If you saw a young mother schlepping 3 kids into a sports bar & grill last night, that was me.
It was a long, stormy day in Branson. A trip to Wal-Mart with Ava was the major outing of the day, until dinner time when the power went out in the condo. We walked down to the theatre and restaurant building, and I had a feeling it would be a rough night when both of the girls tripped and fell on the way down, then we found the doors locked and lights out in the building. The cook came out to tell us they didn't have power either and that an electric pole was hit and knocked down nearby. 900 people were without power around the area. So where, oh where, would we get these kids dinner, and soon?? An old friend of my mom's was with us, and my mom also wanted to catch some of the football games that were going. Lucky for us a young lady approached before we got into our cars to leave. She asked if we were looking for a place to watch the game, and there is a family-friendly sports bar & grill that would have power. I didn't know there was such a thing, so I asked, "What exactly does that mean?" She said it's non-smoking and kids are welcome.
We pulled into the parking lot for the auto museum and toy shop and followed it around to the bar & grill. We made our way up the stairs, with only one more injury, Ava hitting her head on a piece of wood on the stair railing. As soon as we walked in I could feel my face changing into "overwhelmed and don't look at me." There were two guys playing pool right by the entrance, and the big smiles on their faces said to me, "She looks overwhelmed, and we've never seen that many kids in here." We made our way to a table, and on the way I paused where a couple had a baby in a carrier, and I said, "I'm glad I'm not the only one" with a smile on my face. When we got to the table I quickly moved Jenna to the end that had a more clothed picture of cheerleaders under the glass top than the other side with a girl in a bikini. Jared would occasionally jump and look around at the groups screaming and cheering with every other play of the games, whining "momma" and "up." Jenna doesn't do well with loud noises, said her "forehead was hurting," she hardly ate anything, and was hugging my arm most of the time. Ava warmed up to the place soon enough as she would clap and laugh along with the cheers around the room. As soon as the kids were done eating we decided to get going, and I'm glad we did because it started pouring rain as soon as we got in the car!
I was SOOO glad that the power was on when we got home. The groceries I had just bought weren't wasted, and I could give the kids a bath before bed. Jenna was exhausted and wanted to go to bed without a story, and Ava is in the portable crib. At the end of the day, it was nice to get a break from the rain for a bit, get out of the condo, and also be in a place where the adults were yelling louder, and being more rowdy, than my children. :)
Monday, September 19, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
On point
Except for not fitting in a shower, I was suprisingly on point today. I'm tired, but I feel like things ran pretty smoothly. Everyone was up, fed and dressed on time, I remembered to give Jared some ibuprofen for his teeth before leaving (or I knew he'd be miserable), got everyone in the van to take Jenna to the bus, then right to MOPS. I actually remembered paci, blankie, snacks and juice cup for Jared in the nursery. I put him in a miniature chair at a kids table with all of his things and then left to take Ava to her room. I saw him cry right away, but I had to give it a chance. Ava was screaming at the top of her lungs when I was trying to leave her room, but I knew she would be fine in a couple minutes. This was our first MOPS meeting of the year, and it was a great time talking to friends and other moms that I didn't really get to know last year. After the meeting, I went off to get Jared, and the workers told me he sat in his chair the whole time! I could've cried right there. This was over 2 hours! I had given him medicine, he completely missed his morning nap and was exhausted. I also don't think he knew how to get out of that little chair on his own. Not that he would've allowed anyone to pick him up anyway, but I felt bad for him. At least my mom will be here the next two months to stay with him. Ava was happy as could be in her class and when I got her.
