Tuesday

Today is Tuesday, May 7, 2013. This morning I was woken up by the heinous sound of the ironing board being opened by the husband (yes he irons his own clothes), I immediately reached for my iPhone.

I have a sickness or rather an obsession with my phone. It needs to be near me at all times and if it isn’t, or god forbid the battery is dead, I start to go through withdrawal.

I quickly scanned my messages, mail and FB before heading over to the weather app. There was a picture of a sun and the number 70 next to it.
Yay!!! It’s Skirt Weather I thought to myself as I hurriedly got into the shower.

I painstakingly put in the extra time to shave my legs as I mentally picked out THE perfect skirt/sweater combo.

I continued getting ready, making breakfast, fighting with L over why he needs to get dressed AND go to school AND put shoes on AND (my personal favorite) why he CAN NOT HAVE A BOWL OF JUST THE MARSHMELLOWS FROM THE LUCKY CHARMS BOX.

After I waved bye to L (and smiled to myself as I quickly slammed closed the front door) I ran upstairs to finish getting ready.

I turned on the radio and was humming along to Taylor Swift and making the bed when I glanced at the clock that read “7:34″.

Crap, I have to start making the kids get dressed I thought to myself. I went over to the top of the stairs, took a deep breath and braced myself for what was coming.

Me: Boys???!!

Boys: What??

Me: Come upstairs…it’s time to get dressed for school.

Boys: Huh? What did you say?

Me: I said COME UPSTAIRS AND GET DRESSED NOW

Boys: OOHHHH Why??

Me: Because you have to get dressed and we have this discussion EVERYDAY. Now come upstairs.

Next came the distinct  bang of a Lego creation being thrown on the floor followed by the stomping of feet coming up the stairs.

Today I was also given the added bonus of M, jumping on my bed (yes, the one I just made) and asking me to have a conversation with Bear.

In the meantime, J had come upstairs to show me the “Ship” he had just built. WOW, you made that?! That is AWESOME J I said ushering him into his bedroom. Hey, let’s get dressed why you are up here, come on.

NO I don’t wanna get dressed! he said and stomped back  down the stairs into the living room.

Ok, I’ll deal with that after I dry my hair, I thought and went to check the twins’ pregress.

Instead of seeing 2 boys all dressed, I was met with J on the bed in his pj top and underwear and M on the floor, with Bear, looking at Star Wars cards.

Ummm…what are you doing? I told you to get dressed I said with just a little bit of tone.

Mommy? Mommy look, said J. I can hold the toy chainsaw with one hand!

I almost pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. How can this be my life

After yelling at the twins to get dressed, I went back downstairs to check on the other J. The living room was eerily quiet and at first glance, I did not see J.

Hmmm, that’s weird. He isn’t upstairs, where can he be??

I was just about to head back upstairs when I saw it – the large lump on the couch covered in a blanket.

I smiled, and started calling out J’s name pretending I couldn’t find him. Each time I did this, the blanket shook from his laughter.

Finally I pulled the blanket off and yelled THERE HE IS!! and he rolled over laughing.

I quickly dressed him and ran upstairs to iron when I heard the weather forecast on the radio. It went something like this ….cloudy and little sun today, slight chance of showers.

What??!! I thought it was going to be sunny. I am not going to wear a skirt if it’s cold and raining. Now what the hell am I going to wear????!!

I pulled out my black pants and a black cardigan and quickly tried to find a cami to wear underneath. I was not happy, this is so NOT what I had planned. The iron was sticking to the sweater (a new Loft buy btw) and none of the 5 camis I had put on looked right.

Damn it!

Some how we all made it out the door and to our respective buses and work on time.

I am sure my morning is not much different from any other mom. Maybe there are slight differences, but basically the rushing, arguing and struggle for power is the same in any house right?

Oh no, please tell me it isn’t just me (lol)!

It’s now mid-afternoon and I just leaned back in my chair saw a streak of blue out the window across the hall from me. Guess I could have worn that skirt after all.

Hope you are enjoying your Tuesday, just think, we are one stop closer to the weekend!!

 

My pseudo long, lost daughter

This past Tuesday I was given the honor of chaperoning the annual PLD Kindergarten Class Trip 2013. Please…hold your applause (for now at least). It really wasn’t that big a deal. Pretty much everyone asked to  chaperone picked but still, for me it’s the little things in life (LOL).

So at 8:50am me and some hot mama chaperones (Mrs. Mayor and Hot T-ball Mom) boarded the big, yellow school bus for our destination Jenkinson’s Aquarium in Pt. Pleasant, NJ (Yay Jersey Shore!!).

