Lack of Sleep

Alyssa started off as this sleeping wonder baby, that has now turned into a nightmare. She will not sleep through the night. It is considered a good night if she only wakes up twice. Most nights that is not the case. She goes to bed at 7pm and the first wake up will be at 10pm'ish, then every 2 hours from there. It is those nights that both of us are in tears at 3am. The cry it out method is not working well for her. She just screams louder and louder as if someone is murdering her. Harsh, I know. But spend one sleepless night in my house and you will quickly agree.

Serious lack of sleep is making me ill. Seriously. It is making me feel sick. Nauseous. Headaches. I really don't know how I function on a daily basis in this state. I don't want to do anything because I have no energy to do anything. I feel bad for Paige and Jimmy. I suck right now.

It got so bad a couple weeks ago, that I made her a doctors appointment. I figured something had to be wrong. Ear infection...something. No, she is fine. The doctor told me she was cutting 6 teeth at one time and to give her ibuprofen instead of tylenol. Stronger stuff. Great! Maybe she will sleep....no. And so far, I have only seen two of those apparent 6 teeth come out.

I keep telling her, it is a good thing she is so incredibly cute and I love her so much. At 3am, I try to remind myself of how much I love her. Because, it is at that hour, you understand why the teachers in your prenatal classes and the doctors at the hospital are always telling you to never shake the baby.

Paige's Quote of the Day

Paige gets to go on a special shopping trip with Grandma today to find presents for Doug and I for Christmas. She is very excited. She ran to her room to get her Dora purse and got her baby all dressed for the big excursion. I told her to bring her purse to me because I had something special to give her.

She comes running, all excited. "What is it mommy?!"

I reach up into our little cash pot and pull out a $20 bill. "Here you go honey. This is real money for you to shop with today."

She looks at it, puts it in her purse, then pulls it back out again. "But mommy, this is only one, I think I need one more."

Great...

Thankful

For as much as I bitch and complain about life and kids on this blog, I have to stop and realize that I am thankful for so many things. Tomorrow kicks off the start of the holiday season and I am beginning to feel it. Even though the lights went up on my house 2 weekends ago, when the weather was nice, we already visited and took pictures with Santa and I have begun putting my tree up today. The weather has started to get really cold and I can almost smell the turkey in the air. Since having kids, the holidays have become a favorite time of year for me.

Reasons to be thankful this year:

1. After one miscarriage and an extremely rough pregnancy...the arrival of our beautiful daughter Alyssa.
2. My other 2 amazing children, Paige & Jimmy.
3. My husband, who is extremely loving and helpful, even though I don't tell him that enough.
4. My mother. I don't know what I would do without her.
5. My father. Who's spirit always remains high and no matter what, always has a hug and an "I love you" when I see him.
6. My brother. Every day I am thankful for the relationship we have.
7. That, although tight, we can survive on a single income and I can be a stay at home mom for my kids. Even though I complain a lot, I cherish every moment.
8. Good health. Us and all my family and friends are healthy.
9. We are constantly surrounded by wonderful people...friends, neighbors and family.

Sometimes we need to stop and think, it doesn't get much better than that.

Here's to a happy, healthy holiday season!

Four Is My New Two

I will always happily proclaim that 2 is my favorite age. In some ways they still resemble a baby but they're starting to loose the baby fat and you can slowly see the little kid coming out. Their vocabulary blossoms and you are constantly in amazement at the words and sentences that come out of their mouth. Their motor skills are developing rapidly, beginning to run and climb. It is an awesome year.

Next month Paige will be 4. I am in awe at how fast the time has gone. How is she 4 already? Regardless of how fast we got here, we are here, and if this past month is a peek into what 4 is going to be like, then I think this might be my new favorite age. She has become ultra cuddly, very understanding, compassionate and sensitive. Her ability to understand what is going on around her is astounding. Whether it be directions, reasons why she can or cannot do something or her adorable way of finding another solution to a problem. She has suddenly become rather cuddly, curling up in my lap for a snuggle. Randomly throughout the day, she will come over and say, "mommy, I love you", coupled with a big hug. Yes, that melts my heart into a pool of butter at her feet every time.

She is so gentle and sweet with her baby sister. Watching them play together is indescribable. Paige talks to her so sweetly, helps her with all her toys and tries at every possible moment to make her laugh. It is awesome to watch the two of them get going laughing at each other. Alyssa just lights up when ever Paige walks into the room or gives her any attention.

Lovey Sisters. Look at Alyssa's happy face!

Sweet kisses for baby sister. Alyssa is just eating it up!

Every day I am in amazement at how fast my kids are growing. Every day is a new adventure, never knowing what they will say or do. One day Paige is scribbling all over her coloring books and yesterday she proudly presents me a Christmas Mickey Mouse page colored almost completely within the lines. When did that happen?? I am always running into older ladies at the store who will ooohh and aaahhh over how cute the kids are. It never fails that their last sentence as they part from me is, "enjoy them now....they grow up fast!" Seriously. They do.

So stay tuned this year. I have a feeling you will see a lot more, "Paige's Quote of the Day" postings! And even though we arrived here a bit quicker than I expected, I am happy to accept this lovely new age of being fabulously 4. Anything is better than the tantrum infested terrible three's!

Paige's Quote of the Day

Tonight was Ooey Gooey Night at Paige's school (details about that some other time). I picked her up at 5pm and the event doesn't start until 6pm, so I had to kill some time. Since Alyssa had a rough day with no nap, I never got to eat lunch. I am pretty hungry at this point and decide it would be a good idea to stop at McDonald's for a quick snack. French fries and a soda. I head to the drive thru.

Now my kids are not allowed to eat McDonald's. They have the rest of their lives to make poor eating choices and I am not going to start them off at 2 & 3 years old. Fortunately it was already dark out and they would not be able to clearly see what I had in the front seat. As I pull up to the drive-thru, both kids are asking, "mommy what are you doing?" "Mommy what are you getting?" "Oh, I am just a little thirsty, so I am going to get a soda." They both know they cannot have soda, so my response doesn't phase them.

At the drive-thru, I order discretely, "I would like a small Dr. Pepper and a medium fry." Note, I did not say "french fries" or "fries". They would have caught onto that, especially my french fry monster named Jimmy, who resides right behind me in the car.

I pull up to the pay window and pay and move forward to the pick-up window. The girl hands me my soda first and then the small bag, which I quickly whisk away from her and into the safety of my lap. Within 5 seconds of those warm french fries entering the car, Paige, who is sitting in the 3rd row of the van, says, "ooohhh, mommy, your soda sure smells good!"

My Son, The Devil

My sweet, adorable, good natured little boy has become the spawn of Satan. In the past week, the devil has reared its ugly horns and unfortunately he is here to stay for a while. Nothing and no one can save us now.

