Quick Takes Friday: Toliet Paper Edition

1. I have no idea how or why, but my children and two of their friends TP'd the play set yesterday. Yes, the play set! I know they've seen houses TP'd in the neighborhood (part of some high school hazing, I think) so they know what it is and we've talked about what a mess it makes. Right now, I just want to bang my head against  the wall and say, "WTF were you thinking?!"

And, yes, I made them clean it up before school. They dragged their feet and whined. I made THEM explain why they were late. I thought their teachers eyes were going to bug out of their heads!

2. Back in February, Adam and I went to the Awful Marriage Retreat and my mother, who was watching the kids, potty trained George. (Mom got a really nice birthday present from us!) She's been joking to Cole, "You'd better watch out! You're next!" Well, George apparently heard this and is trying to put Mom out of a job. George has been taking Cole into the bathroom and helping him sit on the potty. He says, "We no need yelp!" and shuts the door in my face. It's the funniest thing ever... and we'd better watch out, because I think whatever he is doing is working! Wouldn't it be odd if my late potty trainer trained his little brother? Even better... won't it be odd without diapers in the house?! Yeah, I think I could deal!

3. Normally when your husband says, "Honey, I got your Mother's Day present at a garage sale!" it doesn't mean anything good. However, he found a Phil and Ted's stroller with the doubles attachment! I am in love! I had been asking for one for years and he said there was no way he was going to spend several hundred dollars on a stroller. I've been through several strollers (all but one were second hand) and this is the nicest double stroller I have ever had. It is easy to push with 70 pounds of kid loaded up. I haven't jogged with it yet but man oh man is this thing awesome!

4. The kids normal pencent for early 1990's TV has been replaced by the Disney "Buddy" series about dogs that play ball or go into space. I can't say I'm complaining. There was only so much "Power Rangers" I could take.

5. Speaking of TV, what the HECK is up with the new Scooby Doo? I remember four kids and a dog who solved mysteries. They were all friends. Now they are all paired up (Fred/Daphne, Velma/ Shaggy), dating and there's load of teenage/young adult angst. The mysteries are weird too and much more conspiracy-theory. (Greys? Alien probing?) I need to find the Scooby Doo I knew and loved because... this new stuff is weird.

6. George does an adorable "Scooby doobe do!" imitation. It's so cute!

7. Joseph is over a 3 day stomach flu. I ended up getting him adjusted so his immune system could work better to fight the virus. We ended up having to be very careful about what he ate or drank as it would come right back up, but he's on the end now. He's acting like a typical 9 year old boy... sigh.

You know the drill...head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

How to Freak Out a Husband and Amuse Your Mother

I wouldn't say my sister and I have the same taste in clothes. Sure, we shop at the same places and we tend to like the same colors. We do swap maternity clothes around and pass kid clothing back and forth. It's not that one of us has poor taste in clothes; it's just different.

Or so I assumed.

When I visit my parents I tend to dress a little nicer than normal. The kids play happily and quietly or my parents watch them while I shower and dress. Since I won't be walking kids to school or cleaning the house, I can wear something other than jeans. I had packed several nicer tops to chose from, a skirt, slacks and two different dresses to chose from (for brunch). After thinking a moment, I picked a lavender top layered with a white tank and black slacks. I had black ballet flats to wear and some jewelry. At the last moment, I chose not to wear my long beaded necklace that I can loop in various styles.

When I walked downstairs to greet my sister, I found her wearing.... a lavender top layered with a white tank, jeans, flats, and a loopy pearl necklace. We laughed and our mother snapped a few pictures. Although I threatened to change, I didn't. I figured our tops were different enough styles that no one would notice.

If they did, no one commented until we stopped at another room to talk to Miss Who's nurse. The family of the NICU baby has an older daughter who was with them. She stopped her playing, looked up at us and said, "Why are you two dressed the same?"

When we got back to my parents house, my brother-in-law walked in the room, started to say hello, then stopped and said, "Eh, did you two plan that?"

No, no we didn't but if a guy notices I guess our outfits were alike!

That night, I joked to my sister that I was wearing a green and grey maxi dress the next day and to not wear the same colors! She didn't . . . but she wore a pretty wrap skirt, the same style of skirt that I almost grabbed to wear to brunch!

I think we might need to call each other from now on to make sure we DON'T dress the same!

