Late night Balmex finger painting

This is a small snapshot (literally) of the kids' bathroom last night. I walked in the house after a quick trip to the grocery store (quick because there were no children with me) and PR informed me that Caroline had been busy in the bathroom. You see, Caroline duped her sweet but gullible daddy into leaving her door ajar. She then broke free and headed straight for the bathroom in search for some messy entertainment. I scanned the rest of the bathroom for evidence before deciding on a guess of her motives and sneaky activities.
The evidence in custody:

• pile of balmexed baby washcloths
• baby hair brush covered in diaper rash cream
• several pairs of socks, pajama pieces, and undergarments shoved into the trash (also covered in- you guessed it- Balmex.)
• 2 tubes of assorted baby diaper rash cream, nearly empty
• smeared fingerprints made from diaper rash cream

No Sherlock Holmes required here. But I'm not sure if she first found the tubes and then looked for something to decorate or actually made the mess and was trying to clean up the crime scene. Lucky for us, the floors are tile. Lucky for her, she was already sleeping when I discovered the Balmexed bathroom.

Young families should have their very own restaurants...

Tonight PR and I foolishly attempted to dine at a restaurant...with the children. Why do we torture ourselves and our fellow diners? Well for one obvious reason, really: I don't feel like cooking or cleaning up afterward! I've spent the entire day tidying and wiping down and clearing off and putting away and cooking the other meals. I know it's part of my job right now as "CEO of the household," but I do have evenings when I've decided that I'd like to eat my meal sitting down and maybe even eat when it's still hot! This was one of those nights. The kids were good all day and PR was home relatively early, so we ventured out...and regretted nearly every moment.

Two of my three are actually very well behaved. Can you guess which child has a hard time sitting at any one place for more than a nanosecond? My darling sweet Caroline, though she has a heart of gold, has the attention span of a mini pinscher. (She yaps and whines a bit like one, too.) I really can't fault her, partly because she's so dang cute and partly because she's 2 1/2. But because Owen sat for 2 1/2 hour meals on cruise ships at 9 mos, 18 mos, and 3 I have a very distorted vision of children's table etiquette.

Here's what I propose. Restaurants with designated times or days for parents with little Carolines. Clearly there is a time when older couples go out to dine- 4:00 or so. Maybe we could slide into the next slot, say 5:15 or so? It would prevent those horrible stares from tables of "date night" couples who have actually spent money on a babysitter to escape their normal dinner entertainment- or worse yet- those diners who don't own such animated appendages (and most certainly do not appreciate the sights and sounds that come with them!) Owen IS quiet. Hudson can be quiet. But Caroline...well, she didn't come with that setting.

Until the time that such places exist, I suppose we will continue our futile effort: dining pleasantly with three young children. To those who have conquered this feat- kudos! To those who are looking for ideas to ease the pain while dining out, this is what works best for our family:

-Junky toys. These are those toys that come in the fast food kiddie meals. I try to keep a stash in the car or my over sized, chaotic purse. And if you lose or forget them, well really that's a bonus.
-Crayons and some sort of paper. While many restaurants now offer this, my children always want the same (or different) color than the other, whichever is not available. I keep a Ziploc bag of crayons in my purse.
-Mini play dough containers. The restaurant will be so very appreciative if they have carpet, but it can create a good 15 minutes of quiet!
-If you are dining at a pizza or an Italian place, ask if they can bring some dough for the kids to play with...CPK does it if you ask.
-Order an appetizer or the kids meal as soon as you are seated. My kids take forever to eat, so once the food is on the table, we're usually in good shape.
-Play "I Spy"
-Keep a stash of mini books or activity pads/magazines in the car
-Bring your own little snack: dried cereal, trail mix, dried fruit this will keep them busy until the meal arrives.
-Take them to the rest room to take care of business and wash hands. Who knows how many germs they have acquired since leaving the car...and, if nothing else, it's a trip through the restaurant.

Cupcakes

Our MOPs group topic this month was birthday parties and I was trying to think of something creative and fun to do...and I couldn't help but bust out my cupcake pan. Cupcakes are so fun, I don't know why kids' birthdays are the only time I can enjoy them without feeling guilty. If you think about it, they are portion control, right? Works for me.

