Just Some Updates

I'm not sure quite how it's possible, but my sweet, exuberant, lively Princess #3 is off to preschool.  I always weird myself out by comparing where we were when her older sisters were that age.  Just a mere 2 years ago Princess #2 was in her spot, and now she's a big bad Kindergartener.  Sigh.  You know this means in just two more years I'll have all 4 princesses in school.  I wonder then if I'll finally be all sentimental about school starting?  Don't hate me, but right now I feel nothing but absolute joy at the thought of the start of a new school year.  Oh that sounds horrible, doesn't it?

I've been filling my time with, well, alot of nothing right now.  Princess #4 is EATING up the only child thing.  She's in that stage where she's not exactly happy to have to share her mama with anyone.  And she lets us know, alot- in the form of high pitched, glass breaking screeches.  Sigh.  So I'm happy to indulge her as an only child for a few hours everyday, in the hopes of breaking that nasty little habit.

I'm trucking along in my journey to reach my dream.  I have stacks of textbooks to dig through, position papers to digest and workshops to attend.  It's still scary.   Very scary.  But, exhilarating at the same time.  Now if only I could find decent chunks of times to devote to it every day... I know I know.  I just said I was doing alot of nothing, but you know what that really means: laundry, dishes, general clutter control... somehow the hours just slip away.  And I've quickly discovered that I can't pull my old college trick and just wait until the Princesses are in bed to study late into the night.  If I sit down on the couch and attempt to open a book, no matter how interesting, instant snooze-ville.  Occupational hazard of being a mom I guess.

Along similar lines, the story of Princess #4's birth is being featured at Unexpectant.com today.  If you didn't get a chance to read it when I guest posted at Ingenue Mom, head over and check it out!  It was the catalyst for me finally pushing myself toward becoming a childbirth educator and doula.

And this wraps up a completely boring and dry post.  Sorry, I guess the coffee hasn't quite kicked in yet. Have a fabulous day and I promise to be more interesting tomorrow!

My friends, what are you up to today?  Has school started yet?

The End of an Era

No Billy, curls don't make it cuter

There are a few things that babies can pull off that adults just can't.  Not that they don't try, but really, they shouldn't.

Pot Bellies, for one.  There is nothing more stinkin' adorable than a little nekkid babe running around the house with their little pot belly hanging out.  But please, I don't want to see anyone else try it.

Michelin Tire Rolls.  Nothing says "mama feeds me good" than a roly poly babe.  And oh how simply irresistible those rolls are.  It's like they're just crying out to be squeezed.  But on an adult, well, I'll let them squeeze their own rolls.

And finally, The Mullet.  I have no idea why the God of the universe could not have created hair growth patterns to NOT default to a mullet.  But unfortunately, at least for my babes, a baby mullet was unavoidable.  Growing slower on top than in the back resulted in all four of my princesses sporting the questionable look and for a time, it was acceptable.   Unlike it's adult counterpart which is not ever an OK hairstyle to attempt.  It's just not.  Even Billy Ray and John Stamos eventually got rid of theirs.

Princess #4 sporting the Billy Ray look

I'll never forget the first time I realized it wasn't cute anymore.  Princess #1 was about 18 months old and we had just taken her to Chuck E Cheese for the first time (this was before I realized what a God-forsaken place it really is) with a little friend of hers.  We had been letting her hair grow because, you know, little girls are supposed to have long hair.  The mullet wasn't even on my radar, and suddenly there it was, staring back at me from a picture of that night, like a beacon that was shining it's light on the glaring reality: THIS DOES NOT LOOK CUTE ANYMORE!

We remedied the situation immediately and cut Princess #1's hair into a little bob.  We later followed suit with the other princesses.   The timing was different for each one, depending on how quickly their hair grew.  But the fact remained that each one of them was stricken with The Mullet and at some point it became not cute.

And so, last night we ended an era.  The era of Baby Mullet Eradication.  It started in March, 2004 and was completed in August, 2010.  It wasn't easy (you try running after a moving target with a pair of scissors).  But it was necessary.  And now, thanks to the deft work of the hubs, Princess #4 is now mullet-less, and our work here is done.  Billy Ray would be proud.

The Mullet-less Bob

Now Casting - Role of Mom

So, the princesses are really big into make believe right now.  The 3 older ones can spend hours involved in intricate and complex stories, each contributing their own slant on the story and directing the others in lines and delivery.  It's sorta fun to overhear their drama, usually involving a prince, some magical power of some sort and... a dead mom.

Yes, a dead mom.

It's giving me a complex.  I mean, it's all fun and games until you hear, "and this will be the prince and he will come and you be the princess and the mom's dead", said so matter of factly.  Seriously.  No love lost?  No mourning for the one that feeds you and clothes you and gave you LIFE after HOURS of hard labor and pushing you out via a small hole in a very delicate area?  Come on now.  Show SOME respect.

I suppose I can't totally blame them.  I mean, look at what they have to go on.  Let's take a look at Disney, shall we?

Ariel - no mom
Belle - no mom
Jasmine - no mom
Pocahontas - no mom
Sleeping Beauty - she has a mom, but I don't think she counts, considering SB is raised by fairies.
Snow White and Cinderella - ok they have step-moms, but neither of them exactly invoke the warm fuzzies.

