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!

Sleep Deprivation

I often wonder...how do our children survive? Or maybe I should ask...how do we survive with children? I am amazed at how I get by on a daily basis with 2-3 hours of solid, uninterrupted sleep. Let alone, how do I actually care for my 3 children in such a sleep deprived state.

I usually get to bed by 10:00pm and will get a solid couple hours in, until about 1:00 - 1:30 am. The remainder of the night becomes a blur, seeing each hour turn over on the clock. Little pockets of sleep in between feeding and changing Alyssa, Paige's trip(s) to the potty and Jimmy moaning because he can't find a mum. I usually loose count if I have to wake up more than 2-3 times and become increasingly agitated as the morning draws near. By 6:30 am, Alyssa begins to stir and start playing with her crib toys and then Jimmy makes his way down the hall to our room. Fortunately he b-lines directly for daddy's side of the bed..."good morning daddy!" Followed by a sweet hug and kiss. Then..."get up daddy, get up, I am hungry, I want oatmeal", as he peels the blankets off him. They leave the room, I turn over and hope that I can squeeze in 1 more hour of sleep.

For the past 10 days, this has been my life. No sleep. Right when I settled into waking up at 5am to go to the gym, getting a great workout in and being back home by 6:45 - 7:00am, dressed and ready to face the day with massive amounts of energy. So needless to say, on such little sleep, the 5am gym mission is aborted, leaving me feeling like crap and struggling to make it through each day. Which brings me right back around to why it is a miracle our children survive the days...without multiple trips to Kaiser, Child Protective Services showing up at my door or someone ending up in a much worse state than I care to think about.

Now you may ask, where is Doug while all this is taking place at 3am? He is sleeping as soundly as a newborn baby on its mother's chest. And then he wonders why I am in such a crappy mood when he arrives home from work at 7pm...

I am also shocked that any marriage survives children...but we'll save that topic for another day!

To Blog or Not to Blog...

For a long time now I have been interested in starting a blog. Why? I am not quite sure. Maybe now that I am home full time with my 3 children, I feel I have a lot on my mind and don't always have an outlet for my thoughts and feelings. Maybe I would like to have it as a kind of journal of our life and my kids growing up. A way to document all the crazy, funny and annoying things my kids do on a day to day basis. I guess as this blog unfolds (and we will see how long I can keep it up!), I will see where it takes me.

I have been very inspired by a few people that I know that have blogs. Their blogs are funny, interesting to read and very well written. Now I have always been a creative person in a lot of different ways, I never considered writing to be one of them. Will people actually read this blog? Will my family and friends find it funny and/or interesting? Again...I guess we will find out.

Now of course my first posting on my new blog begins in the wake of 2 tragedies. The 9 year anniversary of 9/11/01 and the devastating explosion and fire that tore apart my childhood neighborhood in San Bruno (9/9/10). I write today with a very heavy heart and tear in my eye. My thoughts and love go out to all those affected by these two horrible events.

Never Forget - 9/11/01

San Bruno Fire - 9/9/10