The Turkey Soup That Never Was

Yesterday was one of those days where two very clingy, cranky babies never let me: wash my hair, vacuum the carpet, catch up on the dishes or get any sort of domestic duty accomplished. I did start some turkey soup, but the key word here is start. To top it all off, a cake sat on the counter all day calling my name.

Consequently, the kids crawled around on a dog hair covered floor, while a greasy haired mom snuck bites of cake in the middle of a messy kitchen that smelled like turkey soup.

When Hubby walked in the door, he took one look at me and said , "Whoa, I'll take care of the babies tomorrow, you just sleep in." Then we ordered Thai food. Thank God for freezers.

Sorry, no photos of this day, you wouldn't want to see them!!

Does Santa Outsource?

Sweet E. with her sister, Teeny G.

Thanksgiving is over, I'm done being thankful and can get back to my harried list-making, bank account checking, & list-revising self for the holidays. As a season kick off, I'd like to share this story from my stepdaughter D. about our 8 year old granddaughter E.

E. is changing before our eyes. It freaks me out sometimes because I don't want her hormones to kick in anytime soon. It makes me appreciate the little time left where she still thinks I know what I'm talking about.

She came to me the other day and asked "Why does my bike from Santa say 'Made In China'?"

"Santa doesn't want everyone to know where he lives," I answered.

She immediately shot back with "but everyone knows Santa lives in the North Pole, that doesn't make sense Mom."

I was at a loss for words. Her brain works so fast all of a sudden!

I ended up telling her that if she didn't believe in Santa, he would stop bringing her presents.

"I believe Mom! I'll always believe!"

...to which my response was "Good, then he'll always bring you presents. "

I told her sometimes things that are magical can't be explained, that's why they are "magical". I also told her with so many kids in the world, sometimes Santa has to outsource.

She seemed satisfied with that, for now...

Happy Thanksgiving!

• the curl of my daughter's arms around my neck
• my son's 2:00 a.m. baby breath
• coffee
• hand massages from my husband
• a warm house at the end of the day
• a stepdaughter who never laughs (out loud) at what's on my ipod
• another stepdaughter who is a great mothering role model
• dogs that are excited to see me
• a toilet paper roll shredding cat
• another cat that patiently tolerates our kids "love"
• a granddaughter who tells jokes
• another grandaughter who shrieks if you pick her up
• buttered popcorn with brewer's yeast
• Six Feet Under on DVD (goes w/ the popcorn)
• two extra hours of sleep courtesy of 'Daddy time'
• family that can drive you crazy, but you'd be lost without them
• a husband who gets grumpy on the outside, but has a heart of gold
• local friends, far away friends and computer friends
  
  ...a few things I'm grateful for today.
  

KISS Kitsch

When the laundry has piled up and the closet is bare, I reach for my secret favorite shirt. One I would have proudly worn daily when I was 13. The only problem is, I didn't find it until a couple years ago. Now it's kitschy. (If you don't know what that means, look below. I had to look it up too.)

I'm not ballsy enough to wear it in public, but wearing it at home inspires me to play a little air guitar. And my kids love the glitter. Now if only I could find a Donny Osmond shirt.

Kitschy: So tacky or lame that is has a certain ironic appeal.
Lava lamps, and trucker hats are very kitschy.

Morning Memories

I hope our kids will always remember frosty mornings like this one..

...and breakfast a'la Dad.

Thankful

I was going to do a post on the super hot teenage vampire book Twilight (which I'm currently reading) but my stepdaughter V. thankfully stepped in and told me to wait. Apparently, I won't know what I'm talking about until I finish it. So I will follow her sage advice and keep my mouth shut. There's always tomorrow to embarass myself.

Very quickly, on to my post, because it's late, I'm tired and my fingers are freezing! We had our Thanksgiving today, it went very well; from Hubby & I negotiating kitchen space (always tough), entertaining babies, and cooking (1-2-3-4-5!) side dishes. I've had better pecan pies, but this isn't my year to do pie crust. Hey, there was a pie.

