Archives for June 2006

If you’ll take a gander at the below picture (one of TWENTY that The Princess just took with my digital camera!), and tell me how on earth I am supposed to sell my house, when my kid’s room always looks like this?!?!?** Suggestions would be much appreciated!

**Okay, so it doesn’t always look like this… but… it’s not uncommon. She’s four. She just had a birthday. She has more stuff than we know what to do with – HELP!

It did not escape my notice that yesterday was 6/6/06, and I had a tremendously “hellish” start to my day. Hubby had gone golfing Monday evening, so I hadn’t gotten to run out and pick up a few things at the store, because I was holding down the fort with the girls and it was nearly bedtime when he’d left. I thought I would have plenty of time yesterday a.m. before meeting E at the park with my kids and hers for a gathering.

Well, I had time, but barely.

As I was hustling around the house to get ready, I realize the batteries in my digital camera were dead. No problem, I had just purchased several new packs of AA batteries when they were on sale at Target a few weeks back. Problem? I couldn’t find them. Hubby has been packing the “clutter” up and putting it “away” to prepare for selling our house. All fine and dandy, except – it’s not clutter! In addition to the batteries, he has misplaced a full bottle of infant ibuprofen (which we have NEEDED!) and a brand new box of bandaids! These are not occasional items – these are staples in the home!

Okay, I figure, I’m gonna roll with the punches – I’ll just get a pack of batteries when I go to the store… I cram my gear in the diaper bag and go outside and remember, “Oh yeah, Hubby has my van today.” He had to take my van to the dealership, so I had his car – a fine car, but certainly not a car made for a car seat AND a booster seat… I go to put Pumpkin in her seat, and realize the darn thing was wobbling all over. At that point, I was freaking out – how can I drive my kids in something I don’t feel is safe. After about ten minutes of tinkering, I realize it was put in incorrectly. This prompted my call to Hubby that went a little something like, “Hey Britney Spears! Learn to put the freakin’ car seat in right!” (Ahem. I was a bit peeved at that point, if you can’t tell).

Got the carseat installed – by this point, I was sweating. I went to put the stroller in the trunk, but…

The trunk was full!

Hubby had helped my brother clean out his apartment and had volunteered to take a trunk load of my brother’s old stuff to Goodwill. Of course, two weeks later, he hasn’t done it. I couldn’t even fit an umbrella stroller in the trunk. Frustrated, I gave up.

Got both girls safely buckled in, and called E to let her know that me, the chronically over-punctual person was gonna be LATE! Decided that while at the store, I’d grab a cappuccino (you have to agree, I had earned it, right?), batteries, a bottle of juice for The Princess, and a birthday card for E (who is the big 2-9 today! Whaaaaaaaaahoooooooooo!).

We arrived at the park only about 10 minutes late, and proceeded to watch The Princess and E’s cutie-patootie boys play for awhile. It was wonderful to get fresh air and actually talk to a grown up. I felt world’s calmer by the time I left – I most certainly needed that.

The afternoon at home was calmer, and The Princess and I regrouped by downloading Laurie Berkner’s “Buzz Buzz” cd and dancing to “Pig on Her Head” all afternoon (If you have kids and haven’t heard anything by Laurie Berkner, I do recommend her – funny lyrics that are so catchy and not too obnoxious!).

It’s another day and much calmer… I may be just a tad superstitious about why yesterday started so rough, but some days just are rough.

Now that Pumpkin has discovered her affinity for pulling herself up on furniture and cruising around, she’s also discovering that tricky little gravity thing – yeah, what goes up, must come down. On several occasions, that’s involved the not-so-pleasant, head-meeting-wall phenomena which results in a goose-egg on the noggin and screams that can be heard a block away.

Fun.

I’d forgotten that part.

This morning, Pumpkin was crawling after The Princess who was heading into the bathroom. The Princess was trying to shut the sliding bathroom door (This sliding bathroom door is an annoyance on its own – probably intended to save space, or be some cute little thing into the master bedroom, it’s just kind of obnoxious). Of course, being four, instead of simply shutting the door, she paused, “Moooooooooooooom! She’s following me, she’s trying to get in the bathroom! Get her, get her, get her!” Now, you and I both know that in the time she spent yelling, she could have shut the door, peed, and gone about her life without any impact to her little sister. Except…

In the midst of yelling, Pumpkin caught up to her, and pulled herself up on the slider door, and when The Princess finally shut the door, Pumpkin went careening (head first, of course), into the wall.

Baby-proofing now has to extend another foot higher. The shelves where we had started stashing everything to keep them out of reach are now too low, and we’re going to have to move everything upwards once more. We’re constantly trying to stay a step ahead of her, trying to keep her from putting odd snips from the ground in her mouth (and where does all that come from anyway? How many times daily do I need to vacuum to keep the floor “snip-free”?!).

I get plenty of cardio daily chasing after this kid – and she’s not even one yet!

From the Oh-So-Stinkin’-Cute-Department:

Pumpkin has taken to crawling to our full length mirror in the bedroom and kissing her reflection. Repeatedly. Loud, slobbery kisses with that big, “Mwah! Mwah!” kissy noise.

Too cute.