Giveaway | Valentines Day Cards

Last year I used Pear Tree Greetings for Valentine's Day cards, and somehow it's time for another V-Day giveaway for you readers. Up for grabs is $25 off any Valentines Day cards from Pear Tree Greetings.

This will be the first classroom Valentines experience for Truman, and since he is one of twenty seven kids (!!) in Junior Kindergarten I can't wait to see the cards he brings home. All I've been told is that we need to supply an undecorated shoe box for their party and the Valentines Day cards should not be addressed to each child individually, since it will be too difficult to sort them out among the masses. Fine by me, although I'm sort of bummed that I can't decorate the box myself….er... help Truman decorate his shoe box, because that was literally my favorite part of Valentines Day parties growing up. I still remember using tin foil and conversation hearts and boat loads of glue. Ah, early beginnings of crafting.

But I digress. Truman's party is coming up in a few more weeks, and I wanted to get him some fun cards that aren't too over the top. I mean, would I be *that* overachieving mom if I picked a personalized card with three pictures of T-man on display? Probably, but I still love the kids Valentine's Day photo cards to death and might go for it next year once I get a feel for the proper card selection for school parties. I looked through all of PTG's classroom Valentines and eventually selected the Monster Heart in red/blue. Not too girlie and 'lovey', a little goofy so that Truman can stand behind my choice, and perfectly tiny so that it fits into those 26 shoe boxes in his class. I also ordered some of the matching stickers, which are supposed to be gift tags, but I figure that most 4-5 year olds kind of obsess over stickers to be placed on their bodies/clothes anyway. I might put the sticker inside of the envelope with the card for a few of his most special friends, or maybe I'll make the sticker the actual Valentine for some people. We shall see. But I think both will be big hits for the big (heart) day!







My handsome Valentine <3


Hey kids, will you pose for a picture for me in this meager make shift V-Day photoshoot? (Never mind that we exiled Henry to a different room, since he was attempting to steal food from the children as always. And never mind that Cecelia's new Valentine's Day sweatshirt still has the tag on it, since we opened the care package from my mom seconds before this picture).


Now for the part that includes you:

Enter the Rafflecopter drawing below to win $25 your Pear Tree Greetings Valentine's Day order. Offer expires on 2/28/15 and I will draw the winner on Saturday, February 7. Have fun shopping!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Day in the Life | Winter 2015

Time for another ridiculously detailed account of a single day in my life, and I went with a 'home day' for this one. Laura put out the reminder for her seasonal DiTL and I couldn't decide between documenting a week day at home with the kids versus a weekend day--last time was a work day and it's always just so freaking hectic and reads as overly stressful. Obviously a day at home is a different kind of hectic but a lot more fun, too. And more time for hundreds of pictures with my big camera and new lens, get pumped to be visually assaulted with images of my children! Mwwahahaha. 

Thursday | January 22, 2015
Nate and I are both 33 years old
Truman is 4.5 years old
Cecelia is 2.5 years old
Porter is 6.5 months old (rounding up a bit here. IMPOSSIBLE that he is so 'old' now, right?)

5:00 am | Phone alarm goes off AT FULL VOLUME. Holy mother. Why? I usually I keep it turned to the lowest setting possible, unsure what happened here. Snooze that beast. Not feeling it just yet. 

5:12 am | Another alarm set entirely too loud. I need to get moving since I'm trying a new 'interval' class at the gym today. 

Explanation, because I'm sure you care so much: My new goal is to go to the gym four days per week. I've been doing 2-3 days but want to amp it up and do something non-treadmill occasionally, with more group exercise classes. I actually enjoy these early morning work outs quite a bit as I find they set my mood for the entire day, providing just a bit of 'me time' before the craziness of the rest of the day begins. Plus I have about eight more pounds to burn until I'm officially back to my pre-preg weight. I know I look 'fine' and I'm not trying to be vain or anything. BUT.  Since Porter stopped nursing 'early' on me, I don't have the excuse that my 'breastfeeding body needs a few more pounds for milk production' anymore. Most of the time I lost the baby weight by the nine month mark but this time I'm feeling the strong urge to reclaim my body as MY OWN sooner, since it's no longer nourishing my babe. Basically, working out is 90% for my mental sanity and 10% to get back in shape. It's 100% for the sake of feeling like me again. And since the nights are already bringing broken sleep with my non-nurser who still doesn't STTN, waking up at this god awful hour honestly does not feel that horrible. I know it seems sort of terrible but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.