Whether it was less stressful because today is really just Sunday, not Thanksgiving, or maybe I'm just getting better at it, I'm thankful. Thankful for the day, thankful for family.

and thankful for the tip V.!

Are You Practicing?

Tonight I visited an open house hosted by a woman who designs jewelery. Talking with her, I asked if she had a graphic design background, and she answered that, in fact, she was a graphic designer.

"So am I", I replied.

"Are you practicing?" she asked nonchalantly. Like it was a religion.

I was a bit flustered by her question, so I stammered something like..."well, not like I used to. I mainly do it for our business now."

Hmmmm, am I practicing? Her comment really outed me. The jig is up, she saw through my act. The fact is, I've been feeling very un-graphic designery for quite awhile now. In fact, I've been feeling very un-anything (career-wise) for awhile.

Being pregnant for most of 2007 and raising little babies during 2008 have been filled with tremendous joy and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything...ANYTHING! But there's a part of me that feels very out of touch with my career and my creativity, something I didn't expect.

However, there's a shift happening, my own tipping point. It sounds crazy, but this blog is part of it. There is something cathartic for me about writing in it every day. It's a discipline: just do it and don't overthink it. Just get it out there, even if you feel nervous. A door has opened.

The Family Hostess' Creed

In lieu of the upcoming holiday, I offer inspiration from the 1947 Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, "this modern cookbook, complete in every detail brings the latest developments in home economics to your kitchen..." (sorry about it being crooked)

Family Photo

Last August, I thought it would be fun to get a picture of the grandkids with the kids. Our lovely granddaughters...Teeny G & Sweet E with
& their aunt & uncle (hee, hee) Little Missy & Dr. J

Sleep

I need it. Bad.

Dr. J & Little Miss tag teamed me all night.
11:46 p.m. (Dr. J)
2:08 a.m. (the Miss)
2:48 a.m. (Doc again)
3:30 a.m. (Miss)
4:00 a.m. (Doc)
4:30 a.m. (both- Hubby got up for this one & brought Dr. J into bed w/ me).

This Guantanamo type schedule is brutal. Where is Hubby in all this? I let him sleep most of the night since he gets up early and he watches them in the morning giving me an extra 30-60 minutes of shut eye.

I can't wait to smash my face into a pillow tonight, throw the quilt over my head and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Until 11:46 that is.... (please God, no)

Diaper Duty

Last night, my Hubby offered to get Little Miss ready for bed. I gladly tossed him a diaper and got into position to change Dr. J. Things were going well, Dr. J was happily mouthing a tube of diaper rash ointment (a special object guaranteed to hold interest for a few seconds) and holding still while I changed him.

"For God's sake....this…..it's…arrgh!" Little Miss was twisting and arching her back, not at all content like her brother. The iphone Hubby gave her had a frozen screen (hmmm, wonder why?) and was no longer entertaining. Desperate, he offered her the case.

"Whoever designed these things never had babies," he grumbled, trying to snap her onesie closed (he always says that).

Meanwhile, Little Miss squirmed and whined…loudly. I watched alongside, smug in my diaper changing skills since Dr. J was very quiet. When I turned back, I discovered to my horror the ointment cap had opened and he was happily mouthing white goopy stuff! Mental note: babies + quiet = never good.

“There…OK…she’s done,” Hubby sighed.

“Well not quite, she still needs her sleeper” I replied and tossed him the one piece body suit from the couch.

“Grrrrrrr….”

So it began again, Little Miss writhing, and Hubby attempting to fit arms and legs in the right places. (There is an easier way…but I kept my mouth shut.)

Later, after bottles, after lullabies, as we steathily left the two darlings asleep in their cribs, Hubby said, “sometimes I love them so much it hurts.”

Could there be any better ending to a day?

