It Is Possible

To get permanent marker (black of all colors) out of off-white carpet. Somehow Morgan got her little paws on a black marker tonight. Jason and I were getting dinner cooked and turned around and she was gone. Since she's mischevious and has been getting into lots of stuff lately I've been making her stay close by so I can prevent these types of mishaps. Well I turned around and she was gone. Unfortunately she left her mark on the carpet in the family room. Jason was none too happy about it. I got the hair spray out and it worked some but not great. I got online and did some research. Rubbing alcohol was also mentioned. Now I don't have any of that (I need to get some next time I'm out), but I did have ear cleaning solution from when the little girls got their ears pierced. It's mostly alcohol so I went to work on it. Well after soaking and dabbing and soaking and dabbing, you can't even tell there was once a lovely Morgan inspired drawing there. I think she was drawing on paper and it bled through. It was a weird random pattern, but thankfully now it's gone. My husband has often wondered why I want to wait until the girls are older to replace this carpet. This one reason why.

Today was better yesterday. No attempts to have strange concoctions of mixed drinks tonight. I woke the girls up earlier than usual this morning. They weren't thrilled about it, especially since they goofed off until 11:30 last night. Oh well, I was a mom with a plan and I wouldn't have it derailed. They were also not thrilled when I said no TV on during breakfast. They took an earlier nap and I put them to bed at 8:10 tonight. I would love to say they went to sleep in a decent amount of time, however that would not be the case. I finally went in at 10:15 when I could hear them jumping from bed to bed. I turned off the night-light. No need for them to illuminate their foolishness and plopped my big ol' behind on the floor. After only a few minutes they were sleeping. I have since returned to cover them all up and turn the night-light back on. I really, really hate bedtime.

Tomorrow I need to run some errands to get ready for my sister's baby shower this weekend. I am hoping they are cooperative so I can get them done. If not you'll be hearing about the weeping lady pushing the screaming toddlers through Sam's on the news.

Since I'm making everyone get up earlier, I need to get up earlier, which means I need to get to bed earlier.

Wondering...

If Sunny D and vodka would taste good together. A lightweight version of a screwdriver maybe? I don't have any OJ and it was one of THOSE days today.

I should have known it was not going to go well when Kamryn through a major size fit this morning over...her milk being in a purple cup NOT in a pink one. Oh the shame! How dare I commit such a crime. I informed her that it was going to stay in the purple cup and she could either drink it or do without. She informed me "I not dwinking milk in pewple cup, I going to my woom." I told her that would be fine and off she went. She returned at 6.7 seconds later and informed me the "pewple cup will be fine, I have my milk now".

It went down hill from there. They were all grumpy and grouching at various times throughout the day. They took a nap which was good. I'd like to say that it improved everyones moods, but that would be a lie and like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie.

Alexis through a fit after nap because she wanted to keep her Dora pull-up on and not put her Minnie Mouse panties back on. **Sigh** Such important things we fuss about some days. I won by the way, the panites went back on.

She then through a fit because daddy ate ONE of her M&M's out of a small bowl that I had given her. He staved off the flow by getting one out of the bag and replacing it.

At that point I was happy to escape to go and pick up Kori from school. I briefly contemplated continuing to drive until I ran out of gas. Thankfully saner heads prevailed and I got Kori and returned home.

Jason left them in the family room playing Barbies to shower and get ready for work. I checked on them and then returned to finished mopping my kitchen floor. Kori went to let the dog out not FIVE minutes later and they had taken the hot tub insert out of Kori's Barbie RV out of it and proceeded to fill it with water in the bathroom sink and then spill it all over the floor. ***S-I-G-H*** So I sent them to their rooms and mopped it up.

Thankfully bathtime followed and then the bedtime fiasco began.

I am OVER bedtime. I can't get them to get in there and stay in bed and go to sleep. I have tried EVERYTHING! Readers if you have any suggestions, I am open to any of them. Bedtime causes me so much stress and anxiety. I wouldn't care if they goofed off, except I don't want them keeping Kori up. Tonight they horsed around until 11:30. Tomorrow night I think I will put them in there at 7:00. They can goof off for their required two hours and then be asleep by 9:00 just in time for Kori to go to sleep. Ha, if only it were that easy. It would help if my husband were here in the evenings to help. An extra set of arms/hands/ears/eyes etc. is NEVER a bad thing. Oh well, that's like beating a dead horse, so I won't go there.

