Defintion of a Mom

So when I finally got the little people down for the evening I sat myself down, pulled out my cut out fabric and started working on a skirt for Gabby. You may be thinking "oh how excellent, you sew". Actually, no I do not. Just getting my bobbin (is that the right word) threaded was a feat in and of itself. And yes the machine jammed. And yes I had to attempt to pull mechanisms apart and cram them back together. But, at the end of the night I had sewed what looked like an actual skirt. Well, an actual skirt made with love. I refuse to call it loving hands of home.

This is going to sound a little strange and I'm sure it will invoke a few "huh" comments, but I truly believe that I should sew. Let me rephrase...I think as a Mom I should know how to sew. And yes, I'm a fairly liberal, women studies minor type person so that's a pretty strange Susie Homemaker comment coming from me. But darn it, I believe it. I started to think more about this idea I have of what traits I should have. So, if I was going to post a job for myself here are the top 10 requirements:

1) Mom should be able to sew a simple skirt (not talking Project Runway here)
2) Mom should be able to assemble a basic Halloween costume - sew, staple, glue gun (personal fav) or whatever mean to make it happen
3) Mom should have a fall back, never fail chocolate chip cookie recipe. And be able to sense when the day requires that cookie to make it all better.
4) Mom should be able to throw a birthday party that will ooh, ah, and most importantly make that recipient feel like the luckiest little person in the world.
5) Mom should be able to make coffee, scramble eggs, feed baby, and do a french braid. And yes, all at the same time.
6) Mom should be able to reach into the depths of the drawer and find the only pair of non itchy matching socks (for 3 kids)
7) Mom should be able to determine when to tickle and when to hug
8) Mom should be able to pull together a dynamite dinner or at the least know where the number is to have it delivered
9) Mom should always have band aids and know the special rub/blowing of imaginary magic powder to relive pain
10) Mom should lie awake at night thinking about the little people and their little troubles and how to fix it all. And even with only 4 hours sleep, she better be ready to address all those troubles, put out all those fires, and make sure her little customers head off for the day with a smile and not a worry on their minds.

I would love to tell you that I have these all mastered myself. I do make a mean chocolate chip cookie and I'm hell on wheels with my glue gun. I definitely don't think all Mom's need to do these things. This is just what I feel like I should bring to the table. So, yes I will keep attempting to sew those made with love, crazy hemmed garments. And I will attempt to pull all the troops together for a wholesome breakfast of whatever the heck I could cook up when I wasn't brow beating them to brush teeth, put on shoes, etc. But the reason I will do it is because I love being a Mom and I take my job seriously. Whether or not I need to, I give myself a report card and I just keep trying to bring up the grade.

Where in the World have you been?

Yes, I know. You don't have to tell me it's been forever since I've written in my blog. Trust me, I know. Do I have a great excuse? Nope. Let's just say that summer with all the little people home 24x7 has not left me with much bon bon eatin, nap taken, blog writing time. But I'm back.

So let me step back a few months and mention that on June 8, 2010 our newest addition turned one-years old. Jessamine Mae (Jess) is plainly put, a baby you want to know. Not only does she have the world best disposition but her smile could brighten the day of even the crouchiest of old men.

When I stood up at her family birthday dinner and raised a glass (yep every event gets a toast from Mom and yep the 'ugh not again' eyes are usually in full effect) I told my littlest love that she is the person I didn't realize I needed. Jess is such a great addition to this family it's hard to describe. It's like that great friend that you don't see enough but when you finally do your bucket is so full at the end of the visit that you have a hard time not spilling some water out getting to the car. I feel so complete having her in my life. And no I'm not going to throw the Jerry McGuire "you complete me" line. But if I were, let's just say it would be fitting.

Now I'm a little cautious when it comes to religion and a little cautious when you throw around the word fate. But Jess makes me a believer in both. I am truly exciting to see this little person develop and grow. She's going to take us all for a ride. But, I have a feeling this will be a ride I want to be on.

Happy Birthday My Little Love!

