A series on life with 5 year old triplet boys for the next 70+ loooong days of summer break.....
In an effort to keep a bit of order around here and to promote the idea that we all work together for the good of the whole (family), the boys have summer chores. There are 9 different tasks that I made little laminated cards for, using clip art as well as words, and they each randomly choose 3 cards per week for their chores (in theory, to keep them from getting too bored with the same tasks). The novelty of it has them very excited and all the jobs are much loved (so far) - especially the "bathroom cleaner" since I made a special bucket complete with gloves for this job. Anyway, to the point of the story...this morning as C was helping me move laundry from the washer to the dryer, a quarter fell out onto the floor. I explained that a benefit of being the "laundry helper" is that when you find money in the laundry, it is yours to keep. This made him very happy! A little while later, as I was busy with chores of my own, C excitedly ran to get a piece of paper and told me that his quarter was a "special writing quarter". He proceeded to show me that pressing and dragging the side of the coin on the paper produced a gray line. I made the appropriate oohs and ahs about his "special quarter" when he let this slip - "it even works on walls". When I asked if he had tried it on the walls, he realized his slip of the tongue and timidly replied "by accident". When I asked him which walls he had "accidentally" discovered the magic of his quarter on he said he could not remember and quickly removed himself from the conversation. I have not yet discovered the scene of the crime...
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Identity Crisis
What to do with this blog...ideas running around about things I want to explore, stories to tell, opinions about life and the world at large but how do I make it make sense? (Rhetorical question)
Here are some things I am passionate about:
Here are some things I am passionate about:
- Health - particularly how nutrition affects our overall well being
- Children's Health (and availability of health care for all)
- Cooking
- Education
- Parenting (not necessarily good at it - but passionate for sure and always trying to improve)
Things I am trying to figure out still:
- Religious beliefs
- Political opinions
- How to balance it all
- Domesticity
- What do I want to be when I grow up?
It's a start. Posts will be in no particular order and may not even be regular but I'm going to give this blog thing another try. Hope you'll check in every now and again and join the evolution of ideas.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Random (Like My Life)
Okay, I may be the worst blogger on the web in terms of regular posting, writing anything interesting, analyzing what I've written (on the rare occasion I do), offering wisdom, insight, humor - anything of value (legitimate or entertainment) to any reader (if there are any) who happens upon this site. The world wide web is full of blogs that can offer all of the above and more and there is an ever growing list of links on this site for you to choose from.
Incidentally, though you would never guess it from this blog, I am a decent writer. And I am pretty analytical by average standards. I am also very guarded and tend to withdraw into my own thoughts and feelings when pondering something of great significance (if not to the world at large, at least to myself and my family). So I tend to stick to the factual information, the advocacy I believe in (via links to other sites - rarely of my own analysis), pictures of my boys (who I believe to be some of the cutest kids alive so who wouldn't want to see more of them), and random posts where I say I am going to post more often, more substantially - and then never do.
Also, my head is so full of the things necessary to our daily existence that it "hurts my brain" to think too much beyond the obvious - at least in terms of being able to articulate it somewhere (here). I'm full of random thoughts, ideas, feelings about things that are so incohesive they sometimes do not even make sense to me so trying to make sense of it in a user friendly, readable format seems like a lot of work that I am not overly inclined to take on. Not to mention the constant interruption (happening even now) that diverts my attention from the task at hand - and it is increasingly more difficult to find my way back to whatever I was trying to do before the interruption. I'm not sure if this is due to aging, laziness or triplet induced insanity but my ability to focus for long periods of time is waning and if interrupted cannot easily be attained again. So I have a blog full of half finished (or barely started) drafts of things that I meant to document, to discuss, to report on that I have never gotten around to completing. And probably never will ...
Seriously, I meant to pull this all together - to possibly post a complete thought - or even - sit down f0r this- several thoughts pulled together with great insight and wit...you may roll your eyes excessively now :) But there is a little boy - a very cute one - who is insistent about sitting on my lap. Who very much wants my undivided attention and while I do feel some frustration at yet another interruption, I recognize that he will be little for a very short time. And he will not want (or fit in) my lap much longer. So I am off to snuggle an adorable 4 year old who cannot wait, nor should he. And so the blog will wait again. Maybe a day, maybe a week, a month - who knows. Life is happening all around me and I am logging off now to be a part of it.
Have a great day - or week or month....I'll check in later (likely, much later :). 
