Much better

So we put our two big girls together in the same room six weeks ago or so. We are going to a family reunion next weekend and we thought they would need practice sleeping in the same room. It has been crazy. Bedtime went from lasting 45min-1 hour to 2 hours. They are so wild that it takes forever for them to fall asleep. It drives me and hubs crazy because we have to keep going in there. I plan stuff to do in the evenings after they go to bed, but if they don't get to sleep until 9 or later, that makes us just stay up later to get stuff done and then we're more tired the next day.

Anyway, last night I had a thought. Maybe they're just not tired enough. So today I did an experiment. After Honeycakes got up from her nap, we went to the library. Came home to teach a flute lesson, ate dinner at 4:30, then went swimming for an hour. Got home at 6:30, ate a snack, and put kids to bed. They were all asleep by 8!! This plan is a winner for sure. Little Peach loved the water and was a content little babe all wrapped up in her towel. And so cute, I might add. I enjoyed the water as well. Our community pool is big and there were several people I knew there. There is also a kiddie pool only 18in deep that the big girls loved. The sun went down behind the bathroom building after a little while so we were shaded, so I didn't stress about sun on Little Peach.

So you locals-if you ever want to join us for a swim, I think we'll be making this a regular occurrence.

Counting a blessing

So recently we sold our house. Yep, we joined the other home buyers of the past few years and did a short sale. We closed a little over a month ago, and are still breathing sighs of relief to not be homeowners anymore.

We still live in it though. The buyer is an investor, and offered to let us continue living here as renters. So we signed a year contract. Can I just say how grateful I am not to have to move right now? It did not sound fun to do basically by myself while juggling a newborn and two other little kids while hubs studies for the bar.

I was prepared to move. There are things I don't like about my house. I strongly dislike the stairs. Especially when I was preggo. I also don't like the fact that I can't see my kids playing in the living room while I am in the kitchen. When they need a button pushed on the remote or I hear screaming and need to solve a dispute, I have to walk all the way into the family room to do it. Not that it's that far, but it is annoying. I don't like the cluster house arrangement and the fact that we have no yard. The smoking neighbor is also on my list of dislikes.


But once we had the offer to stay, I had to turn my thinking around. As much as I don't like some features of our floor plan, it is a nice house. There's room for all of us, it's not falling apart, and I must say I do love my paint colors and window treatments.

I know there are many people in the world who don't have a home, or if they do, it may be old, rickety, or small. Peoples' homes are destroyed every day by natural and man made disasters, and people are evicted from beloved homes. I am grateful to live in a house in a safe neighborhood and town, with decent neighbors, plumbing, heating and air conditioning. We are extremely blessed.

It's not that bad

Something I'm grateful for: My kids have always been pretty good in the grocery store.

I occasionally see kids having meltdowns in grocery stores or malls. It's not a pretty picture. The kid is flailing about, kicking and screaming, or being limp while mom or dad tries to pick them up by the armpits (which inconveniently disappear when said limpness takes over). The parent is frazzled and frustrated and people stop to see what the commotion is about, making the parent feel like everyone is staring and judging.

I can honestly say I have never had to deal with a tantrum in public. My kids get frustrated and grumpy like any other kid, but they have never thrown a full out fit where people can see. Is it because they're shy? Is it because I purposefully never shop during the "witching hours" (i.e. naptime or dinner time or bedtime)? Is it because it is just in their natures (probably not, cuz we have our share of home/grandma's house tantrums)? I don't know.

But whatever the reason, I am grateful. The other day I took the kids grocery shopping at good ol' Walmart. As always, we stopped by the bakery to grab the free cookie. This will keep them happy through the produce and into bread and meat. Little Peach just hangs out in the sling, big kids walk. They know that if they run away (Honeybuns does this sometimes) they have to be buckled into the cart. We had to go to each corner of the store multiple times and the bathroom once, and they were great! The check-out guy even commented on how good they were. I did have to put Honeybuns in the cart once, then let her out to see the fish and afterwards, she stuck right by my side.

So while I do have my share of parenting woes and struggles, I am glad shopping with kids isn't one of them!

Simple joys

Yesterday I hit up a few garage sales. I wish I could go every week but since my hubs has been in law school and now is studying for the bar exam, Saturdays are study days too so he can't watch the kids while I go. And who wants to go garage sale-ing with 3 kids in tow? Uh, not me.

So yesterday some friends had a sale so I told hubs I would only hit one and come home.  But then...my car drove itself to 4 other sales on the way home. Hee hee. I just can't ignore those neon signs! Anyway, I scored a couple of kid chairs and a play shopping cart. The big girls were thrilled. Just to have a kid sized piece of furniture really brightened up their day and got them out of my hair for a while. You know how kids get bored of their toys and start to whine and hang off your limbs? My kids are in that stage. I hid half their toys in a bin in the garage a few months ago, but I don't think it's been hidden long enough to have that new coolness factor when I get them out.

Solution?

Garage sales. Basically that's what has provided all their Christmas and birthday presents for the past few years. If they don't care, why spend big $$? I LOVE going to a store and seeing a toy that costs $40 that I got for $10, or even better, that time I saw a toy in a store for $80 that I got for $3. Brand new too!

Once the fall garage sale season starts I'm gonna hit them up every week to do my Christmas shopping. If you are picky and patient you just might find something awesome.

My body doesn't do that

So, I have a pretty good body, as far as bodies go. And I'm not talking about "hotness" but function. It walks, runs, breaths, thinks, digests, circulates blood, and most amazingly it makes babies, pushes them out, and makes milk for them. I don't have any health problems, I am all around pleased with the body I was given.

But there's one thing my body doesn't do.

Dance.

Just watch these people. Nothing fancy. But I watch in fascination and awe because there's no way I could ever do that. How do they move their bodies that way?

I used to go to BodyJam at my old gym which is dancing for exercise. It was sooo fun, but I never looked smooth. I was always one move behind and if I ever was with the instructors, it took my complete concentration and effort. Whew. Is this a case of nature or nurture? Do I not know how to dance because I don't have that innate sense of rhythm and movement? Or do I not know how to dance because my parents don't either? Sigh. I shall never know, doomed forever to watch others bust a move while my own paralyzed limbs mock me by staying perfectly still by my sides.