Get up and throw on work out clothes in the bathroom. Brush teeth. I look crazy-tired but Porter was only up once last night at 2 am (and Truman needed me to tuck him in at 2:30). Not bad at all considering yesterday and how much of a hot mess Porter P was. More on that later. Snap a selfie because this is real life and my 5am face is a sight to behold. Keeping it real, yes.


Yawn. Bags. 


5:21 am | Leave for gym. Take a picture of the gym when I get there, feel embarrassed for being so tool-like in the parking lot taking picture. Note the temperature feels warm today but it's really not quite spring yet.



5:27 am | Check in at the gym, drop off stuff in the locker, and hustle to the 'big gym' for this Interval class. Always a little nervous exercising with a bunch of people I don't know but I didn't fall over or make a total fool of myself, so it was a win. Hope none of these people saw me taking a picture of the gym in the parking lot or they may suspect my tool-like tendencies. It was 'circuit day' which meant: warm up running laps in the gym, then 8 minutes of sprints/lunge/hops/shuffles, 8 minutes of yoga stuff, then 1 million burpees and lunges and push ups for the next 8 minutes, and then medicine ball stuff for the last go round. I'm absolutely certain my legs will be jello for the entire day and newsflash: I can barely lift my work bag to my shoulder the next day. It was a good butt-kicker, that's for sure! Fire alarm goes off at the end of class and is extra annoying.

6:25 am | Class is over. Note my appalling hairy legs during class and decide I better shave or I'll never make a friend in my new class (joking, I don't really like to make friends while I'm sweating and panting my face off). Get stuff in locker and head out. Still pitch black outside but again, not too cold. I see a bunny in the snow by my van and take a video for Cecelia-the-animal-lover. She loves both animals and also videos on my phone lately so this will surely be a winner. 

6:37 am | Home. Nervous to go in since yesterday I returned to Nate in our bed with both CC and Porter, who were both freaking out a majority of the time I was away. Today everyone appears to be in their respective beds. Yes!  Sis is climbing up to Truman's bed and said "Truey, I went potty." Then they argue about something and I snap a video through the monitor. She never goes up to his bed but now they are being cute and starting their "potty talk" already...I hear something about "your butt". Fantastic. Their Tot Clock is set to turn yellow at 6:55 so they have a bit of time before they are released into the house. Porter is still asleep. I better shower now while I can, but first take Henry outside in my preferred, lazy way with his leash hanging over our side door.



6:50 am | Head upstairs to get my clothes before the shower. Hear the kids being pretty loud and Cecelia opens their door, sees me, and shuts it right away. 'I see mommy out there, Truman!' Busted. I go in to see the hooligans. She says she went poo poo but "it's all gone" because she already dumped it in the big toilet. They want out of their rooms early and missed daddy last night. He wasn't home until 10pm for the day, since he worked a hockey game right after his regular day. So I set clock to yellow early and sic 'em on Nate . CC wants a sucker for her poo job because of course she never forgets her 'reward' system, even before 7 am. "You're the best mommy, thank you, mommy," said Truman when I let them get up early. Man I love that kid and his grateful heart (sometimes grateful, sometimes oblivious, of course). 

6:55 am | Truman asks if the Admirals won last night and was happy they did. Nate asked me about my new class and gives unsolicited advice: 'Just don't have crappy form, that's how you get hurt'. Thanks, Nate! I shower and even shave my legs!! The big kids go downstairs with Nate, and are being quite loud. 

7:05 am | I get ready and can't believe Porter is still sleeping. Hear coffee and smoothies being made downstairs, and hear some whining, too. Cecelia is crying about pancakes not being waffles. Truman  wants a boy plate and Nate incorrectly selected him a girl plate. I'm sure daddy is loving being in charge of breakfast for the bigs right now.