Incidentally, though you would never guess it from this blog, I am a decent writer. And I am pretty analytical by average standards. I am also very guarded and tend to withdraw into my own thoughts and feelings when pondering something of great significance (if not to the world at large, at least to myself and my family). So I tend to stick to the factual information, the advocacy I believe in (via links to other sites - rarely of my own analysis), pictures of my boys (who I believe to be some of the cutest kids alive so who wouldn't want to see more of them), and random posts where I say I am going to post more often, more substantially - and then never do.
Also, my head is so full of the things necessary to our daily existence that it "hurts my brain" to think too much beyond the obvious - at least in terms of being able to articulate it somewhere (here). I'm full of random thoughts, ideas, feelings about things that are so incohesive they sometimes do not even make sense to me so trying to make sense of it in a user friendly, readable format seems like a lot of work that I am not overly inclined to take on. Not to mention the constant interruption (happening even now) that diverts my attention from the task at hand - and it is increasingly more difficult to find my way back to whatever I was trying to do before the interruption. I'm not sure if this is due to aging, laziness or triplet induced insanity but my ability to focus for long periods of time is waning and if interrupted cannot easily be attained again. So I have a blog full of half finished (or barely started) drafts of things that I meant to document, to discuss, to report on that I have never gotten around to completing. And probably never will ...
Seriously, I meant to pull this all together - to possibly post a complete thought - or even - sit down f0r this- several thoughts pulled together with great insight and wit...you may roll your eyes excessively now :) But there is a little boy - a very cute one - who is insistent about sitting on my lap. Who very much wants my undivided attention and while I do feel some frustration at yet another interruption, I recognize that he will be little for a very short time. And he will not want (or fit in) my lap much longer. So I am off to snuggle an adorable 4 year old who cannot wait, nor should he. And so the blog will wait again. Maybe a day, maybe a week, a month - who knows. Life is happening all around me and I am logging off now to be a part of it.
Have a great day - or week or month....I'll check in later (likely, much later :).
H - my currently needy for his Mama little snuggler - how can I say no to this?
Monday, March 10, 2008
And Now, The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...
Okay, I am unable to follow through with a time commitment of any kind. Now that we have established this, be prepared to wait an extra few days whenever I say a post is coming soon :)
The last week (month actually) of our crazy life has been...well, crazy. The boys have started going to school 3 mornings a week and you'd think an additional morning without kiddos would lead to greater productivity for me. This has not proven to be so. I am perpetually trying to catch up on all things neglected (everything organizational), stay on top of all things necessary for daily survival (you know, like feeding this brood and making sure they have clean underwear), and I have been attempting to carve out some me time for my own physical and mental well being (I have actually managed to get to the gym more times this month than I have in the last year). Throw in our usual geriatric dog care, sick kids every other minute, traveling Daddy, dentist appointments, doctor appointments, veterinary appointments, travel plans, garden planning (because it is almost Spring and I am anxious to get outside in the dirt - we have a delusional plan for growing much of our food this year) and this is the tip of our iceberg. Of course, I cannot imagine anything else so I want to clarify that this is not really complaining so much as assessing the chaos and pondering how to manage our (okay, my) time more efficiently.
Cs eczema (which I have not yet written about in detail but has been an ongoing struggle for him) is getting bad again. Unfortunately, his face has it the worst this time and has become a source of embarrassment and shame for him. 4 years old is not a time when being different is okay and he has said a few things that lead me to believe he may be getting left out of playground games at school. His own brothers have told him that he cannot play with them because they do not want to catch his "itchies" ( a conversation I overheard a couple of weeks ago that broke my heart). I've spoken with H and B both about Cs eczema, explaining that it is not contagious but is something that C has to live with just as H has asthma. We've talked about how he (C) must feel when his brothers and/or friends are unkind to him, when he is being left out and we have talked about how they (as brothers) need to always stick together, to take care of one another. How much of this they take to heart I do not know. I knew this day would come when one of our boys would be faced with a hurt that we could not protect him from. I did not expect it so soon and my heart is in no way prepared for the pain of watching it happen. Not sure where I am going with this - I am still coming to terms with it and looking for a way to address it sensitively with C.
H has had a weird stomach virus that had him puking for half a day (and he is usually at least a 24 hour puker) and then just lethargic and not eating - but no longer throwing up. He has not had a legitimate meal in 5 days and he is not a picky eater. I finally took him in this morning and the pediatrician said she's seeing a lot of this right now. She checked him out and feels he is probably just nauseated still - poor kid. We're hoping his appetite will return soon. He has already been surpassed in height and weight by his brothers...he needs all the nutrients his little body can get. And I need him to go back to school. Though in all honesty, it's been kind of neat to spend a little time alone with him as he convalesces.