I've created some pretty fun cakes and cupcakes for my kids, but I wanted to do some experimentation with new ideas...so I made two from my repertoire and two new and fun ideas: a pirate, a ladybug, princess, and lion themed cupcakes. All very easy, only the princess cakes used fondant. The rest were frosted with butter cream and embellished with candies and that fabulous "Cookie Frosting" made by CakeMate. I like that it dries quickly and once they are decorated there's no worry about colors or designs getting distorted, melted, or squished in any way. (Though I"m guessing the secret formula in those tubes is not all natural.)

Decorating cupcakes is a wonderful activity during a birthday party or celebration, as it takes some amount of concentration, seated time, and very little effort for the party planner! I would only suggest that the top coat of frosting and any fondant be made ahead of time. (Fondant is easier for kids to decorate if it has hardened.) Just have tubes of frosting or individual dishes of frosting for kids to use as the "glue." Kids are very creative and will make their own little masterpieces.

These can easily be made into cakes using a round cake pan, just substitute larger cookie or candy pieces (ie chocolate covered Oreo vice Junior Mint, regular sized chocolate chip for eyes, etc.) You can also use brownie mix when making cupcakes. It's not as crumbly for kids to eat, which is good for them AND whoever is cleaning up after the party. One other note, for toddler parties, I highly recommend making cupcakes in the mini muffin pans. You can buy lollipop sticks at Michael's and stand them in some craft foam for a cute effect. Most kids really only want a bite or two (or just the frosting) and most every kid likes eating food off a stick!

Here's a quick and easy set of notes to recreate the cupcakes:

Lion: Frost with "golden yellow" Gel color. While frosting is wet, coat edges with shaved chocolate (I used dark.) Cut mini-Nilla cookies in half with a butcher knife and press into the cupcakes to create the ears. The eyes are created by dipping mini-chocolate chips into white frosting upside down and pressing into the cupcake...dip just enough so the "whites of the eyes" can be seen. It creates a more dramatic effect than with chocolate chip alone. The nose, mouth, and eyebrows were drawn with CakeMate's "Chocolate" cookie frosting.

Pirate: Frost with "skin color" Gel color. The pirate's patch is a junior mint (how easy!) The other eye is created as described above, by dipping a mini-chocolate chip (upside down) into a bit of white frosting. The rest of the eye patch and mustache were drawn with CakeMate's Chocolate cookie frosting. The mouth is a piece of licorice string cut and pressed into the frosting.

Princess: Frost with pink or purple. I also made the cake inside pink, although funfetti would be cute, too (if you can stand the taste.) To make the crown, color premade or homemade fondant (I prefer the recipe for marshmallow fondant, it has a little better taste) with your choice of princess color. Roll into long rectangles and cut to 10 inches by 6 inches. Then cut this piece in half, to make two 10x3 pieces. Using the wide round base of a pastry tip, cut out 1/2 circles along one edge of each (this will be the top of the crown.) Space it as you prefer, the one pictured is about 1/4 inch apart. Carefully lift the "crown" and place it along the edge of the cupcake, pressing and blending the ends together. The inside is filled with pink and white sugar crystals, and the outside has mini gummy bears (they looked like gems) and gobstoppers and nerds (I know, not very tasty, but it's difficult to find pink and purple colored candy!)

Ladybug: Frost with red "no taste" gel. Use red rope licorice cut into 2 inch pieces as the antennae; press ends into the cupcake. Mini chocolate chips dipped (pointed side) into white frosting and then pressed into the cupcake make the eyes. Wings are drawn with CakeMate's Chocolate cookie frosting, and the spots are mini chocolate chips pressed pointed side down into the frosting. Easy!

A lifetime supply of laundry

First I must confess that I absolutely detest ironing. I am quite blessed in that PR's work clothes are his flight suit, which never needs to be ironed and that I rarely wear any of the items in my closet that need a clean press. Because of my ironing issue, and because I do like the satisfaction of a job complete, I have always washed laundry on Wednesdays...as many loads as needed until every last article was clean and put back in its place. However, it's only hours later that something that was clean is now dirty and the cycle continues, until the laundry baskets are spilling on to the floor- which is my "nails on the chalkboard." Things strewn on the floor makes me absolutely bonkers...even if it is a pile of freshly folded clothes just waiting to be stowed in their proper drawers...