Oh, I jumped ahead of myself, before boarding the bus, we were each assigned a list of “monkeys” (the kids we would be chaperoning). Mrs. Mayor and HTM were each given 4 kids while I hit the jack pot with just my kid J (the quiet twin) and his friend L.

YES!! Only 2 kids how great is that??!!  I thought. You see, I was just a tad bit nervous about this whole chaperone thing….because….well….I am not really good with kids.

Yes, I know, I have 4 but they are mine. I carried them for 9 months and gained 80lb, 50lb and 50lb respectively. They belong to me and I am obligated to love and care for them – JUST KIDDING – I love my kids but they are MINE.

And being mine they “get me” and know what they can/can not get away with. My boys know all my “looks” and that when I call their name using a certain tone that they are in BIG TROUBLE.

I shared my concerns about chaperoning with the husband and he said not to worry and  stay close to HTM (she’s a teacher in real life) and everything would be fine.

Finally the 2 school buses were loaded with 73 kindergarten kids and off we went.

Have you even been on a school bus with 40-something 5-6 year olds on a class trip??? If you have not been lucky enough to experience it, I really don’t know how to accurately describe the noise level.

I guess it was equivalent to when Mrs. Jeter and I had floor seats to Bon Jovi back in 2001 and could barely hear ourselves for the 2 plus hours we were there.

Holy crap can those kids yell!!! OMG it never stopped. Between that, the annoying dad chaperone who thought it was “fun” to do knock-knock jokes the ENTIRE ride and L and S who could not stop hitting/kicking/touching it was a long ride and this mama was missing her coffee.

Finally we arrived at the aquarium and the teacher Mrs. P told us we had to break up into groups of 17 (wtf??). I had just started gathering my stuff to get off the bus when I heard Mrs. P call my name. Uh oh…

Mrs. L?? One of our mommies did NOT show up to chaperone so I am giving you 2 kids from the am class in addition to the 2 you have. That’s ok right? Oh, by the way, they are 2 girls – Sam and Karis.

WHAT????!!!

Mrs. Mayor and HTM laughed (a lot) as we tried to get our 17 kids to stand in a line. It was like herding cats getting these kids to not only stand but form a line. Here are some highlights:

L stand on the white line, no the white line in front of you…it’s right there. No, S you can not sit on the ground, you need to stand up, stop crab-walking. J get back in line, no the white line. S stop touching L. Boys and girls can we all stand in a straight line??? Please??? and finally Hey! whoever does not stand on the white line has to go back on the bus!

Mrs. P then told us that we had some time to kill and that we could either take our groups on the beach or walk the board walk. We unanimously picked beach.

O-M-G was I really on the beach???? Us moms were trying to take it all in. The beach, the salt air and the sun while also looking around for any visible damage leftover from Hurricane Sandy.

Just as I was trying to take a picture of myself with the ocean in the background (to post on FB of course) Mrs. P walked Sam and Karis over to me. Girls, this is Mrs. L you make sure you stay with her today ok? Yes they chanted in unison.

When I looked down at them to say hi, I was drawn to Karis. She was THE cutest little thing!! Long, brown hair with the sides pinned up wearing cute pants. Her smile was huge and she had big brown eyes and was always smiling. You could just tell she was a sweet girl and would be a pleasure to chaperone – unlike L who was throwing sand.

I was commenting to Mrs. Mayor how cute she was when Mrs. Mayor said ha, she could be like the daughter you never had.

OMG that was it….Karis was the epitome of what I always thought my little Ava/Hanna/Grace/Abby/Bryn would look like and grow up to be. I was smitten <3

Throughout the field trip I watched all my “kids” but always kept my eye on J (because he was mine) and Karis (because she was supposed to be mine). I watched her interact with the other kids, touch the starfish and squeal with delight when Lucy the Seal came out to say “Hi.”

During lunch I had to help her open her water and she was telling me all about her new little brother and her little sister and how her aunts and cousins and grandparents are staying with her in her house – but they don’t live there all the time. SOOOOO freakin’ cute.

It was such a change from the Lego, Ninjago, poop and Skylander talk me and my men have.  I love my boys and would never trade them n in but I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have had just 1 girl.

Someone to dress up in pink and take for manicures and to the mall. Someone who would never “leave” me the way all boys eventually do when they get married and start their own lives.

I am often asked if I will ever “try for the girl” and my answer is NO! that shop is closed tight!! God has a plan for me and it did not involve girls – although I did give it my all (lol).

73 kids waiting patiently in line

My Quiet Twin

Summer is almost here!

Life and sports

I am not a sports person in any way, shape for form. Anyone who has been in my company for more than 10 minutes and watched my eyes glaze over during a Monday morning football recap can attest to this.