B is full of imagination - telling stories and creating pretend scenarios for his brothers all day long. Well, most of the day - the rest of the time he is firing off questions at me about every possible thing imaginable. This child makes my brain hurt! I am thrilled at his inquisitive nature - it is much like my own. But his need to understand everything in the universe coupled with his inability to look it up and find answers for himself are wearing me down. "I don't know" is not an acceptable answer either. We must look for the answer - at the library or on the Internet (which, by the way is so crazy that my 4 year old knows that this is a way we can use computers - I don't think I knew which end was up at 4 years old) and then discuss it - ad nauseum - for days on end. I've never been interrogated, but I am beginning to see how it might make a person crack up after long enough.
On a group note, the boys started soccer last week. This is the funniest thing I have ever witnessed. Really. 15 four year olds "practicing" (code word for free for all) is comic relief for me as I am on the sidelines watching some poor innocent soul's (their very patient coach) attempt at "herding cats" (this is how Kelly refers to efforts at any organized drill with preschoolers). As twisted as it is, I revel in seeing other adults experience a slice of my daily life while I relax and do absolutely nothing to even hint at helping manage the chaos. If only I had a cold beer in my hand it would be perfect. Since their soccer league is through the church, I am thinking that beer at 4 year old soccer practice/games may be frowned upon. Too bad.
And this will have to do for an update as I can hear the little hooligans getting a little too crazy in the next room. I will try (and we have already established this means nothing) to post some pictures, at the very least, before the end of the week. I have several good ones on the camera that I will happily download if I can ever again find the cable to connect it to the computer...
The last week (month actually) of our crazy life has been...well, crazy. The boys have started going to school 3 mornings a week and you'd think an additional morning without kiddos would lead to greater productivity for me. This has not proven to be so. I am perpetually trying to catch up on all things neglected (everything organizational), stay on top of all things necessary for daily survival (you know, like feeding this brood and making sure they have clean underwear), and I have been attempting to carve out some me time for my own physical and mental well being (I have actually managed to get to the gym more times this month than I have in the last year). Throw in our usual geriatric dog care, sick kids every other minute, traveling Daddy, dentist appointments, doctor appointments, veterinary appointments, travel plans, garden planning (because it is almost Spring and I am anxious to get outside in the dirt - we have a delusional plan for growing much of our food this year) and this is the tip of our iceberg. Of course, I cannot imagine anything else so I want to clarify that this is not really complaining so much as assessing the chaos and pondering how to manage our (okay, my) time more efficiently.
Cs eczema (which I have not yet written about in detail but has been an ongoing struggle for him) is getting bad again. Unfortunately, his face has it the worst this time and has become a source of embarrassment and shame for him. 4 years old is not a time when being different is okay and he has said a few things that lead me to believe he may be getting left out of playground games at school. His own brothers have told him that he cannot play with them because they do not want to catch his "itchies" ( a conversation I overheard a couple of weeks ago that broke my heart). I've spoken with H and B both about Cs eczema, explaining that it is not contagious but is something that C has to live with just as H has asthma. We've talked about how he (C) must feel when his brothers and/or friends are unkind to him, when he is being left out and we have talked about how they (as brothers) need to always stick together, to take care of one another. How much of this they take to heart I do not know. I knew this day would come when one of our boys would be faced with a hurt that we could not protect him from. I did not expect it so soon and my heart is in no way prepared for the pain of watching it happen. Not sure where I am going with this - I am still coming to terms with it and looking for a way to address it sensitively with C.
H has had a weird stomach virus that had him puking for half a day (and he is usually at least a 24 hour puker) and then just lethargic and not eating - but no longer throwing up. He has not had a legitimate meal in 5 days and he is not a picky eater. I finally took him in this morning and the pediatrician said she's seeing a lot of this right now. She checked him out and feels he is probably just nauseated still - poor kid. We're hoping his appetite will return soon. He has already been surpassed in height and weight by his brothers...he needs all the nutrients his little body can get. And I need him to go back to school. Though in all honesty, it's been kind of neat to spend a little time alone with him as he convalesces.
B is full of imagination - telling stories and creating pretend scenarios for his brothers all day long. Well, most of the day - the rest of the time he is firing off questions at me about every possible thing imaginable. This child makes my brain hurt! I am thrilled at his inquisitive nature - it is much like my own. But his need to understand everything in the universe coupled with his inability to look it up and find answers for himself are wearing me down. "I don't know" is not an acceptable answer either. We must look for the answer - at the library or on the Internet (which, by the way is so crazy that my 4 year old knows that this is a way we can use computers - I don't think I knew which end was up at 4 years old) and then discuss it - ad nauseum - for days on end. I've never been interrogated, but I am beginning to see how it might make a person crack up after long enough.