Mini Me

Well my middle darlin finished her last day of Pre-K on Friday. Now all Mommies are proud of their kids and think they are the best, but I'm not all Mommies. I know my kids are the best. :)

My middle sweet pea Alexandra Rose we lovingly refer to as Boo Boo because she loves nothing more than a good wound. A scratch - ice worthy. A bruise - deserving of a band aid. And if she is approaching the end of the day and there hasn't been a fall, trip or flail, she has been known to induce her own fall or just to reintroduce to you a day old wound.

From her appearance, I have been told she is a smaller version of me. But her big crystal blue (Daddies eyes) and outrageously long lashes make her too cute for words. She is the smallest of the lot and probably the most sensitive. She could definitely be described as shy but once she knows you and feels comfortable, stand back because she's as loud and talkative as the best of them. Talk about a turn around year. The first two months my Mom or I would drag a crying Alex to class, quickly dart out of the room while the teachers tried to calm her down, and then cry myself all the way home because I was so sad she hated school. The last day, I watched her run around with her posse of girls all smiles. Made my Mommy heart sing.

And did I mention the brain on this one. Crazy. I'm sure she can already read but is playing dumb for the sake of her big sisters pride. She's just sweet enough to do that.

I know she is going to do great in kindergarten. I know she will painfully come out of her shell and make good friends. I know her brain is going to take her so far. Basically, I know she is going to do wonderful in life. I just couldn't be prouder of this little person. This is a person I want to know, that I would choose to be around.

So with a tear in my eye I watched my baby finish her last official 'baby step' anxiously awaiting her next big steps. I'm just glad I get a front seat view. I love you my mini me.

Mommy Melt Down

I have to admit I have been a little down lately. My baby is getting ready to turn one and I don't know how the heck that year flew by. And my middle baby is getting ready to start kindergarten in the fall. Obviously, as a Mom I find such joy in watching them grow and develop into these wonderful little people. But, part of me wants to kick their legs out from under them when they start to walk and torture them with fun Mom days instead of park days with friends. Yeah, I know this is how Mom's get categorized as crazy.

From the time I can remember I was nursing animals, playing Mommy with my dollies, and planning out how I would have five kids by the time I turned 27 which was sooo old I couldn't even fathom the number. Basically, I have wanted to be a Mom. Some days I would say that's the only thing in the world I'm good at. Well, maybe not the only thing. I can make a mean chocolate chip cookie. But point being, I love being a Mom. I haven't always done the right thing or been the person I should be, but I did three things rights. I helped bring the most wonderful human beings in the world.

You can see from all my gushing, how I could be slightly upset that all my minnows are swimming away. My little LuLu had a playdate the other morning and the Mom honked, Alex grabbed her coat, gave me a "see ya Mom", and headed for the door. I think it was that very instant I realized it's happening. The pull, the cutting of the cord, the "you can drop me at the corner", the "uh Mom you're embarrassing me". Fight as I may it's inevitable. It's supposed to happen. But I don't have to like it.

So I write this blog to capture the times. To jot down memories of when my little people thought I could scale tall buildings. If nothing else, these stories will give me something to read while I wait parked blocks away waiting for my kids, who can't stand to be seen with me, to arrive.

On a baby its cute

So I'm watching my baby transform before my eyes into a strong willed, independent little being. Now Jess is a few months shy of being one, but I can already see the personality shining. You take a toy from her and she hits the floor and screams at you. And heaven for bid you are sitting on the ground with her when you take the item, because she will attack you. There is grabbing, pushing off with her feet, you name it and this little spitfire is all over. It's hard not to smile watching this little person claw their way up and over your body to get at what she wants. But at what age does that "oh how cute, she is so persistence" turn into "Oh my I have a problem child on my hands".

Alex gets her feelings hurt and storms off to slam the door. Ugh.
Jess slaps her adorable baby hands down on the hardwood floor to make a point. Ah, too cute.
Gabby screams at you if she can't find the words to express herself. Ugh.
Jess screams and throws up those cute little squishy arms over her head. Yep, it's cute.

It would appear what is cute on a baby isn't so cute on a big girl. But is that really fair. You want your kids to be strong willed, persistent, and inquisitive. However, they are hell to raise and you spend the majority of your parenting time trying to beat those traits out of them. And at what age is it no longer cute? We give babies all this wiggle room because they are just babies. But in theory isn't this the time we should be beginning to reprogram all those independent tendencies out of them. Instead we sit back watch them scream and think 'isn't that adorable'.

