Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Best Buds

Even though they are fighting 75% of the time, they really do love each other...

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...and they are so cute when they get along.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

So burned out

Somewhere between the weekend and now, all that motivation and energy flew out the window. I still have a long to-do list, but right now I am so exhausted and burned out that even going to bed seems like too much work. I hate feeling like this because inevitably I lose my patience with the kids far too often. This evening I yelled at Shiphrah because she flung her PJ top behind the dresser while I was changing her diaper. Doesn't she know how difficult it is for me and my huge belly to lay on the floor and reach under the dresser to fish things out? Gah, I think I pulled a muscle in my neck doing it too. Speaking of changing diapers, it's looking like more and more of a reality that I will have THREE kids in diapers come July. Every time I talk to Shiphrah about using the big girl potty or going poop in the potty, she looks at me very seriously and says, "no want to poop in potty, Mommy." I suppose it could just click with her one of these days; I guess that's just what I'll have to hope for. I mean, she's not even 2 1/2 yet so it's not like she's delayed or anything, I was just really hoping to have her potty training out of the way by the time #3 came along. Diapers are soooo expensive (my husband refuses to go cloth, so don't bother suggesting that, I've already tried) and I already feel like I'm up to my arms in them all day long with two kids. I can't imagine having three. Do you think God would mind if I prayed that Shiphrah would miraculously show an interest in potty training?

It's Fiesta in San Antonio this week, so my husband is working off-duty gigs at Fiesta on both of his days off this week. They're short gigs (6ish hours) but not having him around in the evenings at all in one week is harder than I thought it would be. I guess I never realized how much I looked forward to those two nights where I'd have his help. Most mornings he gets the kids up and started on their breakfasts while I spend a few extra minutes in bed, but lately that hasn't been relaxing because the kids are loud and whiny in the mornings (we don't have a door on our bedroom so I can't tune them out). So it's like I'm super-tense as soon as I wake up every morning and that's really starting to wear on me. Why can't they wake up happy in the mornings? Anyway, all that to say it feels like forever since I've had a real break. Grocery shopping by myself just isn't cutting it anymore. I think it's been extra-hard lately because I'm adjusting to Shiphrah giving up her nap time, which means no alone time during the day. (I could get her to nap, but when she does she won't go to sleep at night until 10 or 11.) But, only two or three more weeks until our mini-vacation in Austin!!

Anyhoo, I'm going to see if I can't at least put away a little laundry before I crash. This sleepiness is so bizarre though...I guess maybe I didn't sleep as well as I thought I did last night?

Monday, April 19, 2010

The ultimate frustration

You know what's worse than lacking the energy/motivation to do something? Actually having the motivation/energy and not being able to do it! I had grand plans for this morning. I was going to get up and leave the kids with Avery while I went grocery shopping and then take them over to my neighbors house while I tackled the back bedroom that will eventually be the new baby's room. But even the best plans can be ruined by an unwilling husband. Avery stayed up late last night so he slept in this morning. Which meant I had to postpone grocery shopping until I could take the kids to the neighbor's. By the time I was home again it was time to make lunch and I had to pick the kids up. UGH, so frustrating!! And, of course, the kids are fussy and clingy today so I'm having a hard time even getting little chores done.

So today I was wishing I had the super power of replication. You know, so one of me could play with the kids while the other one did my chores. Only, I really need a bigger and better version of me...one that can reach things and lift heavy objects and rearrange furniture without hurting herself. *Sigh* Anyway, I still hope to get to that bedroom tonight, but it's only 7-o-clock and I'm already feeling drained. Not good.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Just some stories

After a week or so of extreme exhaustion, I seemed to have had somewhat of a breakthrough today. It was bizarre because I didn't get any more sleep than usual last night and my nap today was a fail (noisy neighbors + noisy dog + noisy kids = ugh). But somehow my body woke up around 6-o-clock this evening and I suddenly felt like conquering the world. So I put away two loads of laundry, washed two more, washed the dishes, and took a shower. Not a lot, I know, but for me it was an accomplishment.

Shiphrah actually took a nap today so she had endless energy all evening long. (Why is it that my 2 1/2 year old seems to need less sleep than I do??) She stayed up with me after I put Kirk to bed at 8:30 and was THRILLED to have some one-on-one time with Mama. Methinks I need to do that more often...she was extra-cheerful and talking my ear off about all sorts of random things. She's at such a cute age...she tells me "stories" that are just run-on sentences full of people's names and random things that happened recently. I wish I could get it on video, it's just too adorable! Anyway, I put her to bed around 10-o-clock, but I could hear her moving around in her room for another 45 minutes or so. Again I have to ask, why does my toddler seem to need less sleep than me?

