a Typical night

I come in from work @ 5:30 thankful that the meat for taco salad is already cooked.

Begin supper prep and ask stringbain to finish breakfast dishes in sink so I can wash lettuce.

Ask Limabain to set table.

Stringbain puts greatest 80's hits on and we all begin working to the Cars and Rapper's Delight.

Mainbain comes out of his office/laundry room "done for the day."

Ask mexcianjumpingbain to pick up and put away shoes by the front door.

He stomps off scowling.

Ask mjb to come back (3 times) and then explain how he's part of a big family and we all chip in.
When that doesn't work, I pull the guilt card and ask him if he knows what an orphan is and how everyone in the world is not blessed with a mom and dad and brothers.

I ask myself if I was too harsh after he walks away.

See butterbain come into kitchen with his cell phone - it's an old one that's not in service - but he's chatting away and gets and apple out of crisper with phone tucked to his cheek.

Put finishing touches on supper and the coup de gras:

limabain says, "Mom, you might want to go check on mexicanjumpingbain, he's having a total breakdown....."

Avoid disaster and actually sit down to supper together and pray.

No one spills anything, we just talk about the day and what we are going to do tonight.

Hide and go seek is at the top of the list this evening..and I'm always 'it' first.

Even thought this is a typical night - there are no re-runs.

Lib

Traveling Circus

All you really need is a minivan with 4 kids, 1 Saint Husband, 20 chicken nuggets, 6 drinks, 3 ipods, 1 Ninetendo DS, 1 Gameboy, 20 DVD's, 1 laptop, 2 Ringpops, 1 diaper bag,1 fruit punch slushie,2 sippy cups, 2 silky blankies, 1 stuffed horsie, 1 stuffed bear,2 pillows, luggage for 6, a BlackBerry, a positive attitude and you too could take your circus on the road.

Mile 319 of 600.

Another day, another story,
Em

Just Keep Juggling

Honestly, just trying to keep all the balls in the air the past couple of weeks is all I could manage. Things should really get interesting about mile 14 on the holiday marathon we are about to begin.

Not so much story today,
Em

Off the wagon

Last week my saintly parents took stringbain, limabain and mexcianjumpingbain along with 2 cousins on a week long tour of Virginia and various historical sights. Because they were gone I didn’t have to adhere to my usual strict schedule to keep the whole bain train in motion. The fact is I got spoiled…spoiled to getting up with the sun - instead of before it, exercising when I wanted to - instead of cramming it into an allotted time slot. Not HAVING to fix supper for 6 people is basically like not cooking, so I didn’t do much of that either. I found myself with plenty of time to read and play with butterbain and tons of Lib time. So much so that I had time to conjure up idyllic scenes in my mind of what I would do with the oldest three once they were back. The first morning they were back I thought we would have a leisurely breakfast and talk and laugh about all the fun things they did on their trip…instead I ending up yelling at limabain to go get ready. It was down hill from there - I recognized that I was resenting the demands that my own children put on me. Apparently I suffer from short term memory loss, because I didn’t remember how much it took to mother 4 boys at once. Yes, they are mine and I have gotten used to them over the course of 11 years, but holy cow – 4 is a lot! Getting out of the daily grind and stepping off my conductor role for a week made me realize that this job is a lot harder than I remembered.

Why did it not overly bother me before the trip (BT) that they asked me where their shoes were almost every day, but since their return I cannot stand to hear that question? How come their forgetfulness was an understood phenomenon BT, but now I apparently expect them to remember things like – you have to get dressed before breakfast?

A friend told me this week that since I obviously care I will get back on track, even if it seems to take a bit longer than I thought. The fact is – I didn’t think about it. How could I know that a week off from my children – who I really love and adore - would bring up so much YUCK in me once they returned. Now a whole lot of space in my brain is taken up in comparison – was it like this before the trip? Have they always looked at me with that blank stare when I ask them to do something? The answer is yes, of course. Nothing really changed except my perception…and that obviously needs to be turned around again.

Number 4's Turn

The Thomas Boys are "wheezers". All of them started out with ongoing respiratory issues. A simple cold has rarely been simple for any of them. Thankfully, Number 1 and 2 seemed to have grown out of it for the most part. They still have a tendency towards a cold turning into pneumonia or a sore throat being most likely Strep throat, but not nearly the drama that it used to be.

Well, Number 4 has become the 3rd Thomas boy to take an ambulance ride...He started out with what seemed like a simple cold, but within 24 hours we were on our way to the ER via ambulance.

It really bothers me how "routine" and "normal" this kind of event has become. How numb I have become to major medical situations. My eyes welled up when I saw the "88" on the pulse ox machine at the doctor's office. I knew that wasn't good. (I have seen similar numbers for pretty much 100% of the Boys at some point.) But I pulled it together and just dealt with what was to come.

I am glad I don't fall apart. Becoming hysterical wouldn't help anyone. I know it is all relative and I have to keep it all in perspective. I almost always look on the bright side. Find the humor in things. BUT, my 1 year old had to go to the hospital in an ambulance because he wasn't getting enough oxygen. I should lose it a little. I am entitled to lose it a little. But I rarely do.

He is going to be fine in a few days. Respiratory infection with lots of coughing and a yucky nose.

To quote wise Number 1, "You never know what is going to happen at our house."

Another day, another story,
Em