Chocolate fixes everything

Today, I ruined Princess #2's life and broke her heart.  At least that's what she told me when I informed her that she could not wear her sparkly slip-on shoes out to dinner because there is still ice on the ground and her 38 week waddling pregnant mama did not want to risk what was sure to be a spectacular fall.  Hello, they're not called "SLIP-ON" for no reason!  Fortunately at age 4, a ruined life and broken heart are not irreparable.  Nothing a little chocolate brownie and ice cream for dessert won't fix.  

Good birth control

Princess #3 has been sick with a cold for the last week or so.  The first couple of days were the "nice" sick days, where she had a little fever and was all cuddly and just wanted to snuggle with Mama.  The last 3-4 days have been the aftermath.  The "I'm not feeling well and I'm going to make everyone pay for it" sick days.  Combine this with the fact that she's closing in on her second birthday and learning OH SO MUCH about temper tantrums and the like from her big sisters and well, you've got some major drama to deal with.

Yesterday we were in the midst of one of Princess #3's dramatic shows (complete with rolling and  writhing on the floor whilst screaming in protest over whatever happened to be the latest wrongdoing to befall her) when Princess #1 came to me with hands over her ears.  And with more wisdom and discernment than you'd expect from a 6 year old who's been know to throw a few doozies herself, she said to me:  "And THAT'S why I'm not having kids!"

Hide and Seek

Earlier this week I discovered a sippy cup full of (old) milk in the cabinet above the toilet in our bathroom...

Not quite as humorous as when I found one hiding in the Princesses' play kitchen refrigerator, but amusing nonetheless...

Top 5 things I'll miss blaming on pregnancy

In honor of reaching my 35th week of pregnancy, instead of focusing on the excruciating pain I get when Princess #4 crams her hiney into my ribs, or the circus act I've become where I actually defy gravity with the current extension of my belly, I thought I'd try my hardest to reach deep and reflect on the "good things" about being pregnant.  I tried to get all warm and fuzzy and coo about feeling the babe move, or talk about the natural "glow" (don't be fooled, it's really just sweat from being a human incubator).  But let's be honest here.  At this point in the game (a mere 5 weeks out), my turkey timer is done and there's not much warm and fuzzy left (there's not much room left either).   SO, after much thought I've decided that the best "good thing" about pregnancy is for 9 months things that would be normally attributed to growing older or growing irrational can be reassigned to the "Oh, I'm just pregnant" category.  Truly, there is not much better than having 9 months of no responsibility to claim for your behavior.  I encourage all woman to embrace this "good thing" in their current or future pregnancies.  It's nature's way of making it all worth it.

So here it is, the top 5 things I'll miss blaming on pregnancy:

1.  Forgetting EVERYTHING.  See a couple posts down.  Every last brain cell has been sucked from my body. 

2.  Crying at commercials.  Hallmark has it in for me big time.  

3.  Random aches and pains.  For now I can just pretend that carrying an extra human inside me is the reason that I don't spring up from a sitting position anymore.  For now...

4.  Insomnia.  Surely the fact that I have to literally get on my hands and knees to simply roll over in bed is enough to wake me several times a night.  

5.  General crankiness.  'Nuff said.

School does a mama good

Ah, the first day back at school after a 3 week Christmas break.  Can we say bliss?  Your Majesty cheerfully got out of bed this morning to get the Princesses ready to usher out the door at 8:30am.  And what followed was amazing:

Peace.  Quiet.  Calm.

And you know what I realized?  You know those mothers who devote themselves to being stay at home moms while their children are little, with the determination to go back to work once their kids are in school?  Well, I am not one of those mothers.  I realized that I NEED this time, while the girls are in school, not to devote to an employer, but to devote to my family.  Precious hours I can spend on laundry, vacuuming, cleaning, errand running, etc. without taking that time away from my girls.  

And even though I spent these 5 hours today quite busy around the house (no soap operas and bonbons for me!), I picked up Princess #2 and #3 from preschool feeling so refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to just be a Mommy.  The laundry is caught up (mostly), the dishes are done, the floor is vacuumed.  And I get to just hang out with my girls tonight without thinking about those things.  And that makes mama very, very happy.

An imbalanced family

I do alot of reading online, various articles, message boards, blogs, etc.  I don't really enjoy watching the news, so I learn alot about what's going on in the world by reading the opinions and thoughts of people who enjoy it more than I.  I also find reading the thoughts of complete strangers interesting because often my sphere of interaction is rather small and one-sided, meaning the people I spend the most time with in real life have similar views and thought processes as myself.  So, reading online allows me to investigate other viewpoints and beliefs and really stretches me to think about things outside of my own box.

That being said, I ran across an interesting concept today that had never occurred to me before.  And to be honest, it initially rubbed me the wrong way.  I was reading a thread on a message board about opinions on high-tech gender selection.  Basically, choosing the sex of your baby by using science and technology, ie.  MicroSort.  I'll tread lightly on my own thoughts about MicroSort and the like.  In general I'm an "in moderation" type of person and I'm incredibly grateful for advances in science that even make such a thing a possibility.  It wasn't the fact that this sort of technology is available that rubbed me the wrong way.  It was the suggestion by some of the posters on the thread that did.  The thought held by some of them that MicroSort might be necessary in order to correct a gender "imbalance" in the family.

I'm sure I'm internalizing these comments too much, but indulge me for a moment.  At first glance I suppose that our family would be considered "imbalanced".  In a mere 6 weeks it will be 5 to 1 in favor of estrogen.  Our pink/red laundry still outweighs all other colors handsdown.  Even though we have a bin full of matchbox cars and a race and go speedway, they get passed over more often than not in favor of Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony and Barbie.  And yet, I look at my family and I see not imbalance, but perfection - exactly what was intended to be.

I realize that it is probably difficult for me to have an unbiased opinion about this "imbalanced family" concept given the status of my own family.  It just bothers me to think that someone might look at us walking through the mall or eating at a restaurant and actually pity hubby and I for having an "imbalance", as if it's a disease or something.  And perhaps it's just semantics.  Maybe if a different choice of words was used, it might not sting quite as much.  Imbalance suggests imperfection, no?  But by the same token, I hate to think that there are people in this world that may feel their own families are "imbalanced" because they only have girls, or only have boys, or maybe have some of each but not equal parts.  I can totally understand wishing to experience pink or blue and totally sympathize with those that feel somehow incomplete if they for whatever reason are not able to.  But to suggest that a family is somehow imbalanced or imperfect simply because of the gender makeup of the children bothers me.  And I suppose this is the point where my own views and beliefs come into play.  I don't know why hubby and I are the parents of (almost) 4 girls and no boys, but I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is how it was meant to be.  That for whatever reason we were chosen to be the leaders of this Planet Pink.  And in my (maybe not so humble) opinion we're doing the best we can at it.  

Would it have been interesting and exciting to add a little blue to this planet?  Sure thing.  But I would suggest that balance is NOT what blue would have brought to our family dynamic at this point!