Okay, so that's it for me. I am glad this day is over. I will be singing a rousing rendition of Gloria Gaynors, "I Will Survive" tonight in the shower, upon which I will lull myself to sleep with my ever faithful chant, "Tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better, tomorrow will be better..."

Miss Bossy

This is Kamryn and Morgan playing. Have I mentioned how bossy Kamryn can be???? It's a little dark, but you can hear her just fine. The girls were playing in the diapers and Kamryn decided she was going to change Morgan, unfortunately Morgan didn't cooperate as much, or as quickly as Kamryn would have liked. You can hear Alexis pipe in a bit too when Kamryn takes a diaper from the line she worked hard to line up just right.

Ahhhhh...

The house is quiet and the rain is falling, good times! It's certainly been a long time since my last post. I'm sure I've cleaned something, washed something etc., since I've been gone.

Kori was on Spring break last week and man it was nice to not have to go anywhere unless we wanted to. Back to the grind today. I wasn't looking forward to it, but Kori was ready to head back. The girls missed her terrible even though she is sometimes so bossy to them. I guess they don't mind too much.

Friday Jason proclaimed it was "Family Fun Friday". What did that entail you ask? Some shopping, with all 4 kiddos. We were in search of Spring/Summer duds for the girls and some new shoes. The girls got some new crocs and some clothes, but I'm still in search of the perfect tennis shoes and sandals. Now shopping with all the girls was interesting. They did good for the most part, but sometimes (like when he was taking FOREVER at Dick's getting new grips for his golf clubs) it was like slowly being pecked to death by a pack of birds. We had an early dinner out and then did some more shopping before returning home. I was glad to have survived it all. The girls like shopping, so I guess that's a good thing. They just don't always love riding in the carts, which can be interesting.

Saturday Jason played in a charity dodge ball tournament. The girls and I went to cheer him on and watch. It was a good time and the girls were good for the most part. I considered the day a success.

Sunday was park day! We took the girls to the park to enjoy the nice weather before the cooler temps and rain move in.

So I'll leave you with some pictures of our park time:

The hole Kori dug...she was quite proud of it:



The digging process:



Morgan:



Alexis:



Kamryn:

Spring Break

No getting up and having to be anywhere this week and I am soooooo enjoying it! Kori got out of school 1/2 day early last Friday and doesn't go back until next Monday so we are enjoying spring break. Not doing anything special, just relaxing at home.

Potty training is going GREAT! A minor accident here and there (which happens to be only when daddy is in charge) and that's it. Lots of mornings the girls wake up dry after sleeping all night. They are dry after naps too. We're going to stick in pull-ups for a while during sleeping times, but otherwise we're all panties. Morgan is still hit or miss. Some days she's in a pull-up and does great, other times she is sooooo not into it. We're working on it and I am sure we'll get there.

We went to dinner Friday night and then to the mall for some shopping. Alexis and Kamryn both wore panties and did awesome! I tote an extra set and some extra clothes, just in case, but we didn't need them. Woo hoo!

Saturday Kori and I ran some baby shower errands. I am hosting my sisters baby shower on March 28th and since Jason had this past weekend off, I thought I'd take advantage of it and get all my errands done, with the exception of my grocery shopping. Saturday night I sat down and made my first diaper cake. It turned out so cute and I'm very proud of myself. Kori "supervised" me while she colored at the table as I was rolling up the 58 disposable diapers I would need. After I got it all done, she proclaimed, "Your sister is so lucky to have you!" I couldn't agree more! :-)

Kori doesn't usually go on errands like that. She used to but as she's gotten a bit older she finds it boring and would rather play at home and stay with daddy. I was shocked on Saturday when I asked if she wanted to go and she said yes! We had a nice time, just the two of us. It's nice to do that every now and then.

Sunday we went to visit my dear friend Liz, and her daughter Christy, who was in town from North Carolina. It was a great visit, and with the exception of Alexis stepping in her plate of chips and dip, we didn't destroy much. The girls did pretty good and I was proud of them. Going to other peoples homes makes me so nervous. Even to my parents. I feel like we just shatter any quiet or solitude there might be. We're like a hurricane or other natural disaster. Liz assured me all was well, but I'm certain she gave a great sigh of relief when we left. The visit was great and that's what counts. It was nice to see Liz's new home. It's gorgoeous! I've missed other opprotunities to go so I was glad I could get out there this time. She is a great friend and I love her and her family so much! They are wonderful! Jason and I were talking tonight and he said that Liz is just the person he'd handpick for a mom if given the chance. Awww! It must be an Iowa thing, right Liz?

