Juggling. Never one of my strengths.

I feel like a juggler these days.


When I think about juggling I think about people on unicycles.

And when I think about people on unicycles I think about parades.

And when I think about parades I think about clowns.


I do not like clowns... and I do not like anything that reminds me of clowns. Like juggling. (I have nothing against people on unicycles however.)

These days I've been juggling. A lot.

I do laundry on Saturday so I can plan outfits for the kids for Monday through Friday, I pull outfits together on Sunday (appropriate outfits based on what they'll be doing at school on a given day) for the whole week and I *try* to check the calendar to see if there are any special activities going on* and put out clothes that would be good for that activity. I grocery shop on the weekend in between wrangling kids and mediating fights.

*I forgot to do this a couple of weeks ago. I went to pick Katie up from school and was surrounded by kids... IN COSTUME. Dancing and listening to a DJ. Because, you know, costume parties are common for HALLOWEEN. I totally forgot kids could dress up that day, even though a note was sent home about it. I would have felt worse except that Katie wasn't mad about it. Neither of us said a word about the kids in costume all around us like it was an everyday thing. (Oh, that princess over there with the gown and gloves and tiara? Not wierd at all. Or the kid in the hulk costume with the bulging muscles? Totally normal for a Friday.) She just walked to get her backpack and coat and headed to the car saying good-bye to a few friends as we left. It was odd, but a big relief. Jacob had HIS dress up day a week later. I didn't forget. Definately some guilt going on.

It's pretty busy and I have to be totally on. Like, can't forget I paid a big bill so DON'T spend big bucks at the grocery store, even if meat is on sale on.

And in the middle of all that crazy, I have to think about holidays.

Like Halloween. All I can say is that I'm glad Jake's costume still fit him after a whole year (of wearing it around the house to play in). Even if it was a little... snug and maybe a tad bit... short in the legs. Oh, and yay that he still had all three pieces for it! We didn't buy new costumes for any of the kids this year which was nice, but I can just tell that next year we're going to need to get new costumes (or maybe we can hit some sales soon!).

So even with the usual craziness, Halloween was fun. Me, the kids, Grandma and Grandpa, and Grammy and Grampy went to church for the harvest festival. Telling knock knock jokes in the car on the way.

Candy, games, bouncy house... they had a blast. Oh, and hot dogs and chips for dinner. (I wonder why hot dogs taste better anywhere but at home...?)

Katie was... a princess (shocker, right?), Jake was batman, and Jackson was a lion. He wore the costume big sis and big bro wore when they were around his age.

When we got home at around 7:30, me, mom, and Katie and Jake* walked around the neighborhood and stopped at probably 15 houses. They were so cute running up to each house.

Along the way, Katie heard some big kids say "trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat" and was facinated by it. At the second to last house, mom noticed she paused before getting to the steps... Katie was doing a quiet run through under her breath.

She wasn't quite ready to tell the people at that house but at the last house mom told the lady that Katie was practicing something and Katie did recite it. It was quiet but she got it all said and got a second piece of candy for her efforts!

Then it was back to our house. The kids dumped out their buckets and we looked at the sea of candy and oohed and ahhhed over the treats until bed time.

*Jackson stayed home; he was pretty tired after running wild at church for an hour and all of the excitement and people, but the other kids had some energy to burn!)


Finally the house quieted down... and I got to enjoy a few pieces of candy!

Me with my princess, my lion, and my batman.

And on and on and on... Where I fill you in on the past month.

Hey everyone out there!

It's been a busy last few months for us in a pretty good way.

Katie started 1st grade and loves it. She's so busy every day with her before and after school program, "centers" in her classroom, art projects and school work (I get to pull many papers out of her folder each day), that she falls into bed each night between 8 and 9 which is SUPER nice for mommy!

She's also got ... homework! Every Wednesday she brings home something for math. Wednesday is also the day she goes to Awana for church. This means that on Thursday night we're busily working on homework before (and usually after) dinner. And here I thought that when I was done with school I would be done with homework. *sigh*

At least now when she does her addition and subtraction I can check her work. Who knows what 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. grades will bring. (A little nervous for algebra over here.)

Katie went to a pumpkin farm with her day care club. She had fun. I got a call from a teacher to say that she "fell and cut her lip, and I wanted to let you know before you came to pick her up. She's okay and everything, but her lip was a little bloody and now there's a bump on it but she's fine and I just wanted to tell you so you have advance warning before you come to get her today. I hope you get this message by then... Goodbye." I got the message and chuckled a little bit. As long as they don't call to say KATIE IS IN THE HOSPITAL, HURRY, SHE'S BLEEDING PROFUSELY, I'll be okay.

It was a bit red and there was a cut... but it seems to be over her prior cut where she fell off of a bench and hit her lip on the corner of the wall in the living room.

