Words from the Editor

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Minnesota, United States
Thanks for visiting my blog. It's sort of a running history of the trials and tribulations of raising a busy family. I work full time as a nurse and my husband is at home keeping the rest of our lives in some sort of order. Life is busy, fun and challenging every single day. I hope you enjoy our story!

Monday, January 31, 2011

No Toboggans

*this will be a much "lighter" posting than the last one- life is not always so serious :)

Last week, Anna had a sledding party with her class. It was after school and parents were supposed to meet the kids with sleds at the big hill behind the school. The morning of the party Anna was asking how in the world she was going to get her sled. I reminded her that I would be meeting her after school and I would bring it. To which she replied, "Oh good, because right on the bus there is a sign that says, 'No Toboggans of any kind allowed on the bus'". Huh?

I didn't realize bringing sleds on the bus had become such a widespread problem that they actually needed to post signs for it. Who knew?

Alex, overhearing all of this, piped up and said, "Anna, that's not what it says- it says, 'No Tobacco of any kind allowed on the bus'. DUH!" (read this as sarcastic, snotty older brother making little sister look like a fool). Ok, this  makes more sense. Then smarty pants Alex asks, "What in the heck is tobacco anyway?". So, thanks first grade teachers for the sledding party invite which led to a discussion of what tobacco is. Yep, everyday is an adventure :)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Price of Three...

Lately there has been a lot of discussion between Chris and I about the fact that 3 kids are really expensive. We knew that having kids is expensive- diapers, formula, food, preschool, etc. But we didn't actually realize how expensive until we reached this pivotal "I want to be in ______sport or _____activity" phase. In addition to the weekly requests from school for money or supplies, we are finally realizing why people have only one child. Not that we regret the decision to have more than one, it's just that you don't realize how expensive and busy everything will be until it's too late :)

In addition to the money side of having three kids, there is what I shall call the "emotional" cost. There are days when I feel like I am able to balance things fairly well. I have spent a little time with each kid (sometimes literally 5 minutes, but hey when you get home an hour before bedtime, there's not always much left) and I can go to bed feeling good about the balance of working full time, going to school full time and raising 3 kids. And then there are the days when I don't balance things well and I don't get to spend enough (or any) time with one or two of the three. And I feel bad, guilty, neglectful. But I vow to do better the next day. I always hope that they (the kids) understand. But, then I get a call like I got today from Alex's teacher and I'm reminded that they are just kids and they don't always understand. Alex has been acting out a lot at home lately- many tantrums, stealing things, lying, fighting, etc. I sent his teacher an email to see how school has been going. Of course (as always) school is fine, no problems. So, she said she would try to talk to him. She called me after school and said that Alex had shared with her that he feels like his sisters get all the attention and he doesn't get any. He is feeling left out and wants more attention from us. And in that moment, there was no balance. Just guilt. Guilt for working, guilt for going to school, guilt for having more than one child, guilt for cleaning the house instead of playing. The plain fact is that the truth hurts. He probably does get less attention. He's older, more self-sufficient, less moody and plays more independently than the girls. And so, I have decided that the cost of three is simply guilt. That's it. And sometimes, you have to pay more of it than others.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Girl with the Curl(s)





Somehow the wild, uncontrollable, unmanageable, do what it wants hair just fits this girl so well...

Saturday, January 8, 2011

When Design meets Disaster

Alright, I've been stewing about this for awhile now. Well, actually, I stewed about it for a few days, took some pictures and then kind of forgot about it. But, today I was reminded of this particular disaster.

Picture this....you take your kids to a certain fast food restaurant for a school fund raising night. You are doing the "nice" thing. Then you get home and this sweet little face asks you to open her  "prize"

And you think...ok,  looks like a puzzle, she should be able to do this herself.

And, two minutes later, she hands you the directions from hell and asks for help....

(Yes, they are 2-sided)

And 15 minutes later, you are still busy punching out the individual pieces to create wheels and propellors for this cursed paper vehicle....


(Meanwhile, the children have given up on this ever being done and have proceeded to find something more interesting to do....)


And...almost a FULL HOUR later, with a minor in engineering, it appears that you have done it.....

 And, then you realize you still have 2 more to build :(



Oh well, at least someone seems happy about the whole thing....


To whomever designed this "toy"- clearly you have no idea what a 6 year old is capable of...or a 34 year old for that matter :(  Did you even attempt to put this together even once???? If so, how many times did you accidentally rip Yogi's arms and legs and have to break out the tape???? Thank you for giving my husband a good laugh at my design and building skills, my kids a frustrating toy (that the 2 year old ripped up and wrecked within 15 minutes of the project completion) and me a pounding headache. Next time, I will be throwing away the "prizes" before anyone finds them.....

Saturday, January 1, 2011

6 or 16???

Yikes, she is looking all grown up with her new haircut!!!

Christmas Wrap Up

Merry Christmas! (A week late.....hey, life is a bit chaotic sometimes :)

















Can't believe another year is done! We ended it very low key- games and popcorn. Alex and Anna made it until 10 which is pretty good for them! I made it to 12:00 exactly and then fell right asleep :)