I want to know what parenting professional came up with the terrible two's. Because as far as I am concerned, there is no such thing. Both of my first 2 children breezed through 2. In fact, I will brag to many that 2 is my favorite age. So adorable for so many reasons. Sure, there are some tantrums, but that is any kid at any age really.

The Terrible Threes. With my kids, things begin to go awry about 6 weeks before their 3rd birthday. They suddenly become a completely different child. Our house becomes a battle ground for everything. Everything. Going potty before leaving the house, putting on a jacket, what to have for a snack, taking a shower, what shirt to wear, turning off the TV, what show to watch when the TV is on...really, this list goes on an on. After each battle, most of the time I am not really sure who won.

Jimmy had 3 full blown tantrums in one day today. His tantrums are awful. Much worse than Paige's ever were. He rolls around the floor screaming. He will throw things, hit things. Scream at anyone that comes near him. He cannot be reasoned with under any circumstance. The worst part is, he will not stop. I don't like to give in to this kind of behavior, but he will go on for 30 minutes or more if I let him. I usually tell him if he is going to cry like that, he should go to his room. Most times he will do so. That was not the case today. Tantrum #1 was over the fact that he wanted to watch the Santa movie and I said no more TV. He stomps his foot and looks at me sternly, "YES! Santa movie!" I calmly reply, "sorry honey, we are not watching the Santa movie right now." That just fueled the fire...and on we go. I cannot even remember what Tantrum #2 was about because it was Tantrum #3 that took the cake.

I made a chicken and pasta bake for dinner. The kids normally wolf it down. Chicken, pasta and cauliflower, seasoned and baked in cheddar cheese with a parmesan cheese topping. Yum. Both kids rolled up to the table and got upset because they thought I was making macaroni and cheese, you know, from the box. "Sorry guys, this is what I made for dinner." Paige calmed down and ate most of her plate. Let the war begin. "I don't want this, I want the purple macaroni and cheese." Jimmy is now crying and screaming. He begins to push his mat around the table almost spilling his milk. I could tell he thought momentarily about picking up his plate and throwing it, but I was watching and I'm convinced he thought twice about that move. I moved his dinnerware out of the battlefield. "Honey, either eat dinner or get down and go cry in the other room." "NO!!" Then he hit his baby sister's hand away from him. She was sitting in the high next to him. I bolted up from the table and ripped him from his seat and put him on time out. "YOU DO NOT EVER HIT YOUR BABY SISTER!!!" I had to hold him in the chair with all my might for 2 minutes. After I let him go, still crying, he makes his way to the cabinet to pull out the box of what I am now supposed to make him for dinner. "Sorry bug, I am not making the mac n cheese. Come eat your dinner, please." He proceeded to continue his tantrum for the next 25 minutes. Paige and I ate dinner and Alyssa just stared at him rolling around on the floor with the box of mac n cheese in his hand. The poor box of Annie's White Chedder Mac N Cheese took a brutal beating, but managed to survive intact.

I love this child with my whole heart and soul. It breaks my heart when he is like this and it also works my last nerve. It is even harder to let him go on and on because I know I can't give in. He cannot think if he acts this way he will get what he wants.

The terrible three's should really be more popularized. My Google search proved that many parents deal more with the terrible threes than the twos. Add this to growing list of things I find a lot of parents don't talk about. I never read any books about parenting. I think they are all a load of bullshit. I believe in parenting from within. Do what you think is best for your child. For every child is different and only you know them the best.

Let's hope that tomorrow is a better day...

The Plague Has Arrived

The plague is beginning its takeover at my house. It arrived on Saturday night at 2:00 am when I awoke to Jimmy screaming in his bed. I bolt upright and run down the hallway, swing open the door to find him sitting in his bed crying and covered in vomit. Excellent. Why can't this happen at 2:00 in the afternoon? Poor little guy, he was so scared. I run out to the kitchen to get a bowl and return back to his bed just in time for another round. We made it into the bowl. All done, now I pick him up...carefully. Remove the pajamas, just so. Put new ones on and then proceed to strip the bed. Run everything to the garage to start a load of laundry and come back to remake the bed. Get him all settled with a bowl and a sippy cup with water. He nuzzles back into his pillow and closes his eyes.

Of course during this raucous, Alyssa decides it's a good time to wake up for food. Doug went in and changed her and held her until I was done with Jimmy.

After everyone is settled, I climb back into my bed. "Sigh." My first thought is "who is next?" Once a germ enters this household, all are doomed. We never know who it will strike next and how fast. I don't care if everyone in the house is vomiting, as long as it is not me. When I go down, then things fall apart a bit. It is really bad if Doug and I go down at the same time. That has only happened once and I never want it to happen again.

Well, almost 48 hours later, the germ has now taken down Paige. Fortunately this happened right before bedtime tonight and not at 2:00 am. While reading stories with Doug on the couch, she jumped up and started running and crying. I was cleaning up in the kitchen and turned to look at what she was doing. I could tell by the look on her face...I pushed her into a full blown sprint down the hallway to the bathroom. We made it. A half an hour later, we weren't so lucky. I didn't have to change a bed though. I really do love hardwood floors, so easy to clean.

Two down, 3 to go. So who is next?

Stay tuned...

Jimmy's Quote of the Day

I took Jimmy to the indoor kiddie gym yesterday. He was jumping between these two slanted mats and then rolling down them. Very cute. There were two little girls playing on these mats also. They were friends. At one point I was talking to Jimmy and the little girl in the yellow shirt erupted into a full blown tantrum. Jimmy and I stopped our conversation to assess the situation. I quickly realized that her friend was sitting in the cozy coupe and she clearly wanted it to be her turn.

As she is carrying on in a way that I am all too familiar with, Jimmy very casually turns to her and says, "if you are going to cry like that, you really should go to your room."

Miller Halloween Happenings

I love Halloween and ever since having kids, I have come to love it even more. Dressing up is so much fun. Each year the kids are becoming more and more into Halloween. It was awesome to see Jimmy running from house to house to get more candy. I think that 3 is the magic age where things really start to make sense.

Some Halloween traditions are quickly being set and I look forward to them every time October 1st hits. The decorations come out of the loft and go up on the house. My neighbors are always making fun of me because I am the first one with my decor out. October 1st the Halloween stuff goes up and Thanksgiving day weekend the Christmas stuff goes up. Anyway, I am looking forward to getting some scarier decorations once the kids get bigger. Our stuff is more festive, fun and cute at this point.

At some point during the month of October, a trip to Target occurs to purchase their adorable $5.00 kid Halloween shirts. We try to wear those shirts as much as possible, but in my eyes I really just want them for the photo ops.