*side note: My husband is an awesome laundry man. He will toil with those tall and mighty (by mighty, I mean potent) hampers until all clothes have been put through the ringer. However, he then folds them and forms them into the leaning tower of laundry and places them along the upstairs hallway like tiny ancient ruins. And those towers are just too tempting for Caroline not to run through, stomp on, or kick over like a little Godzilla. Do I complain that the job has not been completed and snicker when the neatly folded clothes have become hallway lillypads for my little froggers? No. Of course I appreciate the effort...but really I'd rather do it so that it gets completely done and I don't have to look at those daunting towers every night waiting to see if he might decide to put them in their proper place. So my new system will actually solve this issue, and the job will be complete from start to finish- hooray!

This week I had a laundry epiphany. Seriously. It will completely demolish my ever flowing piles of clothes in the hampers and on the laundry room floor! How, you ask? My new strategy is simple and brilliant. One load of laundry every (week)night. After we put the kids to bed, I bring down their dirties and gather the goopy bibs and the overripe dishtowel and pop it in the wash. We have our down time while the laundry is washed and dried, and then it gets folded and put away while the children are nestled snugly in their beds. I know, it sounds simple. But it never occurred to me to do just one load a day- or I would foolishly start the load at the beginning of the day (only to forget about it and have to rerun it in the wash hours later or try halfheartedly to dewrinkle by putting the "fluff" cycle on the dryer.) No no no. You see, all those lovely smelly rags and bibs and socks and last minute-must-have-for-tomorrow items are not ready or remembered unless you wait until the kiddos are in bed. AND when they're awake I rarely have the time to sort socks and his/hers/mine and actually place them in their drawers. I figure I can alternate whites one night, darks the next so not all the laundry will be done at once, but I will avoid having those huge armloads to carry down and I might actually remember to treat the stain since it has just occurred. Hooray!!!!!

It is just my first week of this new life strategy. I will report my progress in a few months, but I am quite optimistic that this will be one for the books!

Christmas...an excuse to shop!

Oh, how I used to love to shop. I would enjoy browsing, too...I didn't have to actually spend any money, but I was quite talented in the sport during my pre-Caroline years. Caroline does NOT have the gift. Not yet, anyway. Her favorite thing to do while in a store (or mall or airport or county fair or theme park...) is run full speed in the opposite direction of me, jollily laughing and escaping me by just a hair- so as to elevate the fun (for her.) Yes she will also, on occasion, run through the aisles and hide under the clothes racks...but I think that's just when she gets out of breath and needs a little breather for the next round. On extra special days she might even throw in a loud shriek or two.

Yesterday bible study was cancelled, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity (read excuse) to hire a babysitter and do some Christmas shopping for the kids. I probably should have left PR at home, as shopping for him is on the same "fun" scale as having his appendix removed, but I thought he would be helpful (wrong) and enjoy picking things out for his children. Owen wanted a robot, and we had no idea what to get Caroline...Hudson will probably receive one of the toys Owen got for his first Christmas (really, do you think he's going to complain?!) The first 10 minutes at the first store were okay. But he then reached his tolerance of annual shopping minutes and began complaining about getting home (cleverly blaming it on the babysitter.) I admit, I was trying to sneak in a little extra sight seeing in the women's shoe department...but what woman can resist? Shoes are fun and fabulous and an excusable indulgence! Plus, I was sort of looking for new running shoes for him. (He didn't buy that line, either.) I left barefooted, but we accomplished our main objective. However, it was painful (for both of us).

Oh, did I mention we ended up buying the kids' gifts online?

The robot is SUPER cool. Check out the video!!! http://www.wowwee.com/en/products/toys/robots/robotics/tri-bot

Caroline is getting a little play house (which she can clutter and destroy all to herself.)
http://www.target.com/Playskool-Rose-Petal-Cottage-Mega/dp/B001603UBY/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1

Ideas for making family memories

So we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Orlando...lots of family, great weather, Disney, several mornings of sleeping until 7:30am. Unfortunately, our family lost its patriarch the week before. My Pop Pop was an amazing man. Well, first off he put up with all the women in the family (we're ALL talkers, not just me.) Not just our yakity yakking, but our sermons on how we know best about various topics, our crazy antics, our quirky obsessions, and our bossing him around.