Kirk is finally settling back into his happy-go-lucky self. He's still a Mama's boy and a bit clingy, but he's much easier to entertain and keep busy these days. I'm hoping all this rain we've been having is washing away all the oak pollen so the kids' allergies (and mine) will finally go away, but we've been able to do without the Zyrtec most days this week. It makes me laugh to see just how different two toddlers can be though. Shiphrah could sit in front of the TV and watch movies all day long if I'd let her (and trust me, she asks constantly) and she's been like that since she was a year old. In fact, at only 7 or 8 months old she would sit through a 30-minute baby video if I needed to keep her in one place. Kirk, on the other hand, will glance at the movie playing every once in a while, but for the most part he completely ignores the TV. He's much happier if I give him a bowl, a few cheerios, and a spoon to play with. In fact, those three things kept him busy for about two hours this evening! Usually he follows me around like my shadow, but if I can give him something new to play with, he'll actually leave me alone long enough for me to get some chores done. I'm going to rapidly run out of "new" things though.

Other than being exhausted most of the time, we had a nice weekend. Saturday morning we had made plans to meet up with Kym (XxFireXboltxX) and her family at the zoo, but the rain prevented that. Instead we met at Jim's for breakfast and hung out all morning. It was a lot of fun and Kym was just as nice as I'd hoped! Kirk and her little boy Andrew had a lot of fun sitting next to each other in high chairs and watching each other throw things on the floor. Shiphrah was a bit of a handful, but she's been a stinker lately anytime we go anywhere. Anyway, hopefully we'll try the zoo again sometime soon, but it was really neat to get to meet a fellow Xangan in real life!

Well, Avery will be home from work any minute so I'll wrap this up. 'Night, all!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

On being scarce

Now that I've entered my third trimester (or thereabouts; I'm 28 weeks along) the exhaustion is hitting me hard again. Between keeping up with my very active toddlers (one of whom is still refusing to walk, even though he can) and trying to keep up with the mounds of laundry and dishes, I am wiped out! Thankfully, aside from seasonal allergies, the kids seem to finally be well, so here's hoping they stay that way for a while!

So yeah, even thinking about sitting down and writing a blog overwhelms me. It's much easier to pop in and out on Facebook and Twitter and write short updates than it is to construct several paragraphs that make sense. So look me up on Facebook or follow me on Twitter if you want more regular updates than what I post on here.

And I thought I could give you more than that, but I guess not. Happy Weekend, everyone!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Mother of the Year

You know when everything goes wrong at once and you feel like the worst parent in the world because you can't seem to do anything right? Yeah, that's me right now. Kirk's rash is fading slowly, but he's still shooting snot rockets and feels downright miserable (or at least that's how he's acting). He wants held 24/7, but prefers to be held while the holder is walking around. My 6-month pregnant belly is NOT putting up with that. Shiphrah woke up this morning with a 101.8 fever. Did I mention she had just gotten over the cold she's had for two weeks? I think she probably had the fever yesterday too but I didn't think to check her. Her appetite was awful though...she ate a bowl of cereal, 1/2 a tortilla, a tiny donut, and a few teddy grahams and goldfish crackers all day long. This morning she didn't want breakfast and all she wanted to do was curl up in her little chair with her dog, elephant, and blanket. Then when I went to put Kirk down for his nap (which he is currently fighting) she followed me into the room and wanted to go back to bed too. Poor thing must feel awful.

So yeah, why can't I keep my kids healthy??? I try so hard to get them to eat well...yogurt most mornings, fresh fruit every day, C-boost to drink every day, gummy vitamins, you name it and I've tried it! Short of trying to re-lactate and give them breastmilk (which I don't think would work) I'm not sure what to do anymore.

Needless to say, I'm not feeling like Mother of the Year right now. Shiphrah has been watching too many movies (she's averaging 2 hours a day lately) just because I can't deal with her when Kirk is being fussy and clingy. I also haven't figured out how to teach her to be quiet while he naps...so the TV turns on again then too. I need to just start doing a little learning time with her during his morning nap but I've been so exhausted from all the sickness that I just haven't felt like it.

Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law and a couple of sisters-in-law, I was able to get some uninterrupted time to clean and do laundry last weekend. So at least the house isn't falling apart at the moment. That's my one accomplishment. Oh, and since Avery has switched back to B-shift at work, our relationship has greatly improved. Night shift sucked, y'all, I have the greatest respect for anyone who can do that long-term.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my finance poll post. Avery and I talked about it again and decided to use all but $1K to pay off the debt (leaving that for an emergency fund). Our Discover card balance is now wiped clean and we should be able to pay the rest of the Mastercard balance within the month. It's so exciting to be almost debt-free again! (Well, other than the mortgage. ) Unfortunately some of the savings had to go towards four new sets of uniforms for Avery...those things are expensive. But the city does pay him a monthly uniform allowance of $50, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Well, I'm off to organize my grocery list. Whenever my husband gets back from running his errands, I need to head out to do mine. Have a great Thursday everybody!