If you make it through these ramblings then YOU deserve a cookie.

 

 

4:00-5:30 pm is our “witching hour” (and a half) (we are over-achievers) 

 

I feel like its not my kids that I get tired of per se (sometimes it IS my kids that I get tired of per se), but the MOTHERING of them.

The consistency, the follow-through,  the wiping (oh the wiping!), the disciplining, the saving them from each other and themselves...

 

Sometimes, instead of mothering them, I just want to hold them quietly on my lap while stroking their soft cheeks and shoving warm cookies into their adorable little mouths.  But no talking!  Just cheek-stroking and snuggling and cookies.

 

Or maybe I want to go into a soundproof room with some kind of window where I can stare at them and watch their cute faces and their imaginations and their smiles.  And there are still cookies, but this time they are with me in my room.  And a bed for napping.  Also, sometimes they can come in and give me hugs, but again- no talking!  Mommy is sleeping! (and eating!)

But just for a an hour or so!  I promise!

 

I had a point, I think, but this post is now too long- too long!!  All I can do is ramble lately! - and it will have to wait for another post, with my apologies. 

 

Also, now all I can think about is cookies- and how can I pretend that cookies are vegetables?  Vegetable shortening?

I’m putting myself to bed immediately.

Marriage on a Wednesday Night

 

(He didn’t even know I was watching)

 

 

Right now Brian is in bed, watching a movie that I don’t care about.

But, I know that as soon as I go in there, he will switch it to whatever I want.

And I know that he will pause when I ask him to, and listen to me complain about our children whom I wanted (want!) and the job that  he supports with his hard work (staying at home with my babies) without a shred of judgment.

I know that he will offer me good, rational advice, even though I don’t always (often) take it.  And even if sometimes I yell “I don’t want your advice! Just listen!”

 

He will make me feel like Caitlin again, and not like the shell of a mom beaten down by arguing, yelling, “Hulk SMASH!!”-ing, and bodily fluids.

 

I know that he is waiting for me to make popcorn, because I do it the best.

And that he isn’t going to say a word about me eating popcorn at 8:36 pm when I’m on a diet.

 

(Also, lets focus on the fact that its popCORN which is basically a vegetable.)

(Except, actually, corn isn’t that healthy, so lets just call it “spinach.”, mmmkay?)

 

 

All of this is waiting for me, as soon as I get off this computer.

So I guess I

To future Joseph

 

In case you are wondering how much your Mama loved you when you were six?

The proof is right here

I helped you build your Christmas Lego sets!

When I would rather…well…stab myself in the eye with a smoldering toothpick. 

Also the fact that I haven’t traded you in, not even once!, for a Joseph-model that sleeps past 6am.

Now you know why I encouraged you to build this last set yourself!

(My facebook caption for this picture was “One brother built it, the other will destroy it!”)

 

 

I love you, Joseph!  (Legos are my nemesis.)

 

 

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

May something today make you as happy as this organic*, whole wheat** corn dog (his first ever!) made Samuel!

(*not     **not)

Although this brother had a lot to do with it too.

 

PS Yes, I still have Christmas lights up in my kitchen.  Although now we refer to them as our “cheerful lights” for when it gets dark at 4 pm.

PPS For those of you who have not seen my baby’s new haircut yet, I’m sorry to spring it on you like this.  Everyone is sad that it happened.  But it really, really had to happen. (Grow back fast baby chick fuzz!)

 

 

 

Goodnight and Good luck.

 

Bedtime ramblings by yours truly

The house is quiet except for the hum of the dishwasher and the whirring of the children’s box fans. (lest the darlings wake each other during their nighttime wailings)

I think the worst part of nighttime for me is the unpredictability of it all.

Will I sleep through the glorious night?

Will Samuel be awake mysteriously for four hours? (last monday)

Will someone awaken with fevers, nightmares, wet beds, or (knock on wood! for heavens sake knock on wood!) vomit?

 

Motherhood involves a lot more of me feeling unprepared than I thought it would.

Also, a lot more of me thinking that I might die from the hardness of it all, but that’s for another day.

(Samuel STUCK in a cupboard!)

 

I think I am ready for the 3 vs 1 mom-work-week ahead; or as ready as I’ll ever be.

Joseph’s favorite shirt is sitting out for school, and the shoes whose “turn” it is to go to school have been scrubbed.

The house is relatively clean, floors mopped, and I have a giant bowl of muffin batter waiting in the fridge for daily fresh muffins.