The man was 92 years old and had at least three mothers. I remember during one of his visits to our home, I had made him spaghetti squash with pesto. Now, I think it's absolutely delicious. But this is a meat and potatoes man. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking...maybe I had convinced myself that he'd think it was actually just pasta that was quite al dente? Anyhow, the man took his first bite and didn't say a word, but I could see his look of confusion- what is this girl feeding me??! Despite this, he finished it.

My memories of my Pop Pop include chocolate chocolate and more chocolate, with some trips to Disney, playing his favorite card game cribbage, sitting with him while he would watch Cash Cab or Dirty Jobs, dining at one of his favorite places, Bob Evans, and his famous expression, "Oh?"

I feel blessed that we were close. I made a point to call often, visit as much as possible, and plan vacations with him. Can you believe in the last 10 years of his life he travelled with us to Ireland, cruised with us through the Baltic, Alaska waters, and Med...as well as a few Caribbean Cruises. (I'm talking WITH the kids.)

And reflecting on the times we shared, my only wish is that my kids will remember him. Owen is only 5, Caroline 2....Hudson is only 7 months. Why did I not break out the video and tape more? Grrr. Pictures are just not the same. And so I urge those who would like to capture memories and precious moments...and create opportunity for you and your children to hold on to loved ones in your life, I give you these suggestions I wish I had thought of before I lost my grandparents:
-My grandmother was an opera singer...why couldn't I have taped her singing lullabies or children's songs...or even saved old tapes of her performing for the kids to watch???! How cool for kids to know something about their grandparents before they were grandparents?
-Record grandparents reading bedtime stories. Have you ever read, "I love you through and through?" A precious story. And how cool to hear a grandparent saying "I love you" to your child.
-Interview family members on their past. This is especially cool if they have stories to share that you may have not heard....how they met their mate, what they wanted to do as a child, their favorite flavor of ice cream....anything, really. If you have older kids, they can write the questions and do the interview. We were lucky enough to have a few interviews...whenever my Pop Pop would start telling an old sea story, I would turn on the camera and try and get it on film. And my cousin's son did a school project and interviewed Pop on how he won the Purple Heart, what it was like in the Navy, questions about fighting in a war....it was wonderful!
-Capture moments of the family members interacting with your children. I have Pop Pop tooting a train whistle with Owen while they create a track for Thomas, reading him a sailor story book.

That's all for now....

Ode to the Bumbo Seat

I'm not sure why I just discovered Bumbo seats, but it is a lovely invention that needs some praise!


Why do I love thee, Bumbo?

I can bathe my baby and my other two at the same time,
I don't have to have an enormous high chair in my kitchen;
preparing dinner is now "entertainment" for my little one;
trimming toenails is so much easier...
I can stick him in the shower with me...he plays with bath toys and I can actually shave and shampoo!

Um, it's been awhile

So my "newborn" is now 6 months old and I have yet to send out a baby announcement. I've attempted to take a billion pictures, without a single shot of all three looking at the camera. It is just not possible, with any amount of sweet talking, bribing, threatening, or begging (I swore I would never use those tactics for parenting, BTW.) Should I wait until Christmas, send out just a picture of the little guy, or completely surrender on the idea? Ugh.
Well, I'll at least satisfy my mom's request to post updates on milestones so that I can narrowly avoid being named "worst mommy of the year award."