I am not completely clueless, I know it’s playoff time and I know what time of year specific sports are played. However, I would rather shop or read People magazine than watch a sporting event.

Imagine my surprise when I was blessed with not 1 but 4 boys! I remember crying (I was postpartum) to my mom and saying but I don’t know anything about sports when I was in the hospital.

Repeatedly I was told ”It will be fine”  by friends, acquaintances and strangers in the park when I would explain my fear of having boys and them playing sports (among other things). It happened so often,  after a while I started to believe them.

The husband and I were a little behind in the PAL league sign-ups. It seemed that I was always either pregnant or caring for a newborn since 2006.

We lived in a bubble that revolved around Good Start formula and Luvs diapers (WAY cheaper than Pampers) and I didn’t really know any other moms besides Jeter and my SIL -  as I was rejected by the MOMS club (see “Rejected by ‘the mommies’ and I lived to tell about it” http://wp.me/p2apJp-5T).

However, in 2006 the twins started pre-k and, FINALLY, I was able to meet some other moms and be thrust into the world of extracurricular activities and PAL sports.

Holy crap were we behind!!

Who knew kids starting playing soccer and crap at the age of 3. Geez, I could barely get the twins to pee standing up and these moms had their kids playing sports!

Feeling like a total loser mom, I decided to sign the twins up for spring soccer. I went to the PAL office, filled out my forms and was cheerfully told the cost was $174 with the sibling discount.

Stunned, I prayed the kids would turn out to be the next Beckham as I pulled out of the driveway.

The season started and the twins excitedly left the house dressed in their soccer gear. They looked adorable and I cried thinking about how my babies were growing up.

My happiness was very short-lived, however, as the kids came home from their first game in tears and said they were NEVER going back again.

The husband and I tried a few more times but it was useless. The twins refused to play so I pulled them from the season (and got a refund).

We put the PAL drama behind us and focused on swim lessons and life.

Swim lessons didn’t go much better and I was beginning to think that maybe God had blessed me with 2 “sport’s challenged” sons.

OMG what are we going to do?????!!! I cried to the husband, my mother, Jeter and anyone who would listen. It is important for boys to play sports and the twins HATE it. THey are going to get beat up and bullied when they are in high school!!

Ok, maybe I was being a bit dramatic, but seriously, society puts a lot of pressure on kids, boys especially, to excel in sports. Yes, it is ridiculous and totally stereotypical, but I alone was not going to be able to change the societal norm.

Fast forward to this past fall. Friends  (one of whom is my blogging mentor CC) encouraged me to sign the twins up for soccer. CC’s hubby was coaching soccer and she kept telling me that the boys would have a great time as their team was all about having fun.

The soccer season started off rough but the twins tried hard and with the help of their awesome coaches they made some vast improvements by season’s end. The Blue Flames may have only won a single game but they always left the field with a smile and a snack.

With soccer behind us, it was only logical to sign them up for basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring. The twins were 6 now and ready to play sports – and like it damn it!

Around the holidays I got an email from CC that her hubby Coach P and Coach B (from soccer) would be coaching baseball this year and that I should try to get the twins on their team.

Yay!! I thought. The twins loved the coaches, they would get to play with their friends AND I could hang out with all my soccer mom friends for the season (wasn’t that the most important thing?). It was win-win for everyone.

The boys were thrilled to be playing with their friends and to see Coach P and B again. They could hardly wait to get to their first clinic and start playing baseball.

I was a nervoud wreck when they left for clinic. They had never played baseball and I had no idea how they would do or if they would like it. All I could do was hope for the best and wait.

When they got home from clinic, I was greeted with smiles and chants of Baseball WAS SO fun Mommy…Coach B showed me how to throw the ball AND Coach P grew a beard on his face!!!!

I don’t have a crystal ball, so it’s hard to know how my boys (all 4 of them) will do in sports. They may love them, hate them or tolerate them but no matter what, it has to be their choice.

I have to remember that it is their lives, not mine, and my job is to support and encourage them in whatever they choose to do. I will always worry about them (that is my job) but I can’t let my worry get in the way of them living life.

Life brings with it success and failure and lessons to be learned from both. Fingers crossed, knock on wood, my kids see more success than failure but no matter what, they will know I love them.

Mommy will give you candy??

BK (before kids) I had dreams of what my family would look like. Me and the husband would have 2 kids (boy/girl). The boy would be blond with blue eyes and the girl would have dark, curly hair. They would be THE most adorable children on the planet and ALWAYS be impeccably dressed.

I swore to NEVER allow my child to dress in mismatched outfits, have a dirty face or hands or wear ratty t-shirts with pictures on them. As if!!

