Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

So, this week didn’t go exactly as I had planned (or would have liked). But such is life with three littles, I suppose.

Last weekend Little and Boo went with my parents to visit my brother and his family. Can’t say I was real happy that they were going to Florida and I wasn’t, but it was nice to have a weekend with just Matt and Baby Girl. And it was very quiet around here!

Monday was a good day: BSF leaders’ meeting, lunch with my friend J, errands with Baby Girl, a quiet afternoon, and the kids homecoming that night.

Tuesday morning we went to the Botanical Gardens with Stacey and her girls (more on that in a post later this week…hopefully). We had a blast!

I noticed that morning that BG was running a low grade fever, but I brushed it off as teething and went on with the day. When we got back from the gardens I noticed she felt warmer, so I took her temp. 102.

Her fever topped at around 104.5 Tuesday night, and we spent the next few days battling a moderate fever (101-103). She had a VERY stuffy nose, was lethargic, and wasn’t eating. Since she won’t drink from a cup, I tried a lot of approaches to getting water in her before I finally found one cup she would take (as long as I held it).

Out the door went any plans we might have had for the rest of the week – BSF on Wednesday, a trip to the library and park on Thursday (we did do dance on Friday, but only because the fever finally broke). We stayed home and tried to get the baby girl well (which involved a lot of holding, coddling, and tylenol). In fact, on Thursday I was still in my pj’s when Stacey came by at 3:15.

It wasn’t exactly the week I expected, but it was kind of nice to have a couple of slow days being at home.

Now if we can just get her totally well so she will nurse again and stop waking up screaming in the middle of the night!

Oh yeah, and now I have pink eye!

There has been a lot and not much going on here all at the same time. As of today our Fall activities are in full swing, and we are busy.

Little is going to preschool two days a week at a local church. She was so excited to go to “big school”, and she seems to love it. My oldest girl thrives on structure, so school is right up her alley; guess I’ll have to get my act together if we decide to homeschool next year for Kindergarten.

Little has also begun taking dance. She is part of a class held at a local church and led by a lady from our church. It is a pretty casual class (no big production, no make up, no stage moms), which was just what we were looking for to start her off. Mrs. Kim teaches them ballet and tap, and Little is really excited to dance.

This is my fourth year participating in Bible Study Fellowship, and this year I am serving as a leader in the children’s program. That means that I have leaders’ meetings on Mondays in addition to our regular class meeting, and a couple of hours of teaching prep on top of the usual class homework. It seems odd to a lot of people that I, mom to three kids four and under, am working in the children’s program, and all I can say is that sometimes God calls us to do (seemingly) strange things.

I’m also doing a Bible study at church this Fall. We’ve started a new ministry for moms and this study is kind of a “kick-off”. This ministry is something that has been on my heart and in my mind for a while now, so I was very excited when I was approached about being part of the leadership/vision team. The last couple of years God has really placed a burden on my heart for young moms, children, and families. I am excitedly anticipating God’s work through the moms ministry this year!

And between all of these things we are trying to fit in playdates, housework, and rest. We’re looking forward to a fun and exciting Fall.

I’ve run across several good reads in the last few months that I thought I would share with you guys. Enjoy!

~ Suck it! The REAL Way to Prep for Breastfeeding @ Parenting.com – as a veteran nursing mom I find this article hilarious; if you are expecting (read: Lindsey) don’t let it scare you, it’s usually not this bad…usually

~ Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party @ Suburban Snapshots – absolutely, laugh-out-loud, hysterically funny

~ I Don’t Want My Children to Be Happy @ It’s Almost Naptime!! – The only non-funny link in the bunch. I read this several months ago and think about it often. Right in line with much of our parenting philosophy.

~What Your Email Address Says About Your Computer Skills @ The Oatmeal – I’m married to a web programmer. ‘Nuff said.

And finally, my new favorite quote (seen recently on Twitter): “Unless life also gives you water and sugar, your lemonade’s gonna suck.”

Happy Friday!

Little has discovered that she really likes Chinese food. Or, more accurately, that she really likes eating with chopsticks (and she’s quite good at it, actually).

Last Friday we met Matt when he got off of work and went out to lunch as a family. Ahh…Friday afternoons off are so nice. Little wanted to eat at Pei Wei so that’s where we headed.

After our meal we had to have fortune cookies, of course. The fortunes in fortune cookies are always funny, but Boo’s really made me laugh.

“The best times of your life have not yet been lived.”

For the two year old. Well, yeah.

Wow, where are the weeks going? It’s mid-July already!

The last few weeks have been pretty busy around here. We’ve had playdates almost every weekday for the last three weeks, had VBS in the evenings the last week of June, had a visit from my parents over July 4th weekend, been adjusting to Matt’s new job and schedule, and doing laundry, lots of laundry.

Nothing real exciting has occurred, but life is good. We’re enjoying Summer, trying to stay cool, and beginning to gear up for school-time activities.

Hope everyone is having a great Summer!

The Sleepy Wrap was my first baby carrier (other than the Infantino front carrier I used with Little) and I fell in love with it the first time I wore Boo in it. The wrap is still my favorite newborn carrier (I recommend them to everyone who asks – and maybe even a few people who don’t), and I used the Sleepy Wrap a lot with Baby Girl in her first few months (it is currently out on loan). The makers of the Sleepy Wrap, Nap, Inc., are a great company with great products and great customer service.

About a year ago, Nap, Inc. introduced a new carrier, the Boba, designed for older infants and toddlers (9 months to 4 years), and as soon as I saw it I wanted one. They retail for $100+, and I just couldn’t justify the cost since I don’t have that many opportunities to wear Boo right now because I’m usually wearing Baby Girl. I did, however, begin entering any Boba giveaway that I came across and hoping that I might get one that way.

