Hello my neglected blog. Yes, I am still pregnant and roasting in this rare Seattle heat. It’s supposed to cool down next week though. From the 90’s to the 60’s in a matter of days - gotta love the schizo weather.

So, obviously I am not going to have a lot of time in the next few weeks to do… well…. anything, really but I wanted to pose a question to all you parents with kids involved in preschool and activities.

First of all, if you have more than one child and the older one is ready for preschool or extracurricular activities, how do you arrange it so that you can

a) particpate in the activities with the older child as well as

b) drop them off with a crazy active toddler and soon to have newborn baby? Seriously, how to people plan these things? It’s not lIke I can just leave the two younger ones in the car while I walk my oldest into preschool, right? Can I? No? Oh FINE.

I don’t have anyone that lives close by that can stop by to give me a hand while I drop off my daughter, so while that is a fabulous suggestion, it wouldn’t work for me. Also, I don’t know my neighbors well enough to trust any of them with my children. Heh. I mean, I’m sure they are lovely people, but still.

Anyways, I’ve been seriously thinking about how I am going to handle the logistics of having three children. I’ve always said that having two was not as hard as I thought it would be. Before becoming hugely pregnant with this third, I’d throw both in the grocery cart or in a stroller to walk the mall without a second thought. Now I fear that juggling all three will be so tough that I’ll end up resorting to ordering groceries off Safeway.com (so expensive! Limp produce!) or I’ll just wait until my husband has a day off and then waste half the day running errands alone.  I’m sure the first few months will be the toughest, when the baby is small and will need to be nursed often. I guess I’ll just have to become more organized in planning our days, esp when my daughter starts preschool.

Luckily, there are a few things we plan on teaching her at home on our own. Besides the fact that we can’t afford to pay for expensive lessons, I figure my husband and I have at least a few talents we can hopefully pass on to all of our children. My husband can teach the basics of golf and volleyball (his two favorites) and I can figure out to teach them piano. I’ll have to buy a “how to teach piano” for dummys (dummy = me) but I’m sure it’ll be way easier than doling out $25/lesson, four times a month to some teenage piano prodigy. ACK. Again, how do people afford these things?!

Anyways, I guess I’m just wondering how people juggle and organize their schedule so they can enroll their children in these types of things and actually get them there on time.  I don’t want to be one of those parents who go totally overboard and bombard their children with back to back activities but I’m sure my daughter would love to get out of the house a couple times a week and have some interaction with kids her age.

Any suggestions? Stories?

If you don’t hear from me in a while, it’s probably because I’ll be a little… busy

My fall wants needs must haves

Sometimes it sucks not having a job. But only because I have no shopping money. HA HA

Today, we became those parents. You know, the ones whose kids freak out and have a huge brat fest in the middle of the public place. Before today, we’d had one kid or the other act out for various reasons but today it was both.At the same time. In the aisle of the paint section. Today it was the child in the back of the cart who put the child in the front seat in a headlock because they were fighting over a paint brush. Seriously, let me get you another one. I know where I can find about 200 of them. RIGHT BEHIND YOU.  Both screamed and kicked, while all the customers looked on and probably judged us for having two brats and not even being able to control them, all while being knocked up, too! Lucky me!

This was probably the worst public tantrum they’ve ever had where we wouldn’t control them. GRRR. After a good verbal whoopin’ in the paint aisle of Lowes, I angrily sent off the girl for consolation from daddy (At this point, I was not speaking to her) while the boy decided to continue to rant and screamed until I yanked him out of the cart. I was tempted to leave the cart (um, with him in it) in the appliances section.

If you were at my local Lowe’s around 12:45 this afternoon, I apologize. I know they sell earplugs somewhere in that store, maybe aisle 20…?

Now that we’re home, they are both napping peacefully and they better be in a good mood when they wake up.

***

Here’s the scenario:

I am babysitting my friend’s daughter. She is about 9 months younger than my daughter, who will be four soon. I have some steadfast rules when it comes to eating and playing, namely that there will be no running around and playing while eating. Mealtimes are meant to be spent at the table, eating. Play time is when they can run around and be free. Also, I only offer one choice of food during mealtimes. I never cook different things for different children depending on their tastes. I just do not “do” picky eaters. If they don’t want it, they can eat later. Or never. It’s their choice, really. 

So, I prepare lunch and have them eat on their mini picnic table outside on the patio. Friend’s daughter is jumping up and down, ignoring her food which she states she does not like. Cheese quesadilla. What’s not to like, right? Anyways, I decide if she’s not going to sit down and eat, then I will take away her quesadilla and her milk. She has not eaten anything besides this and I’m sure she didn’t eat much this morning. Besides, I know a large pregnant woman who will GLADLY eat the leftover cheese quesadilla.

Question: Because it is not my child and I am being paid to watch her, do I cave and give her something else that she will eat, or do I stand by my rules and hope she will eat later when another snack is offered? At this rate, it looks like she will have not eaten one thing while at my house.

I try to treat my friend’s children the same as my children. We are a pretty close knit group and spend a lot of time together and the general consensus is that any of us is allowed to discipline one of the children if need be. However, is this situation different because I am being paid to watch this child?  I guess it just feels more complicated because I am being paid to watch her as opposed to just having her over for a playdate.

Anyways, I’m sure it’s not a big deal. I am just curious as to what others do/would do in this situation. I don’t consider myself a completely strict discplinarian but I do have certain rules and manners I try to instill in my children and naturally I apply these to the kids that are in my care as well. 

I have to make the beds everyday. I know that some people think “why bother, I’m just going to get in it again and mess it up”.  Here’s the weird thing about me - Even when I’m sleeping, I have to make sure the comforter and sheet are smooth. Basically, I like to sleep in a made bed. Sometimes I make the bed while my husband is still sleeping in it. That way, he can just wake up, flip the covers over and then flip them back in place. Voila, right? That’s not strange, is it? Am I alone on this? Hello? Anyone?

I hate the sight of a messy, unmade bed, although I did read an article about dust mites and how it is sometimes good to leave a bed unmade so that the sheets and mattress have room to breathe. Dust mites. BLEEH. When I pass a room and peek in, I don’t like to see anything out of place. The beds should be made, the blinds should be straight and the toys should be put away or lined up. Now, I am not white glove clean, but it drives me crazy if things are not at least somewhat tidy.

The other day, I went into my daughter’s room and noticed she had successfully attempted to make her own bed. I didn’t even have to ask her to do it.  I can’t tell you how proud that made me. Forget learning how to read, my kid can make her own bed!