Next up, is our trip to the local pumpkin patch the weekend before Halloween. We have been going to the same one on Highway 1 because they have a jumpy house and their largest pumpkins are only $5.00!!! We get to the entrance and tell the kids to have at it. Pick whichever pumpkin they want. I always think this process is going to take a while, but it is usually over in about 15 minutes. This year we squeezed in the patch between rain storms and on our way to a birthday party. The jumpy house was soaking wet, so they were a little disappointed to have missed out, but they got over it quickly when I told them we were on our way to have birthday cake!

The pumpkin patch photo op. Complete with the Halloween shirts!

The final selection.

Our Halloween weekend started off with a parade at Paige's preschool on Friday. It was so cute to see her entire class of like 4o kids all dressed up in costumes and marching around the playground and around the neighborhood block. Daddy took the day off of work to participate and my mom even showed up for the festivities. Paige was delighted to see her, "Grandma! What are you doing here??!!" After the parade, all the kids changed out of their costumes and had some quiet time to watch a movie before moving outside to play some more. We stayed to have lunch with the kids and then went home.

Paige's class. Paige & Jimmy are on the far right in the first/second row.

Grandma and Daddy participating in the parade.

 

Later on Friday night, we decided to let the kids carve their pumpkins. At this stage, that means we let them draw the face they want and then we carve it out. Alyssa's pumpkin was very small so I just drew a face on it!

The final product. Again...complete with the Halloween shirts!

Saturday night we got to dress up for a friends Halloween party. This was an adult party with kids, not the other way around. We had a great time, although a lot of the adults weren't dressed up.

Then came Sunday. The big day...or I should say, night. The excitement was building. Fortunately we had a our last session of swimming lessons that day, so it ate up a good portion of our morning. When we got home from swimming, Doug's sister and her two boys came over for a visit. Around 3:30 pm, we began getting ready. Doug and I fully dress up for trick or treating too. I love it!!

"The Mean Old Witch with a Hat" and her Pirate!

Another tradition that is being set so far, is we have been trick or treating with our very good friends, Seamus and Lorraine across the street. Their daughter, Shayla is the same age as Paige and they have developed an amazing friendship.

Super Girl Shayla and Princess Paige (Belle)

Belle, Super Girl, Spider Man and Bumble Bee

We take turns hosting dinner at our house and then head out to trick or treat with the kids around 6:30-6:45. We tend to go as long as they want. Which usually means up and down each side of our street and a couple of houses on the main street. We make sure to stop at all the neighbors houses so the kids can show off their costumes. It was so much fun. Even little Alyssa was a trooper, hangin out in the stroller for the entire duration.

It was a successful Halloween and I am already looking forward to next year!

Gray Really Isn't A Good Color For Me

I was getting myself ready the other morning. With 3 kids, that usually consists of throwing on jeans and some respectable shirt. Preferably one that is clean and doesn't have spit up, markers or dried play doh embedded in the fibers. I step into the bathroom to do the usual stuff...brush my teeth, deodorant, a little lipstick, some mascara. I have naturally curly hair, so my flat iron is my best friend. Washing my hair only comes every 2-3 days when I straighten it. This particular day my hair was already straight so I was looking for a clip to pull it away from my face a bit. I look in the mirror to get my hair just so and then...

...no. Is that? No way. I lean in for a closer look.
No. What the...? It can't be. But it is. Right there staring at me. A gray hair. Holy shit! Who is this person in the mirror. It surely cannot be me, because I am still 25.

I am not one of those people who is going to enjoy growing older. I won't do it gracefully either. I already don't like it. Now, I am not one to dive into plastic surgery...no, no. But I will be the one still exercising, trying to eating well, surfing until the day I die and dying my hair GODDAMIT!

Birthdays aren't really my thing anymore, unless they are for my kids. I stopped counting after 25. What's the point? All the milestone birthdays have passed...at least all the good ones. I don't really consider 40, 50, 60 or above, milestones. I know hitting those birthdays are better than not hitting them. It will mean I got to see my kids grow up, but I am still having a hard time accepting that I will be 37 in January. Yuck.

Paige's Quote of the Day

While trying to get Paige ready for school this morning, I was calling her over to me to get her shoes and jacket on. She was engrossed in the television...

1st time: "Honey, come here and get your shoes and jacket on."

No reaction.

2nd time: "Paige can you please come here and get your shoes and jacket on so we can leave for school."

No reaction.

3rd time: "PAIGE!! GET OVER HERE NOW TO GET YOUR SHOES AND JACKET ON!!"

She looks at me. Sad eyes. Doesn't say anything and walks over to me and sits down. I begin to put her shoes on.

"Sweetheart, I am sorry I yelled, but I had to ask you 3 times to come over here."

"Why weren't you listening to me?"

Her casual response, "Sorry mommy, I didn't have my brain turned on."

Preservatives and Chemicals? No, Thank You.

Alyssa is now 7 months old. About a month ago, I began my journey into the art of making baby food...for the 3rd time. Yes, I have successfully made baby food for all 3 of my children. It is really not that hard and a hell of a lot cheaper (and better) than that jar stuff.

When I was pregnant with Paige, I attended a baby fair sort of thing at Sports Basement in the Presidio. You know, because that's the kind of stuff you do when you are expecting your first baby. There happened to be a woman speaking there that day about her cookbook regarding making baby food. I was extremely intrigued. I had already been thinking about making my own baby food, but hadn't done any research yet and didn't know where to start. Her little seminar was about 30 minutes long, if I remember correctly. She touched on so many positive reasons for doing this. By the end, I was completely inspired and handed her cash immediately to buy her book.

The Petit Appetit, by Lisa Barnes

Buy it on Amazon!

Below are a few reasons the author pointed out in her seminar and I discovered were true, to making your own baby food:

1. Cost: It is so much cheaper. Those jars can cost almost $1.00 per jar. Organic ones are over $1.00. Each jar is one serving, basically one meal. Now take one bag of apples, make it organic apples at $4.99 per bag. Turn that entire bag into pureed apples. Now you have a full ziploc bag of many many meals for baby. For $5.00!! One large butternut squash yields a full ziploc bag of meals also...for like $1.69.
2. Waste: There is virtually no waste with making your own food. Say you try butternut squash...your baby doesn't like it or maybe is allergic. Your bag full of butternut squash puree can now be turned into a soup for the rest of your family. Bet you wouldn't do that with the jar stuff.
3. Taste: Bottom line...the homemade stuff tastes way better and way fresher. I know, I tasted everything before it went into Paige's mouth, including the jar food.
   
4. Knowing what is going into your baby: You bought the pears, cored them, peeled them, steamed them and pureed them. No chemicals, no preservatives, no added anything.
5. Easy: It is unbelievably easy to make your own food. Take a bag of apples, core them, peel them and throw them in the steamer. When they are tender, run them through a food processor or blender. Add a bit of the water from the steamer if you need to thin it out. Take the puree and fill up ice cube trays. Freeze. Pop them out into ziploc bags. One cube is approximately 1 tablespoon. Done.

