LA Moms Blog

Splish Splash

From time to time when I am washing endless bottles and sippy cups, I feel the warm water running over my hands and think about how nice it would be to just sit in a Jacuzzi, or a hot bath. Then I think about what it would take to get to the point where that would be possible. Sigh. After feeding, dressing, playing with and refereeing between three two year olds all day, it’s all I can do to get THEM bathed. No fair. They get to splash around in a bath tub, make a mess, NOT clean it up, then wiggle into fleecy jammies and go to bed listening to soft music.

The bed and bath time routine covers a nightly rendition of the clean up song (we have to sing it every night to put all the toys away), a disrobing where my daughter decides she is suddenly amped and ready to run around the house until we can catch her and steal the clothes off her body, and a special march into the bedroom to put Panda and Barney in bed before hopping into the tub.

The Kitchen Symphony

Kids love routine. It turns out, so do adults.

Wash the bottles
Make the coffee
Cut the fruit and waffles up
Serve some to each kid
Clean the counters
Put away the high chairs

That’s breakfast.

I can barely hearken back to the days I slept late and meandered to the coffee shop before work or on weekends. I remember it, it just seems like it was someone else’s life. In those days the biggest decision was what to wear and which of my Starbucks coffee cups I felt like drinking from that day. I suppose that was a routine of sorts, but the choices only affected me.

Once we get naps underway, and oh yesss, the routine is in full effect for that dance, I have a little time to do whatever I want around the house. That usually involves some sort of getting on the computer with every intention of writing, doing a little work, or paying bills. Sometimes some of that even gets done.

Panda-monium

This past holiday season was the first one where my kids opened presents. Before that they didn’t know  what a present was. After one day they were asking, "Presents, Mama, more presents?" I tried to go easy with gifts, but I got a little carried away.

I ended up filling a bin with toys that have outgrown, and another with some of the new stuff. I need to start rotating toys in and out of play. Three kids alone is enough, forget about the toy mess. Goodwill here I come. All they really needed was the paper. Then I got the bright idea to take the used wrapping paper and re-wrap the toys they already have so they could keep opening presents. Not sure if that was clever or if it will perpetuate the desire for ‘more’, but they had fun. I wonder how many years I can get away with that?

The Fish Oil Diaries

We were stunned at the 7am wake up yesterday. This morning, when I heard the first cry from the kids’ room, I groaned as I rolled over, dreading the reality check the clock would no doubt soon provide me. We were stunned yet again as I blinked in amazement that it said 6:30a. Ok, 6:25am. But damn close! For the first time in practically forever, my husband had to scramble to get his things together to go running with my brother. Usually we are up long before their planned meeting time. I felt the knot in my stomach as he readied himself, knowing I would be alone with the kids screaming, fighting, stealing bottles.

But OMG. I could actually feel my soul breathe a sigh of relief as I made some coffee and watched my usually crazed and screaming daughter calmly play with her toys and her siblings for almost 2 hours after they woke up. I wanted to shout, “It’s a Festivus miracle!” not that it has anything to do with any particular holiday). But that was the first funny exclamatory comment that popped into my head. We watch a lot of Seinfeld what can I say?

Amazingly, they also ate every single thing I put on their breakfast plates. Seriously. Not one scrap on the floor. And when I took a bathroom break, the two that usually rock hard in their chair to get the chairs to move? Nada!

Something's Fishy

Even our pediatrician and neurologist couldn’t answer the question. How much fish oil is good for my little ones? 

I probably worry too much. But increasingly, as my little ones become bigger ones, I wonder about their brain development. They are all strong in the vocabulary department. It’s the pronunciation that eludes them. For example, one of my boys says “hocks” instead of “socks”. When we say, “Ssssssssss-ocks”, he will repeat, “Ssssssss-Hocks”. It makes us chuckle but I still wonder what I can do to help it along. I have been assured that this is all normal. Okay. I can buy that. After all, I can’t imagine he will be meeting his future wife at the altar saying, “I promith to wove, honow and chairwish you . . .” It will change eventually. 

Crash! Boom! Bang!

My kids keep picking fights with large, inanimate objects, against which they have zero chance of  winning a fight. What to do, what to do? I wish I knew. Our pediatrician assures me this is normal behavior for almost two years old. That doesn’t stop me from worrying. My friend Jason was horrified to learn that my kids climb into the window sill. Of course they have to get onto and over a gym mat, a mattress and a couch to get there. But does that stop them? Nooooo! If they decide they want to reach something, they will stack up toys, boxes, whatever they can find, if they are unable to climb up on to do it. Jason asked me if I have 50 heart attacks a day. Close, Jason. Close.

