The best someone else's date night ever

Last Friday one of our favorite families had a special occasion. It was Josh's Birthday and I got a special Linker present. Ava and Izzy! It was one of those weeks where everything seemed to be coming at me so fast I couldn't keep up. (Not that those weeks are abnormal, it just so happened this was one of them). The house was somewhat clean, the dishes were washed, the laundry was overflowing out of the laundry room, the baby had a morning round of 15 month shots, and we anxiously awaited our friends. " How long until they get here?" " 2 hours" " How long now?" " An hour and 45 minutes." And so it went on 15 minute increments until AT LAST! THEY ARE HERE!!

First, we made pizza from scratch. By from scratch I mean I cooked frozen sausage, pulled out a store bought crust, a jar of spagetti sauce, and shredded 3 different kinds of cheeses. I like to shred my own cheese because block cheese is cheaper and has more variety, also Cabot carries 3 types of cheddar cheese that are lactose free, so my Izzy can eat it without consequence.

I laid out 5 napkins each with the 3 types of cheese and some sausage. Everyone tried the cheeses and then decided which ones they would use on their slices. In a style unlike anything I have ever seen, each child took turns decorating their two slices, and no one fought or complained about who got to go first, next, or last. Seeing as Israel doesn't eat pizza, he had no problem going last.

The pizza cooked, they played, the pizza cooled, they played, the pizza was done, they ate.

We set up a big floor full of blankets, pillows and more blankets on the living room floor. There were 7 blankets, 5 pillows, and 5 zoobles. We read stories and then we watched Despicable Me. Which everyone loved. Although I think RJ and I laughed harder than any of the kids, and we have seen it 5 times!

We had one little disagreement, when Gwin said Ava hurt her feelings because she didn't want to lay next to her. But Ava quickly said she was sorry when we pointed it out, she still wouldn't let Gwin lay next to her, but she said she was sorry, and then once the popcorn was brought out Ava didn't care who sat next to her, so it was easily smoothed over.

And right as the credits were about to end the Linker Mama came and collected her little ones. As I said, the best someone else's date night ever.

I don't want to be a mommy because...

I spent part of today in the doctors office waiting to see our family doctor because of yet another ear infection. I always talk a little funny before it has been treated because the side of my face feels like it is swollen. I told the girls this morning I wasn't feeling well as I am sure they don't notice the subtile difference in the way I talk.

I let Izzy and Emma watch much more T.V. then usual. I also yelped in pain when eating. All of these things Gwiny missed while at school. But then, while sitting outside with friends, I hopped up off the ground to answer the call from the doctor. I then heard a pop and a sting of pain from my hip. Now I can't chew, I can't walk, and I sound funny when I talk. So after homework, I turned on Tangled and sat on the couch, something rather unusual for me.

While sitting there, Gwin turned to me and said. " I don't want to be a mommy because..." and in my mind I was thinking, 'cause mommy's are old with bad hips and have to work while sick?' but she finishes the sentence " I don't want to have to spend all of my money."

You don't want to have to spend all of your money. I find that as good of reason as the other. Especially from my little frugal mini-me. But it surprises me that a 6 year old would even think about something so few grown ups consider.

Not only has Gwiny proclaimed her 6 year old version of why she doesn't want to be a mom, a few moths ago, Izzy did the same same in her own 4 year old way. " What do you want to be when you grow up? " Izzy: " I want to be a superstar." Do you want to be a mommy like me too?" "No, I never want to be a mommy."

And I bet you first started reading you thought I was going to complain about why I didn't want to be a mommy. GOTCHA!

Learning a lesson

We woke up this morning. I packed a lunch, checked the weather, put 50 cents in Gwin's backpack for a popsicle. I found all three kids clothes in my giant pile of clean laundry. ( Izzy flooded the toilet last night and all the kids clothes and towels had to be washed, 3 loads!) I filled juice cups, found socks, tied shoes. Got everyone out the door, walked up the steps, Izzy fell and I had to take Emma up, then return to carry Izzy up. We got to the car. Put Emma in, Gwin got in, Izzy got in. Buckled Emma, go to buckle Izzy and she says " MOOOOM, I can do it my self."

I am trying to buckle a child in the car who wants nothing to do with my help, in the end she couldn't do it herself, but it did nothing to erase the comment that sent me into a flashback.

" Izzy!! Get out of my purse, you can not have any more gum" And as I turn around she grabs another piece. " Izzy, give me that gum, you have already snuck 3 pieces and you can not have any more." And then she shakes her head at me. So I proceed to slap the stick of gum out of her hand and march her out the door so we can go get milk and juice at Walmart. On the way to the car she starts yelling " I am not talking to you any more!" I told her "Thats fine." She says " I love you." " I love you too, Izzy." " But I am not talking to you." " Ok."

5 minutes later, " MOOOMMM, " Cue hysterical sobbing. " I am not a baby, you are always treating me like a baby!" Oh good grief. Are we really gonna do this now? " Why won't you let me go across the road by myself. I can run home and get it." "Gwiny, we are in the car, you are not getting out to run home and get a stuffed animal, when her dad said he would get it next time." " But I can do it, you are treating me like a baby and I am not a baby." " Gwiny, its not because I think you can't do it, but we are in the car leaving. It is fine."

45 minutes later, " Get in this cart. You two have lost your walking privileges. Running around this store like it is your personal playground. You are d.o.n.e."

And so is my flashback. Well at least it is Izzy upset at me, instead of me upset at them.