 

Lest you start to be intimidated by my mothering prowess let me throw in that:

 

- my children have started referring to my jeans as my “fancy pants”, as in “why are you wearing your fancy pants?  are we going to church?”

 

- my “floor mopping” actually consists of Samuel playing naked in a tub of water and me mopping up the spilled water with a rag towel.  Totally counting it as mopping, even if he often poops on the floor too.

 

Did I go too far?  Are you judging me now?  You guys, FRESH MUFFINS DAILY!  FOCUS ON THE MUFFINS!

 

 

Christmas 2013

 

 

I know that I probably think this every year, but this Christmas was my favorite Christmas EVER!

(well, okay, tied with the Christmases when I was a kid because PRESENTS!!)

 

Poor Joseph hardly slept a wink all night.  He kept running into our room to see if it was MORNING YET?!?! (remember he has a sun-to-moon nightlight, which I had set for the sane and reasonable time of 6:00 am)  Finally at 5:30 I let him join us in bed, where he shook and fidgeted and wiggled and kept whispering “But I just can’t stand it!” until I gave in and said that I would get up and start getting ready.

I went out to start the coffee and to check if Santa had arrived….

Joseph’s face while waiting for the news

and when I told him that YES, he came!

We woke up Isaac, and the fun began!

 

A lot of our day looked like this

It was a Lego Christmas for Joseph!

We had a peaceful breakfast and played with our Santa toys until nap time (for everyone!)  They were having so much fun that they didn’t even ask to open their presents under the tree!

Finally, at 4pm (which has to be some kind of record) Brian and I suggested that we open presents, and we started in on Christmas round 2

Then my inlaws came over bringing leftovers for dinner and we all watched Despicable Me 2 and ate popcorn.

 

Relaxing, slow, magical. Perfection.

 

 

 

 

Things I want to remember:

 

- Santa left a toy in the fireplace!  The boys thought this was hilarious and still talk about it regularly

- Joseph’s handwriting on the gifts that were from him

(he usually writes better than this mind you, but it is tricky to write with a thick marker)

He put Joseph H. on all of them, just like he does in school.

 

- The wonder of it all.

Christmas Eve

 

Doesn’t Christmas seem like it was a loooong time ago?  But it really wasn’t, because I am still vacuuming up stray pine needles and finding Christmas mugs I missed…or maybe that’s just my house.

 

Our Christmas Eve was fantastic and magical and a teensie bit stressful and tiring and basically everything a Christmas Eve should be!

This is the first year I can remember that Brian took the whole day off of work and I’m so glad he did.  Note to Brian next year: TAKE THE WHOLE DAY OFF! You will need it!

 

 

The morning found us at my parents house for our traditional Christmas Eve brunch for 6 of our 8 siblings (including inlaws) and 13 out of 19 grandkids.  It is really quite an idyllic day complete with CHRISTMAS SING-ALONG TIME around the piano!  With jingle bells to shake!!  For some reason, I didn’t get a single picture of this event…perhaps it was the 13 children running around?

Then we came home to give Samuel a nap (he didn’t end up sleeping) and to play a little with the toys the boys received from Grandma/Grandpa and their cousin exchange.

This helicopter was Isaac’s favorite gift of Christmas!

Sadly, it broke the very next day.

But lets just focus on the joy of these pictures!

I’m sure I’m posting too many, but how can I stop??

(teeeeth!)

 

Next, we headed to Brian’s parents for an early dinner and gift exchange.

Seeing as how my boys are the only grandkids on this side of the family, our evening was a much quieter affair.  But still very fun!

Then it was home for baths, jammies, and the reading of the Christmas story and the Night Before Christmas.

This year Joseph prepared the treats for Santa himself, and it was so cute to hear him climbing on the counter to get the cookies, meticulously counting out carrots for all of the reindeer, and berating himself for initially getting out a kids cup for Santa’s milk

(“Argh! Santa is an ADULT!  He needs an ADULT CUP!”)

(Isaac added some celery after this picture was taken despite his brother’s objections that reindeer don’t enjoy celery!)

Joseph panicked when we checked Santa tracker on the computer and saw that he was approaching the East Coast.  I think this is the only night of the year that my children will run to bed!

Where visions of sugarplums awaited them…

After watching a Christmas video with the boys earlier this week, I speculated on how some children didn’t believe in Santa.  Joseph chimed in with,

“Well, of COURSE there is a Santa!  The elves can’t deliver the presents BY THEMSELVES!”

Tomorrow we will see what he left for my (mostly) good little boys…