Teletubbies Obsession

Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La La, Po.

Two years when I first watched the Teletubbies with my nephew, I couldn't keep the names straight. Now I can rattle them off in my sleep --I even have a favorite! (sick, I know...it's La La.) Tubbies have a way of working themselves into your brain, and nesting. Maybe it's because they play everything twice ("again, again!") and when you've seen those episodes again, again that adds up to...well, you get the idea.

It started out innocently, I let my children watch Teletubbies just to see their reactions. They responded immediately to the baby face sun, the giggles & shrieks with shrieks & giggles of their own (it was so cute, I wanted more). The Tubbies couldn't be TOO bad, I rationalized...it's public television, and they'll learn British phrases like "dollop" and "well done".

I confess, now I've come to depend on the Tubbies when Mum needs a break. The music starts, Tubbies prance out and I, at the kitchen counter, sponge in hand, get to pondering about the real Teletubbies...

Tubbie drama: "Dammit La La, you knew that was my scene!"

Tubbie pay: Is there a guild?
Read between the lines here...

Tubbie status: "Oh god, there's Byron Kerley, he brought such depth to Po."

Tubbie scripts: "We want edgy-- but how 'bout giving Tinky a purse?"

better yet, Tubbie auditions: move over, American Idol Rewind

Tubbies on DVD: Can you get director's commentary?
...grab my outstretched hand....

"Get a life!" you say, to which I reply....
"The sun is setting in the sky...Teletubbies say goodbye!"

Tinky Winky: "Bye bye"
Dipsy: "Buh bye"
La La: "Bye bye"
Po: "Byyyyeee Byyyee"
Camera pans back as each Tubbie waves and pops down into the rabbit hole. Baby sun sinks behind the horizon, credits roll. Fade to black.

...hear my desperate cry for help!

Forty Mamas...

Forty Mama: a woman with a new baby/child after the age of forty; any fortyish woman who is mothering young children.

Mamas of any age share...

• lack of sleep


• never ending laundry


• a sudden interest in Jon & Kate Plus 8


• MOTHER BEAR protectiveness. On certain sleepless nights I have fantasies of "Ninja Mom." Most involve shrieking & jumping on the would-be abductor kamakaze style (you've gotta psyche 'em out). It usually ends with "you picked the wrong house buster!" (no, of course, I wouldn't say buster, but I'm keeping things clean here)
  

A Forty Mama...

• doesn't bounce back from sleepless nights as easily


• discovers that backs get zinged simply by picking a baby or toddler up incorrectly (core strength is the new mantra)


• is forced to deal with her age; she may be the oldest mom in the room


• can afford a sleek washer/dryer combo to deal with all that laundry, and a much nicer bed than the futons from our 20s.
  

Whether she stuggled with infertility, waded thru lengthy adoption paperwork, or wrestled with the idea of bringing a child into the world alone, a Forty Mama has done alot of soul searching by the time she has her child.

So I have a little crow's feet. I'm more patient, less fussy, and more self accepting than my 25 year old self. Isn't that a wonderful gift for my children?

If you build it they will come...oh hell, can you just visit me?

Calling all BFF's. I have a blog now. I can't promise you much of interest...yet, but there's always tomorrow, that's the beauty of bloggin'. For now I only ask for your friendly support and posting skills (a blind eye to grammar helps too).

In case you're interested, last night was a pretty good! We had the 4 a.m. bottle, then back to bed. Dare I hope for more nights like this?

Blogging Virgin

I've done it...started a blog! My first post...oh the pressure for it to be a monumental, witty piece of writing. Forget it..it's 10:30 p.m, too late for that kind of thing.. especially since I'll be getting up around 4:00 a.m. with our son (if that's the only time, it'll be a good night). So forgive me if I'm not that creative right now. I just spent most of my precious computer time picking a background for this thing and getting sidetracked looking at baby photos. Speaking of which, here are a couple of our little ones...aren't they the cutest!