Here is when I'll say that this morning is not our typical Thursday morning. Until last week, Nate would be out of the house by 6:30 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Next week he starts teaching part time so his hours at the clinic have already changed to accommodate teaching. Since there is no lab to teach this week, he doesn't have to leave until 10:30 am or so, which is freaking glorious. But next week it will be 7:00 am and now he gets home quite a bit later in the evenings because of the teaching gig. Our 'family dinner' nights have always been Tues/Thurs when he got home around 4:30, Fridays at 5:30. Mondays and Wednesdays he's never home before 7:15pm so those are long days, obviously. But now our early evenings on Tues/Thurs will be 6:00pm days---not horrible I guess, but really dislike having 4 out of 5 weekday nights be so late for him. Anyway, today is a great morning and totally atypical because he is home to help with the morning routine and not already out of the door. I will take it!

My outfit selection reflects my 'day at home uniform' of leggings with various lengthy tops. This is my only flannel shirt and I wear it all of the time because it's super long (tunic length = appropriate for regular length on me). It has some baby puke on the front of the shirt because I think I wore over the weekend but it's not obvious enough to warrant a washing before I wear it today. Classic slobby mom move, I know. I just really like this shirt and really hate laundry.

7:10 am | I go rescue Cecelia from the waffle and pancake debacle, grab a cup of piping hot coffee, my real camera, and take my daughter upstairs along with my new supplies. She looks at videos on my phone, discovers the bunny video, and her happy smile is exactly what I hoped for when I took the crappy video. 





I do my hair and curse our hot/stagnant bathroom. I have officially decided that it's next on our House Project List---we've wanted to redo the bathroom since before we bought this house and it's time. Nate tells me that my desires for house projects are never easy requests but I tell him that they are aways worth it;) See also: our kitchen, our basement, our white woodwork. 

Then Cecelia informs me that "I still so tired" and needs to "rest" in bed a bit. This is code for wanting to suck on her nuk and have quiet time alone in her room. I find it rather ridiculous that sister is potty trained but still uses a freaking pacifier for sleeping, and now apparently uses it to 'reset' herself when she is emotionally distraught or especially tired. It works though, and instead of time outs when she is melting down, we have her take some time in her room. Someday the Paci Fairy is coming and Cecelia is deathly afraid of her. I obviously don't have a lot of ambition with inviting the Paci Fairy to come and play just yet. I figure at age 3 it needs to be gone....which is funny because it was age 1 for Truman and originally supposed to be 18 months for CC. Oh well. Subsequent children get to be babies longer, I guess, so Porter may take his nuk to college. 

Text Diz, see if she is up for a playdate today. Apply some makeup on a day off (!!)--not always but definitely a must for you DiTL-ers out there. On a day like today that will be heavily selfie'd, make up is a must. I do feel better showered, with my hair down, makeup on so I find it's usually worth the extra effort. I just learned this fact that a little bit of primping/superficial care for myself really does go a long way. Took me long enough to realize that, huh? Selfies. 




7:40 am | Go downstairs, Cecelia stays up in her room doing random things/making a giant mess. Again, so nice that I don't have to rush her around this morning, making her get ready for daycare with great haste. She prefers to be a wandering nomad throughout the house in her own little world, anyway. Porter is still asleep which is totally absurd. I love this morning so much already. Truman finished his breakfast, got himself dressed, brushed teeth, and since there is a bit of time before school he's allowed to watch about 10 minutes of the Odd Squad. Apparently this is some PBS Kids show that he loves now and today he was ultra motivated to get moving so he had time for TV. Pretty sure he hasn't moved this quickly in weeks and I can't remember the last school morning he was allowed TV. Chat with Nate about our yesterdays since I really didn't get to see him at ALL in the past 24 hours. 

7:55 am | I eat my breakfast alone at the table since C and P are both upstairs, T is done with his, and Nate already ate, too. This is weird!! Check emails---excited about a few up coming giveaways on blog. Playdate with Diz to happen next week instead.  

Mmmm, kale smoothie.


Really into making egg, cheese, and turkey sandwiches on an English muffin lately. So good.


My big boy ready for school!


8:00 am | My baby is finally awake! Go get him from the crib and he's super happy.  Cecelia hears us in the nursery and wants to help get Porter, so she spits her nuk across the room and rushes in to meet us. Messy room remains. The three of us head downstairs to say 'goodbye' to Truman. CC usually goes across the street with Nate and Truman to drop him at school but today she is the opposite of ready, and surprisingly she doesn't freak out when I say she can stay inside with me this morning. Kiss my big boy and tell him to have a great day at school. We will see him in about 2.5 hours;) 





Watching them walk to school from the warmth inside our house = the best.