At the time we had Paige, we were an almost completely organic household. I am a huge supporter of buying organic, but upon the arrival of Alyssa, buying organic was something we had to sacrifice when we moved to a one income household. Organic is much more expensive. I am sad to not be a weekly supporter of Rainbow Grocery anymore, but unfortunately it is not in the budget. When the time came to begin making baby food for Alyssa, I had a bit of guilt that she wasn't going to get the organic goodness that Paige & Jimmy had started out with. I put that guilt to rest and went to Rainbow just to shop for her baby food. My children have the rest of their life to make poor eating choices. I at least want to start them off right.

Jimmy's Quote of the Day

I am sitting at the computer trying to put together our weekly menu and grocery list so I can get to the store. Jimmy rolls up to the table and is bugging me about playing games on the computer. I keep trying to tell him that he can take over when I am done.

He pulls up his chair next to mine.
Jimmy: "Mommy I want to to go the games on your computer."

Me: "OK, but first I have to finish the menu, then I have to put together the list, then I need to take the computer out to the office to print out the list. Then I can set you up with the computer."

Jimmy: "Mom! That is not a great idea."

Paige's Quote of the Day

So this one is more of a cute quote than a funny one...

I am driving home from swimming lessons this morning with Paige in the car. It is raining pretty hard and I am driving a little slower and being extra cautious. The kids lessons are at UCSF Mission Bay Gym in San Francisco, so we are on 280, headed out of the city.

Paige: "Mom? Are we in Pacifica yet?"

Me: "No, not yet honey. We are still in San Francisco. When you see the ocean, then we are in Pacifica."

Paige: "Oh. I don't see the ocean. I just see lots of houses, cars and...rain."

Why Can't I Protect Them?

For the last few weeks, at some point during the night, Paige will wake up and make her way down the hall to our room. Some nights, she pit stops at the bathroom and other nights she comes straight to us. She doesn't say anything, just crawls up the middle of our bed with her pillow and night night in hand. Puts her pillow right between Doug and I, just so. Then lays down, curls up and pulls her blanket over her. Almost immediately she is right back to sleep. During the remainder of the night, she is usually nudged right up against Doug's back. Which is fine by me, because I can't sleep with anyone touching me. Next to me is fine, just don't touch me. Weird, I know. If you ask her why she comes to our bed, her standard answer, complete with the droopy eyes and little voice, is, "I wanted you."

Last night, Paige moved into our bed around 2:00am. I barely noticed her arrival. At 4:00am, I was up tending to Alyssa. I changed her, fed her and got her settled back to bed. I nuzzled back into my own bed and turned over to look at Paige. The moon was glowing bright amongst a few clouds and lit up our room through the sliding glass door. Laying there, peacefully sleeping, Paige looked like a little angel. I just gazed at her. Rubbed her soft little cheeks. Kissed her gently on the forehead. This sweet, innocent little child. How amazing and beautiful she is. I sat there and thought about how much I love her and how I wish I could protect her from all the bad in the world. But I can't. Kids will make fun of her at school, boys will break her heart, scrapes, bumps and bruises will happen...and let's hope that will be the worst of it. All I can do is be there when she is down, kiss her boo boos and let her cry on my shoulder when her heart gets broken.

Now I may do a lot of ranting on this blog about taking care of the kids and how much things suck sometimes. Being a stay at home mom of 3 kids under the age of 3.5 is hard. In fact, being a full time mom is harder than any other job I have ever had. What a lot of moms don't talk about is the good stuff. All the amazing moments and fun times with their kids. The funny, cute, adorable and hilarious things they do and say on a daily basis. I follow a blog written by Sara Olsher and in one of her postings about parenting, she said it best... "I also now understand why parents never talk about the joyous part of it - because I won't either (unless asked).  It's totally nauseating and I would never want to inflict that upon unsuspecting friends and relatives." (Sara Olsher is the only bride that I kept in touch with in my 3 years working with my brother. During that time, I worked with over 100 brides...she really was my favorite one to work with.)

Anyway, I digress...regardless of how hard my days can be, how much ranting you have read and will read in the future on my blog...I love my children so much. Which is why I wish I could protect them from all things horrible. I have to try not to worry...but I will. Guess it just goes with the territory of raising kids.

Bath Time

Bath time...always a fun time in our house, usually. Lots of toys, lots of bubbles. Hopefully not too much splashing. I try to tell them, splashing is allowed in the swimming pool, not the bath. I hate cleaning up after. Regardless, it makes getting clean, fun!

Now, somewhere between 7 or 8 months, I ditched the baby tub and set them right in the bath. The less baby gear I have to use, the better. So here we are, Alyssa is almost 7 months old and she has had her first bath experience in the tub. I let her have some of her own time to splash around and get acquainted before I called the other 2 natives in!

Tasting the Bubbles, Yummy!

She was too cute, splashing her little hands around. Now, she is allowed to splash because #1) she doesn't understand "no, stop doing that" and #2) her splashes don't have much impact yet. Then I yelled, "BATH TIME!" to Paige and Jimmy and they come running down the hall. Jimmy: "What!" "BATH TIME!" "OOOHHH BUBBLES!" Paige: "Do we get to take a bath with Lissy?" Me: "Yes, you get to take a bath with Lis. Please stay calm and don't knock her over, I don't want her to drown."

Paige cared more about washing Alyssa. Jimmy cared less.

Alyssa makes Paige & Jimmy look so big

Good times. Once Alyssa was out, then Paige & Jimmy were allowed to move around more. This was just another of those moments I try to relish in. I am going to blink and they will be teenagers. Good thing I love taking pictures.

Paige - 8 Months

Jimmy - 8 Months

Paige's Quote of the Day

We were talking about babies at the dinner table and Doug asked Paige, "how old do you think you will be when you have a real baby?"

She responded, "13."

I mumbled, "OH god, I hope not."

Doug looked at me in agreement and laughed.

He turned to Paige and said, "Well maybe more like 24."

Paige paused, looked at Doug and said, "that's old."

Oh man...

Scrapbooking

I am sure many of you are well aware of this phenomenon called Scrapbooking. Holy crap. This stuff is crazy...and expensive. I had no idea that the Michaels in Colma practically has half their store dedicated to this area of crafting. My sister-in-law Melissa is really into scrapbooking. I personally have not seen her "stash", but I hear it is quite impressive. From a beautiful range of papers to decorative scissors, paper punches, embellishments and who knows what else.

In going through my garage one day, I came across a bag of cards and miscellaneous items from my wedding and bridal shower. I told Melissa I had this stuff and wondered if she would be willing to do a scrapbook of my bridal shower for me. She jumped at the opportunity! I went and bought a book, a few extra pages and ordered all the pictures I wanted displayed. When I had all my stuff organized, I handed her the bag and said have at it. About 2 months later, she handed me back a beautiful product. I was so impressed! I haven't given her all the stuff to do my wedding one yet, but will be excited to see what she does with it.

