He did it!

So today was the day. I can't believe my little man has entered a new phase in his life, which conincidently complicates mine and thrills me at the same time. He is MOBILE! Where did the time go? Didn't I just find out I was pregnant with my fifth child, not a surprise, he was planned and yet a surprise just the same in that he came on his own with no help from medical science like the quads needed.

Each time something in our lives changes there is a simultaneous loss of something old, and gain of something new. As Jack enters his new phase of crawling and soon walking, I lose my baby but gain the added task of chasing after him and having to remember to pick up small things off the floor, just kidding, that is true but what I gain is, the joy of watching him develop normally and believe me that alone is a huge and precious gift. You love your children no matter where they are typical or not but there is joy in not having an issue with say gross motor development or neurotypical development. Every child will present you with some issue at some point, maybe not until they are teenagers, or maybe tomorrow when the teacher calls and says they are falling behind in class. No parent raises a family without some issues. Be thankful for the nonissues. If your children are doing well in school, are physically and mentally sound and you have enough food and shelter for them, you are blessed indeed. People need to be thankful for the normal things in life because there are so many people who would give anything to have a normal life and just can't. OK, I'm off, I see about 1000 small objects I need to clear from Jack's path. Maybe what I will gain is a clean floor, aha!

Saturday Mornings

Evidently I love to make lists as posts because here is another one:

Things I love about Saturday mornings-

I love that there is always the potential, though seldom the reality, that I just might might get to sleep in till 7 AM.

I love that I don't have to start the day yelling at little people who refuse to put on their shoes, gulp down their breakfast or brush their teeth until I threaten them with some random punishment that I seldom carry out (hmm could this be the problem?)

I love that they get excited over cartoons although they don't know the excitement we knew in the 70's and 80's as we had no 24 hour Cartoon Network. It was pretty much Saturday morning from sun up till WWF or Godzilla came on and that was it.

I love the memory of my moms homemade pancakes, my kids could only be so lucky.

I love it especially when we have nothing on the books for the day and Dad doesn't have some school function to attend.

I love that the baby has now learned to entertain himself and is not quite mobile unless you count rolling across the floor to get where he wants. Wait, that has nothing to do with Saturday morning but I will include it anyway.

I love that I have time to blog.

I love that my parents are here and there is endless entertainment for the kids. I might get to take a shower before noon!

I like the word Saturday. It evokes feelings of relief and fun.

I like that I might get to do something besides laundry, groceries, cooking, picking up dropping off or running around.

I like to pretend I am still single and in my 20's with no responsiblity except to decide what party, movie or restaurant to go to and with whom on a Saturday night. Remember that?

Have a great Saturday filled with cartoons, sleep and lots of syrup!

Neverending Story

Today was another one of those days. You know the kind. Not really great, not really bad but certainly ENDLESS. You start out late even if you got up early. I woke up at maybe 3, then 4 then every 20 minutes thereafter due to the teething young gentlemen laying beside me. (Yes, I do let him sleep in the bed with me pretty often. Don't judge me, I am 37 and this is my 5th kid so I feel like I can do what I want! :) And so I end up fussing at kids who can't really move any faster than a snail unless you suddenly shout something random like SUGAR, Happy Meal, I see Toys!
I have days when I feel I can breathe and days when I feel like I have forgotten how. Have you ever realized you have been holding your breath and you don't really have a reason? Its like you get so caught up in getting everything on your list done that everyone around you sortof becomes invisible or annoying or both if thats possible. But aren't they the reason for all that doing? I stopped several times today while doing various tasks ~ mountains of laundry, sweeping the kitchen floor for the 3rd time at 10 AM, putting away 27 small plastic cups that won't fit into the drawer yet everyday I keep cramming them in there in the same manner as the one before, and I said to myself outloud "who does this?" I mean really, Who has to buckle 5 kids into a minivan with her rear end sticking out the door while trying not to cuss loud enough for anyone within earshot of the car to hear yet not worrying that the children five inches from her face are hearing it. I do, that's who. Yep I can't hold my tongue. Its like a pressure cooker in my house, car, yard, anyplace we are all together and if I have one of those breath holding, too much to do and not enough universe to contain all the crap that goes along with a peck of children days ~ I let it rip or maybe slip. I always regret it but it does let off some steam. I am not proud of it, I am working on it. I certainly don't recommend it. Its just something about me that is what it is. An imperfection. We don't generally get to pick our imperfections. If I could I think I would make myself a picky eater. You know the kind who would rather not eat at all than have to eat something that's not what they want. I can't even imagine that. I love to eat and it doesn't have to be that good. I just like the process of stopping what I'm doing and focusing on me as I direct food toward my own mouth instead of the other seven I have to feed (I am including the dog in that count in case you are wondering.) So now instead of going to bed early like I should, I am blogging and getting the nods while also watching Whatever Martha! on the Fine living channel which is free this month from my satellite provider. As I look out over the top of my lap top screen, I see a pile of laundry waiting to be cussed at as I throw it into the proper place in the laundry room. Maybe that is my answer, more cussing at inanimate objects and less in front of impressionable young ears.