Hudson, in a nutshell:
month 1-shrill like cry, LOVES his pacifier, breaks a smile, pees on us nearly every diaper change, finally loses his nickname "bruiser" when the bruise on his cheekbone fades.
2 months- sleeps 8 hrs, tolerates siblings like a champ, burps like a 13 year old boy, very alert
3 months- hates the bottle (actually swats the thing away), but enjoys blowing bubbles and he's a rock star on car trips (12 hrs to and from Michigan with only one wailing outburst.) Also, first giggle and smiles at everyone
4 months- loves the exersaucer, transfers objects, rolls to his side, giggles from the belly and clasps his little hands together like Dr. Evil, can bend in half and fit nearly his entire foot in his mouth, and he had his first trip to DisneyWorld and first train ride
5 months- sits up, rolls over pretty consistently, enjoys the Bumbo seat (that thing ROCKS- I use it for baths, during dinner prep, and when we're eating dinner), loves to play peek a boo, and refuses to eat rice cereal
6 months- I finally got this stubborn kid to eat food, baby oatmeal with banana. He loves to snuggle, he'll grab your ears and pull you towards him until we're nose to nose...he really loves to grab just about everything. I forget when I'm wearing him on my front in the bjorn or the wrap and then he reminds me by pulling anything and everything toward him (and usually down to the floor.)

Caroline- my "busy" one:
Recently she's been hoarding and hiding food from the pantry. I've discovered boxes of chocolate milk in the closet and under the kitchen table, and last week she found one of Owen's hidden candies in his backpack...she quietly exited the room, closed the bathroom door (with the lights off), and returned with a big smile, enlarged cheeks, and a wrapper hidden behind her back. I cornered her at the trash can and held out my hand...like a sweet angel, she handed me the wrapper and gleamed a wide-chocolate covered smile. How sweet!

Every time I turn off the car and unbuckle she asks eagerly, "Can I come, too???" as if I'm going to leave her in the car.

When she gets excited about things, she jumps and claps (even if it's just "dinner time."_

Owen- who's recently decided he's the expert on everything:
Still my germophobe. He unbuttons his shirt and covers his head with it when he ventures into the back wooded area because we talked about how ticks could fall from the trees. (To his credit we did actually find a nasty, bloated tick on his head when Hudson was born so he's probably trying to avoid that fun "tick recovery" episode.) After he's pottied, he won't touch anything (even his pants to pull them up) until after he's washed his hands. On the flip side of the story, I discovered dried up boogers on his bed rail a few months ago, what's up with that???!

His newest trendsetting attempt is going to school every day with two mismatching shoes. If that's his rebellion, then I'll take it!

He'll soon be 5, and we're currently devising a plan on erecting a volcano for his "dino" themed birthday.

Now that it's 2 am, I'm off to bed.

Where is the summer weather?

Today is June 1st. So why was last night 37 degrees? Weird. It actually warmed up today when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, but the air was pretty chilly. I'm hoping this was some sort of freak thing and we will soon see the warm weather return.

On to bigger and better things. Updates on kids...

Owen, 4 1/2:

• He now thinks "Star Wars" is cooler than anything else (BTW, he hasn't actually seen an entire "Star Wars" movie yet)
• Owen has already become bored with just riding a 2 wheeler (after a month and a half of learning how) and has moved on to "tricks." Yea. (Can we say skinned knees and concussions? Where is my nurse mother when I need her??!!!)
• Suddenly, he dislikes strawberries, string cheese, and he extremely picky about macaroni & cheese. However, he's very fond of any kind of soup- especially broccoli cheddar.
• Owen comes home this week telling me where my taste buds are located on my tongue and reciting addition equations. My baby is growing up too fast!
• I'm very sad to report that Owen now suffers from allergies. Ug.
• Owen loves to play soccer at home with us. However, he is NOT a fan of being on a soccer team...at least, that's what we've tome to conclude. During his soccer games, he either plays with his shirt or his hair, watches the other games, or simply stands there and daydreams. His coach suggested he put is hands on his knees and be ready as a defender, so he literally spent the entire game hunched down with his hands on his knees- even when the ball was inches away and waiting to be kicked. The next game, the coach suggested Owen "play the line" so Owen spent the entire game literally standing on the line...walking side to side along it, but never leaving it. Hilarious! Last week, Owen actually did kick the ball - and even scored! Unfortunately, it was for the other team. But he was pretty darn proud of himself.