I remember glaring at other moms in the mall and shaking my head in disgust at the way they let their children dress in public. To paraphrase Taylor Swift that would never, ever, ever, ever be me!

When the twins were born (my firsts) I would carefully pick out matching outfits for them daily. They never repeated an outfit (even if we were sitting in the house) and if, God forbid, they spilled ANYTHING on themselves, that item was quickly removed, stain-treated and replaced with an equally cute one.

I would spend money like it grew on trees in Baby Gap, Gymboree, Lord & Taylor etc. scrounging the racks for that “perfect” onsie. I took the twins for professional pictures every 3 months (duh, that is what a good mom does) and would plan their outfits for weeks right down to the socks.

J came along 2 years later and I still tried to continue with my obsessive behavior. I remember leaving for the hospital (J was a c-section) and picking out a week’s worth of outfits for the twins to wear while I was gone. After all, I wanted them to look their best when they came to visit my in the hospital.

Once J came home and I was dealing with 3 boys I became a little lax. The twins were starting to become interested in things like Toy Story, Cars and trucks and wanted to wear shirts with those pictures. I grimaced but decided to pick my battles. I was running on no sleep so what did it matter if M wore a shirt with Buzz Lightyear to Target??

By the time L came along (18 months later) I could care less what the kids wore as long as they were dressed. It became easier to let the twins pick out their own clothes rather than fight with them and their wardrobes started consisting of shirts with either Monster Trucks, superheros or race cars.

Gone were the jeans and matching buttown downs. Now I am lucky if they even match a shirt to their track pants and try arguing with a 6yo that his “favorite” Star Wars Lego shirt is too small to wear out in public.

Anyway, today is picture day at my youngest’s pre-k. L hasn’t had professional photos done since he was 3 months old so this is a big deal for me.

After getting the picture form, I ran to the mall to find him the “perfect” picture outfit (on sale of course). I patted myself on the back, as I admired the outfit on the hanger. Damn, he will look SO cute, I thought to myself.

This morning I carefully ironed the shirt and pirate pants (khakis with pirate skulls on them) and button down (I only iron kids’ clothes for photo ops and holidays) and called screamed for him to come upstairs to get dressed.

No Mommy, I watching tv…you come here and dress me was the response I received. I yelled 2 more times before conceding (a mom has got to pick her battles when she is running late for work) and bringing the outfit to the living room.

Look L, look at the handsome pirate pants and shirt Mommy got you I said a little too excitedly. Those my pirate pants? Argh Matey L replied.

I quickly put the pants and button down on him and told me he looked VERY handsome. One more thing and then you can go play, I said as I attempted to pull the coordinating, v-neck sweater over his head. Which resulted in the following exchange.

NO!! I NO WANT DIS SHIRT…I WEAR DIS SHIRT! L yelled pulling at his button-down. 

L, honey, come on, you HAVE to wear the sweater Mommy got you. You will look so handsome.

NO I NOT WEARING IT – umph!

L please, it’s getting late and Mommy has to go to work I pleaded trying to pry his right arm through the sweater hole.

NO!

I became desperate,  I should have been halfway to work and instead I was on the living room floor pleading with an almost 3yo.

L if you wear the sweater….Mommy will give you a cookie.

NO, I no want cookie.

Crap, cookies always work, now what. I could hear the voices of  Hot Mrs. Jeter (she has asked to be referred to as “hot” from now on) and my Mom and the husband telling me to “let it go”. “The button-down looks fine, who cares?”  ”Don’t drive yourself nuts over a sweater.”

They are right, I thought as I looked at L half-dressed running away from me. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter if he is wearing a pull over and a shirt??

Hell yes it matters! and I used the last card in my deck…L do you want candy? If you wear the sweater Mommy will give you candy???

Candy? He said in his sweetest voice. Yes, candy. Just put on the sweater.

Ok Mommy.

And that my friends is how I got L dressed for his school pictures.

No, I am not 100% proud of my behavior. I did, after all, allow myself to be manipulated by a toddler. However, the bribe actually worked and helped me get my way.

I am sure in 20 years I will look back (or rather he will) and ask what the hell I was thinking dressing him like that. Heck, I don’t even know if L will smile for the photographer today (although he better since it’s $45) but at least I know he looked cute when he left the house.

Derek & the Rainbow Sock Monkey

Derek the Bear

For those of you who don’t know,  I have twin boys who started kindergarten this past September. It was a big step for all of us and I am happy to report that me we have adapted rather well.

I am lucky that the twins don’t come home with a lot of homework – that was a HUGE concern/dread of mine. I just could not fathom coming home from work, making dinner and then dealing with homework (I know….I will have to deal at some point).