It's no wonder the mom is tossed aside.  One would think I could garner at least a small cameo.  I'm working on it.  I've polished off my resume and am working on my audition skills.  Until then, I'm trying to not take it personally.  Unless, you know, they kill the mom off several times in one day.  Even I can only take so much.

I'm Melting! And Other Saturday Ramblings

That's right my friends.

You've read that right.

107 miserable degrees Fahrenheit

(or 42 miserable degrees for our Celsius friends)

What I failed to do was catch a picture of my car thermostat when it registered 110 degrees yesterday.  

Is it winter yet?

In other (non melting) news:

Did ya notice my cool new subscribe by email box? 

It's in the top left (uh, I think left.  If you're looking at your computer screen, your left.  Right?)

So, if you want to keep up with The Planet Pink via your email,

put your address in that handy dandy little box and hit Subscribe!

I promise not to clog your inbox.  Pinky promise. 

(which is super serious, so you know I'm telling the truth).

Finally, a little shout out on this scorching Saturday:

Have you guys read TV's Take?  I adore TV for a number of reasons.  First of all, she makes me think.  She likes to ask thought provoking questions, which for a mama like me (who's more often than not consumed by thoughts of whether or not it's time to send Princess #3 to the potty - and that's a whole 'nother exasperating post), is refreshing and stimulating.  Secondly, she's mastered the skill of brevity, obviously something I quite verbosely lack.  And finally, she bestowed upon me the Foxy Mama Award this week.  And although I think that's hilarious, she hasn't met me in real life, so we'll just let her keep thinking I'm foxy, alright?  ;-)  So, go give her some bloggy love this weekend, 'kay?

And that's all folks!  

Have a fabulous (air conditioned) weekend!

5 Steps to a Saner Me

1.  Wake up before the kids do.  Sigh.  This is a hard one (and the Hubs is probably laughing as he reads this).  I love my sleep.  And I'm a night owl, so waking up before the kids is, um, a wee bit torturous.  They are up consistently at 7am.  And it's almost getting easier to sleep past that because they are getting old enough to occupy themselves for awhile.  But I've noticed that when I'm up before them, and give myself an hour or two to enjoy my coffee, shower and just be, I'm a much happier mama and much more likely to be able to handle whatever they dish out for me that day.  When I neglect to do this (which is more often than not these days), I always feel like I spend the whole day playing catch up.  And I don't like that feeling.  I don't do well with feeling out of control.


2.  Do as much as I can the night before.  In conjunction with #1, it really irritates me if I make the effort to get up early, only to have to spend that time doing things necessary to get us all out the door.  Even with getting our morning routine down to a science, it really throws off the momentum to have to stop and make lunches x2 or to argue about what Princess #2 is going to wear to school.  It's just extra stress I don't need to be dealing with that early in the morning.  So the night before I try to get the lunches made, backpacks packed and clothes laid out for my school-going princesses (again, somewhat laughable, as school has been in session all of one day.  But this is my ideal, work with me).  I also try to run the dishwasher, vacuum and pick up clutter.  It's just a much more pleasant start to my morning if I'm not waking up (at an already established un-Godly hour) and immediately tripping over toys.


3.  Devote at least an hour before bed to the Hubs.  It sounds sort of trite, to have to actually schedule to spend time together.  But let's face it, in the season we're in, with 4 children and jobs and other realities of adulthood (grocery shopping anyone?) pulling us in opposite directions, that's what we sometimes have to do.  And I'll admit that far too often we sit by each other on the couch, tapping away on our computer and iPhone.  And while that's ok sometimes, I know that connecting with my spouse requires more than proximity (what?!  You mean we actually have to talk?!).  I know I am a much more secure person and happy with my life when my relationship with the Hubs is connected and engaged.  And yes, that means actually talking. (haha)


4.  Coffee.  Lots and lots of coffee.  You think I'm kidding.  I'm not.


5.  Spending time with my princesses.  One would think that a necessity to staying sane would be to carve out as much time alone as possible.  And while I think a certain amount of me-time is warranted (see #1), I've stumbled upon a discovery that has changed how I feel about my day to day.  When I take the time to play with the princesses, to read to them, to talk with them about their day, to paint their nails or play a game with them - they are much less needy.  It's sort of one of those cycles:  a kid needs attention, doesn't get the attention they want, so they act out and demand attention.  Which stresses mom out because she's just ontheedge and needs some time to herself.  So she pushes back, insisting kid do something on his own for awhile, which just pushes kid to demand more attention.  Now, I am by no means perfect at this, and I'm somewhat embarrassed it's taken me 8 years to figure it out, but if I just take the time to invest in my childrens' interests for a little while each day, they feel more secure, confident I'll be there when they need me, and thus, demand less of me.  Obviously the brilliant byproduct of this is not that I get more time to myself, but that I actually get to know my children and enjoy spending time with them and actually want to spend more time with them.  It's a win-win.


My friends, do you have some tips and tricks that help keep you sane?  I'd love to hear what works for you!