A count of the kids' injuries (If there were tears but no blood, I didn't count it) so far:
Lip - Katie (twice), Jake (once), Jack (once)
Stitches - Jake (once - with 5 stitches)
Head - Jake (twice), Jack (twice)

If we were counting bumps and bruises, I think the list would go on and on. Especially since Jake seems to like pushing Jackson over (poor baby!) and Jackson seems to fall over a lot on his own - he fell 3 times in one day at day care, right onto a hard floor. (I took him to the clinic that night and found that he has an ear infection. Hopefully that will clear up the problem a bit.)

Yep, I said day care! Jake and Jack have taken a huge step forward. Both boys are in the childcare program at the community center Katie went to when she was younger! Jackson is in the baby room and Jake is in pre-school.

Jacob seems to like the toys but doesn't really want to go (probably because he has to share and do things with the group... and he "doesn't want to play with other kids" and he "doesn't want to eat lunch" because he wants to keep playing) but it's getting better. He's starting to conform. Not hugely, but enough so he can stay out of the take a break chair.

And the teachers told me (with raised eyebrows and a look of shock) that he's great with clean up time. Probably because he hears it all of the time. Before he started pre-school, I would get home from work and we would have to do clean up time... Jake was pretty good with that once I labeled bins with pictures for him but I was a little surprised to hear he was one of THE BEST kids when it comes to cleaning up at school!

He went on a field trip last month and was SO GOOD! He got to pick a pumpkin to bring home and he got to ride on the bus. He was thrilled. (I was thrilled that he wasn't banned from future field trips due to any naughty behavior!)

Jackson seems to like his class. Each morning when I drop him off I fill out a sheet with his name, the date, how long he slept overnight, and what he's eaten that morning. The teachers fill out his diaper changes, what he ate for each meal, something he had fun doing that day, and finally they complete the sentence: I was a little ____ and a little ___... or something like that.

When we arrive he sits in one of the chairs around the little table (on his own!) and the teacher gives him his breakfast. It's the cutest thing EVER.

Things have been changing for me, too! I started a new job as a business analyst in the IT department (at the same company I've been working for the past 8 years). It was hard leaving the comfort of my old department but this move was great for me. So far, I'm loving it.

And surprise, surprise, we're having car issues. One of the cars, you know, the one that's just been paid off, died. It cost about $100 to get it towed from the parking lot to our house until we can figure out what to do next. Dad thinks repairs might be in the THOUSANDS. I'll just say "Ugh" and leave it at that.

And John has been able to find work now that his days are free. So far he likes what he's doing and I think he likes being around other adults!

Supercalifra... Where are you, Mary Poppins?

I know why they make kids toys in such bright colors.

It's so parents know at a glance if the thing baby is banging on the wall is a toy, or something big brother or big sister happened upon in their constant search for breakables and ink pens. And markers.

And scissors. 

And cash (because what fun is scissors without something valuable to cut up?).

(That only happened once...)

So if I don't see pepto pink, princess purple, primary orange, red, blue, green, and that bright yellow, I'm pretty certain I need to intervene.

Or, if someone is sitting quietly for more than 2 minutes, usually in a different room and usually with their back to the door, that's my cue to run over. (Literally run. Those seconds saved by running vs. walking are VITAL. From one who knows.)

And when I DO catch someone doing something they shouldn't be doing, they're always shocked to see me.

If it's Jake, he gives me a big grin and if he's standing he'll usually do a little jump and his eyes dart from side to side like he's looking for an escape route.  He usually denies all. Even though the evidence is *right* in front of me.

And sometimes he just shrugs and says "Yep mommy!" when I catch him.

Always with a smile.  He stands still *just* long enough for my heart to melt at how precious/precocious?  he is... and then he's off again. Onto his next adventure (and my next few grey hairs).

Katie's quieter.  Also? She does things that we might not notice right away...  like when she cut off a chunk of her hair and I didn't notice it till I found the evidence under her bed. I confiscated scissors two days before. And I had even washed her hair the day before and didn't notice a thing. So I don't know who was MOST surprised.  Me to find a chunk of hair? Or Katie because she didn't expect to be found out. She looked at me and all I did was shake my head and ask her if she was hungry for some dinner.

Or when she made "nests" out of dry spaghetti noodles and we found them in her room under her bed, under the desk, IN the desk, under her rug, and behind the couch. And not all at once either! It was a gift that kept on giving.

Jack is pretty little yet so we've got lots and lots of time to learn his quirks. And hopefully we'll catch on quickly.

I do look forward to the days when I won't need to sleep with one eye open or jump up to check on one of the kids when things are *too* quiet, or encourage cleanup cooperation when kids are "too tired" or their "legs hurt"... or they "can't bend".

But I don't want to be too excited about time moving forward. Because once these days pass, there's no going back and I will (probably) really miss the baby/toddler stages (when I'm dealing with three teenagers and licenses and dating and busy "teen" activities).

And I've loved every moment with these kids even when I don't know weather to laugh or cry. I usually lean toward laughing. A sometimes maniacal laugh, but hey, still a laugh.