I have always liked scrapbooking. The finished product is so nice. Great idea for keepsake albums of weddings, babies, vacations and numerous other memories. But even being the crafty, creative person that I am, I never had much interest in venturing into this unknown world. 

Growing up, my mom did baby books for both me and my brother. To this day, I still enjoy looking through that book. Seeing my newborn pics, how I grew through the months and all the little tidbits of info my mom jotted down. I really wanted to have these keepsakes for my kids in hopes that they too, would enjoy them in the years to come. So I embark on my first scrapbooking journey. My goal is to complete one for each of my 3 kids. I started with Jimmy's because he is the middle child and I didn't want him to feel like I never did anything for him!

I must say the book is coming along quite nicely. And so I don't get sucked into the scrapbooking vortex, I am working on one book at a time. Taking it to full completion before moving onto the next. But man, I do have to say, I thought Facebook sucked the time out of my day...this is worse!

Paige's Quote of the Day

I gave Paige a gentle kiss on the cheek. She looked at me and proceeded to wipe it away.

"Mommy, I wiped away your kiss."

Saddened, I replied, "Why?"

"Because I wanted to put it in my heart." She then wiped her chest.  :-)

Paige's Quote of the Day

"Mommy, I need to go to the dentist!"

"What for?"

"Because my feet hurt!"

A Break Down of the Night...Or Should I Say, A Night With a Breakdown

Fortunately nights like last night are becoming fewer. But being one who really needs some decent sleep, I don't handle nights like last night very well. Handling the following day in this state is another story (see my post on Sleep Deprivation).

I sometimes wonder where my kids get their tempers...I don't want to admit, it is probably from me.

• 10:28 pm - I turn off the light and nestle my head into my pillow. A big, happy sigh and I am off to a wonderful dream filled sleep within 5 minutes.
• 11:28 pm - Jimmy starts crying and moaning. Damn. I drag my groggy self down the hall to his room. "What's wrong honey?" "My ear hurts." "OK, let me get you some ear drops." Here we go with another ear infection. Note to self, call Kaiser in the morning.
• 11:41 pm - As I head back down the hall to nestle back into my bed, Alyssa crys. Really? Shit! I pit stop at her room, stick a pacifier back in her mouth and tip toe out of the room.
• 11:42 pm - Aaahhh. Sleep, here I come.
• 11:47 pm - Alyssa begins to cry. Pacifier is not working. F@&K!! I roll out of bed and try to put the pacifier back in. No. That is proceeding to make her more agitated. I am standing over her crib, annoyed. This beautiful baby that I love so much, fussing, crying, eyes are still closed...I hate you right now. I pick her up and feed her.
• 12:05 am - I am nursing Alyssa and thinking the night is not a total loss yet. It is only midnight. After I am done here, I can go right to sleep. Then I can sleep until 7am and all will be good. I start to relax.
• 12:12 am - Jimmy begins to cry again. Shit, I am nursing the baby. Do I pull her off and upset her? Do I let Jimmy cry until I am done? Doug is sound asleep.
• 12:15 am - I pull Alyssa off, put a pacifier in her mouth, lay her in her crib and move on to tend to Jimmy. "What's the matter baby?" "My ear still hurts." "OK, let me get you some Tylenol." Paige sits up in her bed. I look over at her. "What are you doing honey?" "I need to go potty." Great. For such small people, they seem to have the loudest footsteps on the hardwood floors. I realize Alyssa has gone back to sleep, so to not risk waking her up when Godzilla makes her way down the hall, I carry Paige to the bathroom. Jimmy continues to cry until I return with the Tylenol. "Here you go sweetheart, now close your eyes and try to get some sleep."
• 12:22 am - OK, I am back in bed. All 3 kids have been tended to and we should all be entering dream land and not emerging until at least 6:30 am.
• 1:26 am - I am exiting dream land. Jimmy is saying something. He is not really crying, but he is moaning a sentence over and over. F@&K! WHAT NOW! I pull the covers up over my head. Maybe if I pretend I don't hear him, he will stop. His moaning begins to escalate. Now I am pissed. I bolt up out of bed, throw on my robe then pick up a slipper and throw it at the closet door while quietly screaming profanities. No, I am not pregnant. Doug wakes up.
• 1:30 am - "Jimmy what is the matter?" "I need you to take my band-aid off." Are you fucking serious? Of course, I didn't say that to him, but I wanted to. I pull the band-aid off and with as much calm as I can muster up at that very moment, I looked at his sweet little face and said, "mommy is trying to sleep, so please go to sleep. I love you." Sweet kisses to the forehead. I am out.
• 1:34 am - I release a big sigh as my head hits the pillow. Ooohhh, the bed is still warm, Nice. Doug: "What's going on?" Me: "Jimmy's ear hurts. I will call Kaiser in the morning." Re-entering dream land.
• 2:24 am - Alyssa begins to cry. Oh my fucking god! I pull the covers over my head and pretend I don't exist. Doug gets up. He puts the pacifier back in and returns to bed. She hasn't stopped crying. "I just fed her 2 hours ago, she can't be hungry!" I scream.
• 2:26 am - I am becoming increasingly agitated. Why am I not allowed to sleep tonight? Doug gets up. I hear fumbling around, mobile goes on and quiet. He returns. Me: "What did you do?" Doug: "Put baby Orajel on her gums." Excellent.
• 2:30 am - Back to sleep.
• 3:22 am - Alyssa starts to cry again. Doug is asleep. I get up, go to her room, grab the Tylenol, squirt a dose into her tiny mouth and plug it with a pacifier. I climb back into bed. The night is a total loss. I can't even be mad anymore.
• 6:30 am - I hear a baby crying. I feel like I am coming out of a coma. I look at the clock, it is morning. I fade out.
• 7:12 am - I hear voices. Little voices. It is a school day, I need to get up. In exactly one hour I need to call Kaiser, get dressed, feed 3 little people, dress 3 little people, make sure I have Paige's medicine, toys and show & tell and pack a diaper bag with all the necessities to last me until 1:00 pm. A shower? Who has time for that luxury?

How to Loose the Last of the Baby Weight?

Keep yourself busy taking care of the kids. It is 2:30pm and you wonder why you are starving to death...OH I forgot to feed myself today!

Enjoying the Moments

Most days it seems as though life is just whizzing by. I wake up each morning and go about my daily routine with the kids, then I blink and it is 3:00 pm. What?! Not to mention how fast a year goes by now. Paige is turning 4 this year and Jimmy 3. Seriously? Time is going by too quickly and it is making them grow faster...I want it to stop!

