I am truly there. Some of it may be because of me, my personality, my expectations etc., but I know that some of it is my children as well. Now along with them being a little crazy, so am I.
Crazy 1 has attitude galore. I honestly believe that she is 4 1/2 going on 14. She talks back, she purposefully does things she knows are wrong, she tries to get Crazy 2 to do things she knows he shouldn't and just generally doesn't listen to a word I say. We also have a medical issue with her that involves the potty. It is frustrating for me, not so much because of the accident itself but because she either lies about it or doesn't tell us right away. We had been doing really well for a couple of months, but then a couple of weeks ago, things started to regress. I still believe that the issue might not be just medical, but behavioural as well.
Crazy 2 is obnoxious. I mean, really obnoxious. He is loud, over the top loud and we have yet to find a volume control on him. I would think it was a hearing issue except he can hear us whisper, he can whisper, he just chooses to be loud most of the time. I have tried the inside voice conversation, I have tried time outs, I am at a loss. He also is crazy busy. He runs most of the time, he climbs anything and he gets into everything. He also is at the Terrible Two phase where he is testing his boundaries and doesn't listen or ignores most of what I say.
Lastly there is Crazy 3. He has no control over the things that drive me crazy as he is only 7 months, but there are a few things. His sleeping patterns are definitely not something I am dealing with easily. He wakes up anywhere between 2-5 times a night. My definition of night is from when we put him to bed (7:30 PM) and 6:00 AM.
Sometimes it is as easy as replacing his soother, sometimes it is a quick nurse, but other times I am up for at least 30 minutes and then it's harder for me to get back to sleep. He also does not nap well. That just adds to the craziness around this house. The other frustration I have with him is he spits his food all over me. Every time I feed him, I add food decor to whatever I am wearing. He tends to do it the first couple of bites and then at the end when he is done. The frustrating part is that he doesn't do it to The Husband.
I really do love my children. More than anything. I try to provide them with an exciting, loving and caring environment. I try to look past their idiosyncrasies and not get too flustered.
I have good children. They don't fight much amongst themselves, they use their manners most of the time, they listen fairly well when we are out and about. Most of these issues are when we are at home. I just don't really know where to go from here and I don't think I can handle much more at status quo.
For now I just needed a good vent. Somewhere to lay it all out and be able to look at it reflectively. Here's hoping that today gets better, I don't really know if I can handle it if it gets much worse.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Never Ending Laundry
Anyone else out there feel like all they do, day in and day out, is laundry?
I know I have three children, all under 5, so there only stands to reason that I have a fair amount, but I mean come on. I feel like I could do laundry all day, every day and never really be caught up.
I am so thankful that Crazy 3 never spat up all that much. It definitely saved me on at least some laundry, maybe a load a week. I feel bad for all the parents out there that have little ones with reflux. Not only would it be difficult to deal with, but I am sure the dirty clothes just pile up.
Sometimes I wonder if I just buy more clothes for all of us, if that would mean less laundry. I don't actually think that would work. Running out of socks or underwear forces me to get it done. If we had more, I think I really would need to run the washer and dryer constantly.
Soon enough, I will have the crazies help me. Crazy 1 already helps put her clothes away in her room, I just need to teach her to fold. I wonder if when she turns 5 that would be too soon?
I know I have three children, all under 5, so there only stands to reason that I have a fair amount, but I mean come on. I feel like I could do laundry all day, every day and never really be caught up.
I am so thankful that Crazy 3 never spat up all that much. It definitely saved me on at least some laundry, maybe a load a week. I feel bad for all the parents out there that have little ones with reflux. Not only would it be difficult to deal with, but I am sure the dirty clothes just pile up.
Sometimes I wonder if I just buy more clothes for all of us, if that would mean less laundry. I don't actually think that would work. Running out of socks or underwear forces me to get it done. If we had more, I think I really would need to run the washer and dryer constantly.
Soon enough, I will have the crazies help me. Crazy 1 already helps put her clothes away in her room, I just need to teach her to fold. I wonder if when she turns 5 that would be too soon?
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Worst Housekeeper Award
So yesterday, Crazy 2 was feeling fine, but had an episode of runny poop in his pull up. He came up the stairs from the playroom dripping poop out of the legs of his jeans. After getting him all sorted out, cleaned up and in bed for a nap, I had to tackle the carpet in the playroom.