Apraxia Awareness Day

According to the website apraxia-kids.org, today is the first Apraxia Awareness Day.

Although I tend to write more about prematurity than CAS, Childhood Apraxia of Speech affects every single aspect of our family. It's why George started preschool last year rather than this year. It's why we've welcomed speech therapists into our home at least once a week, every week, for three years. It's why he won't eat unfamiliar foods or at unfamiliar restaurants. It's why he screamed at me every morning for six months straight.

But . . .

He has apraxia. Apraxia does not have him.

George is happy. Yes, happy! He loves cows, Chik-Fil-A and trains. He loves his Grandpa and his Nono. He likes pancakes and pasta. He is strong willed, stubborn, and loving. He's a typical little brother and a great big brother! He's a NICU graduate who kicked prematurity and took names. He's the reason we host a NICU Thanksgiving every year. He's loving, caring, kind and compassionate. Now that he is finding his voice, he says the most hysterical things! Yes, yes, he has apraxia. It is a part of him but it doesn't define him.

He's the reason I will never take my voice for granted. He's the reason I was given the gift of speech and writing. He's thrust us into the world of special needs and made us all more comfortable around those with different abilities. He's the reason for many tears and so much more JOY. He's the reason the sentence "car get ow" is the best darn sentence I have ever heard.

Yes, Apraxia is his dragon and he must slay it. But amidst that spinney, scaly, snarling dragon is a precious flower, blooming against all odds.

Some of my favorite posts about Apaxia:
(Please note that these posts were written at various times in our journey. What they say may or may not reflect how we currently feel.)

A Voice for My Child: Orginally written for this blog, it was reposted on the Natural Parents Network last March. In it, I reflect on how my greatest strength is my son's greatest weakness.

She Kept Mocking the Way He was Speaking: My oldest son does not have Apraxia but that doesn't mean he is affected by it. At recess, one of his classmates was mocking George, something that upset my oldest.

Heal My Son: Sometimes I still get angry that my son, my baby, struggles so much with something that should come easily to him. I wish he was healed and perhaps healing is taking place through the hands of his therapists.

His Voice: The best first sentence in the world! Written for the Carnival of Natural Parenting.

I Knew it was Coming: The first time a child asked, "Why can't he talk?"

Apraxia Therapy: Different therapies we have used to help our son.

Fine: Related to prematurity but also about apraxia. How I feel when people say, "But he's fine, right?"

Mother's Day Ends in Puke

I really wish I had a creative title for this, or that I was joking. I'm not.

Now, I like puke as much as the next mother (read: I don't) but this time I have a special reason to FREAK THE FRICK OUT: we were visiting Miss Who's family.

Yeah, Miss Who, my niece, the one who was born at 25 weeks? That Miss Who- and her brothers and her parents and my parents.

Excuse me whilst I abuse exclamation points: !!!!!!!

Shortly after Miss Who was born, I told my parents and my sister that I would come up for Mother's Day. After much hemming and hawing, I decided to leave the little boys at home with Adam and take just my big kids with me. Aside from the fact that they wanted and needed just time with Mommy and their grandparents, without the chaos two little preschoolers (plus their preschool cousins) can cause, we could stay with my parents. (George and Cole seem to be allergic to cats and they have two.) We didn't tell the boys where we were going, although they knew we were traveling. Adam said they were kinda grumpy the entire weekend but were otherwise fine.

(He also admitted that it is easier with Joseph and Camille around because they do help out. The Troublesome Tots just leave chaos in their wake.)

We had a great trip. We left around six and got to my parents house laaaattte.  I got to see Miss Who outside of her isolette and hang out while her mommy had cuddle time. It was so awesome to really see her and watch her react to her mother's voice. She kept needing less and less oxygen while she was being held, even with my voice and presence there. (Sometimes unfamiliar voices can stress a preemie out- she did great! Guess she knows who will spoil her!) I even managed to make her a tiny, floppy brimmed hat that fit her!

As we were leaving the NICU, I got a call from Adam. Nothing good usually comes from, "Hey, honey, I got you a Mother's Day present at a garage sale!" I groaned and was ready to ream him when he followed up with, "I found a Phil and Ted's stroller with the doubles attachment for $75!" I about died! I have been wanting one for-ever! They are supposed to be the best, most lightweight strollers out there. I have tried jogging with our sit and stand and that just didn't work. It was so hard to push with only 30 pounds of kid; no way could I do it with both boys. Adam has tried it and says it pushed easily and stears well. I joked with my mother that I have no reason to give up running now. Darn that supportive husband who bought me running shoes, an armband for my phone, cleans the house while I am running AND buys me a dream stroller!