So imagine my surprise when M brought home Derek (the Yankee baseball bear) a couple of weeks ago for the weekend. M ran off the bus yelling Mommy, Mommy I FINALLY got to take Derek home!!

He was SO excited as he pulled Derek from his backpack (Derek’s not M’s) and shoved him in my face in the middle of the driveway. MOM, hug Derek! Don’t you love him?

Ummm, yeah sure, Derek is great I said trying to steer M and J toward the van. Mom, Mom, Mommy, I can’t wait to let Derek meet Bear and I am gonna bring him all over and …..

M was cut off by the arrival of J’s school bus, L screaming he wanted to watch George (Curious George) and J telling me he was thirsty.

When we got home, M threw Derek’s backpack at me and ran upstairs with his brothers to formally introduce Derek to Bear. Oh, they are SO cute, I thought to myself as I started reading through the papers Derek came home with.

Derek came with a welcome letter and a journal. Oh, teachers today are so creative I said out loud to myself. I started flipping through the journal and then I realized what the journal was for.

Holy crap!! WE (i.e. me) have to write about Derek’s adventures with us in the freakin’ journal!

As I flipped through the journal I was overwhelmed by the many photos (actual printed photos) of M’s classmates holding Derek at baseball games, the mall, dance class etc and the written summary of Derek’s stay with each kid.

Oh dear God, can this woman be serious? We have to summarize Derek’s weekend with us?!! Isnt that just super!!

I text Mrs. Jeter to vent. She laughed and told me to have fun with Derek and let her know how the weekend went. Ugh.

M was bored with Derek by dinnertime on Friday so needless to say, Derek didn’t go too many places other than the kids’ bedroom and the living room. Whatever, it’s a stuffed bear, I am sure he won’t mind I thought.

Sunday night was a blur of food shopping, fighting and baths and before I realized it, M was sleeping and Derek’s journal was empty. Crap!!

Monday morning I sat down with M and patiently reminded him that we needed to write in Derek’s journal so it could go back to school that afternoon. Oh, ok but I am watching Power Rangers now was the response I got.

Ok, well after Power Rangers we HAVE to write in the journal I sternly said to M as I poured myself another cup of coffee.

Well Power Rangers turned into some other dumb show and before long it was 11am and still no journal entry. M-J-L (that’s me screaming M’s first, middle and last name) get in here NOW and write about Derek!

M responded with the following tirade:

I dont wanna write in the stupid journal…I wanna play with my Legos! I don’t have a pencil Mom! You never took a picture with me and Derek Mommy now what? This is dumb, I don’t want to do this. J leave me alone, Mooooom tell J and L to get out of the kitchen and leave me alone – Mommy? Mommy!

OMG why is your father NEVER around for any of this stuff I said under my breath as I dug through the cabinet for a pencil (that was sharpened) and pushed the other kids out of the kitchen. Be Calm I told myself and it will be fine.

I have blocked out the majority of the journal writing exercise, it was just better for my sanity. However, I will try to piece together some of M and my exchange for you

me: Come on M, what do you want to write about Derek’s weekend?

M: I dont know…can I have a drink?

me: You can have a drink when we are done. Come on, we have to get this done. What did you and Derek do this weekend?

M: Ummmm he slept in my bunk bed with me?

me: Good, that’s good let’s write it.

M: Ok, how do you spell Derek?

me: D-e-r-e….M what are you doing? M, pay attention.

M: I don’t know how to make a “d”.

me: Yes you do, now come on, write out D-e-r-e-k and then leave a space and write s-l-e-p-t

M: what do you mean leave a space? What’s a space? I’m hungry, can I have a snack??

And that my friends was how the remainder of the morning went. Somehow by the grace of God, M completed his journal entry, drew 2 pictures of him and Derek and managed to get Derek safely back to his classroom.

Phew!!! THANK GOD that’s over! I told Mrs. Jeter in a text. Oh, you just wait she responded. It gets SOOOO much better!

Mrs. Jeter does not lie. In the weeks since Derek’s visit we have had to decorate Family Fun Turkeys and make some other crafty-type thing (I HATE crafts).

Thinking turkeys and fall crafts were behind us, I mentally prepared for the long holiday weekend last Wednesday afternoon as I waited for the twins’ bus.

The bus pulled up, I waved to the driver with the yellow glove and the twins came running at me.

Mommy! Mommy! Mommy look! J yelled. What, what is it? I asked

MOMMY look… I got to bring home Rainbow Sock Monkey for the long weekend!!

Sure enough there was J holding a little Rainbow Sock Monkey and a red bag which contained Sock Monkey’s journal. O-M-G it was gonna be a loooooong weekend!