By the time we got home, we played a little, then it was time to get Jenna off the bus and have lunch. After Jenna had some quiet time playing her Leapster and laying down, Ava was refusing to take a nap, so outside we went. The girls dug in the dirt, did bubbles, and Jenna threw some rocks onto the patio that she had to sweep back into the planters. By this time she was exhausted and ready to go back inside. Before they played, it was shower time. I'm so glad I got that out of the way! It was a rough late afternoon with all these restless, tired, kids. I tried to sit with Jenna to do an assignment, but I knew she was too cranky to focus. I was determined to get good bed times for all of them. So I did! Jared was down by 6:30, and Ava was out at 7. While I was sitting with Ava, Jenna was at the kitchen table doing some drawing. I came out and had her do one of her homework assignments on her own, coloring, cutting and gluing pictures that start with "C" while I cleaned up the kitchen. Things don't usually work out well when I hover :) After that we had a very nice time completing her other assignment, practicing writing numbers 1-10. She tends to rush when she's writing, so we've been working on slowing down. When she does a number like 2 it can look like a backwards "S," so I came up with the "stop sign" for each number that has sharp points in. Now when she writes them she makes a race track track sound and screeches the brakes when she needs to pause at a point. This has helped her slow down a lot and focus on the shapes and curves of the numbers. She also consistenly drew legible 8s on her sheet! That has been her toughest one to get. After almost every number I praised her, and she gave me a big hug. I love that smile that came from her, she was so proud of herself. They actually looked like the right numbers :) We also worked on using lowercase letters in her name, and she would continually tell me NOT to give her instruction line-by-line-by-curve. I had to back off the hovering. She was even in a good enough mood to do some EXTRA activities. One that I picked from the choices on her sheet was jumping, skipping, kneeling and twisting, 10 times each. For kneeling I showed her to lunge, which I only did once and hoped she'd get it. She skipped across the living room, did her twists and then wanted me to twist too. Why not? After all of those school things she actually wanted to do some of her Kindergarten workbook that I got from Target. We did 4 pages, then it was time to get ready for bed, right at 8 p.m.
Most nights the girls go down at the same time, I have to sit by Ava's bed until she falls asleep, and I sneak back out to the living room. The past few nights Jenna has wanted me to lay down with her too, and I tell her that I can if Ava goes to sleep well. Last night Ava was NOT going to sleep, but I wanted to give Jenna some cuddle time, laid with her for a few minutes while Ava was up getting into things, then finally went to do the dishes and left Ava to go to sleep on her own, which was about 10 p.m. after repeatedly taking her back to her bed. Days that Ava doesn't take a nap are rough in the afternoon but pay off at night because she falls asleep so much quicker. So tonight I could actually lay down with Jenna. Twenty minutes later she was still awake, but quiet as I left the room.
The kitchen is decent, the kids are all asleep now, it's almost 9:30, and I might actually get a good night's sleep. I have definitely been wearing down the last few days. I can tell my mind is not all there. My mom's coming back tomorrow, and I need a nap :)
By the time we got home, we played a little, then it was time to get Jenna off the bus and have lunch. After Jenna had some quiet time playing her Leapster and laying down, Ava was refusing to take a nap, so outside we went. The girls dug in the dirt, did bubbles, and Jenna threw some rocks onto the patio that she had to sweep back into the planters. By this time she was exhausted and ready to go back inside. Before they played, it was shower time. I'm so glad I got that out of the way! It was a rough late afternoon with all these restless, tired, kids. I tried to sit with Jenna to do an assignment, but I knew she was too cranky to focus. I was determined to get good bed times for all of them. So I did! Jared was down by 6:30, and Ava was out at 7. While I was sitting with Ava, Jenna was at the kitchen table doing some drawing. I came out and had her do one of her homework assignments on her own, coloring, cutting and gluing pictures that start with "C" while I cleaned up the kitchen. Things don't usually work out well when I hover :) After that we had a very nice time completing her other assignment, practicing writing numbers 1-10. She tends to rush when she's writing, so we've been working on slowing down. When she does a number like 2 it can look like a backwards "S," so I came up with the "stop sign" for each number that has sharp points in. Now when she writes them she makes a race track track sound and screeches the brakes when she needs to pause at a point. This has helped her slow down a lot and focus on the shapes and curves of the numbers. She also consistenly drew legible 8s on her sheet! That has been her toughest one to get. After almost every number I praised her, and she gave me a big hug. I love that smile that came from her, she was so proud of herself. They actually looked like the right numbers :) We also worked on using lowercase letters in her name, and she would continually tell me NOT to give her instruction line-by-line-by-curve. I had to back off the hovering. She was even in a good enough mood to do some EXTRA activities. One that I picked from the choices on her sheet was jumping, skipping, kneeling and twisting, 10 times each. For kneeling I showed her to lunge, which I only did once and hoped she'd get it. She skipped across the living room, did her twists and then wanted me to twist too. Why not? After all of those school things she actually wanted to do some of her Kindergarten workbook that I got from Target. We did 4 pages, then it was time to get ready for bed, right at 8 p.m.
