What I've Learned This Summer

Having spent the last 6 weeks with my adorable, demanding, sweet, obnoxious, amazing, aggravating, too smart for my own good offspring (much of which included forced captivity due to lack of another set of hands) I have learned some interesting truths.


Truth #1: Nap time is awesome!
My girls (at almost 18mos) have finally reached the twice a day naps that any parent longs for. Now if I can just get them to stay down for more than 30mins . . . .


Truth #2: I miss my creative hobbies.
Hubby took Elroy to a Magic: The Gathering Tournament last Fri held at one of the relatively local card shops and called to ask if I wanted some die cast figures to paint. I enjoy painting (of molded figures, not on canvas) and find it to be a great stress relief, but with all the craziness of the last couple years I haven't had the opportunity for a very long time. That evening, after I finally got Bam-Bam and the girls to sleep, I made the time. And I could not believe how much being able to focus on one small detail oriented project that was only for me really helped me set aside some of the day's tension. I slept better that night than I had in weeks. As a mom I spend so much of my time (waking and sleeping) tuned in to my kids' needs that by the end of the day I rarely have the energy or mental capacity to take on something for myself. And many of the crafty projects I do tend to be geared for the use or comfort of the kids. It was nice to be able to do something purely for my own satisfaction. And having remembered how much I enjoyed it, I have since gotten some new paint so that I can take the time to enjoy it more often.


Truth #3: The Laundry Monster always wins.
Laundry is never ending. It takes 12 to 14 loads of laundry a week to keep things going around here, and lately I've only been able to manage 7 or 8. This means, that although everyone has some clean clothes, they may not always have all the requisite pieces of their wardrobe clean at once. Someone is always out (or 1 pair away) of underwear or socks, or pants. And always when I've just sat down for the first time since I got up and already have 2 greedy babies brawling on my lap and 1 crying at my feet. But I did find that white vinegar removes nasty deodorant build-up, and the cheap laundry additives work better than the high end alternatives. I love Soil Love, Cool Love, and KidsNPets!


Truth #4: Toddlers LOVE DVDs.
Hubby and I have an extensive DVD collection (somewhere in the 700 - 800 range). When we moved into our house we purchased a 4ft wide by 7ft tall shelving unit (purchased at Best Buy, designed by the same minds as Ikea) to hold them. As soon as the girls became mobile the bottom shelves were emptied and storage ottomans were placed in front to block access. Now they can climb . . . . Usually 3 to 4 times a day I hear the thud of DVD cases hit the floor and find them, at least one perched on tip toes atop one of the ottomans to reach the R rated movies 5 shelves up. And the other giggling cohorts sitting amidst the pile checking to see how many cases have discs in them. *sigh*


Truth #5: I don't do well with forced confinement.
Fri afternoon I took the kids to a local playground to meet up with my best friend since 3rd grade. On the way home (less than 100 ft from my driveway) my car started to overheat. Sat, Hubby decided around 2pm to get some more fluid for my car and when that drained right out within a few minutes took it to a local auto parts store. He called to break the news that a rather large crack had developed in the reservoir for the radiator and the dealer was the only source for that part, at 5:45pm on Saturday. As luck would have it, said dealer is the only one locally that doesn't open its service department on Sun. So Hubby takes Monday off to deal with my car and magically at 4:45pm the service dept calls me to let me know that the necessary part (which they had that morning, Hubby had called to check) was out of stock and they couldn't get to the car until the following day (Tues) when they got more in. By this point my internal monologue was rather frantically chanting "GOTTA GET OUT! GOTTA GET OUT!" with increasing volume and anxiety for the past day or 2. The tension was making me feel like I was vibrating out of my skin and making me fidget so badly I itched all over trying to suppress it. Mentioning my need for escape to my wonderful, supportive husband comforted me with the words: 'too bad' and 'just deal with it' before hopping in his car with the boys to hang out at his sister's. My car was finally ready at 3:30pm on Tues, but since hubby was working and my car seats and stroller were in my car, It didn't get picked up until almost 5. For the record, I was out of the house (with Bam-Bam in tow) by 6, and ran errands until I had to return so hubby could head off to work. But my skin isn't crawling anymore.


I discovered a few more, but I have to go remove the girls from the DVDs for the 4th time since I started this post, so they'll have to wait.

'Til then - Vixi