After hangin' with The Who, we went out to lunch and came home to dinner with everyone. I was very well fed and even more so the next day, when we went out to brunch on base. It felt oddly normal to be back on a military base. We lived on base when I was a teenager and, let's be honest, most military bases around the world look the same! Anyway, the food was great and we got home in time for a late dinner.

So, the puke. As we were driving home, the kids told me how much they enjoyed being with their grandparents and playing with their cousins without their brothers. It really cemented the choice I made and that the big kids needed some big kid time. They asked when we would visit again and I said I didn't know. The want to see Miss Who but completely understand the need to keep her germ-free for awhile. I remind them that they have her whole life to love on her but right now, she needs the quiet time with just her parents. I even said, "You know, you guys are big enough to tell me if you feel sick. The little boys can't do that so they probably shouldn't be around her or her brothers, because they could get them sick."

Ah, I should have known something was up when Joseph slept most of the trip and didn't touch his strawberry lemonade.

He woke up this morning and was sick several times. Adam and I were up early and he made a quick run to the store for ginger-ale. I cleaned up, made coffee, made him a bed on the couch, and freaked out.

"OMG, WHAT IF THE BOYS GET SICK? WHAT IF THEY GIVE IT TO THEIR PARENTS AND THE BABY GETS SICK??? WHAT IF I AM SICK AND I WAS AROUND THE BABY???? My parents and sister and brother-in-law will hate me FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE and we will NEVER EVER EVER be able to visit again and I will NEVER EVER EVER be able to see the boys or Miss Who again! NO ONE WILL LOVE ME and I will have to live with the knowledge that my SELFISH REASONS for visiting allowed the baby to get sick!!!!"

Adam looked at me, handed me coffee and said, "Drama much?"

So, there you have it. Mother's Day weekend was pretty awesome until it all came back into the toilet. If you need me, I will be doing penance in the form of multiple loads of laundry and sick kid.

It's the little things that make life annoying...

This week, it seems like tons of little things are adding up make life a big pain in the tush. It's kinda like having a small pebble in my sock that I just.can't.find.

Here's my litany of complaints:

• The weather sucks. Hello, Mother Nature? I know you are all menopausal and crap but seriously. There are drugs for that. Get over it and bring on spring!
• The AC in my car broke. I am sure this is a fine example of a first world problem but I HATE it. I grew up either not having or not using AC in a car and I am so over that. The car has been in the shop twice already, and I am not looking forward to taking it again. To top it off, I am leaving town this weekend. I am not making a drive without my AC!
• George has had a week of whine. I am not sure why, but nothing can or will make this child happy.
• I keep cleaning and the house keeps getting dirty!
• I put a diaper on Cole... on backwards.
• I ordered new contacts and they came in. Yay! I went to pick them up, thinking Cole would nap during the drive and all would be good. He did nap, and when I pulled him out of the car, I found he had a minor diaper leak of the gross kind. Oh, and the office was shut for lunch.
• The garage door is broken. That is, the remote doesn't work. I have to get out of my car, open the door, back the car out and get out to shut the garage door. This takes time. I am not amused.

I know, I know, offer it up, right? I should and I will, just as soon as I have a snack....

Oh, wait, I need to go grocery shopping too!

I live in Narnia...

.. where it is always winter, never Christmas.

And there aren't even any cute little fawns or beavers or Turkish Delight or an awesome story that is really a Christian allegory or what have you to make my life more interesting.

We are on the 80th or so day of February around here. In the Midwest, February tends to be the most brutal month, weather wise, with snow storms, ice, hail and sleet. It seems that Mother Nature hasn't gotten the message (or she's going through menopause) that it is May.

May, people, MAY and yet it snowed a few days ago!

Don't get me wrong; we've had some lovely days and I have the tan in the shape of a shirt I wear to prove it! On Monday I took George to the local petting zoo. We opened the gates and stayed until we had to pick Cole up. Tuesday and Wednesday we were outside all morning taking walks, running and going to and from school. It was wonderful!

Then it turned cold and snowy and rainy. Blech.