Most nights the girls go down at the same time, I have to sit by Ava's bed until she falls asleep, and I sneak back out to the living room. The past few nights Jenna has wanted me to lay down with her too, and I tell her that I can if Ava goes to sleep well. Last night Ava was NOT going to sleep, but I wanted to give Jenna some cuddle time, laid with her for a few minutes while Ava was up getting into things, then finally went to do the dishes and left Ava to go to sleep on her own, which was about 10 p.m. after repeatedly taking her back to her bed. Days that Ava doesn't take a nap are rough in the afternoon but pay off at night because she falls asleep so much quicker. So tonight I could actually lay down with Jenna. Twenty minutes later she was still awake, but quiet as I left the room.
The kitchen is decent, the kids are all asleep now, it's almost 9:30, and I might actually get a good night's sleep. I have definitely been wearing down the last few days. I can tell my mind is not all there. My mom's coming back tomorrow, and I need a nap :)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Advanage
I just had to blog about this eventhough I posted about it on Facebook. I rarely answer the door for anyone during the day. If it's the weekend Lance and I would determine together whether to answer the door. If so, then he'd answer or be close by. We have been known to get knocks at the door at 9 p.m. at which point my heart rate and anxiety jump as I rush into one of the kids's rooms to peek through the curtains so as not to make the person think someone is home, let alone aware that we heard the knock or doorbell at all. There has been one gentleman, in a suit and professional-looking, that has come by twice in the last few months during the day. He's had paperwork out on the hood of his car, but I couldn't tell if he was going around the rest of the neighborhood as well. He was either selling something, or doing a background check on a neighbor, which I guess I didn't help with. All this again assessed through a crack of the kids' curtains while I'm shooshing them so the person doesn't hear them.
This afternoon Jared and Ava were asleep, and Jenna was playing her Leapster when the doorbell rang. Usually people will wait a minute before ringing it again. This person gave it maybe 5 seconds. So I answered the door, knowing the screen was locked, assessed the situation and decided to open it. I stood right between a cracked screen door and the frame, and the salesman immediately asked for the adult of the house. From then on it was complement after complement about my age, "Wow you don't look 30! I thought you were a teenager!" Those were the least off-putting. He was selling an all-purpose cleaner, biodegradable, safe with children and pets, safe for fabric, and all natural. Natural enough for him to pull out the spray bottle nozzle and lick the tubing. Yes that's right. I thought two things, "EW," and "Non-hazardous is always good with the kids around." He proceeded to scrub the grime off of my brass address numbers, some mildew that was in the cracks of the blocks of my front planter, some of the driveway, and also clean an area of the screen glass. I was impressed when he rubbed his fingers back over it, and it left no fingerprints! Again, great for the kids. He had a brochure that I glanced over while he was going through the pitch, sporadically looking up and reacting to his jokes. I asked a couple questions, and told him I'd talk to my husband about it. His response, "When you go to Walmart to buy your cleaning supplies do you check with him first?" Again, I thought two things, "Excuse you, don't be talkin' 'bout my husband!" and "That's true." I finally decided I would get it.
For one thing, with the 5 different cleaners I have under my sink, it wasn't a terrible deal for something that would last a long time because it's a concentrate. I knew I would not be giving him a check or credit card, and I did have cash. I didn't have the tax amount, so he said he'd take it off for a cold drink. So I gave him a root beer and bottle of water.
I also sympathized with him as a door salesman and (supposedly) trying to raise his 10 year old son on it. His situation is probably different from the tons of teenagers we get selling professional lawn service all spring. He asked me if I'd ever done it. I said no. I do remember going with my mom when I was a kid and she sold vacuum cleaners and all the stuff that went along with them. This was when people let you in their house.
