My Worst Day at Home Is Still Better Than a Day at Work

I really do think that my worst days at home are better than the days I spent at work. Granted, it's taken a few years to grow into this, but for me it's true. I used to spend my days doing typesetting and graphics work. Now, baby bottoms, unintelligible toddler conversations, kindergarten homework and sixth grade science projects are all in a day's work for me.

At first it was quite difficult for me to be a stay at home mom (SAHM). More accurately, I should say that I am a work at home mom (WAHM) because I have always either designed or kept the books for our business. But the majority of my days are spent running after the kids, delegating housework, changing diapers, remembering two out of four food groups for dinner, and attempting to conquer Mount Washsomemore. I often get lost in the shuffle, but always manage to reassess and come up for air every couple of days.

The tough part about being home is how long the hours are, yet the weeks seem to fly by. I now forget the "to do" lists. Well, I don't forget to make the lists, I just no longer count on actually crossing much off of them. Kids have a funny way of changing a parent's priorities. Sure, it's often thankless... but everyday I get some priceless gem of joy from each of my kids. Today, I spent a good hour on the floor with Mystery Baby, howling with laughter. She has this throaty little voice and coos and ahhs about everything. And sprinkled into the conversation were spontaneous bouts of laughter on her part. It just was an overwhelmingly happy time.

If you are reading this, maybe you can relate. Maybe you're glad you can't. Maybe you wish you could. All I can say is that my kids have changed my life in a way I just can't describe adequately... and God has blessed me immensely. I wish you the same joy, however God bestows it upon you.

How Did Those Women Do It?

Seriously... how did women 100 years ago manage to keep a home looking good, keep the kids fed, keep everyone in clean clothes, etc.? How??? Surely busy toddlers existed back then? Is that why the infant/small child mortality rate was so high back in the day - because of busy kiddos doing themselves in while mom slaved away?

Wonder Boy is a tornadic ball of energy, destroying most of what lies in his path. It is useless to clean or declutter with him nearby. And then there's the dog. These days she is consistently planting herself about 4" from my feet at all times. At least I am now remembering to look before moving my feet - she's going to be the death of me. But I really do wonder just how I am supposed to get my home in order and keep it decent these days.

Wonder Boy Meets Poison Control

It all started with the phone. I was on it. Mystery Baby was in her bouncy seat, bouncing away. Wonder Boy was busy in his cupboard (the one with all of the kiddie cups and bowls), and I was chatting while washing dishes. Mystery filled her pants and began to howl in indignation, so I dutifully dried my hands and went to pick her up. No sooner had I unbuckled her and Wonder Boy was suddenly shrieking in an unusual fashion.. I put the baby on the floor, ran into the kitchen and hung up on my friend - there stood Wonder Boy, with a Cascade dish packet in his hand and soap in his mouth.

After a thorough rinsing, a sippie cup of milk and a call to Poison Control, I am happy to say all was well. So lasting damage, not even a rash. You'd think by the fourth kid I would not have to call Poison Control... but no. I have their number on a giant yellow magnet on my freezer. Kid #2 taught me to keep that number handy... so I guess Wonder Boy comes by it honestly.

Yes, the soap is up high in the pantry now.

Musings on a Random Tuesday

I love the way babies laugh. Absolutely love it. Mystery Baby is now three months old and has the best laugh I've ever heard. It's a squealing belly laugh. It is so... GIRL! I am amazed that her laugh is so different than how my boys all laughed.

*******

I've been watching too much television lately. (This happens when I have a new baby.) I am really liking the shows on TLC about large families (shows like By The Dozen). I truly wish we could be that kind of family... I do. But I've also been pondering the scripture (one of Paul's letters, I think) that speaks about being content in all things. Single, married, one kid, lotsa kids, no kids... it is impossible to be in the moment and truly present if we're always looking away at the situations of others. However much I might like to think about being a different kind of family, I have to really focus on the wonderful family that we are right now. And right now is all I really have. There are no guarantees about tomorrow and yesterday is already gone.

*******

I haven't been FLYing much this past week. I have great intentions... but we all know the path to domestic hell is paved with them! So I'm back to baby steps again. I'm dressed to shoes (even though it's 6:30pm). I have a plan of what I'll wear tomorrow. I'm thinking on tomorrow's menu already. The kids are shining the sink... well... getting the dishes done. And, as Babe's owner would say, "that'll do, Pig."

Someday I Will Look Back On This And Laugh

... right?

This has been a wild week. Is there any other kind of week with a family of Supers? Wonder Boy and Mystery Baby had me running in circles around the diaper pail, Mount Washmore has achieved new monumental heights, the yet-to-be-named older supers had their first week back at school after winter break, and our Fearless Leader brought home the bacon as usual.

Monday: Mominator has a panic attack upon entering the office. The Leaning Tower of Important, But Ignored Papers was in serious danger of crushing her. She announced to our Fearless Leader that she did indeed need to work that week. Our Fearless Leader called in Grandma to hold the fort downstairs so Mominator could scale down the Leaning Tower upstairs.