I have no idea what's up with this. Last year, I swear we lived on the surface of the sun with multiple 100+ degree days in a row. Now we have the never ending winter! I hope it warms up soon; I just spent $45 on clothing for the little boys for spring/summer (if it ever gets here) and went through all the kids closets. With temps swinging back and forth, they need their heavy jackets AND their shorts out! I'm tired of trying to find a spot for two seasons wardrobes!

Oh, and to add insult to injury, my friends in Canada are having better weather than we are!

It's official- not a fan of Narnia.

(Unless a cute little beaver knocks at my door and makes us tea. Then we'll talk.)

Run, Run Away!

It started out as a joke.

I've known that I need to loose weight. My drs have been dropping not-so-subtle hints about my lack of weight loss since Cole was born. I know I can't call it "baby weight" since the baby in question is THREE but I can call it "toddler weight" since every time I try and work out, the child sits.on.my.face.

My kids are my biggest motivation and my biggest hindrance. Have you ever tried to do yoga or Pilate's and keep four children from killing each other, themselves or destroying the house/yard/playground/world? If we go for a walk or bike ride, someone is tired/hungry/whiny/won't walk. Swimming requires a pool and childcare. And the Wii? Yeah, like I can  use the Wii.

And no. Just no. I am not getting up early.

But then I met up with a cousin who recently ran a 10k for a charity. She looks fabulous. Another cousin has lost 20 pounds and several inches doing TKD. Then there's Miss Who. If Miss Who can kick prematurity in the butt, eat, grow and thrive 15 weeks early than I can stop my whining and exercise.

I tossed out the idea of doing Couch to 5K to a friend. Now, let me just say that I DO NOT run. In fact, talking about running gives me flash backs to having to run the mile in junior high. Even when I swam 20 hours a week, I dreaded cross training via running. (That could have had something to do with my lack of proper running shoes because we lived in Hawaii and no one had sneakers... I digress.) ANYWAY, I do not run... but running is the only viable option.

My friend got super excited and promised to help me. I then made a random comment about this on Facebook and everyone was excited and all, "Go Laura! You can do this!" Another cousin (yep, I have loads of cousins!) linked me to several races in my area- the Color Run and a Dirty Duo. I laughed a few days later when I said to my mom, "She made it too easy to do this! Instead of saying, "Look for a color run" she gave me the one IN TOWN." I told all of Facebook that I would not do mud UNLESS people donated mega bucks to the March of Dimes or our NICU's foundation.

All of a sudden... people started donating to my March of Dimes team. I joked once more about being thrown in the mud... and then got serious. I told everyone that if I raised 200 dollars for the MOD, I would do the Dirty Duo (the mud run).

I raised $220.

(I'm not sure if my friends love me and want to support the charity that lead research that saved George and is helping Miss Who... or if they want to see me all muddy and gross!)

Within 24 hours of me saying, "I think I am going to start running with a friend" Adam bought me new running shoes. Once money is spent, I knew I would not get out of it, so my friend and I made a running date.

The first day stunk. I could barely do it and my legs hurt like nothing else for two days.

I skipped a day and the next day was better but still hard. The third day was fairly easy and I really enjoyed getting out alone for 30 minutes. My friend went out with me on day four (the start of a new interval) and we had fun . . . and I wiped out on the concrete path.

For a moment, I thought I had sprained an ankle. It crossed my mind to stop and go home. Then I remember Miss Who and all the people who had donated to the March of Dimes for me to do the run. I stood up, dusted off my hands, walked a running interval (I did "walkwalkrun" for a bit instead of "runwalkrun") and kept going.

I won't say I like running. I will say I enjoy my alone time, or my time with a friend. I know I will enjoy the weight loss benefits if I can stick to my diet. Plus, Adam has made it too easy for me to run- he does the dishes and helps with homework when I am gone! Can't argue with that. Whenever the going gets rough, I offer it up for Miss Who and her family. I picture her strong and at home, running around and terrorizing her parents older siblings. She keep me going.

I don't want to train for marathons. I don't have any super goals, like running a 5k for time or anything. I plan on doing the Dirty Duo and maybe some fun runs if I feel like it. In fact, the only "real" goal I have now is to lose ten pounds before Miss Who gains ten!

Next week, I plan on adding in yoga or strength training on my "off" days. Any good websites or apps for that?