I think a part of me was also nervous about what would happen if I said "no" after all that time and effort. So basically I made a purchase out of some reasoning, guilt, sympathy and nerves.
As soon as I closed the door I immediately looked up the product's website. It looks legit, and it's sold on Amazon. So I at least didn't feel ripped off. The worst of the articles I've read so far about the product were about customer service and that I'm not the first of these well-rehearsed complements. I should've left well enough alone and ignored the door. Nonetheless, we are all safe and will have clean number plates, windows and driveway...if I get around to cleaning them. Crap.
This afternoon Jared and Ava were asleep, and Jenna was playing her Leapster when the doorbell rang. Usually people will wait a minute before ringing it again. This person gave it maybe 5 seconds. So I answered the door, knowing the screen was locked, assessed the situation and decided to open it. I stood right between a cracked screen door and the frame, and the salesman immediately asked for the adult of the house. From then on it was complement after complement about my age, "Wow you don't look 30! I thought you were a teenager!" Those were the least off-putting. He was selling an all-purpose cleaner, biodegradable, safe with children and pets, safe for fabric, and all natural. Natural enough for him to pull out the spray bottle nozzle and lick the tubing. Yes that's right. I thought two things, "EW," and "Non-hazardous is always good with the kids around." He proceeded to scrub the grime off of my brass address numbers, some mildew that was in the cracks of the blocks of my front planter, some of the driveway, and also clean an area of the screen glass. I was impressed when he rubbed his fingers back over it, and it left no fingerprints! Again, great for the kids. He had a brochure that I glanced over while he was going through the pitch, sporadically looking up and reacting to his jokes. I asked a couple questions, and told him I'd talk to my husband about it. His response, "When you go to Walmart to buy your cleaning supplies do you check with him first?" Again, I thought two things, "Excuse you, don't be talkin' 'bout my husband!" and "That's true." I finally decided I would get it.
For one thing, with the 5 different cleaners I have under my sink, it wasn't a terrible deal for something that would last a long time because it's a concentrate. I knew I would not be giving him a check or credit card, and I did have cash. I didn't have the tax amount, so he said he'd take it off for a cold drink. So I gave him a root beer and bottle of water.
I also sympathized with him as a door salesman and (supposedly) trying to raise his 10 year old son on it. His situation is probably different from the tons of teenagers we get selling professional lawn service all spring. He asked me if I'd ever done it. I said no. I do remember going with my mom when I was a kid and she sold vacuum cleaners and all the stuff that went along with them. This was when people let you in their house.
I think a part of me was also nervous about what would happen if I said "no" after all that time and effort. So basically I made a purchase out of some reasoning, guilt, sympathy and nerves.
As soon as I closed the door I immediately looked up the product's website. It looks legit, and it's sold on Amazon. So I at least didn't feel ripped off. The worst of the articles I've read so far about the product were about customer service and that I'm not the first of these well-rehearsed complements. I should've left well enough alone and ignored the door. Nonetheless, we are all safe and will have clean number plates, windows and driveway...if I get around to cleaning them. Crap.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Queen Ant
Jenna came into my room this morning to tell me there was a little black dot in her bed. I asked her what it was, and she said it might be an ant. So I told her to get a tissue and get it. As far as I know at that point she did. When I got up I checked the tissue in her bathroom trash it was flat and empty. So of course I asked her if she got it. She said she did, and "it was a queen ant!" I told her there was nothing there, so if she didn't squish it then it was crawling around somewhere. That might seem dramatic, but if I know something is crawling around it's hard for me to let it go and move on. I'd be paranoid about where it ended up. Now, the pest control was here yesterday, sprayed the entire perimeter of the house and the inside. I was ready to call them and get them back out here if there was a problem. After some prodding and back and forth, she finally says, "Oh mom, I'm just being silly. There was no ant." Jenna knows exactly how to get a reaction out of me. Thinking about it now, I wonder if she was using that to get me out of bed quicker and part of her wanting attention. She's been "silly" a lot lately. :) This girl is too much.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Oh Poop!