Tuesday: Wonder Boy has an uncomfortable day, unable to poop and with a horrid diaper rash. (On a serious note, it's not uncommon for kids with GERD to have a rough time in the pottying department. Our little guy goes back and forth from Nuclear Dipes to golfball Dark Matter within days.) After a quick conference, Mominator and Grandma decide that he needs to relax in the tub. Mystery Baby spent the day pretending to be a milk fountain, so she needed a quick scrub down as well. This is when the week fell apart.

There we were... WB in the tub, complete with bubbles and toys; MB on the floor, freshly wiped down, rediapered and awaiting jammies; the yet-to-be-named Supers were honing their Nintendo skills in the loft. Momintor wiped the sweat from her brow and suddenly heard WB howling in pain, grabbing his "equipment" and then it hit her - he had become a little too relaxed in the tub. She had heard stories of toddlers letting loose in the tub, but had never experienced it in her own tub... until today. Bathtime was over, WB was whisked out of the water, pajamaed and put to bed in 30 seconds flat. Mystery flailed on the floor, wondering where everyone was running. The yet-to-be-named had a small argument on the finer points of blowing up enemy somethings of some sort. Grandma began to laugh. Mominator scoured the tub and flushed the fruit of Wonder Boy's labor. And then... the toilet backed up. Mominator quickly turned off the water, called our Fearless Leader and located a plunger. (Until that moment, she didn't even realize that the Super Family even owned one!) After a quick lesson in plumbing from our Fearless Leader, Mominator rescued the Master Bathroom from the ravages of the Super Littles' bedtime routine. Luckily, Grandma never passed out from laughing... a true miracle.

Wednesday: More work on the Leaning Tower, a phone call to the health insurance company over conflicting coverage of her wacked out thyroid , and a call to the lab to recover a double payment that could cover three months worth of utility bills (cough).

Thursday: More of the same.

Friday: A break from the paper chase. Lots of train track construction. Thomas the Tank Engine experiences multiple deaths and massive destruction - Wonder Boy has a blast. Mominator and our Fearless Leader attend the annual office party and a new babysitter is broken in. She actually said she'd love to babysit again... Mominator did a happy dance.

Saturday: Mystery Baby wears no fewer than three outfits due to infant plumbing issues. Mominator concludes that the blue soak bucket on the kitchen counter is likely a permanent fixture for the next 9 months. She considers buying a new bucket that is color coordinated with her kitchen. The Super Family attends a Welcome Home luncheon for our Fearless Leader's best high school chum, who has just returned from a 16 month tour in Iraq - many tears were shed and all were thankful for his safe return.

What does Sunday hold? Another adventure, I'm sure.

To Boldly Go Where No Mom Has Gone Before!

(cue Trek music)

My 5 year mission: to explore strange, new antibiotic reactions; to seek out clean diapers and diaper changing techniques; to boldly go where no Mominator has gone before!

Ok. So I've been here before. Mystery Baby is exploring the possibilities of her super powers. Thus far, her super power appears to be superpooping. I'll spare you the details... but I will say that I need an industrial sized bucket to soak her outfits in now. Wonder Boy, though no longer on antibiotics, is running a close second in the development of superpooping powers. It's only lunchtime and he's already had one bath. We shall see what the afternoon brings.

I'm not FLYing so well today. I am dressed (but not til 11am!) to shoes and I do have my roast in the crock pot. My sink is piled with prep dishes and breakfast dishes... so that's first on the list of things to do while the kids sleep. Speaking of sleep... off to change more diapers and get them settled in.

FLYing Lessons

Ok. I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions. I mean, if I could be different than I am at this moment, I would be by now. But, in the spirit of the season, I will make a resolution this year. This year is the year I will get my house in order. And I expect it will take all year long.

For those of you who know about it, I just ask: Have you shined your sink today?

For those of you who don't know what the heck I'm talking about, I say: Go check out www.flylady.net. I don't know if her routines will work for you, but they do help me. I am shining my sink as I post this. I am dressed to shoes, and yes - they are closed toe tennies.

That's probably all I'll manage today.

Ringing in the New Year with a Dash of Augmentin

I had so hoped to start the New Year fresh and with all of us in good health. Alas, it is not meant to be. Mystery Baby still has an ear infection and has been prescribed Augmentin. Yes, the same wonder stuff that fixed up Wonder Boy and gave us the Great Diaper Explosion of 2006.

Will Augmentin help Mystery Baby?
Will Mominator be overcome with diaper explosions and laundry?

Tune in next time to see if Mominator has survived the first week of 2007.

Wonder Boy Cries "Freedom!"

Wonder Boy has a new fascination for undressing. He also developed the ability to unfasten his diaper with or without clothing on. Imagine my surprise last week when I put him in time out for 2 minutes in his crib. The crib is safe... right? I entered the room to discover that Wonder Boy had shed his restrictive outer garments. He must have felt that freedom was beckoning further, as I discovered him straddling the crib rail, naked as the day he was born. The toys were all over the floor (he had freed them from that wretched Crib of Doom), the sheets had been piddled on, and all he could say was, "uh-oh?"

I give up.