I am officially an “Assistant Soccer Mom”

The twins have never been totally into sports. Yes, they kick a ball in the backyard and throw hoops with the Fisher Price basketball net but they never really expressed a desire to play sports. This was fine with me, I am not a sports person at all (unless shopping counts) and spending my weekends at a field was not a dream of mine.

When the twins turned 5 they decided they wanted to play soccer. Wow, I was shocked but a little excited. They would play on a team, make some friends and take cute team photos in a “uniform” sounds good. I went to the town PAL center and stood in the line for the forms.

Excitedly I told the woman at the desk how this was our first time on a team and how excited we were. She humored me,  asked me what size shirts they wore and then announced that it would cost $175 either cash or check made payable to PAL.

I laughed out loud. Surely she was joking, right? Umm, no she was serious AND that price included the sibling discount.

The twins were assigned to the Red Team and we patiently waited for the rain to pass and the season to begin. The husband brought the twins to their first practice/game and when he got home the look on his face said it all. Not good! The twins huddled in a corner and cried (real tears) for the entire hour (we have it on video to use as blackmail later).

THe husband and I had many debates on whether the twins should continue and after giving it another try we (me) decided they would quit  – while I was still able to get my $175 back.  Life went back to normal and I accepted that soccer would not be a Saturday ritual for us.

That is until this year. It started in the summer, every once in a while I would hear a Mommy…can I play soccer? or Mommy when can we play soccer? I ignored them for a bit but then the requests became more frequent. Ugh.

Luckily I knew a few moms from book club who had kids on the same soccer team. I begged asked my FAVORITE blogger mom if was possible to get the twins on her son’s team (her husband also coaches the team) even though they had no soccer experience.

Sure, we just want the kids to have fun!! she said.

I procrastinated until the last days to sign up. What if they cried again? What if they refuse to play? What will the other moms think of me for pushing to get my kids on their team when my kids have no idea how to play? OMG will the soccer moms and dads hate me?? (yes, I can even make soccer about me)

I signed the boys up online and was thrilled to see that the price ($300) had gone up AND I was being charged a late fee  ($40) AND there were no refunds. Super!!

I was more nervous than the twins for the first practice. I tried to appear calm for their sake, even when I made the wrong turn and we were “lost” and late. When we got to the field THANK GOD I saw my friend C and was able to follow her to Field D – there was no way in hell I would have EVER found that by myself.

The twins were a little hesitant when Coach B came over to them but Coach is THE nicest guy (second only to Coach P) and got them on the field and “playing” in no time. I was a nervous wreck the whole practice and chatted with Ms. Mayor and C to pass the time.

The twins were so happy when practice was over, they told me they loved soccer and couldn’t wait to play again. The next day I emailed C (our official “Soccer Mom”) and let her know that I wanted to be more involved so if she needed any help to let me know. 

She quickly bestowed upon me the title of” Assistant Soccer Mom” and asked (very nicely) if I could bring the game roster to practice so “snack families” could be assigned.

The Blue Flames played their first game this past Saturday. I couldn’t watch too much, it made me too nervous when the ball would be near M & J.  When I saw them on the side line I also worried and hoped that they were not upset they werent’ playing (J loved sitting out, he was able to drink his water and not run). The husband and the little kids came along and we all cheered for M and J. The Blue Flames lost at the end but they gave it their best.

Afterwards we went to Perkins for lunch and the twins looked so proud still in the cleats and soccer shirts. They said they had fun and really liked soccer and would practice every night.

And so it begins….

Bear

I was all set to tell you all about my kettlebell experience last night, how I survived, didn’t cry and had trouble walking up and down the stairs today. Then I decided to save that for another day. It is pouring here today, humid (bad hair day) and just a blah day.

The twins are off from school but luckily the 2 little ones have pre-k. It would have been a perfect “stay-in-bed-under-the-covers day” but there are bills to pay, EOBs to fight and blogs to be written so here I am in my cozy jail cell cubicle (thank god it has high walls to block me from plain sight.

All my kids have a way to soothe themselves. L has a pacifier (don’t judge), J watches a dvd and M has Bear. Bear has been around since the twins were 8 or 9 months old and was an Easter present from Wawa (a/k/a grandma). Bear is a take on a bear-skin rug except he is white, fluffy and a bear-blanket.

The husband first used Bear to lull M back to sleep in his crib and eventually it caught on. Bear and M soon became inseparable. Bear has come on vacation, to the grocery store and to the gas station. Bear had a coat for winter and his own pillow and blanket (Mommy, he can’t get cold) and he even accompanied M on his first day of pre-k (Bear waited in the car).