So that's about it from here. I will try and post a picture of my diaper cake soon. I was so proud of it, you know I took a picture.

Becky and Mallory are playing hooky from work/school tomorrow since the weather is supposed to be nice. We might take a picnic lunch and head to the park for some playtime. I am so enjoying the spring weather and so are the girls!

Chaos

So I am trying to get out of laying in the floor with the girls at bedtime. I am trying to get them to go to bed by themselves without a chaperon if you will. I did this with Kori too for a while and then it would be HOURS before she'd fall asleep. It's getting that way with the girls as well. What used to take 20-30 minutes now takes 1 1/2-2 hours. Way too long! I have things I could be doing instead of laying in the floor playing Bookworm on my cellphone.

So last night they gave up at about 11:15...pretty standard. That was the time they would give up if I was in there too. I kept going back in and shutting down the party but they'd restart it pretty quickly after I left.

I've threatened and grumped, raised my voice, you name it...it doesn't work. Tonight Alexis finally fell asleep about 11:00 or so. Morgan and Kamryn finally waved the white flag of surrender at about 11:30. **SIGH** I wish there was a magic answer I could figure out to make it easier. No such luck.

Sooooooo, I was thinking. Home delivery liquor service. You know, kind of like an ice cream truck, but with adult treats instead. Think a mobile frozen margarita or daiquiri machine. Huh? Sounds good no? Oh drat, maybe I'm the only one who feels compelled to have liquor delivered at the end of busy, stressful, hectic days.

Good news too, with the passing of February, Jason reached another milestone at work. TWO YEARS of having a transfer in to Days. Still no movement. I hate the night shift now. Over and done with it for a while. It will be 4-years this coming May. Bedtime chaos would be easier with an extra set of arms/ears/eyes/hands/legs etc. around.

Oh well, enough complaining. I am off to finish cleaning the playroom, family room and extra bathroom and then my housework is D-O-N-E! It got a little behind due to my illness, but is looking good once again. Tomorrow it's "Laundry Wednesday" -- woo hoo!

Whew!

Strep throat as an adult is ROUGH!!!! Finally on Saturday I woke up and didn't feel like my throat was swollen shut. It has been awful! I hope to NEVER get it again! I used to get it a lot as a kid and I never remember being that miserable.

Saturday we went to visit my parents. Due to all of our illnesses we haven't seen them since the end of January. The girls were missing them something awful! We went to dinner at Culver's and had a nice time. All the girls were well behaved which is always a plus! Alexis and Kamryn are doing GREAT on the potty training! We have an accident here and there, but they are in panties all the time with the exception of naps and bedtime. Morgan is a bit more stubborn. Yesterday she wore a pull up and stayed dry all afternoon/evening so that was good. Taking them to eat and then having to take them to the bathroom (at different times of course -- they never had to go when I was already making a trip with one or the other) makes for a busy time, but I am okay with it. I am happy to have most of my diaper buying days behind me. Now that I am feeling better I am going to concentrate on getting Morgan broke. We had a nice time with my parents and headed home before the thunderstorms rolled in.

Today we were suffering from the "Daylight Savings Time Blues". Morgan and Kamryn were soooooo grumpy. Kori had her moments. Thankfully Alexis was in good spirits. Jason was also grouchy when he got up. It was a long day for me being surrounded by all the grumpies. I escaped to the grocery store for a bit. Sad thing was I enjoyed the break. Not sure what was up with Jason but I was over it by the evening. He informed me Kamryn had an accident in her panties. Uh okay, thanks for sharing??? He informed me that she pooped in them, then asked me, "What am I supposed to do with them now?" Uh how about rinse them out and put them on the washer. Then he actually grumped to me about someone always getting into something that they aren't supposed to. REALLY? To ME, of all people, you just said that to? I informed him that it was a good thing he isn't home with them everyday. Either him or one/all of the girls might not survive it. Men!