Today is the most beautiful day we've had this year that I can recall. It was actually cold when I went outside to shake the kitchen rugs out. The forecast, windy with a high of 75. I knew I needed to get some cleaning done that I was putting off, more specifically the bathrooms, and by the time I was finished it was 10 a.m. I gave the girls a snack, put Dora on and took a shower. Jared was up by the time I finished, so we all got ready to venture out to the park! I was originally going to pack a picnic lunch, but as I pulled it out of the packaging realized it wasn't good anymore. So that plan was out. Instead we'd just get something after the park.
As soon as we got to the park Jenna gravitated toward every dog that was out, including a really cute black lab puppy. Ava was off and running to the slides, and sweet Jared didn't go too far from me at first. It was a challenge keeping up with all of them, especially because Ava wants to do everything that Jenna does (the high climbing ladders, the HIGHEST possible slide up a huge flight of stairs, etc.) I had to hold Jared a lot and try to keep them together and be, literally, under Ava climbing up some of this stuff. I think they all had a lot of fun, though...until...
The very last thing we did was get a closer look at the pond to see the ducks and geese. Jared and Jenna were sticking close just fine, but leave it to Ava to test the limits, getting closer and closer to the water. You see where this is going. As soon as I said, "come back with us," she stumbled right over some little rocks on the bank and landed on all 4s in the muddy, goose poopy water. She started screaming, not because she actually hurt anything, but because she was covered in mud. I helped her up, took her shirt off and tried to wipe some of it off. We all walked to the bathroom and washed off Ava's arms that were covered. That was the end of that trip. I stripped her down in the car, hand sanitized everyone, and off we went. OH, but we still needed lunch. We drove though Chick Fil A, and everyone got in the bath as soon as we got home. I guess we'll go to the store, whichever one is open, after naptime. I definitely like doing baths earlier in the evening, but I would've preferred better circumstances. Baths and lunch done by 3, Jared's down for a nap, and now going to attempt nap time for Jenna (in her room) AND Ava (in my room).
Update - You'd think I would've just accepted the point of no return for naps with the girls. If it's past 3, it's not very likely that they'll go to sleep. Sometimes it's the opposite; they're more wound up than ever, and more cranky, whiny and easily set off than ever. It's more frustrating trying to get them to stay in bed, and with all that time wasted, it's easier just to keep them up. Early bed time maybe??
As soon as we got to the park Jenna gravitated toward every dog that was out, including a really cute black lab puppy. Ava was off and running to the slides, and sweet Jared didn't go too far from me at first. It was a challenge keeping up with all of them, especially because Ava wants to do everything that Jenna does (the high climbing ladders, the HIGHEST possible slide up a huge flight of stairs, etc.) I had to hold Jared a lot and try to keep them together and be, literally, under Ava climbing up some of this stuff. I think they all had a lot of fun, though...until...
The very last thing we did was get a closer look at the pond to see the ducks and geese. Jared and Jenna were sticking close just fine, but leave it to Ava to test the limits, getting closer and closer to the water. You see where this is going. As soon as I said, "come back with us," she stumbled right over some little rocks on the bank and landed on all 4s in the muddy, goose poopy water. She started screaming, not because she actually hurt anything, but because she was covered in mud. I helped her up, took her shirt off and tried to wipe some of it off. We all walked to the bathroom and washed off Ava's arms that were covered. That was the end of that trip. I stripped her down in the car, hand sanitized everyone, and off we went. OH, but we still needed lunch. We drove though Chick Fil A, and everyone got in the bath as soon as we got home. I guess we'll go to the store, whichever one is open, after naptime. I definitely like doing baths earlier in the evening, but I would've preferred better circumstances. Baths and lunch done by 3, Jared's down for a nap, and now going to attempt nap time for Jenna (in her room) AND Ava (in my room).
Update - You'd think I would've just accepted the point of no return for naps with the girls. If it's past 3, it's not very likely that they'll go to sleep. Sometimes it's the opposite; they're more wound up than ever, and more cranky, whiny and easily set off than ever. It's more frustrating trying to get them to stay in bed, and with all that time wasted, it's easier just to keep them up. Early bed time maybe??
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