Due to this phenomenon of time moving at a much faster pace than when I was a kid, I am really trying to enjoy the moments with them. Sometimes I get caught up in cooking, laundry, cleaning, managing rental properties, Facebooking, Blogging and emailing, that I don't stop and actually play with the kids. I need to do more of this, and today, that is what I did. I feel much more relaxed and I laugh a lot more when I realize the laundry can wait, or I can put off dinner for another half hour.

I am silly with my kids. I would like to say that is why my kids are so silly, they lead by example. Maybe because I still feel like a kid and maybe because my kids bring out the kid in me. Today, I was sitting on the floor playing with Alyssa in the living room, relishing in her new found ability to sit up and how she seems to lean into my face for a kiss. Paige and Jimmy were drumming up some imaginary adventure in the hallway outside Alyssa's room. I could here them whispering to each other and I slowly started crawling towards the hallway opening. They couldn't see me yet and didn't hear me coming. On all fours, I started to crawl loudly by banging my hands and knees on the floor and began to turn the corner with some speed. They both screamed at the top of their lungs, then laughed and fled into Alyssa's room. I stopped dead in my tracks and put my head down...I was laughing so hard at their reaction. I scared the crap out of them, but they thought it was hilarious. Jimmy says, "mommy you really scared me." Huge grin on his face. "Do it again mama, come get us!"

Life is moving along and it is so important to find and enjoy these little moments everyday.

Pregnant Me

Now let me start off this posting by saying I think it is absolutely beyond incredible that a woman's body can produce another living, breathing, human being (with a little help from dad). Let me also precede my coming words by saying, I am extremely sensitive to the fact that a lot of people have a difficult time having a baby. This saddens me. We know too many people who have tried numerous ways, some with success and some with failures, to have a child and/or children. It is truly unfair. I wish all those people could have the fertility I have. I would pass it on to each and every one of them if I could.

Since I have been inspired to write so much lately on my blog, I felt compelled to write about this unruly experience I tortured myself with...not once, not twice, but 3 times. So here we go...

Pregnancy. Such a wonderful and glorious time. So much joy and anticipation. So much fear and anxiousness too. Wondering what each day is going to bring. Feeling this little thing growing inside of you. Bringing a new life into the world. This precious little baby to hold, hug, kiss and cuddle. A little being, that from the moment you hold them, your life is forever changed. A baby brings true meaning to the phrase "love at first sight."

Prior to having Paige, I only knew of women who thought pregnancy was wonderful and amazing. Women who LOVE being pregnant. So that is what I expected when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child in April of 2006. It took us 5 months to conceive and we were overjoyed. Yeah! I was about 6 weeks along when I found out and it is right about that time that any symptoms will start showing up. For most, this is when the morning sickness kicks in. The constant nausea and vomiting at any and all hours of the day. Living on soda crackers and 7up for the next 6 weeks. Oh joy. I was fortunate enough to have missed this extravaganza. However, I was exhausted beyond belief. How could anyone really be this tired? All the time. Physically drained, like I hadn't slept in days. Yet each night I got my full 8 hours. Prior to being pregnant, I was surfing 5 days a week thanks to my sporadic work schedule. I had received the A-OK from my doctor to continue surfing until it was uncomfortable to lay on my belly. I was so damn tired, I could barely move an arm to paddle the board. As the early weeks started passing, I was beginning to wonder what was to love about this pregnancy thing. I feel like shit and I wasn't even sick!

Onto the second trimester, which begins at 14 weeks. The exhaustion starts to fade away and my energy level begins to return as I am approaching 20 weeks (5 months). Great! Maybe I can get back in the water now. Nope. Now I have started to show a bit and my abdomen is rather tight. Laying my little bump down on a hard surfboard bouncing on the choppy ocean is not my idea of comfortable. Plus, what is my poor baby feeling in there? Not only that, now I am paranoid that some freak wipe-out is going to happen and I am going to get pummeled in the belly with a surfboard.

It has been almost 4 years since my first pregnancy and I have to admit, the 2nd trimester details are fading from memory. It was uneventful. I was annoyed a lot. But things really started to go awry as we moved into the 3rd trimester. By 27 weeks, I am getting big. The belly has definitely become fuller, rounder, harder. Sleep is a serious issue. See, I am a stomach sleeper, so you can see how this is a problem. Can't sleep on my back either, because that is like having a boulder resting on your mid-section. Spending my nights tossing, turning from side to side, shifting the obnoxious body pillow that I need to have between my legs to feel even remotely comfortable. What a joke. Oh and never mind the numerous times I had to wake up to pee in the middle of the night. I am constantly grouchy, cranky, bitchy, whiny, annoyed, tired and uncomfortable at all times. Who in their right mind finds this experience lovable?

36 weeks. This is technically the week that baby can come and all would be fine. At this point I was begging for labor to start. I felt I could endure any kind of pain I was in for because I knew it would be the end of this pregnancy. 39 weeks exactly, I started feeling funny during Christmas dinner. By 11pm that night, the contractions had started. When I arrived at the hospital the next evening, I had many drugs and an epidural...life was good. My pregnancy was coming to an end any time now. Paige arrived after 30 hours of labor. My precious baby girl. Wow!

Paige - A few minutes old

They say all the pitfalls of pregnancy fade from your memory after you give birth...not for this chick. It was so disappointing to realize and come to terms with how much I actually hated the process of having a child. During the experience, I felt very alone. There was no comfort in other people, because I thought what I was feeling was odd...like I was the only one. It was wrong to be feeling this way, this was my baby inside of me. My own mother actually had doubts about what kind of mother I would be, because I literally hated being pregnant so much.

When Paige was 3 months old, I made a disturbing discovery. I was pregnant, again. I watched that little stick produce its purple plus sign in a matter of seconds. My heart sunk. I went into Paige's room, picked her up out of her crib, held her and sat on the floor and cried. When Doug arrived home, he thought someone had died because I was so distraught. I was barely over the fact that I hated being pregnant the first time. I was dealing with a newborn, no sleep, the failures of breastfeeding and adjusting to being a first time mom and now I have to go through this horrendous process again. This was seriously some kind of cruel joke.

My pregnancy with Jimmy was worse. I was taking care of a baby and I was pregnant. Therefore,  grouchy, cranky, bitchy, whiny, annoyed, tired and uncomfortable at all times, returned times 10. And I carried differently with Jimmy, so by the 3rd trimester I had horrible back pain. Pretty much every muscle and joint from my ribcage down hurt. Yeah. Fortunately Jimmy arrived at 36-1/2 weeks and after only 6 hours of labor!! My precious baby boy. Wow!

Jimmy - A few minutes old.

 Jimmy was 3 weeks old and all of my maternity clothes hit the donation bag. I AM NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN!! I have a boy and a girl. I am DONE! I will not torture myself with pregnancy again ever. Doug couldn't even look at me without some form of contraception in place.