On a group note, the boys started soccer last week. This is the funniest thing I have ever witnessed. Really. 15 four year olds "practicing" (code word for free for all) is comic relief for me as I am on the sidelines watching some poor innocent soul's (their very patient coach) attempt at "herding cats" (this is how Kelly refers to efforts at any organized drill with preschoolers). As twisted as it is, I revel in seeing other adults experience a slice of my daily life while I relax and do absolutely nothing to even hint at helping manage the chaos. If only I had a cold beer in my hand it would be perfect. Since their soccer league is through the church, I am thinking that beer at 4 year old soccer practice/games may be frowned upon. Too bad.
And this will have to do for an update as I can hear the little hooligans getting a little too crazy in the next room. I will try (and we have already established this means nothing) to post some pictures, at the very least, before the end of the week. I have several good ones on the camera that I will happily download if I can ever again find the cable to connect it to the computer...
Friday, January 25, 2008
shenanigans
If you cannot tell by the photo, the string to this balloon (which is weighted) is through the inside of the 2nd story foyer chandelier. C will not stop saying Mommy, peeeeze, I want my buh-yoon back right now! Not happenin'!!!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Life
has a way of moving faster than I am capable of wrapping my head around. It's been quiet on the blog not for lack of things happening but because I cannot seem to figure out a way to get it all down. In the meantime, if you're looking for some things to ponder, check out this article over at Enjoy Parenting. I will try and get my thoughts together and blog about life around here soon :)
Oh, and here is one more read that is funny, true and thought provoking...I Confess
Oh, and here is one more read that is funny, true and thought provoking...I Confess
Friday, October 5, 2007
One Too Many
The following "day in the life" happened a few days ago - I am just getting a moment to write it down. Much funnier today than when it happened :)
H had a routine Pulmonology appt (he was diagnosed with asthma at 9 months). Kelly was not able to arrange his schedule to be here with the other boys so we all piled in the van and headed to Atlanta for H's check up. This is not something I enjoy. Three - three year olds at any doctors appointment is rough but even more so when two of them know they do not have to be there...we all have a difficult time patiently waiting and I am (and have always been) acutely aware that we are being watched by everyone the moment we enter a waiting room and people realize these are triplets. More on this later. So, we survived the check up, good report for H, lungs are clear and all the boys managed to keep the chaos to a minimum.
From there we headed to the farm for our weekly CSA pick up with a quick stop at Chick fil A (an incredible treat as far as the boys are concerned - probably the highlight of their week if you ask them) in between. At the farm we fed the pony, went through the corn maze, got silly on some hay bales and had a great time. And then we began the drive home (the farm is a little over an hour north of our house).
I keep "to do" things - items to be returned, exchanged, mailed, etc. - in my car at all times. It's easier than trying to remember to bring stuff with me when it might be a convenient day to take care of it. On our way home from the farm everyone closed their eyes (not me) for a much needed cat nap. We'd had such an uneventful day so far, and all was quiet as I approached our exit so I made an executive decision to continue down the highway a bit to a nearby sporting goods store where I needed to make an exchange. I thought the boys might enjoy exploring all the sports equipment and I'd be able to check something off my perpetually growing to do list. All was well as we entered. As expected, the boys were very excited to see the basketball goals, football pads, baseball bats and kayaks. I found what I needed for the exchange and everyone was happy. And then I made a rookie mistake...I decided that while everyone was happy, I'd do something for myself - GASP! I've needed a new pair of running shoes (not that I actually run) for awhile. We headed to that section of the store. The boys sat down on a nearby bench, I supplied everyone with cars from the stash in my purse and I turned to speak with a sales associate. As I began to explain to her what I was looking for I heard the scream that every mother knows means trouble. Turning my attention back to the boys, I saw B holding his mouth as he alternately cried/screamed and was able to determine that C's head had collided with his mouth as they were both running after their cars (these head on collisions happen at least once a day at home with varying degrees of injury). I asked him to move his hand so he could show me where he was hurt and the blood started spewing. Let me say here that I am not a very reactive (to injuries anyway) parent. I do not panic, I do not have a weak stomach and I almost always determine that a little ice and a hug will be all that we need - we are rare visitors in our doctor's office. This was no different than usual except we were in a very big store, very far away from the bathrooms and I had three little boys dispersing in different directions while one was screaming in hysterics with blood all over his hand and face. I somehow managed to drop my things, get everyone together, grab all hands and head across the store to a bathroom. Funny observation - in a store that was full of sales people looking to help me just moments before suddenly not one employee was anywhere to be seen. Through every department we trekked, up an elevator, into the bathroom where I placed the two uninjured boys against the wall and told them in my very serious, mommy means business voice not to move an inch. Poor B was still in shock about all the blood on his hand and though it was not hurt at all wanted most to wash it off. We managed to clean him up and determine the usual...a little ice and a hug would be all his fat little lip needed. But I learned a lesson that day. One I should have figured out in 3.75 years of life with triplets. Sometimes one more thing is just one too many and as sure as I think it'll be fine, we are bound to have an unforeseen adventure to laugh about later - once the horror of poor judgement has passed.