So, imagine my surprise when I received an email from Lindsey while I was out of town in which she casually mentioned seeing a comment on my blog from Drea about me winning the Boba giveaway on her blog. I was so excited! It had been a few days since Drea left the comment, so I quickly e-mailed her hoping it hadn’t been too long and she’d drawn another winner. It hadn’t! I soon had a shipping confirmation and the package was scheduled to arrive at my house the day after we got home from our trip.

The delivery guy in brown dropped my new Boba off during naptime, and I couldn’t wait until a child was awake to try it on. So, I unpacked it and put it on right away. After Matt got home I tried it on with Boo and wore him around the house for a few minutes. He didn’t want to get out, but he had to so Matt and Little could try it out. Little loved it, too (she rode again for a few minutes the other night when I was showing it to a friend and didn’t want to get out).

Finally I have a carrier that Matt hasn’t deemed too “girly” for him to wear! It is the Aspen pattern; very neutral, very lovely. And I think he liked the idea of wearing one of the older kids while I wear Baby Girl.

Now we just need the weather to cool down a bit so we can go hiking!

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated for this post. I’m just excited about winning this carrier. And I love Nap, Inc. products and would recommend them to anyone.

Okay, so I’ve neglected my little friend the blog for a few weeks now. The first week I just didn’t feel like writing. No other reason, just didn’t feel like typing. The second week we were out of town for several days visiting my brother and his family. I didn’t have time to write except late at night, and then I pretty much fell into bed asleep. Last week I spent every naptime and several evenings engrossed in a book.

Today I would like to compose a coherent and thought out post, but I can’t seem to string sentences together. What’s with that?? I would also like to post about our trip to my brother’s house, but I want to upload pictures and that’s not happening either (I can’t figure out how to get them from my phone to the computer).

Instead, I’m posting some random bits and pieces from our lives lately…

~Matt starts a new job on Monday. This is exciting and a bit disconcerting at the same time. We’ve drawn a paycheck from the same place for the last 9 years. Although I am thrilled for Matt’s new opportunity, there is a sense of stability lost at the same time. I have no reservations about him taking this new position, but there is a bit of “fear of the unknown” that I’m battling.

~One of our big changes with the new job involves budgeting. For 7 of our 9 years of marriage our primary income (the one we budget on) has been paid monthly. Matt’s new employer pays weekly. I have to change my mindset as I approach our budget for next month.

~One of the great things about Matt’s new job is his schedule. He will work 7 to 5 Monday through Thursday and 7 to 11 on Fridays. Because he is trading a 40-45 minute commute for a 15-20 minute commute his time at home won’t really change Monday through Thursday, but we’ll have an extra half day every weekend!

~Matt had to make this statement to Boo on Saturday: “Don’t ride your horse n@ked in the living room!” File that under things you never thought you’d have to say.

~Saturday I asked Little a question and she answered, “Indeed!” Sometimes she talks like she’s 30 years old.

~One of my bestest friends is having a baby in a few weeks. I’ve bought 4 gifts for her. I really need to stop (it’s not like I don’t have my own baby girl to buy for).

~Matt’s Father’s Day gift was more coffee preparation paraphernalia. We have a friend who refers to Matt as Mr. Coffee. There’s a reason for that.

~The baby is teething. She’s been a bear the last couple of days.

~She also turned 5 months old last week. I’m struggling with the fact that she’ll start solid foods in less than a month.

~Little wrote her first sentence yesterday (in Matt’s Father’s Day card). I love you. I had to spell it for her, but she wrote it all. I’ll have to post a picture.

~I just bought Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I’ll let you know how it goes. This experience could be a deciding factor in whether or not we homeschool next year.

~I bought a new cloth diaper last week (in amethyst). I know you’re surprised.

~I got the kids a small inflatable pool today. They were so excited you would have thought we bought a water park.

And I think that’s all I have for now. Hope you’re having a happy Monday!

I am in a hotel room some 8+ hours from home missing Matt and trying to get three little people to sleep.

These last couple of weeks, blog posts, like so many half-finished thoughts swimming in my mind, have failed to make it into words.

Now I want to write, but typing on my phone is cumbersome.

I’ll be back soon, though, recording this thing I call “life”.

As you know, I am the mother of young children: 3.5 years, 2 years, and 4 months. My days are filled with things like wiping noses, changing diapers, preparing food, cleaning up, picking up, and monitoring sibling relations.

Some days are long and terribly difficult, and other days we breeze through. But at the end of every day I am worn out. Ready for Daddy to get home and help with the parenting, ready for time without three littles demanding my attention.

I love my children, but raising children is hard work. I feel for those mothers who are doing this parenting thing alone, who have husbands who travel, or who have husbands who have to put in late nights and long hours at work.

Yesterday, my sweet sister-in-law, Lu, posted about her tough week last week and how she is trying to change her attitude to make this week a better one. In the comments, someone posted this quote:

“This is the season of long days and short years.”

Oh how true that is! I spend far too many of my days looking forward to naptime, then bedtime; just a little quiet in my world. And then I look at my children and think how time flies.

So many things seem like they occurred just yesterday, yet so long ago. How can a month feel like a week and a year at the same time?

These little people of mine are growing, discovering, learning so much right now. It keeps us all busy and often a bit frustrated (them at the learning process, me at the constant whining and tugging).

But truthfully? I would not trade these long days for anything. Because I recognize that the years are all too short.

And one day, sooner than I might imagine, these little birds of mine will fly all on their own.

I’m tired. And have much to do.

Just the same as most days. And most moms.

I think I would like some caffeine.

But the half-life in infants is about 14 hours.

Which makes it a no-no for this breastfeeding mom.

Especially since the baby doesn’t sleep well anyway.

Which probably explains the tired.