In August of 2008, when Jimmy was 7 months old, I began feeling as if my family was not yet complete. I kept having these insane thoughts of wanting another child. What? Really? No, no, I can't go through that again. No way. But the feeling would not go away. Doug wanted another child, but left the final decision solely up to me because I had to be pregnant. It took me 6 months to ponder, "do I really want to go through another pregnancy?" "Do I really want to put myself through this again?" The desire for another child ended up out-weighing the annoying discomforts of pregnancy. How bad can it be? I have done this twice now, I am well prepared to deal.

In June of 2009, I found out I was about 5 weeks along with Alyssa. This pregnancy was the worst of them all! I actually had nausea this time. Mild, yet annoying. Now don't forget, during this pregnancy, I am also taking care of a 1 year old and a 2 year old. Therefore,  grouchy, cranky, bitchy, whiny, annoyed, tired and uncomfortable at all times, returned times 100. By the 8th month, I was getting so big I could hardly walk anymore and had excruciating back pain. I had no control over my emotions. Literally. It was unreal. I didn't even know myself anymore. Crazy hormonal bitch. I am surprised my other 2 children survived the 8th and 9th month. I am also surprised my husband didn't leave me. I kept saying it was a good thing we didn't have a baseball bat in the house, because every window would have been broken. I was so angry, I just wanted to break things. The depression was unreal. Guess it was a good thing I had two other kids to take care of because most days I didn't want to get out of bed. I was so mental, that my doctor sent me to talk to the women's counselor more than once. My doctor actually asked me if "I had feelings of harming myself." I knew there was an end to this torturous experience, so the answer to that was obviously no. Anyone who told me, "oh you are almost there, just a couple more weeks", I wanted to punch them in the face. To top it all off, Alyssa felt very comfortable floating around in there and decided to overstay her welcome. At 40 weeks, there was no sign of her arrival. At 40 weeks and 2 days, I was begging my doctor to let me be induced. Begging and crying to be exact. She agreed and the pitocen drip started at 9:30 pm on 3/24/10. I had never felt more relaxed and...my sanity was returning. 5 hours later, Alyssa graced us with her presence. My precious baby girl. Wow! At 8lbs. 2oz. she was fully cooked.

Alyssa - A few minutes old.

My family is complete. I will never be pregnant again. My marriage, my family, myself, will not survive another pregnancy. Now, you do need to know that settled my mother's doubts. I absolutely love my children more than anything in the whole wide world. Was it worth 27 months of misery? You bet. I have 3 beautiful and amazing children. I love being a mother. It is like no other feeling I have ever had. Mere words are inadequate to describe what being a mom is like. You truly have to experience it to fully understand.

But the bottom line still remains...PREGNANCY F@*%ING SUCKS!

Jimmy's Quote of the Day

I scolded Jimmy for singing too loud during Alyssa's nap this morning. He put his little hands to his eyes and his mouth turned down as he began to moan. I said, "oh, what's wrong honey?" His response: "Mommy you hurt my voices."

Refreshing

I am finding it a little sad, but refreshing as we move away from some of the baby/toddler stuff.  Realizing that Paige doesn't need a booster seat at the table anymore. No more bibs or sippy cups. No more diapers, as both are potty trained. I know it is going to come around full circle as Alyssa will need all the items Paige and Jimmy are moving out of, but I am feeling like we will have less "stuff" around. I like it.

By this time next year, traveling with the kids becomes much more manageable. It is amazing the amount of things a baby needs. Traveling with a small child is a joke. The pack-n-play, high chair, bottles/sippy cups, baby utensils, bibs, diapers, wipes...it is a never-ending list. Seriously, I am kind of glad our budget did not allow for any major travel this year.

So even though I am feeling refreshed about shedding some of these baby items, even if it is temporary, I know it will be a sad day when I am shedding them for good.

Grabby McGrabberson

Somewhere between 5 and 6 months all 3 of our children discovered full use of their hands. It is a whole new world now! Everything can reach my mouth! Score!

So without further a due, I would like to introduce you to Grabby McGrabberson. This is a nickname we made up for this stage in development because we are cracking up constantly. Those little hands grabbing for whatever is possibly within reach. Nothing is safe. Good thing she isn't mobile yet. Eating dinner while holding baby now, is challenging. She is constantly lunging at the table trying to grab a bowl, fork, glass or better yet, food. "OH, that looks yummy, gimme some!" "Oh, what are you drinking?" As she tries to whack the glass out of your hand mid-swallow. The funniest part is those little arms and hands don't have much control of motion yet. They just whack and bat through the air with reckless abandon. It is hilarious! Doug and I joke with her..."somebody call Kaiser and see if they switched our baby with the McGrabberson Family."

Paige McGrabberson - 6 Months

Jimmy McGrabberson - 6 Months

Alyssa McGrabberson - 6 Months

This Small House

Is anyone ever happy with the size home they inhabit? Do people who own million dollar mansions on acres of property think, "we really could use a little more space?"

We bought our modest 1100 square foot, 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom home in 2004. Yes, at the near peak of the housing market. A time when you walked into the home for 5 minutes and said, "great, let's write an offer!" You submitted your offer amongst the 6 other people wanting the same house. Spending numerous hours pouring over a market analysis of the area and excel spreadsheets figuring out just how little of a house you could afford. You offered sums of money well over the asking price regardless of what kind of shape the home was in. Then you sat back and waited for an answer from your realtor on whether your offer was accepted, denied or you needed to pony up and shell out more money for the home of your dreams.

We won the bidding war on our current house and moved in, in August 2004. Wow! Three bedrooms, 1 bath, a big eat-in kitchen and a living room. Not to mention, we actually have an ocean view from our front yard and an amazing backyard, with tiered decking and a hot tub! Newly engaged, what were we going to do with all this space!

Fast forward 6 years and 3 kids later...oh my god...we need more space! Of course, now the housing market has totally tanked. Our house is barely worth what we owe on the mortgage. No one will refinance us to a lower interest rate because we don't have enough equity. Great. So what is a family of 5 to do? We have gone through all the scenarios...none of which we could execute anytime soon:

1. We can move within Pacifica. We like it here. The community, the people, the close proximity to San Francisco, the weather (when its not foggy) and most importantly...the ocean! 
2. We can move to San Carlos, Palo Alto or Los Gatos. Public schools are better, especially high school. Nice houses, bigger properties, warmer weather and the possibility of a pool in my yard. Good luck affording a house in any of those communities. 
3. We can put an addition on our current house. We have plans and contractor estimates for this option. Again, good luck affording that right now.

Right now, we are not doing anything. The most immediate thing we would need for this house is another toilet. A small half bath in the corner of our garage is the most likely solution for this. That is, of course, once we have a tankless water heater installed to open up the space.