I must say that the time period of being sleep deprived was difficult. I was tired but they weren’t mobile. Taking care of the triplets was by far easier than it is getting to be now. Today my daughter smacked her head twice and slammed a finger under a toy. The first head smack was so bad she immediately developed a one inch, purple and ever growing lump on her forehead. After the initial BOOM against the wall, the shrieking was enough to give me a headache. I carted her off to the doctor who is just five minutes from our house and had her checked out.  All good. Back home less than an hour later, she smacked the side of her head. In the very same wall spot as the first crash. More shrieking.

In the meantime, the boys are all over the place. One cannot yet walk, but is in a gait trainer and getting around quite nicely. When he is on the floor, he scoots pretty fast on his bottom using his feet to pull him.  I can barely keep up with making sure there are cushions behind him in case he falls over and smacks his head on the tile floor. More worry.

Black Friday

Since were up at 5am anyway, we changed the kids and went to the mall. Yes, we took our one and a half year old triplets to the mall on ‘Black Friday’. Before you tell me we’re crazy, please remember that we have been functioning in a sleep deprived haze since the kids came home. Granted we are getting more sleep these days, but having triplets and a 13 year old, well, it’s all crazy making. So what difference could there really be going to the mall on this, the grandest shopping day of the year? The answer is, none. It was actually tamer for us to have the kids in strollers and wander through the mall than it would have been to stay home and follow our regular breakfast routine.

When I take the kids anywhere, they are usually pretty reserved, whereas, at home, they scream and romp like little banshees on crack. They climb into the window sill, they fight over toys, steal each others’ bottles, and various other energetic activities that leave me breathless and breaking a sweat. Good thing too, because I no longer have time to go to a gym. Anyway, the point is, they are fairly calm in public, and I am happy that it is this way and not the other way around.

So as we ‘braved’ what we expected to be a mob scene, the kids quietly observed the environment, taking in all the shoppers, lights and letting out a steady stream of “Uhhhhhhhh” whenever the strollers went over bumps and tile cracks. Surprisingly, though probably not good for the retailers, the mall was about as busy as a regular Saturday afternoon, except it was 6:45am. Now, I don’t shop much as it is, and if I did I would likely not be doing it in the middle of a crowded weekend afternoon. I would definitely not be doing it at this early hour ANY day. Maybe if I was single, in my 20s or something I would get up that early. But for the life of me at this point in my life, I would not actively choose to get up to go shopping at this hour.

Driver Education

Warning: rant ahead. It really bugs me that people move their shopping carts the way they drive. They are on phones, wandering aimlessly, and completely oblivious to everyone else. Why is that? How hard is it really, to just watch where you’re going? I’m hard pressed to decide which is worse: the grocery store, Costco or the freeways . At Costco, the aisles, carts and items are bigger than at the grocery store. This might lead a person to believe that there is more room for you to move around. In actuality, it leads people to believe there is more room for you to move around THEM.

Seriously folks. Every time I go to Costco there are people who stop for no reason in the middle of the aisle. People push the oversize carts with one hand while talking on a cell phone and simultaneously trying to push their way to the front of a sample line (not sure which hand they will grab food with), and people who weave back and forth across the aisle, unsure of which way they want to go. Then there are those who decide to stop in the middle of the aisle, or go soooo s-l-o-w because, well, who knows.  These very same people are out there on the roads, with the exact same behavior behind the wheel. They run stop signs, lights and crosswalks, don’t signal when they should, signal when they ought not, and weave around when they can’t decide which way to go.

Disgusted

I don’t understand. All the talk about Roman Polanski and his recent arrest has made Hollywood even crazier than it already is. The rash of celebrities who are supporting Polanski’s “freedom” is alarming. On the September 30th episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg defended celebrities like Debra Winger, saying (to paraphrase), “I don’t think they are supporting child molestation. They are supporting Polanski the director.” WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN??  Goldberg stated that, “ . . .  the family was aware . . .”, meaning the 13 year old girl’s family.  Oh, so I guess that was ok then for Polanski to have sex with their daughter.

If Polanski was a plumber, a homeless man, a banker, or anything else, and had committed this crime, I can’t imagine the media and everyone who could get on board would NOT be after his hide to be imprisoned. Why should his job have anything to do with whether or not he is guilty? Because he creates art? Because he won awards? For crying out loud, he himself confessed to the crime and the fled the country. Rape is rape is RAPE Whoopi. He was charged with six, count them six, felonies prior to running away like a little Sally.

140 Characters

I did it. I signed off. I actually signed off Facebook. Omigodnowwhat? It’s only been a few minutes, but already I am wondering what to do. It’s truly ridiculous. I mean, I have no time for Facebook, but somehow I manage to be signed on all day long. The thing is, I leave my laptop open on the table and jump on the computer whenever my kids are playing with each other or sleeping. It’s a very effective way for me to get things done during the day. I can write, I can email, keep in touch with everyone, and not miss anyone’s birthday. It makes me feel efficient since I am home most of the day with my little ones. I don’t spend much time on the phone because it’s too darn loud here, so Facebook has turned out to be the perfect solution.