8:10 am | Cecelia is finally ready to eat her breakfast----the plain, dry, toasted waffle awaits. She announces that she doesn't want any peanut butter on it today which makes my life easier. I change Porter on the family room floor and Cecelia 'helps' me, declaring "I love Porter so much. He is special. "





8:20 am | A 6oz bottle for the milk hound. Nate is back from school and Cecelia is now upset that we said no tennis shoes until she is dressed. Whatever, let her win this battle. Discuss the idea of going to the zoo before Nate has to leave for work. Since it doesn't open until 9:30 we'll have to keep the visit short and drive separately, so Nate can leave for work directly from the zoo. But CC overhears this discussion and is literally jumping up and down at the prospect of seeing the animals, so we have to make it happen now. I could easily take all three kids to the zoo by myself, after CC's nap today but it will be so.much.easier with just two kids and also with Nate present. Duh! 

There's a few minutes each morning when the light hitting the couch is quite pretty. I made Nate take this shot, obviously.


The Pediatrician's office calls me back, since I had left a message with them last night. Super detailed backstory: Porter was just not himself yesterday. He had a fever at Lori's of 101 degrees, was incredibly fussy, wouldn't drink as much milk as his usual, and didn't sleep well the night before. Lori and I were talking all day yesterday in between patients and finally I just picked up CC and Porter early, because he clearly needed mommy and was sick. Yesterday evening at home he was also really fussy, which is so uncharacteristic of my happy boy, and I was pretty worried. He's had this wet cough for almost a week now and I already had him and Cecelia at the doc's office earlier this week. Cecelia was crying that her ear hurt (again, not at all like her to say that) so I took them both in after work on Monday. At that time the doctor said Porter's lungs sounded alright and ears were fine, but to call if anything changed. Cecelia's ear just had a lot of fluid behind it but wasn't too red, so we decided to watch and wait with her, too.

Well, I figured that since Porter was a hot mess all day yesterday, the nurse would prescribe him antibiotics without making us come in---since that is the impression the Ped gave me on Monday. No dice. She basically said to call back if he had another fever and we could schedule another appointment if needed. Sigh. He *does* seem happier this morning and slept better than he did two nights ago, but still. I'm just not sure what is going on with my baby. (Cecelia's ear is totally fine now, btw).

Text my neighbor-friend, whose husband is a physician. He came over on Sunday, the day before I took the littles into the doctor anyway, and checked Porter's lungs for me. Now I'm wondering if he could check his ears, since he said to call him if Porter wasn't better. I feel a little weird asking him to come back over but he's literally the nicest guy ever and maybe he can steer me in the direction of going back to the doc for meds or waiting it out. She says that he can stop by after we get our kids from school. Perfect. I get Cecelia ready for the day, Nate is showering, and Porter plays on his play yard. I keep trying to decipher his coughs to see if they are better or worse than yesterday. So exhausting to be on heightened alert with sick kids! Cecelia then requests to play on the iPad, which is totally new for her. There are a few educational letter-tracing games and stuff on there, so I give in to her request. 




Princess buns in her hair are standard lately.


9:00 am | Nate is making his lunch and this incredibly tasty kale salad--recipe from Outpost. I pack up our bag to prep for the zoo outing. Cuddle Porter for awhile just because he's the cutest. Chat with Nate in the kitchen a bit. Man, I love having him home on a weekday morning.



Big salad ready for the rest of the week for lunches and sides. Yes.


9:30 am | Our crew leaves for the zoo in two vehicles. I have both kids and Cecelia demands to listen to her new favorite song, 'Oh Cecilia' by The Vamps. It's a remake on the Simon and Garfunkel version and actually very cute, with less references to Cecilia being a whore. They still spell her name incorrectly though. Have to take a detour to get to the (very closely located) zoo which is annoying. Cecelia tells me, 'Daddy is my father. He's my mudder, too.' Ah, this child. 

We are all ready to go, even Baby White!