Kara's cell phone photo challenge

Maybe she didn't mean it literally, but whenever I hear the word challenge my mind always says, " Challenge Accepted." ( You How I Met Your Mother Fans will appreciate that one). I have been trying to figure out what to make my latest blog about and Kara's blog seemed to offer me a perfect solution. Random pictures from my cell phone. They are always on there, taking up my phone memory, but it is rare that I do anything with them.

So following the tried and true method. Here they are:

This my oldest picture. This is the week before RJ started his LL.M. in Vermont. They had this little hut by the river with the rocking chairs in it. I had to get the girls down there to take a picture. I just love how they look like tiny old ladies.

We recently won tickets to go to the FSU circus event. They had students performing circus tricks. The girls were so excited they got a blue snow cone. They found out 2 bites into it, they don't like snow cones. Imagine that, Mom says "If I buy that for you, you better eat that cause I hate ice and so do you."

You guys made me ink.

This is my most recent picture. While at a play date Emma fell asleep. After laying her in the kids bed and then walking away. I returned to find her wearing a spiderman hat. Too cute kids. Too cute.

I promise to one day figure out how to rotate these pictures.

Oh and just an update: Gwiny asked for a Unicorn boost yesterday!

Digging for Gold

Sometimes I do things I am not so proud of. Sometimes I do things that I am so proud of that I want to shout it out to anyone who can hear me. And some times I do things I am not proud of, but still want to tell people about. This one falls under the third of these categories.

This is going to be a story about my middle daughter, Izzy. Izzy is a very special little girl. She loves to sing and wear bathing suits even when she is not going swimming. She likes to color and watch t.v. She hates going to bed and listing to anything I tell her to do or not to do. This one, again, falls under the third of these categories.

Like I said, Izzy hates to listen, and the most difficult of all, neither punishment nor reward convinces her to do what she has been told to do. She either wants to do it, or she wont. She doesn't like to be spanked, but she gets them anyway, and then continues to misbehave. She likes to get a toy at the dollar store, but not more than she likes to do whatever she wants to do.

Izzy is the most loving of my children. She wants to hug and cuddle, give you kisses, and praise you for things. She is the most considerate of my feelings and the things I need from her. But.... She doesn't really care about her older sisters feelings or just the general rules of sanitation. ( You are starting to catch on now, huh?)

Izzy picks her nose. She picks in the store, she picks on the floor, she picks in the car, she picks near and far. She wipes it on the seat, she wipes it on her sisters feet, she wipes it on the floor, she wipes it on the door. We have insisted she use a tissue when she picks her nose. We have tried supplying tissues at every location in the house, spanking her, praising her, sticking her in her room, telling her she is going to make her nose bleed, etc. Nothing has worked. She wants to pick her nose and put it on things.

Last night she picked her nose and wiped it on her sister's blankie. And thats when I did it. I sat her in her bed, put my finger in my nose, then wiped it on her. She looked at me with a disgusted look on her face and I told her. " Now you understand why you need to use a tissue. This is gross."

It has been less than 24 hours but I haven't seen her finger in her nose.

"Why aren't you wearing a bra?"

As a mom of 3 I have virtually no privacy. I go to the bathroom, someone walks in. I take a shower, Emma screams at the curtain until she gets to come in. I lock the door, someone bangs on it until I open it up.

I also get very little sleep. Izzy wakes up about 4 times a night and every time she wakes me up. Gwiny wakes up 2 times a night and every time she wakes me up. Emma. Well she is my only good sleeper. Averaging 1 wake up a month. Last night was the best I have gotten in a long time 3 times being woken up in a 7 hour period. The worst 9 times in 7 hours, that was last Saturday.

Sometimes the two of these things couple up and get the best of me. Resulting in a very grumpy mama. Here is how one of my talks with Izzy went last night:

I had just stepped out of the shower that at one point all three of the girls had been in the bathroom. Here comes Izzy again " Why arn't you wearing a bra? Me: " Cause I just got out of the shower, why aren't you wearing one?" Izzy : " Cause I don't have big boobs, I have little ones."

And thats how it goes with three daughters.

My last couple posts have been mostly about me. But this blog is not supposed to be mostly about me, it is supposed to be about my girls and my relationships with each of them. So today I am going to show you how many crazy things we do and say. So here is a little sample:

Izzy has been unbuckling her seat belt and today I decided she needed to be spanked. So we re-buckled and I told her she would be spanked when she got home. She worried and worried all the way home. When we got home and I took her out of her seat Gwin says to her " Just pretend you're at the beach and you just got a little bug that stings your butt." I had to hide my smile because I thought it was so sweet.

"Izzy, stop wiping your boogers on your car seat. Here is a tissue."

Izzy after eating a whole king size m&m in one sitting. ( I tried to take it away but couldn't reach because she was in the back of the car) " My tummy hurts. You shouldn't have gotten me the King size. I need a Princess size."

Emma: " Mama, Mama, Mama, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mama, Mama, Mama. Puppy"

Me: " Don't cry Gwiny. He doesn't mean to hurt your feelings. You hurt his and maybe you should say sorry." ( as a side note, it never helps to tell a little girl with hurt feelings that they may have done the same. It just makes them cry more.)

Husband: " Izzy just asked me why boys and girls are different. I told her to ask you." Thankfully she forgot. I guess I better practice my answer for when she remembers.

Gwin crying: " I don't want to wash my hair." Me: " I don't care, get your stinky butt in the shower."

Emma: "Mama, Mama, Mama. Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, woof, woof, woof, puppy, puppy. Meow"

Me: "Emma, I know I wanted you to say mama, but can you give it a rest."