Now am I going to go home and smile when my six year old slams the door in my face or gives me a little push because she is mad. Well no. But when Jess gets older, I'm going to remind everyone how much we loved her spirit when she was a baby. And maybe it will help to remind me how much I love the spirit my older children have. I may struggle raising them, but what awesome powerful adults they will be.

The Power of Yeah

Well it's been a while since my blog has gotten any love. I will have to blame it on my new marketing job at home. So it all started with the realization that my oldest daughter unfortunately got a good chunk of my not so exciting traits. One of those is a tendency towards negativity. I am a fairly happy person, but it doesn't take much to send me down the road to glass emptiness. Gabby however, not only sees the glass as empty, but that bad boy has a whole in the bottom and a crack on the side. Hence my new project....

We had just finished dinner one Wednesday night, which happens to be solo Mom night, and were brushing teeth and she gave me one Debbie Downer comment too many. I looked at her and said very clearly, "Every time I say something that you want to complain about, I want you to say 'YEAH' and tell me one thing you like about what I said, then you can throw in your complaint". Now that's pretty tricky for a kid I realize, but I also know my child. She is smarter than the average duck and I thought she could handle it. And let me tell you she has (for the most part) embraced the Yeah. Sometimes the Yeah doesn't have quite as much as enthusiasm as some days, but she's doing it.

Now it's somewhat turned into a joke because my husband will walk in and ask "how's the Yeah level today". Some would say we are treating the Yeah like it is its own entity. But gosh darn, if it helps the happiness level in the house than so be it.
I won't call it a total success by any stretch. As I watched Gab slowly melt into a spiral of mess, I asked her where the Yeah was and her response was "I don't feel the Yeah right now Mom". And yes there were daggers coming out of her eyes.

So not 100 percent successful, but if it helps keep the peace and help us all remember to find the good, then I say let's Yeah it up! Show me the Yeah! The Yeah is in house. If you can't Yeah get out of my way. Yeah you get the point...

It's flying

We recently took a family trip to the beach. My kids absolutely love the beach! If the sun is up great. If it's not, that's okay too. So there I sat shivering in my two jackets, watching my wave princesses frolic around in their bikini's loving every second of being there. My husband and middle darling took a walk while the baby, Gabby, and I stayed at our temporary beach home a.k.a. the towels. I watched my oldest run down to the waters edge and come back up smiling and laughing holding the biggest bucket of water she could carry. But when I blinked there was my 18 month old running up the beach towards me. My mind clearly pictured the red and blue bathing suit, the golden ringlets dancing in the sun, and those cheeks bobbing up and down while she ran. I remember thinking I had never seen something so gosh darn cute in my entire life.

Now where did the time go? I realize that my baby is only six years old, but how did that happen? I remember when she was a baby how I wished for those milestones to click off. Wishing for her to walk. Wishing for the potty training stage to end - and boy, did she make me wait for that. Wishing for her to stop drinking from the bottle and just drink real milk. Basically I wished for her to grow up. Now all I can do is try to catch my breath and not be totally overwhelmed by how fast the growing up process is happening. I will admit that some days I love how mature and old she is getting. I feel like we have real conversations. I get glimpses of how we'll be some day enjoying a glass of wine together and laughing. Like my Mom and I. But then there are the other days when I would pay to go back and slow it down and enjoy it.

I guess this reminiscing is what makes me enjoy my final baby even more. The oldest I was rushing, the middle I was too tired to enjoy, but my baby is my final chance. She is the last shot I get at trying to soak up the babyness. Now I know, everyone tells you to enjoy it. But isn't the real reason everyone says that is because they didn't actually do it. Do you ever hear someone say, "boy I really slowed down and just enjoyed my kids being kids". Yeah well I wouldn't believe it even if I heard that. But...mark my words I'm going to enjoy this one. And just try to hold onto those few memories I have of my other two actually being babies.

Oh and I'll be sure to tell new parents to enjoy it because it goes fast. But I think I'll add in the line "because I didn't".