9:43 am | Arrive at the zoo, obsessed with the fact that there is NOBODY here. Pretty sure the last time we came was in the Fall and it's usually really busy. We hit the outdoor penguins, the monkey house where a baby 'Bonobo' is basically the cutest thing I've ever encountered, the Aviary, and then Nate has to split for work around 10:10 am. He kisses us goodbye and the littles and I continue on through the bird house. We see the indoor INSANELY FAST SWIMMING PENGUINS and Cecelia runs to grab her Baby White from the Bob. She says, 'See the penguins, baby?' and then I die. We also hit the jackpot when we spot the ducks in a semi-frozen pond outside. Ducks are like the kings of all animals for Cecelia, so she smiles and makes sure Baby White can see them, too. 'You like how I carry my baby, mommy?' I make her take a picture in the reflection of glass windows and she is not into it. We go over and see the giraffes inside and then have to book it out of there to make it home in time to get Truman.




Still some Christmas decor around the zoo.


Took about 60 shots of the mommy and baby monkey combo---will only subject you to this one.


In her own personal heaven.


'Can you see that penguin, Baby White?'


Little mommy.


So pretty.


10:42 am | We pull away from the zoo, now listening to 'Every Stone' by Manchester Orchestra. DJ Cecelia in charge, once again. Really hope we make it to the school in time since they are usually outside at 10:55. 

10:50 am | We are home and CC needs to pee. I hustle her inside, put Porter back in the BOB inside of his carseat, help C do her biz, and tell her we have no time for a jelly bean reward. Hold my breath waiting for the tears but I think she can sense the urgency in our schedule here.

10:55 am | Sprint over to school and as soon as we get on our sidewalk I can see the kids are already outside, lined up by the wall. Curses. I am never late to get Truman and I don't want him to be worried that we forgot him or something, so I make sure to wave really big as we trot over. He spots us and gets really excited, doesn't seem upset at all. Get my hug and tell him he can play on the playground with the other kids a bit today, since both C and P are loving life in the BOB and aren't totally melting down (like sometimes happens at school pick up). Talk to the physician dad who is coming over to check Porter, and talk to Truman's teacher a bit. She gets down to CC's level and compliments her on her hair and I notice that Cecelia has the largest snot trails on her face. Nice. I really hope Truman's teacher continues to teach Junior Kindergarten in two more years because I think she and CC will get along fabulously. Talk to two other moms, both of who moved to Wisconsin from the South in the past year. I like to check with them to see if they are surviving their first winter up here, since I still have a soft spot in my heart for warmer-weather transplants (like myself). The one mom from Texas says she is hanging in there and really, this winter hasn't been too horrible with cold temps or snow. 

11:15 am | Walk home and have Doctor Mike check Porter's lungs and ears. He thinks they are pretty pink but not horrible, and the lungs sound about the same. He doesn't like that Porter had a fever yesterday and would suggest medication in light of it all. He won't write me the script himself, so I guess I need to call our office again and see if they will do anything for me over the phone. We'll see how the afternoon goes, I guess. Mike and his daughter, who is in Truman's class, head home. I put away our winter gear, sort through Truman's school folder, and put away the BOB. 

11:40 am | The big kids play together and I give Porter a 6 oz bottle. Like clock work, he is fussy and hungry at the 3 hour mark. Plus, he hasn't napped all day so I'm sure he is exhausted.  CC is more than ready for her nap, it's rare that she lasts past 11 o'clock anymore. She did just have that second waffle at the zoo so she can probably wait to have her lunch after her nap. 

11:50 am | Truman helps me tuck Cecelia in for her snooze. She wants me there, too, so I give Porter his bottle and try to assist Cease the best I can. Truman helps to line up baby doll diapers, in case a baby has some GI issues while CC sleeps.  I note that my camera's memory card is now full of pictures and my phone is close to dead. I cover Cecelia with her comforter and Truman kisses her goodnight, and we are off. Porter finishes the bottle, I check email and Timehop on my phone. Change P's diaper. 



OMG. So *that* was what it's like to take naps and go out to eat? Who knew?



12:13 pm | I give Truman the green light to start his iPad time (i.e. quiet time) and I take Porter to the nursery for a nap. We have our sleeping routine down now: space heater, sleep sack, pacifier, lights out, white noise, and rocking in the glider. Check IG here and hear Truman yelling that he is hungry as I watch Porter's eyes flutter to sleep.  



12:22 pm | Make Truman and I our lunches. Take Henry outside the lazy way, yet again. Clean up the kitchen, wash bottles, etc.

Hi, Henry. Thanks for being in charge of crumbs on the floor.