All the other kids know how special Bear is and if they see him lying around, they always make sure to bring him to M here you go here is your Bear! they say with a proud smile.

M is my very first-born (he beat J by 1 minute) and has been high maintenance since the womb. He was the one who kicked at 3am and jammed his foot in my rib cage. When he was born he rarely slept and at 6 weeks old he developed a pyloric stenosis which required surgery. He also has a temper and is not afraid to show it.

All in all though, M is my mush and a total Mama’s Boy. He is always telling me he loves and misses me and drawing pictures of us with the caption “I love Mommy”. He loves when I hug him and sing him the Baby M song (an original by me).

Not too long ago I came down with a sinus infection. This thing kicked my ass and I was useless for days. I would put a dvd on and beg the kids to just play nice so Mommy could rest. They would kill each other, scream, cry and pry my eyes open but what did I expect from 4 boys ages 6 and under.

I was lying on my bed on the verge of tears when M came in. What’s the matter, is someone hurt? I mumbled. No. No Mom. Are you ok, does your head hurt? he asked No Mommy is fine, I just don’t feel good right now. Why don’t you go watch a movie? I said as I turned over.

Mom…mommy…I…I just wanted to give you Beary, he will make you feel better.

O-M-G does it get any better than that??!

M was right, Bear did make me feel better. In fact, Bear has made me feel better at other times as well. If I am sad or having a bad day and I see Bear lying on the couch I will give him a hug and for a split second I feel better.

When I was M’s age I had my own “bear”  his name was Doughboy and he was made out of a sock. My mom had made it at some class and me and Doughboy were best friends.

He came with me everywhere and I loved him. Over the years he started to gray a little around the edges and eventually he was replaced by “Dog” a shaggy, stuffed animal who I still sleep with. Dog came with me to college and has been there in good times and bad (and lately drama – he deserves a medal).

I still have Doughboy, he is safely tucked away in my hope chest, away from tiny hands that rip and tear at things. Dog is on my bed and is frequently the subject of fights with L who yells  No that MY puppy no mommy’s!

M often asks if Bear will be with him when he grows up. He is afraid that big boys can’t have a Bear. I tell him that Bear will always be with him and will always be there for him. I hope he believes me. If by some chance Bear does accidently get left behind I’ll be sure to keep him safe.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

English: Razor Pro Model built in Feb. 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today is the twins 6th birthday.  I remember crying, in a drug induced fog, when they wheeled me back into my hospital room repeating over and over again OMG it’s 2 boys?!

The twins have been complete opposites since the womb. M has always been high maintenance, always needing to be seen and heard and be right. J is very laid back, doesn’t like a lot of attention and is quite content to be watching tv or looking at car magazines.

M wants EVERYTHING he sees on tv and whatever the newest trend is (currently he loves Legos, ninjas, Batman and The Avengers). J could care less about any of the Avengers and would rather have a Matchbox car than a Lego.

When the boys go to Target M picks out 100 things he wants (and needs) as soon as we walk in the store. J can take an hour to decide between a blue and green Monster Truck.

The boys are like night and day which is fine except when it comes to birthdays (and Christmas) and what kind of present(s) they want. M started making a birthday list on December 26th. Everyday he looked at the calendar to see how far away June was and demand to know why he was born in the summer and not winter.

J also looked at the calendar but rarely mentioned anything he wanted. If he did see something he liked, it was usually something BIG that cost over $200 (new bike, dune buggy, ATV).

As their birthday approached, the husband and I (well more me) started to worry about what to get the twins. M was pretty easy since he had a never-ending list but what about J?? I kept thinking an idea would just come to me but one never did.

Desperate,  last night I asked J if he wanted to go to TRU with me (alone) to pick out a present. Shocked he asked  M isn’t coming? Just me and you? and quickly got his shoes and ran to the van.

We got to the store and I told J to pick out whatever he wanted (within reason) and he just stood there. I coaxed him inside and we walked up and down EVERY SINGLE AISLE and J saw NOTHING he wanted. We repeated this THREE MORE TIMES and still he saw nothing he wanted.

Now it is after 8pm and I am just amazed that this kid can not pick out 1 toy in the entire TRU. His brother would have had 3 carts filled by now, heck, his father would have had a cart filled!

 I was getting tired so I started rattling off a list of stuff, begging him to pick something, anything so we could leave. Wii game, skate board, scooter, RC car, Lego????? Nah was all I got.

I sat down on a box and pulled J close to me. I looked him in the eyes and told him (ever so calmly) that the store was closing and he had to pick something or we were leaving. He stared at me with his big, hazel eyes (he is so cute!) and I could see him processing what I said. FINALLY he decided upon a scooter (we only had to stare at the scooter for 15 minutes until he found one he liked).

