Family Time

Our family weekend ended with a trip to the movies to see Ice Age 3. I messed up and got the tickets to the one without 3D, which ticked L off but I think it was better in the end. J didn't do so great sitting for about 30 minutes of the movie so he and I cruised around the mall while Daddy stayed with the other 2. J fell asleep and I snuck back into the show. It was fun times!! S wasn't too impressed with the movie and L totally dug it. She was laughing out loud when I walked back in - such a wonderful sound to these mother's ears.

Sunday morning was a memory to keep. Sometime during the night, I migrated into J's bed (as is custom these days) but early before the sun came up, S came in there as well. I thought he just needed some comforting but later I found out that he had potty'd in his bed and started to sleep with Daddy only to throw a humongous fit wanting his mama so his daddy sent him my way. I had both boys in bed with me (thank you God for convincing us to keep the queen bed when we bought our new one this spring!!). It was around 6 when I woke up to J snugged up to my breast, S snoring logs laying on my arm tucked into my neck and thinking "I am so lucky". It made for a memory to last a lifetime. I get so bogged down in the day to day and forget to enjoy those small moments like that. The year will come when not only will we 3 not fit into a queen bed but it won't be okay to have your mommy sleeping in bed with you : -)

Today was a full day, even if it wasn't supposed to be. I had grand plans for staying home, doing some housework in the AM followed by craft time/schoolwork, outside Slip-N-Slide time, lunch and naps. It went more like this:

3:00 AM - Get up & make Daddy Piper's lunch and send him off to work with a hug and kiss (Thank you God for work again today!!)
3:15 AM - J woke up, nursed and back down
4:00 AM - Mommy back to bed
6:30 AM - S is up for the day while L is yelling from their room that it isn't 7 yet so he's going to be in trouble and to come back to bed!
7:00 AM - Up for the day, smelling my yummy coffee ready to go. Get milks for L & S
7:15 AM - J up for the day. Nurse and change him
7:30 AM -Morning call to Daddy while watering the garden with 2 kids - L stays inside to get her hour of TV time started
8:00 AM - Septic calls due to a messed up septic tank - run and hide from 3 kids to be able to listen to repairman
8:15 AM - Septic is going to be EXPENSIVE to repair so we think of a temp bandaid to get us through for a bit. Keep running from 3 loud kids who are playing and enjoying the game playing with mommy : -)
8:30 AM - Make pancakes - flag pancakes to be exact with whip cream, blueberries, and red cool whip for the red stripes.
8:45 AM - Try to clean up the red mess from the cool whip. Put dishes away so I can load it back up with dirty ones. Begin to get dressed for the day. Do some chores from the list, like changing the towels.
9:00 AM - Kids done with breakfast - teeth brushed and dressed for errand running (guess no staying home)
9:30 AM - Finally leave (everything takes so much longer with 3 these days!)
10:00 AM - Walmart run to get septic bandaid stuff. Now need car charger for phone since it's stone dead.
10:30 AM - Found everything we need including the necessary charger after checking and rechecking that it will work - check out and get to the van - load everyone in and get ready to head to the grocery store for some last minute sale/coupon shopping.
10:35 AM - Charger fits my phone but is a WALL CHARGER not a car charger. Back into Walmart, which means unloading all 3 kids - UGH!
10:50 AM - Exchanged charger, found right one, paid and now heading to the Grocery Store
10:55 AM - Unload all 3, grab coupon binder and off we go. Get all we need (everything in stock - WOOHOO). Quick potty break and we check out. Entire shopping experience goes exactly according to plan. Kids were wonderful and rewarded with some yogurt. Thankfully they are easy to please.
11:30 AM - Run by dance class and get DVD from recital in June. L completely and totally excited to see herself on TV. Must drive like Bandit to get home quickly before she combusts from excitement.
12:00 PM - Sprint into house to let 2 kids go potty again (all that water ran right through them today!). Load DVD up and start to unload van. J is sleeping by this point so I pull the van under the carport, crank the A/C to high and leave him be (we live in the country with a fenced acre of land so he's fine, I swear!). Kids eat yogurt while watching recital.
12:10 PM - Listening to the recital DVD while putting away groceries. L has watched herself and is now watching the rest of it and giving me a play by play of what each costume looks like. S is immersed in the dancing. I think he would like to take dance too but Daddy ain't having it.
12:15 PM - Niece calls and is coming over so now it's a mad dash to clean up too!!!
12:30 PM - Niece shows up to hang out until time to catch her flight. DVD watching marathon continues and J is still asleep (why can't he sleep this good in his crib?!) Start crockpot chicken for dinner.
12:30 - 2:00 PM - Enjoy visit with niece, have some wonderful conversation about her 16 year old life, able to dispense some pretty useful advice, corral 2 kids, keep checking on sleeping J, play accountant for Daddy Piper's business discussing some billing issues with his main contractor, re-do and submit a statement to the contractor, put 2 kids down for naps, introduce niece to Metromint water (YUM!), unload awake J from the van, nurse him again, remind kids it's naps so please no talking, and finally walk niece down to gate and say goodbye
2:15 PM - Discuss billing issues with Daddy Piper and hope they are worked out like they should be. Play more with J. Now L & S get split for naps so it's actually quiet in the back part of the house. Try to eat something finally and do some more dishes.
3:00 PM - Daddy Piper home for the day. Check on garden - YIKES! Water garden again. I think this heat is going to kill everything :-(
3:30 PM - L awake from nap so she gets 30 minutes computer time. S is still sleeping and J won't go back down even though he's obviously tired.
3:45 PM - J back down for nap. I head out to chat with Daddy for a bit.
4:00 PM - L comes and gets me. Her computer time is done and both boys are awake and crying for their mama. I head in and try to calm down S. J is still freaking out so Daddy comes and gets him. This is when it's hard to be a mom of more than 1. Both want me at the same time and what's a mom to do?? I hold S for a minute and then get him involved in craft time along with L and then take J. Start making jam from all the strawberries we got from co-op on Saturday. Daddy gets involved in craft time (read: takes over for Mama). I finish the jam and start with the rice and fruit for dinner.
5:15 PM - Dinner time. Daddy washes the table, L sets the table, and Mama puts the food on the table. The kids are responsible for setting the table and clearing their own dishes. Hopefully teaching them young will help in the long run. Get J set up for dinner. Tonight he eats carrots, peaches, rice cereal and some Mama's milk. He is a great eater, similar to S at this age. Not picky but you better make sure you have plenty of it ready to go - he doesn't like to wait!!
6:00 PM - Table cleared. Head out to work in the garden for a bit. L & S come gardening with me while J and Daddy hold down the couch. We have cucumbers growing along with 7 tomatoes, a watermelon, and some squash. I am having trouble though. Once the fruit or vegetable gets so big, they start to die so any advice??
6:30 PM - Get bath water started. We are trying to get things going earlier in the night since Daddy is going to bed earlier himself these days.
6:35 PM - S is already in the bath and L is about to get it. I hear her screaming and crying. Run and check on her. She knocked down and broke my vase that was in her room filled with her flowers. She is freaking out because she is scared I am going to mad at her. I feel like crap on a stick because she is genuinely scared I am going to be mad. I explain it was an accident and I understood that. I held her and cuddled with her, hoping to convey I wasn't mad nor would I be mad if things like that happen accidentally. I herd her into the bathroom to get ready for bath. I check the water to find "stuff" floating. S is now frantically wiping down the side of the tub. He farted and some "stuff" came out. Okay move kids to our shower and fill theirs with bleach.
7:00 PM - Finish showering the kids, fold some clothes, clean the "stuff" filled tub, run the water in the sink to bath J, bath J, need to use the restroom, get the sink filled with water to wash the pots and pans from the day, put drinks in for Daddy's lunch tomorrow, play around on the computer for 10 minutes, clean both toilets, read books to L & S & J tonight as well, put stickers on book reading chart for library, remind myself I need to use the restroom.
8:00 PM - L & S are hugged, kissed and tucked into bed for the night after a million questions about what we are doing tomorrow. Finally remember I need to use the restroom an hour after I really needed to. Realize it's the first time today I even cracked open my book for a minute (Big deal for me, I used to read a book every 2-3 days now I have to renew them at the library since it takes weeks to finish a book!) Stay in the bathroom for an extra 5 minutes reading alone : -)
8:15 PM - Nurse J and put him down for the night (or a couple of hours - whatever!), wash the pots and pans, clean the stove, put clothes away, straighten the living room and our bedroom.
8:50 PM - In bed for the night, reading book for a bit, talking with Daddy Piper about the necessary stuff for the upcoming weekend.
9:00 PM - J wakes up so snuggle time with Daddy is done for and off to try to get him back to sleep.
9:30 PM - J is down again for who knows how long. Computer time for me, where I now sit and describe my day.

Now I am off to read my book, uninterrupted for about 2.2 seconds before falling fast asleep for as long as I can, until one of the my blessings needs their mama!!