Lunch time!


12:45 pm | We eat and instead of sitting together like usual I do paperwork from my workday yesterday, also prepping for tomorrow. I let Truman play on the iPad at kitchen table while he eats and I work---seems like I do work stuff every single day of the week, but at least it's not a big chunk on my days off. I really cannot complain, loving the flexibility of my job lately. Just have to flex it into 'days off', too, that's all.

Work station.


1:05 pm | Done with paperwork for now, still waiting to hear about a new patient for tomorrow. Decide to upload pics from my camera and start this post. Both little kids still napping and Truman is eating/iPad time. I should also return an email or two, message Lori about Porter, start laundry, and maybe finally do my Continuing Education for my PT license. Eh. It can wait since it's not due until the end of February. I do message Lori and send one blog email before starting to upload and edit pictures. Wow. 159 go to Flickr and that's just from this morning. 

1:41 pm | After short break on the iPad, Truman is back at it. I usually try to keep it to one hour during C's nap but I hear Porter waking up, talking to himself. Hmm, is an hour-and-a-half long enough to nap for the boy? Go upstairs as I tell Truman that iPad time is over when I return. 

1:50 pm | Rock Porter and he's fighting it while his eyes roll back every now and then. Text with Andrea about Chatbooks. Text Mom. Okay, Porter is def awake and talking and cute. An IG video is totally warranted because the world needs to observe this ovary-punching baby.

2:10 pm | We come down and get Truman off the iPad, lucky kid got way more screen time than my goal for him. Eh, it's winter and Angry Birds isn't the worst thing in the world. Change P's diaper. Play with my boys in the sunroom and take some pictures. We finally figure out the video function on my big camera and Truman wants a shot at Videographer. Apparently these videos don't save properly on Flickr though?

My boys.


Obsessed doesn't even begin to describe it.


All of the heart eyes.



2:30 pm | Guess who is fussy, right on cue? Bottle time and we see that Cecelia is up. Truman and Porter are being disgustingly cute right now and I hope Cecelia's post-nap mood allows for continued sibling cuteness. Her mood dictates so much these days. Fingers crossed that she woke up on the right side of her bed just now.

2:55 pm | We all go and get CC. Kids play in their room with some random Nose Frieda cylindrical sponges. Apparently the nose sucker (that I only used once or twice with my first born) came with extra sponge filters and we've never used them, so whatever. Truman of course sticks two in his nose and I warn him of the perils of putting small objects in body orafices. I put away clean laundry. Cecelia *is* a little whiny and I announce we are all going downstairs. 





Now Truman and Cecelia are hugging and amping up the cuteness once again, but I realize that C's froggy potty wasn't filled after her nap like usual. I ask her to tell us if she has to go and she stares blankly at me, saying, 'I already went.' So she had her first accident in weeks and she is pretty torn up over it. Get her new undies and pants and socks and remind her that accidents happen and 'oh well, but let's just go in the potty next time' or something. Truman is whining that he wants to play in the basement, Porter seems tired already, and Cecelia has to be hungry (says she's not). Give her a small lunch/snack of yogurt, a granola bar, and a squeeze applesauce. 

I decide that we are all a bit stir crazy during this always-horrible time of day, and that we need to walk to Starbucks. I really just want to get some fresh air, wear Porter in the Ergo to coax a nap, and maybe get a hit of caffeine to push me through. Truman wants to drive there but I'm firm in my walking plan. So I bundle everyone up which always takes 125102 times longer than expected and we head outside. 

3:50 pm | Get the double BOB back out of the garage as the big kids are playing on our icy driveway. I warn Cecelia to stop stepping on the ice and as she curtly tells me, 'I never fall,' she face plants. Awesome. Leave after consoling her and bet Truman we will be home in less than an hour, with plenty of basement time. 



4:02 pm | Ugggggghhhhh, back home already because I realized my phone is dead when we were about five minutes away from the house. I use my Starbucks app to pay for our goodies so we can't tell trucking along without it. Truman is irritated with me because 'you were on your phone too much, mommy.' It's a Day in the Life, son, give me a break. Have to make a decision about how we'll proceed and figure I should just charge my phone in the van as we drive to SBux. Not exactly the trip I envisioned and don't even feel like going anymore but whatever. Go inside to put Porter in the car seat instead of the Ergo, curse my phone a bit, and come out to see Truman pushing Cecelia into a curb while she's still in the BOB. They are having the time of their lives so I turn off my inner 'be careful' mom voice and take a picture instead.