Silly me, grabbed the fullest bottle of Fantastic, which just happens to contain bleach. Needless to say, the carpet in the playroom now has lovely bleach markings as well as some staining. The sad part is, I didn't notice right away so the damage was already done.
The Husband always bugs me about not being the greatest Housekeeper and unfortunately I just proved him right. Yes, I said it, The Husband was right about this one thing.
Silly me, grabbed the fullest bottle of Fantastic, which just happens to contain bleach. Needless to say, the carpet in the playroom now has lovely bleach markings as well as some staining. The sad part is, I didn't notice right away so the damage was already done.
The Husband always bugs me about not being the greatest Housekeeper and unfortunately I just proved him right. Yes, I said it, The Husband was right about this one thing.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Full Moon Rising
What is it about the lead up to the full moon that has my children acting crazier than normal? I mean really, the full moon isn't until Wednesday night, but my children are acting as though it is tonight.
Crazy 1 was fairly well behaved all day today, that is until dinner time. She didn't want to eat anything and then wanted her bedtime snack an hour and a half before bedtime. The sad part about that is the rule around here is if you eat your bedtime snack early, you go to bed early.
Crazy 2 has volume issues at the best of times but tonight took the cake. He was off the chart loud and pretty much constant at that level.
Crazy 3 is just really cuddly and is a total Momma's Boy. The saving grace to that is he went to bed without any issue. Let's just hope he sleeps the night.
All in all, I am not looking forward to the next couple of evenings. It seems to get worse the closer the full moon gets, but then once it is here things get back to our normal with the snap of a finger. It is a little disturbing.
Crazy 1 was fairly well behaved all day today, that is until dinner time. She didn't want to eat anything and then wanted her bedtime snack an hour and a half before bedtime. The sad part about that is the rule around here is if you eat your bedtime snack early, you go to bed early.
Crazy 2 has volume issues at the best of times but tonight took the cake. He was off the chart loud and pretty much constant at that level.
Crazy 3 is just really cuddly and is a total Momma's Boy. The saving grace to that is he went to bed without any issue. Let's just hope he sleeps the night.
All in all, I am not looking forward to the next couple of evenings. It seems to get worse the closer the full moon gets, but then once it is here things get back to our normal with the snap of a finger. It is a little disturbing.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Good Behaviour or Just Better....
I find myself judging my crazies behaviour when we are out in public based on how other children are acting. I am sure most of us parents do this, we are thankful when it is not our children having a meltdown at the playground when it is time to leave, when it is not our children throwing food and utensils at a restaurant or when it is not our children kicking and screaming out the door of a venue.
Overall, even though my children are a little crazy, they are loud and full of energy, I do usually feel my children are well behaved when we are out. I have been very lucky that all three of them are extremely good natured but they do have their moments. I have been the mom that has thrown Crazy 1 over her shoulder to leave a store when she decided to lay on the floor and kick and scream. I have been the mom that has picked up Crazy 2 and hauled him out of the pool kicking and crying. Crazy 3 gets away with a little more crying and screaming because, well, he is only just over 6 months.
When we are out somewhere and all I have to do is remind them to stay with me and the stroller, even if it is a hundred times, and there are no tears and no shrieks, I feel like we have had a good behaviour day. Especially when we are out and there are other parents hauling their screaming, crying, kicking children out the doors, or off the playground.
Is it wrong of me to decide that the day was a success just based on how other children behave or should I look at how my children normally behave and base it on that? All I know is that to me any day where we can leave somewhere without a meltdown from either Crazy 1 or Crazy 2 is successful to me!
Overall, even though my children are a little crazy, they are loud and full of energy, I do usually feel my children are well behaved when we are out. I have been very lucky that all three of them are extremely good natured but they do have their moments. I have been the mom that has thrown Crazy 1 over her shoulder to leave a store when she decided to lay on the floor and kick and scream. I have been the mom that has picked up Crazy 2 and hauled him out of the pool kicking and crying. Crazy 3 gets away with a little more crying and screaming because, well, he is only just over 6 months.