Caroline, 2:

• In the crazy world of Caroline, marshmallows are the perfect way to start the day. The other morning she had snuck down the stairs, opened the pantry, and found a bag of marshmallow hiding on the back of the shelf. When I entered the kitchen, I was greeted by a very enthusiastic little marshmallow cheeked girl. (I installed childproof knobs exactly two hours after this incident.)
• Caroline cracked the enigma of a locked bedroom door and the bedtime game began...so, I also added a childproof knob to her room.
• The girl was riding her trike out front this week and I was breastfeeding Hudson on the front porch...so she thought it would be a good time to try and jet on down the middle of the busy road. Can you imagine how ridiculous I looked chasing after her with a newborn attached to my front?
• Another fun event: Caroline found a cosmetic bag in my room and took it to her room. When I walked in the room, I discovered she had wiped some sort of lotion all over her body and was then trying to wipe off the excess with a few pairs of her leggings. Unfortunately, instead of lotion, she had in her possession a tube of Mary Kay benzyl peroxide. The leggings were totally bleached out, and so is the carpet in her room. (Why did she have to use the super cute leggings???!!!)
• Today Caroline asked to go swimming. I explained it was too cold outside, she sweetly asked, "PLEEEAAASE???" This is her new thing. I again told her it was just too cold to be in the pool, and she disappeared upstairs, returning with TWO swimsuits on- on top of her pants and top. I guess she figured she'd keep herself warm in the pool with her pants???

Hudson, 7 weeks:

• Hudson is sleeping most of the day. He's awake no longer than an hour and a half after I feed him. He has a wake time around 7 ish every night for about an hour...and he looks around the room wide eyed and looking very cute. At night, he sleeps from about 10:30 to 5 or 6 am, waking once.
• He's using his arms and hands more...he actually knocked over two glasses today, touching them a few times before giving them a good wack. Probably not purposeful, but still worthy of note.
• The little coos he's making are sooooooo adorable.
• If I put him in a sling or use the "Hooter Hider" to feed him, he's out in a matter of minutes. I just can't keep him awake!
• He's smiling now when I do "Patty Cake" with him...and he still smiles all the time while he's sleeping.

Dinner time is still crazy.

Learning to Juggle

So now that there are three little ones in the house I can say that I fully understand the meaning, "chaos." Gone are the days where I was looking for a project, skimming through cookbooks or magazines, surfing the Internet, or lazing in front of "Food Network." I always thought I was a pretty good multi-tasker, but now I definitely have some skills. Breast feeding, making dinner, helping with homework, talking on the phone, and disciplining my two year old can now be done simultaneously (though I might count it as my work out!)

My dad just left after spending a weekend with our brood. It was a great visit...Saturday was lovely, so we ventured to Washington's Headquarters for a tour of the grounds and a picnic lunch on the grass. Other than our one outing, we stayed close to home and did nothing extraordinary...and yet my dad (who is so full of energy he normally works out twice a day) took at least one nap a day! It made me feel a little less guilty for abandoning my piles of laundry and avoiding scouring the bathrooms for a rest while the kids are snoozing (which I've been guilty of nearly every day the last three weeks!)

Every parent must be sleep deprived at some phase...maybe until their children leave home. However, it's my theory that most of these parents are the moms. Let me first say that my husband is wonderful about getting up with the newborn and changing and burping him, even on days that he's working. But if I don't nudge him forcefully, he'd sleep through 10,000 babies screaming in his ear. He falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. And he heads up to bed without a glance to the unfinished dishes in the sink, the kitchen table that hasn't been wiped, or the pile of folded laundry that needs to be taken upstairs and put into drawers. Hmm. How nice!

After a long night last week with Hudson (who decided to wail between 2:30- 5 am), my husband says to me, "Why don't you get a good night's sleep tonight?" HA! First, he is out of town and I"m juggling the three kiddos plus trying to get the house together for my dad's arrival. Second, WE HAVE A THREE WEEK OLD. Third, our two year old and four year old wake up at 6:30AM regardless of what time they go to bed. (Fun for me, the anti morning person!)

Does he really think I enjoy being sleep deprived? I've read the benefits of sleep, and let me tell you- I'm a fan! 7 Hours of sleep a night can increase your metabolism, reduce your risk of several cancers, preserve your skin...even increase your lifespan. (Who wouldn't want 7 hours of sleep a night??!!!) I suppose I'll just have to day dream about a good night's sleep until this little guy gets on a schedule...or I get a child free vacation.