Porter and I aren't quite as chipper as the big kids, really wish he could stay in the Ergo but whatever. Note how he stares me down with the same glare I'm giving.


4:11 pm | After loading up the wavering crew (wavering because everyone is on the brink of breakdowns at this point) we start to pull away from the house in the van. CC announces she has to pee and in light of her recent accident, I don't want to push her to hold it on the 2 minute ride. I run her back inside to pee and then we finally leave for freaking Starbucks at 4:17. Miss Thang requests Hozier's 'Take Me to Church' and although we've heard this song 64 billion times by now, we oblige. Feeling fairly defeated by the logistics of life in the afternoon with three children at this point. Such a difficult life I lead when struggling to get to Starbucks is the worst of it, right?


4:21 pm | We made it. Unload the children out of the van and into the store. Truman gets overly excited about entry into Starbucks and halfway trips-falls into the display of glass juice bottles and what not. Feel like everyone is probably staring at us now but whatever.  Porter is fussy and not into his car seat as much as the Ergo. I order a Berry Hibiscus Refresher which is sort of shocking, since I have maybe had one twice before, but coffee just doesn't sound great. Plus it's past 4pm so I should probably not push the caffeine idea anymore. The kids choose apple juice boxes which is a much more predictable selection.  Truman has to pee and goes in all by himself. I have to stop a high school boy from barging in on T-man since I'm sure he didn't lock the door (he didn't). We need to go and get Porter home and as we get to the car, Truman remembers his gloves are inside. He and CC go back in alone as I stare at them through the windows like a creep.


4:33 pm | Leave feeling beverage remorse. I should have gotten my beloved half caff Americano.




4:50 pm | We are home, unload the children and try to regroup. Kind of funny that we did actually make it home within that hour estimate I gave Truman when we departed by foot. Cecelia is demanding my berry-laden ice from my poorly chosen drink. Porter is fussy pants so he goes into the Ergo, we all go to the basement, turn on some Raffi Radio through iTunes and party. 

4:55 pm | Guess I should do some laundry while we are down here. Kids play nicely and basically destroy the entire basement with a toy explosion within 5 minutes. Cecelia runs upstairs to potty and comes back down with numerous baby dolls that have multiple diapers in place, always.  I'm walking around the basement wearing Porter, kissing his head, and willing him to snooze while the big kids are pretending Cecelia is a baby and Truman is the daddy. Super cute. Texting mom. Feeling that we can plow through the rest of this day and maybe push off dinner until Nate gets home a little after 6:00.





5:45 pm | Porter is napping, Ergo FTW. I should make the bacon if I want breakfast for dinner, sounds amazing even though it's not on our meal plan. Something about bacon gets me every time. Sneak upstairs while the bigs play house together and start the bacon and frozen hash browns. 

How I cook, every.single.night.


5:55 pm | Porter is awake and mostly happy. T declares his hunger will surely kill him as both he and CC come upstairs.  I plop Porter in his high chair and find a single Mum Mum cracker for him for entertainment.  Oh, this time of day as I try to make dinner with hungry/tired children is not my favorite. 

Love this picture, though.


6:18 pm | Nate still hasn't called and every second ticks by as if it were an hour. Kids are totally weirded out by my dinner choice, continually asking me WHY we are having breakfast for dinner. Very wild decision, apparently. 

6:30 pm | Kids sit down to eat and I finish up my dinner, too. Can no longer wait for Nate to call as we are all famished. He calls as soon as I take my first bite and the kids take over the phone, as always. I'm slamming food like it's my job and the kids are, too. My notes from this day state that someone says "I love you" but I'm not sure who said it and to whom it was said. Would have been a sweet moment to mention!

Who was playing with markers??


Yum. No fruits or veggies but so freaking good.


Dinnertime chaos alone with three kids.


Yogurt tubes are fun.


6:45 pm | Nate is home and the kids hide from him in their trusty spots of the house, as they do every night. P is totally over being in his high chair. I try pureed peaches but for the fifth night in a row he refuses solids. Hmpf. 

