Remember the duck? Be the duck

I was supposed to have a play date with a friend this afternoon. She has a 2 year old and a 3 week old baby. Life feels very tough for her. 

I was bringing my son, my girls and the baby. 4 kids in tow. We were 10 minutes late, but we were there. 

Approximately 45 minutes after our planned meeting I got a text that she had just gotten to her 2 year old daughter's school. Almost 20 minutes away, easily. 

We decided to try again for our play date. 

Tonite, I had a short, quick errand to run and I offered to bring her coffee. No answer. I went home instead. 

About an hour later I received this message:

"So I'm not good at checking my phone and I just saw this. Currently we have s clean house, 2 clean kids, a full dog, 1 nursing baby, and 1 toddler wanting milk but will have to wait bc daddy's working. Thank you for the offer! Seriously, you're my hero for doing this w 5. You always seem organized and together. I don't even feel like I can keep my life together when it's just me!"

And this was my reply:

With this message:

"That's my bedroom. I just discovered lice in Dillys hair. Again. After she cut 3 more chunks out. Again. And she's wearing a pull-up because I'd rather spend $5/mo than risk getting peed on even 1 more time. I have a minimum of 5 loads of laundry to do and at least a load of dishes. I need to sweep and swifter all over my house. I don't do this any better than anyone else. But I try to recognize that teaching my kids to roll with life will be better than freaking out over laundry and dishes. You're doing great and I'm excited for you that baby is here and you're figuring out your new normal. It's a challenge for us all! Keep pushing."

Friends, I promise, it's tough. But I also promise our kids are growing up right in front of our faces and they're going to leave us one day. If you need help planning something, ask, or check my blog to see if I have a tutorial. If I don't and you want my help, ask. If I do, use it!!

Help each other. Offer support. Fold a friend's laundry. Open a door. 

Help. Each. Other! 

Georgia Waverly: Month 1

At the ripe old age of 1 month, Georgia has found a very clear and discernable spot in everyone's hearts. She is loved and doted on by all and has experienced 5 swim meets! (That was fast...) She is now sleeping approximately 4 hours at a stretch at night and is making eye contact. She has done well at all of her doctor's visits and seems to be growing right on track. Her Mongolian Spots are here to stay and we have found they will change color with her body temp! She likes to smile and talk with Lissy and Dilly and seems to think that they are both WILDLY entertaining. 

Lissy and Georgia

Dilly and Georgia

Here's Georgia at 1 month... with her cute outfit from Round the Bend! When I tell you Erin is awesome, I mean she is fabulous!!! We got a gown in pink and a gown in white. Love them!!

We all can't wait to see what she will be doing next!

Potty Training

The experts say that your child will show you they are ready to be potty trained and that's how you will know that it is time to start potty training. Some parents call this the struggle or battle of wills. It is most definitely a challenge for all involved. For the parents, this is letting go of your baby in some regard and giving them a new independence. For your tot, this is the first time they truly get to call the shots. This can be a trying time for all involved.

Other experts say that once these signs show up, you can potty train your child in just 3 days. This may be true for some children, but certainly not all of them.

This weekend we started to try to potty train MelissaJane. She has shown interest in the bathroom and the habits of others. She says pee pee about 85% of the time that her diaper is wet or soiled, so we know she can communicate her needs.

Since we had such good background evidence, she spent all of Saturday naked from the waist down. On Sunday morning she got up and used the potty for all of about 3 droplets. While Geoff was out running errands he bought some underwear in her size. She was VERY excited to see the underwear and put them on, but the concept was not sticking.

This is not a successful attempt #1. And oddly enough, my memories of potty training Annie and Jonas were that it went much more smoothly. Annie simply said ok when we suggested it to her. Jonas, quite honestly, was potty trained mostly at school. I was told by his teacher that the next week I was to bring him to school with several changes of clothes and several pairs of underwear and by the end of the week we were done. It was great! I was hoping that MelissaJane would be like her sister and it would just click. I guess we'll have to try again.

Tonite when you say your prayers, say one for us that this all goes smoothly and quickly.

Love!

First Run

Today I dragged myself to the gym, put my big fat  uncomfortably sized self on the elliptical and then the treadmill and exercised. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't my best, but it's done.

I set a big time goal of running 500 miles this year. (It's kind of a big deal I said that out loud, so please hold me to it.) and today I snapped down 1.5 of them. I have 363 days left to get another 498.5. Seems manageable, but you'd be amazed at how quickly life stomps all over your good plans! Lol! Don't I know! I'm the mom of 4, who was told there wouldn't be a #3 without IVF....guess life proved that wrong! Times 2!!!

I'm hoping that 2013 can be a year of growth and change and learning and becoming the best of me yet. Wanna come along for the ride? Tell me about your goals.

2013, day 1

I don't know if I'll keep up with my blog posting everyday. I don't know what the future has in store. I don't even know what will happen tomorrow.

Here's what I do know:
1. I love my family.
2. I do NOT want that to change.
3. I need to make sure I do everything to keep things moving in a positive direction for my family.

Here's my pledge for 2013.

I pledge to make 2013 a year of healthiness.
I will work on being healthier for my kids; eat a little less, get back to running, rest when I need it.
I will work on mental/emotional health for me and my family; less yelling, more play time, and talking things out.
I will work on marriage health; date nights, talking things out with Geoff, not going to sleep before resolving things.
I will work on financial health; saving, setting realistic goals, more dinners at home.
I will work on Classroom health; setting boundaries, planning for lessons effectively by reviewing data, and really listening to what works with the kids.
I will work on business health; set boundaries, be reasonable and set measurable, reasonable goals.

I'm hopeful that at the end of this year, my family, my life, my work and I will all be in a better place. Help me with this journey? Post in the comments any suggestions you might have.