When we are out somewhere and all I have to do is remind them to stay with me and the stroller, even if it is a hundred times, and there are no tears and no shrieks, I feel like we have had a good behaviour day. Especially when we are out and there are other parents hauling their screaming, crying, kicking children out the doors, or off the playground.
Is it wrong of me to decide that the day was a success just based on how other children behave or should I look at how my children normally behave and base it on that? All I know is that to me any day where we can leave somewhere without a meltdown from either Crazy 1 or Crazy 2 is successful to me!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Day From Hell
So yesterday in my books was a day from HELL!
Crazy 1 and Crazy 2 both had school, so I thought it would be a decent day, even with the lack of sleep due to Crazy 3. Boy was I ever wrong.
When I picked Crazy 2 up from play school, he was great. Wasn't even crying like he normally is. We drove home looking for school buses but once he got into the house, major meltdown! On the floor, crying, just plain not happy. Put him to bed 20 minutes earlier than normal and he woke up after just an hour and half, not the standard two and a half hours.
Crazy 1 is in talk back mode pretty much all the time and yesterday was no different. To go along with that, we had a potty accident and got a nose bleed. Both of course happened while I was trying to nurse Crazy 3.
Crazy 3 decided that he needed to eat every 45 minutes and that napping was optional.
I had self motivated myself to believe that I would actually accomplish something yesterday, anything would have been nice. I just barely got dinner made for 5:30 PM and I started it at 1:00 PM.
These days are the exception to the rule, but man did I feel overwhelmed yesterday. Good thing The Husband came home with coffee and chocolate!
Crazy 1 and Crazy 2 both had school, so I thought it would be a decent day, even with the lack of sleep due to Crazy 3. Boy was I ever wrong.
When I picked Crazy 2 up from play school, he was great. Wasn't even crying like he normally is. We drove home looking for school buses but once he got into the house, major meltdown! On the floor, crying, just plain not happy. Put him to bed 20 minutes earlier than normal and he woke up after just an hour and half, not the standard two and a half hours.
Crazy 1 is in talk back mode pretty much all the time and yesterday was no different. To go along with that, we had a potty accident and got a nose bleed. Both of course happened while I was trying to nurse Crazy 3.
Crazy 3 decided that he needed to eat every 45 minutes and that napping was optional.
I had self motivated myself to believe that I would actually accomplish something yesterday, anything would have been nice. I just barely got dinner made for 5:30 PM and I started it at 1:00 PM.
These days are the exception to the rule, but man did I feel overwhelmed yesterday. Good thing The Husband came home with coffee and chocolate!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The Oxymoron of a Mandatory Gratuity
So lately The Husband has been quite annoyed with how gratuities are now expected when we are out and about.
Depending on the level of service, both The Husband and I will usually leave between 15% and 20%, but what gets us is that if you leave less because of the level of service you are considered stingy.
The Husband is currently working on booking his Christmas party for work and while doing so, because the group is more than 8 people, is finding that most places are informing him that there will be an automatic 18% gratuity added to the bill.
Just for reference, here are some definitions as per Merriam-Webster:
MANDATORY
1: required by a law or rule : obligatory
2: of, by, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate
GRATUITY
something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service
I do believe that by the definitions above, adding a automatic gratuity then makes it mandatory, which in my opinion, completely negates the purpose of a gratuity. To me, it should be optional to represent my level of satisfaction of the service I received. My question is if the gratuity is automatic, but the service is atrocious, do I have an option not to pay it?
Depending on the level of service, both The Husband and I will usually leave between 15% and 20%, but what gets us is that if you leave less because of the level of service you are considered stingy.
The Husband is currently working on booking his Christmas party for work and while doing so, because the group is more than 8 people, is finding that most places are informing him that there will be an automatic 18% gratuity added to the bill.
Just for reference, here are some definitions as per Merriam-Webster:
MANDATORY
1: required by a law or rule : obligatory
2: of, by, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate
GRATUITY
something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service
I do believe that by the definitions above, adding a automatic gratuity then makes it mandatory, which in my opinion, completely negates the purpose of a gratuity. To me, it should be optional to represent my level of satisfaction of the service I received. My question is if the gratuity is automatic, but the service is atrocious, do I have an option not to pay it?