With each day, month and year that passes living in this house, we are coming to a very important conclusion...we really do love where we live. Even though it was a hasty decision to buy this house in such a crazy market, we couldn't have ended up in a better place. We live on a quiet street that doesn't have much traffic, we can walk to the shopping plaza, which includes a Safeway, we can walk to the beach, we have an elementary school 5 blocks away, there are a lot of kids in the neighborhood and most importantly...we love our neighbors. On all sides of us, we are surrounded by wonderful and generous people. We have made good friends on this street who have children around the same ages as ours. Really, what more can you ask for? Why would we want to leave? It is looking more and more like an addition will be in our future.

Our Humble Home

Being Sick...With 3 Kids - A Guide on How to Survive the Day

Yes, today is one of those awful days that I dread...I am sick and all 3 healthy kids are home with me. The minute I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a semi, I had to take a deep breathe, get in the shower and brace myself for what the next 12 hours had in store for me.

I hate to admit, it is much easier to get through a day like this when the kids are sick too. Then I am guaranteed they will be wanting to lay around as much as I do. But that is not the case today. I was also not fortunate enough to land on a school day, when I am down one child. No no, that would be much too easy. Daddy is at work and we can't call grandma to scoop up the children and take them far far away, because then she gets contaminated too.

My tactics to get through the day include but are not limited to:

1. TV is fair game...all day. Whatever it takes to keep kids calm and quiet. Keeping baby (who is not mobile yet!!) happy is a little easier, as she is content sitting in my lap or laying next to me in bed. She also goes down for 2 naps a day that last 2-3 hours each.
2. Medication (for me, not the kids. Although on bad days, the thought does cross my mind...hhhmmm benadryl anyone?) and tea. "Do you drink hot beverages while holding your infant?" NO, I would never do such a thing...
3. All nutrition goes out the window. Whatever I can fix for a meal in the least amount of time is it. Take it or leave it, kids. This could mean fish sticks and french fries, leftovers or mac n cheese. If I have the energy, I will try to cut up some apple to accompany the preservative filled meal I am serving. Lollipops? Here. Chocolate? Go for it. If it will keep you quiet and happy, I am down.
4. Simultaneous afternoon nap is very important! This is key for getting through the remainder of the day. One child and one baby napping at the same time, other child quietly watching TV...this means I can actually go lay in my bed and sleep.
5. Playtime in the backyard is important to expel any excess energy. The main entry to our backyard is through our bedroom. It is awesome to be able to lay down and still keep an eye on kids in the yard. If the weather is bad, then I am screwed.

Today, the kids have been quiet and relaxed. Maybe they actually comprehended the talk I had with them this morning once daddy left for work. "OK, guys, now mommy is feeling really sick today. I am going to be laying down a lot and sleeping. Let's try not to fight and try to keep things a bit quiet today. Who wants to stay in PJ's all day?!?" YEAH!

There have been other days when I have not been so lucky...

Having A Plan

In light of the recent explosion and fire that rocked my childhood neighborhood, it has really made me think about having a plan. A fear washes over me at the thought of having to get 3 small children out of the house in mere moments. Especially if I have to do it alone.

A plan...I can recall for years growing up, my mom always had a plan. The items she would grab if time permitted. Those belongings that are essentially, "irreplaceable." Items that hold no monetary value, but personal value. It is unreal that on Thursday, September 9th, 2010, at 6:15pm, my mom had to put her plan in action. First, the rumbling that made her think it was a huge earthquake, to the deafening roar that sounded like a 747 was coming down on the neighborhood. The moments where she barely heard my dad yell "HOLY SHIT!!!" from their driveway. His voice resonating with the highest levels of panic. In the next moment, she made it to my dad's side and took one look at the enormous fireball, erupting just over the line of houses at the end of their block. She took a few moments to ponder what was taking place before her eyes, then turned around and threw the dog into the car, ran back into the house and began executing her plan...

Photo albums and photos off the walls were the first items she grabbed. Then onto the jewelry. From there she moved on to the office. See, mom runs the accounting department for my brothers business out of her home. She began ripping cords out of the back of the hard drive, grabbing important files, checks and the back up drive. She managed to pack a small bag of clothing and dog food. Her and my dad threw all these belongings into the back of her mid-size SUV. At this point they were still really unaware of what had happened. The canyon just behind their neighborhood is full of eucalyptus trees and for those of you who don't know, eucalyptus trees are highly flammable and are known to explode. If the canyon were ever to catch fire...bye bye neighborhood.


Fortunately the canyon had not caught fire. Unfortunately, a PG&E natural gas line ruptured and exploded in the Glenview neighborhood on the other side of the canyon. 37 homes were completely destroyed, 8 homes had severe damage, many people were injured and 7 lives were lost. Due to the close proximity of my parents neighborhood and the Glenview neighborhood to the canyon, about 30-45 minutes after the explosion, the fire department was knocking on my parents door instructing them to evacuate. They arrived safely at my house around 8pm.

Aside from some rattled nerves, my parents and their house are fine. As for my plan, the only things irreplaceable in my house are my husband, my children, my photos (which are all on my computer) and my grandmother's wedding ring. Everything else can burn...

A Day in the Life of 3 Kids

Many many people ask me, "how do you handle 3 kids??" I know a lot of people who only have one child and are boggled by my situation. My simple answer to this questions is, just do it! The Nike slogan describes this perfectly.

This is a full time job, which a lot of people may not understand. A full time job that is well over 40 hours a week with no monetary compensation and is probably far more exhausting than a day at a real job. Though, many stay-at-home moms, would argue that our job is far more rewarding. I somewhat agree with that, even though I found my job to be very rewarding when I was working. Maybe it was the field of work I was in, who knows.

Well, what do I do all day? I take care of my children and my house. That alone is enough to keep me busy from 7:00 am to 7:30 pm doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, playing with kids, going to parks, playgroups and play gyms. Trust me, life is not full of mani/pedi's, trips to Starbucks, shopping and casually lounging around with friends. I don't sit around all day watching soaps, Oprah or other daytime shows. If the TV is on, it is usually tuned into Nick Jr. or PBS. That of which, I can sing you the theme song to Dora, Diego, Wonder Pets, Little Einsteins, Super Why and The Fresh Beat Band. Ask me about an episode of any of those shows and I have most likely seen it multiple times.

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen...and I mean A LOT! No sooner have I cleaned up dishes, washed pots, pans and counter tops from one meal, it is just about time to start prepping for the next meal. Not to mention the numerous snacks in between meals. And in the midst of my trying to loose the last of my baby weight, I find that I eat out of boredom. I spend so much time in my kitchen that I graze constantly throughout the day.

Now I can spare you the detailed time line of a typical day for me. And trust me, I am good at time lines having planned weddings for 3 years. If you are ever curious, I welcome you to walk a day in my shoes. I love my children, but am always up for a day to myself!