Tomorrow I need to tackle my housework. It has been neglected since I've been sick so it's in need of some TLC. Thankfully it was super clean as I got sick so that's good.

Hopefully my family will be in better spirits.

So I am back and finally feeling better. I am hoping that was the last illness of the cold/flu season. It's been non-stop since the middle of January and I'm over it.

We've had some nice weather lately. Some colder weather is coming and I'm bummed about that. I am ready for the spring weather! So are my girls! They have enjoyed being able to play outside again. We made an impressive dirt ring in the tub Friday night. Better stock up on the cleanser again!!!!

A Phone Call

While waiting in the car line today waiting to pick up Kori my cell phone rang. Hmmm...that looks like the hosptial phone number. I pick it up.

Lady: Hi Melissa?
Me: Yes?

Lady: This is Stephanie from NKC Hospital.
Me: Uh huh.

Lady: I'm calling in regard to your throat culture from your visit here on Sunday.
Me: I have strep throat don't I?

Lady: Uh, yes. How did you know?
Me: Well my throat is ZERO better and I still feel like death warmed over.

So I am know on antibiotics FOUR times a day. I am hoping to be feeling human again soon. I fevered all day today. Sooooo annoying. I tried to be more productive, but other than some laundry and changing sheets on the girls' beds I wasn't as productive as I would have liked. I did manage a nap when the girls napped. I wasn't going to but I felt too bad.

So here I sit, burning up with fever, my throat feels like it's closing and it hurts so bad. I had strep a lot as a kid, I don't remember feeling this bad. Must have been the resillency of kids cause as an adult I am getting my a** kicked!

Off to bed!

Checking For A Pulse

So I think I mentioned in my last post that I thought I was getting Jason's sore throat. (If I didn't mention it I meant to and probably just forgot -- it happens a lot!) Well Friday I woke up and felt semi-yucky (that is a technical medical term). I went ahead and went to Walmart because Jason had off-duty and then on to regular work both Friday and Saturday. I got back and then headed off to get Kori from school. While waiting the in car line I began to feel achy. I got achier by the minute. I struggled through dinner for the girls and got everyone bathed. My sister swung by real quick to drop something off for me and I made her stay in the car because I truly felt like I had the flu. Not the stomach type, the bad kind you get immunized for.

Well I made it to bed time and in the process of getting the girls down I started to get the chills. I shivered so much I thought I would my teeth would shatter.

By eleven o'clock I gave in and called Jason to come home. I was soooo weak and achy and just felt AWFUL! I worried that if the girls needed me I wouldn't be able to do anything. He came home and I showered and crawled into bed where I stayed all day Saturday and most of Sunday. I ventured out of bed Saturday night around 10 o'clock for a PB&J sandwich and was hopeful that I was going to feel better on Sunday.

That was not to bed. Felt as awful Sunday as I did Friday night. I gave in and drove myself to the ER for some sort of help. Flu culture...negative. Strep culture...negative. Mono blood work...negative. Good news Melissa you either have one of the strains of flu we don't treat with anti-viral or you have one nasty viral infection that is kicking your butt. The doctor felt so bad for me and knew by looking at me how sick I was. She gave me a script for pain meds to help with the achiness and then prescription strength ibuprofen. I sent my husband back to work and managed the girls for a couple of hours before bedtime.

I managed okay today. Still achy and such. I wish this dang sore throat and ear pain would go away. I am hopeful that I am going to feel better sometime during the month of March.

On a good note I am declaring Kamryn potty trained. Well except for bedtime. She is staying dry during naps and anytime she's up. She poops and pees on the potty without prompting from Jason or I. Alexis is doing great too. She hasn't had as much success in the poopie department but I expect that. She had one pee accident during dinner tonight. She was a bit stressed about it, but hey a girl has to eat huh? No time to break for a potty stop. She is hit or miss with staying dry during naps. I am hoping that I have purchased my last case of size 5 diapers.

Morgan asked to poop on the potty today...I was shocked that she asked and she actually did it! Woo hoo! I put her in training pants after nap and she did okay for a bit and then got busy and had an accident. Once I am feeling better I am going to work harder with her. I am ready to be done with diapers!

Once they were more ready than me it's gone rather smoothly.

So that's it from Germville...I'm going to crawl in my warm bed now. It's my best friend these last few days.