J fell asleep on the way home and looked so happy and peaceful. It is rare that I am ever alone with J and I think he was truly happy just being with me with no interruptions or brothers telling him what to do.

Happy Birthday to my men and many more!!!! 

Mama NEVER said there would be days like this

Ahhhhh TGIM – Thank God it’s Monday!! Yes you are reading that correctly, I am happy it’s Monday.

This weekend was a challenge to say the least. I am not sure if there was a full moon or something funky going on with the gods above but all 4 of my kids were NUTS the entire weekend.

I have blocked Saturday from my memory – trust me it’s better this way  – but let me share a little of my Sunday with you.

It started off as any other day in our house, kids up early (like before 6:30 early) waking me up asking for drinks and breakfast, constant chaos and fights over toys and tv shows and a battle between a Clone warrior and Sponge Bob/Captain America (a/k/a M&L).

The twins have swim lessons on Sunday mornings and I was trying to get their stuff together when I realized M’s Avengers bathing suit was not clean. Oh no, this is not good. After digging through the bathing suits, all I was able to scrounge up were Spiderman and a Hawaiian print suit in M’s size. This was SO not good. The husband said M would have to deal and went off to take out the garbage.

I sent the twins upstairs to get dressed for swim and counted the minutes until the meltdown was sure to begin. 10-9-8-7-6 MMMOOOOMMM where is my Avenger bathing suit??!!

It’s in the washing machine, just wear what I left out and hurry up because Dad is leaving soon, I yelled from the kitchen.

I can’t wear this bathing suit, it’s stupid and I look like a poopy head in it. Mom, Mom, MOMMY I said I want my Avenger bathing suit, I want it now!!! ARGH!!! I am not going to swim, I HATE this bathing suit!

The husband started jingling the keys so I quickly ran upstairs to find M another bathing suit. By the grace of God, the Avenger suit was lying in the laundry basket buried under a pile of sheets – thank god! Crisis averted – sort of.

The little kids were engrossed in an episode of Team Umizoomi when I decided to take advantage and grab a quick shower. Umi was on for at least 15 minutes which was more than enough time, heck, they wouldn’t even realize I was gone.

I was just putting a little spray gel in my hair when I heard the bang of my canisters over the bathroom fan – uh oh. I yelled down to the kids and got no answer. Crap, this can’t be good.

I ran down the steps to find a kitchen chair pushed up against the wall and in the middle of my counter sat L holding the canister lid saying Cookies?

O-M-G!!!!!!!!!!! Get off the counter !!! I yelled (after grabbing my phone to snap a picture). How is this my life???!!

My brother was on his way over to help the husband move a couch so I knew I had to dress the kids. Lately, J has not wanted to get dressed and been a little “difficult” to say the least. Well today proved to be no different. After wrestling, threatening and screaming coaxing J was now naked in his room.

L was wearing a fireman rain jacket and repeatedly yelling Rescue! as he ran around their room taunting J. Finally in a last-ditch effort I took L outside and told J that he could come outside if he got dressed.

My plan back fired. J now stood in the hallway naked (in front of the storm door) and L ran in the street kicking rocks yelling Rescue!

Why me God?

Somehow J finally got dressed (and undressed and dressed again), L took off the rain jacket and I sat on the couch exhausted – it was not even noon!

The rest of the day was a blur that ended with me at Shop Rite around 8:30pm. Life is never boring in my house that’s for sure. But hey, it will get easier right?will get better right?

Pomp and Circumstance

Today is the day my twin “babies” graduate from Pre-K and WOW is all I can say.

Looking at the 2 of them now, it seems hard to beleive (well sort of) that 3 years ago these were the same 2 little boys who hid behind the door at their 1 day/week class at the Y for 6 weeks straight or who cried and ran away from the van when I said it was time to leave for their first day of school at CPNS.

I remember the first day of pre-K and how J ran into the room crying – right into the arms of Mrs. M – oh how my heart broke!

Here we are 2 years later and they have grown SO much. The 2 little, shy boys, I thought would NEVER be ready for “big boy school,” are now 2 handsome “big” boys excited to ride the bus and go to kindergarten!

I am a nervous wreck about kindergarten. Will they make friends? Will they get teased? Will they be ok on the bus? But I guess that is just to be expected since I am their mommy and they are my first borns (at least I have until September to worry).

I am a little sad that my babies are growing up but I am also happy and excited for them to start this next chapter. Hopefully I will not be sobbing during the “End of Year” celebration today – then again it is my job to embarrass them in front of their friends.

Congratulations M&J Mommy is SOOOOOO proud!!