my mouth just isn't that big, despite what you might think.

Ski For the First Time

Last Saturday Rinar took Raef, Zach, and Eli up to Sky Tavern to ski for the very first time.  I stayed home with the little ones.  It was a trying experience for everyone, except Eli. I think they got somewhat frustrated.  But they stuck with it and still had a good time.  

It was even Rinar's first time and it didn't come so naturally to him either. But in the end, I think he went up the ski lift and had a successful run down the hill.  Raef went up pretty high as well and just flew down the hill.  Luckily he is still in one piece. 

The winter has still been a bummer, overall.  They were supposed to ski this past Saturday but it got canceled because it snowed and they didn't have the parking lot cleared.  Hopefully the snow will stay for a few more weeks and doesn't melt away before they really get the hang of it.

I am just grateful they have had the opportunity to give it a try.

 

Meditation on the Grocery Checker

As I was painfully watching my grocery checker "organize" my groceries into different bags, I started to think of all of the little things checkers do that sort of, kind of, drive me bonkers.


Here are a few categories that came to mind as she was "organizing" my stuff. Feel free to let me know of any categories I am forgetting....


1. The Organizer - When you have an entire cart full of groceries piled on to the conveyor belt, the checker diligently sifts through layers and layers of your comestibles to make sure all deli meats are in one bag, snack boxes in another, and so forth. It gets dicey when the last items are batteries, shampoos, french bread, and ice cream.


2.  Double Bagger - They make sure to bag everything and then bag it again.  Which is such a relief, since I only have two drawers full of used grocery bags. Just when I was worried about not being able to fill up a third drawer, the Double Bagger steps up to help me out, much to the chagrin of Julia Roberts. Please, lady... don't bag the milk and the super huge bag of cereal or the bag of apples, bag of oranges, plasma television, or mop.


3. Living Commercial - Like we aren't assaulted by commercials at every turn.  One time I went to Walmart and the lady started talking about a credit card and she literally sounded like a robotic pitchman. It was scary. I don't get this one much, but when I do, all I can say is...creepy!


4. No Eye Contact - Have you ever stood in front of your checker and they never look at you one time? You could be Charles Manson just escaped from prison or have a third arm growing out of your forehead. They would never have a clue.


5. Slow-Ho-Ho - And then there is this one, which is the line I usually end up in when I am in a hurry. Of course, in all fairness, when am I not in a hurry? I think my foot starts tapping involuntary and I get a weird twitch in my eyebrow.  I usually try to avoid anyone who looks like a pothead. This is solid advice.


6. Mrs. Chatty Pants - I don't really care if they are chatty with me, because I am quite chatty myself, surprisingly enough. However, I find myself getting unjustifiably annoyed when they are chatty with the customer in front of me. Why can't they just check AND chat ALL AT THE SAME TIME!


7. Gossip Gal - I find myself squirming a bit when the checker is gossiping about another employee at the store with a fellow worker.  I am always amazed at the nasty stuff they will say right in front of customers like me.  


8. Tie Tie Tie It - I actually had one checker actually tie Every. Single. One of my bags and I must have had 40 bags.  I was so horrifyingly amazed that she did this that I didn't try to stop her at first. Then I did try to stop her, but it did no good. Then I spent the next 15 minutes untying all the bags as I loaded it in the car.  I couldn't carry more than one bag in each hand when they were tied.


9. Conveyor-Belt Controller - Okay, so you know when you have a HUGE cart of groceries and you want to get them all on the conveyor belt before they get bagged and you need to put the bags back in your cart?  But then there is the checker who is constantly turning the belt off and so you have to wait to put stuff on the belt and you can't get the stuff that is bagged. Hence, you are in a stand-off with the checker. Hostage negotiators have to be called in to get the switch put back on go. Can't they just leave the switch on?




And for the record, I do use recyclable bags, but I forget them all the freakin' time!


So, the next time you do your grocery shopping, think about how you would categorize your checker. Because this is a worthwhile meditation when you are standing in front of your checker at the grocery store.

The Last Frontier

Today we are venturing into the last frontier...potty training the final kid.  I bought a huge bag of Dum-Dums and am rewarding him every time he goes potty.  I haven't been exactly sure if Harry was ready to start and if he has the control to actually do it, but he seems interested and I am frankly tired of changing diapers.


It is time to move on.


I still have the potty seat I used with Eli and I have put it smack dab in the middle of the kitchen floor. I think this has been a good strategy.  A couple of times already Harry has actually gone all by himself.  What can I say? He really likes lollipops.