H had a routine Pulmonology appt (he was diagnosed with asthma at 9 months). Kelly was not able to arrange his schedule to be here with the other boys so we all piled in the van and headed to Atlanta for H's check up. This is not something I enjoy. Three - three year olds at any doctors appointment is rough but even more so when two of them know they do not have to be there...we all have a difficult time patiently waiting and I am (and have always been) acutely aware that we are being watched by everyone the moment we enter a waiting room and people realize these are triplets. More on this later. So, we survived the check up, good report for H, lungs are clear and all the boys managed to keep the chaos to a minimum.
From there we headed to the farm for our weekly CSA pick up with a quick stop at Chick fil A (an incredible treat as far as the boys are concerned - probably the highlight of their week if you ask them) in between. At the farm we fed the pony, went through the corn maze, got silly on some hay bales and had a great time. And then we began the drive home (the farm is a little over an hour north of our house).
I keep "to do" things - items to be returned, exchanged, mailed, etc. - in my car at all times. It's easier than trying to remember to bring stuff with me when it might be a convenient day to take care of it. On our way home from the farm everyone closed their eyes (not me) for a much needed cat nap. We'd had such an uneventful day so far, and all was quiet as I approached our exit so I made an executive decision to continue down the highway a bit to a nearby sporting goods store where I needed to make an exchange. I thought the boys might enjoy exploring all the sports equipment and I'd be able to check something off my perpetually growing to do list. All was well as we entered. As expected, the boys were very excited to see the basketball goals, football pads, baseball bats and kayaks. I found what I needed for the exchange and everyone was happy. And then I made a rookie mistake...I decided that while everyone was happy, I'd do something for myself - GASP! I've needed a new pair of running shoes (not that I actually run) for awhile. We headed to that section of the store. The boys sat down on a nearby bench, I supplied everyone with cars from the stash in my purse and I turned to speak with a sales associate. As I began to explain to her what I was looking for I heard the scream that every mother knows means trouble. Turning my attention back to the boys, I saw B holding his mouth as he alternately cried/screamed and was able to determine that C's head had collided with his mouth as they were both running after their cars (these head on collisions happen at least once a day at home with varying degrees of injury). I asked him to move his hand so he could show me where he was hurt and the blood started spewing. Let me say here that I am not a very reactive (to injuries anyway) parent. I do not panic, I do not have a weak stomach and I almost always determine that a little ice and a hug will be all that we need - we are rare visitors in our doctor's office. This was no different than usual except we were in a very big store, very far away from the bathrooms and I had three little boys dispersing in different directions while one was screaming in hysterics with blood all over his hand and face. I somehow managed to drop my things, get everyone together, grab all hands and head across the store to a bathroom. Funny observation - in a store that was full of sales people looking to help me just moments before suddenly not one employee was anywhere to be seen. Through every department we trekked, up an elevator, into the bathroom where I placed the two uninjured boys against the wall and told them in my very serious, mommy means business voice not to move an inch. Poor B was still in shock about all the blood on his hand and though it was not hurt at all wanted most to wash it off. We managed to clean him up and determine the usual...a little ice and a hug would be all his fat little lip needed. But I learned a lesson that day. One I should have figured out in 3.75 years of life with triplets. Sometimes one more thing is just one too many and as sure as I think it'll be fine, we are bound to have an unforeseen adventure to laugh about later - once the horror of poor judgement has passed.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Silly Boys
Okay, those are underwear on
our chandelier in the 2 story foyer...
The little nudists get dressed for
dinner (we have a "butt must be covered" rule for eating)
Yes, you are cute
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