How do you do it?

So, I'm running errands yesterday; post office, Target, Kohl's (returns from Black Friday), and then Sam's and home. When we are walking around Sam's I look down at Oliver and notice that he doesn't have his left shoe on. Crap! It's not in the cart or anywhere around.
"Where's your shoe?"
"I don't have it."
"Really? Well, who does?"
"I don't know."
We begin a search around the store looking for the lost shoe. 10 minutes later...
"Is it in the car?"
"What?"
"Did. you. have. the. shoe. on. when. you. came. into. Sam's?"
"No."
"So, it's in the car?"
"No."
*panic*
"Did you lose it at Kohl's?"
"No."
"What about...run through all the other places we have been?"
"No."
*deep breath and acts of great restraint*
"Do you have any idea where you left your shoe?!"
"Yep."
Rosie chimes in, "He couldn't find it at home."
"You've been walking around all afternoon with only one shoe?"
"uh huh."
"and I, Mother of the Year, have just now noticed?"
"Yup."
"super."

We get into line and a tired woman with a tired toddler looks at me and says, "How do you do it? I can't even handle one."
"Apparently, like this." pointing to the shoeless foot.

This is going to be a long, long day...

This is what it looks like outside today. Don't get me wrong, we've had a good run this last week. The last two days were sunny and in the mid 70's. Unheard of and record breaking. But today, it looks like this.


And this is how my kids look today. Notice the oozing from every orifice. I'm oozing, too. Just in time for the holidays.



I hope everyone else in my house is catching the very strong "Nap Vibe" I'm sending out.

What's 5mm and has be blubbering like a baby?

I'm at the grocery store and Bob calls me to tell me that Rosie's tooth is loose. What? I'm thinking, "Whatever. How loose can it be?" I get home and Rosie has a little gap where her bottom tooth use to be. (She went into the bathroom and used a towel to pull it out!) And the other bottom tooth is loose!

Have no fear, I googled it and found that the average age to lose your first tooth is 6-7 years. A year on either side is within the normal range with girls losing their teeth generally earlier than boys. Thank you Dr. Spock! (and yes, I still resource him.)

When did this happen?! My babies! What happened to my babies?! The last three months have been this blur of growing up! And this little tiny baby tooth...just put me over the edge. What a concrete, physical embodiment of her growing up. Leaving her babyhood behind.

my baby...

Autumn Rocks!

The first step is admitting you have a problem...

Fiona refuses to walk.
I mean refuses.
I'm not worried about developmental delays or whether she is on target with her milestones. She clearly is fine. I've had "late" walkers. The twins walked at 14 mos. Conor and Oliver both walked at 9 mos. I know the whole normal range etc. etc.

That is not the issue here. This is out and out refusal. She has been crawling since 6 mos. That is 8 full months of crawling! She will crawl into the middle of the floor and stand up and look right at me and smile and I'll coo, "C'mere darling! Walk to Mommy." and she'll squeal a little and look like she's about to take a step and then she'll drop to her butt and give me this little smirk that can only mean, "Psyche!"

Don't get me wrong. I understand. She is the fastest crawler I have ever seen. Honestly. She can really book. Walking would be a major slow down for her. And slowing down in this house can be...well, dangerous for a little girl. or kitten. But, I just hope she walks before high school or she could develop a reputation very quickly.

I give up...

The reality is that on any given day, chances are that my house smells like poo. It's not that I don't clean or that I don't encourage good personal hygiene, because I do! (but let's face it, I have 3 boys. "good personal hygiene" is in the eyes of the beholder)

When we first brought home the kittens, my dad grumbled that my house was going to smell like cat poo. Ummm...right now my house smells like baby poo from the diaper pail, or dog poo brought in on somebody's shoes, or 3 yr old poo that for some reason doesn't always completely end up in the toilet, or Bob poo after sneaking out to the Indian restaurant after we all know what curry does to him!

I am constantly disinfecting something or Lysoling something else. What's a little cat poo mixed in? (Have I mentioned that I have to clean the litter 3 times a day. OCD anyone?)