Happy Halloween!

I live in a very small neighborhood. It has maybe 15 houses. The houses on the left side have no children in them except ours and one other. The houses on the right have all the kids. I love trick or treating in this neighborhood because with 5 kids, 10 houses will get you all the candy you need. Here is my plan of attack each year:

1. Feed the kids dinner before costumes, while it is still light and before daddy gets home, this way there is less room in the tummy for all that sugar!

2. Costumes on and pictures taken on the front steps before faces are smeared with chocolate. Hope for a shot with all clean faces in one direction but realize that day will never come.

3. Remind kids to say trick or treat and then Thank you, not to say yuck when they see what is offered and grab daughter with autism by the hand before she ventures in to the living room of unsuspecting family. (she did this four times and only two families were unaware of her special needs so we told them and they kind of half nodded like they were afraid to comment on the situation. Its not cancer or something gross and contagious just autism people, (I know that in the back of my mind I am wanting people to know I am not a bad parent who lets her kid do anything too.)

4. Remind batman that its not polite to cut across peoples lawns.

5. Remind witch that she was a princess last year and "no you cannot go home and change your costume now that we are half way down the street"
6. Leave candy bowl on front step for kids who start before we get back. Some years I have forgotten to do this and I know that they talk about me! One year I put it out when I got home and was tired of answering the door - with in two minutes a full bowl was empty except for a single roll of smarties? Who leaves one candy behind?
7. Remind daddy that monkey maybe getting hot in his fleece costume and that his paws can come off, do monkeys have paws?
8. Steal all Milky ways.
9. Throw away all hard candies, yucky candies (ok sometimes I even eat those when its all that's left, so a candy pretty much has to be a 10 on the nasty scale for me to throw it out. Like say licorice Good n plentys, do they even make those anymore?
10. Pilfer everyones pumpkin after they have gone to bed with a sugar high.
11. Remind myself how much I will have to work out with every bag of m & m's I open - then eat it anyway.
12. Feel sick as I pack away the remnants of costumes without washing them.
13. Forget about the pumpkin on the front porch until it is rotten and the smell it strong enough to find its way around the side of the house because we never go out the front door.
14. Throw pumpkin out in the woods behind yard hoping it will sprout a vine so I can have free pumpkins next year (this actually happened at my parents house one year but it was in the front flower bed of the house!)
15. Wonder why husband isn't nearly as obsessed with candy as I am.
16. Realize that the candy stealing will be less likely as my kids get older and see what is going on. I think I used to count out what I had each night before bed time 2 twix, 7 snickers, 5 blowpops etc.
17. Relive old Halloween memories like the year I tripped crossing someones bricked lined flower bed and my tooth went through my lip, I had fake blood and real blood all over my face. My sister kept yelling at me "whats wrong!" I got so mad I started pounding her and then she being the more talented pounder smacked me back until the people whose house we were at opened the door. Oh and the sweet old couple who always handed out full sized packs of Hubba Bubba because the husband worked for the company. That was the best!
18. Feel guilty for the stealing/eating candy thing but do it anyway.
19. Realize the kids are old enough to be forming their memories right now and wonder if in their memories they will think I look fat/mean or old.
20. Wonder if it is worth all the wrapper picking up, extra calorie load on little bodies and sugar high tantrums I will endure this week.
21. Realize the answer is yes when daughter number one comes up to me and smiles saying "Momma, I am so happy and I had the most funny last night!"

Happy Halloween and remember to throw your pumpkins on fertile soil!