6:50 pm | I take Porter upstairs to get ready for bed, and this always seems to reset him and provide  renewed energy. Kids and Nate follow us with some dissent among the troops. Nate allowed CC to have her dessert before her final bite of waffle. She doesn't want the waffle now, big surprise. "If you don't eat it you'll never get dessert again," warns Nate. I feel like this is not the only extremist statement Nate has made in a DiTL and I find it hilarious. Cecelia says, 'I'm not doing that monster talk stuff, but I afraid there's a monster in the window.' The kids have been very into monsters lately, not sure why---we are trying to cut down on 'monster talk' along with 'potty talk.' It's working well, as you can see. 

Fatty McGee and his family.


Accidentally grabbed a size 6 month pair of pajamas and he can barely straighten out his legs now. Oops.


7:07 pm | Bedtime for sweet P. We do a bottle, white noise, dark room, and some rocking. Nate gets the bigs ready for bed and reads three books of their choice. He brushes their teeth, and then sings the same three songs every night (London Bridges, Row Row Row Your Boat, and Twinkle Twinkle). So sweet to hear their bedtime routine from the other room.




7:27 pm | The bigs ready for my portion of the routine, which shallows in comparison to Nate's role. I lay a sleeping Porter down in his crib and go into T and C's room. Cecelia needs her babies and the rugrats are all down in the basement, of course. I change the laundry, get the froggy potty, and grab a few stray baby dolls when I'm down there. When I come back to their room, Truman is already passed out asleep----so my two stories are dedicated strictly to Cecelia's taste tonight. I.e. both are about 'CC Princess.' She rubs my face and says I'm her parent. Sometimes she will tell me I'm the 'best parent' but apparently I didn't earn that distinction tonight. She then says, 'Tell me if Porter sleeps all night. And shut door so Henry doesn't bother me.' Cecelia says both of these things every single night before I kiss her goodnight for the final time. Although Truman is the master of routine and hates to deviate from the norm, Cecelia sometimes proves to be rigid in her need for structure/schedule, too. Kiss the kids and shut their door.




7:40 pm | Head downstairs. This is a very risky but wonderful time of night---if I lay on the couch there is a good chance I'll never get up again, so it's best to keep moving. Do the dishes with Nate as he bakes cookies (yes). Fill each other in on our days. Check voicemail from my work phone. Pull rest of the pictures off the Canon and upload to Flickr. Nate sends some emails from his laptop. 

8:20 pm | Danger! I lay on the couch and use my old laptop to work on these notes. Feeling.Very.Sleepy. May not make the beer + Lost date we just said we were having.

8:45 pm | GOING FOR IT. We recently instituted a plan to cut back on our alcohol consumption during the week, sticking to a 'booze on weekends only' policy instead. Because really, Wisconsin winters are hard and drinking helps but there is no need to drink every single day. And yet? Thursday is awfully close to the weekend, so beer me. And Lost is our new (but super old, I know!) show we are watching. This episode has something to do with ghosts and lack of water, but I'm struggling to keep my eyes open so I'm not totally sure.



9:30 pm | Episode over, beer downed, and we are totally over being awake anymore. Can't quite get off the couch though as the old invisible magnet is weighing us both down. Parenthood is on TV, we don't usually watch it but sometimes we'll catch an episode here or there, so we don't turn it off just yet. Nate is seriously cracking me up right now. He's ripping on the weather man that appears during the commercial breaks to tell us that 'bitter cold is headed our way' because THANKS BUDDY! Winter weather is such a bright spot in our daily discussion lately. Not so much.

10:00 pm | Enough of that nonsense. Finally lever my body off the couch, gather supplies for a nighttime bottle (formula dispenser, empty bottle, and hot water in a thermos for a quick fix). Go upstairs and wash up for bed, check on the kids via monitor one last time, and promptly pass out. 




12:15 am | Porter is up fussing, give him a 6 ounce bottle while I'm bobble-heading around in a half-asleep state. Climb back in my bed at 12:30. 

3:15 am | Cecelia is calling for her mommy, so I guess that's my cue. Go into her room and she asks me to change her sheets because she wet the bed. This seriously has not happened in weeks, maybe one time ever in the history of potty training. And I totally jinxed myself by saying she hasn't had an accident in weeks because now she had two during a Day in the Life. Poor girl. I have her get up and use her froggy potty, help her change out of her pants, and note the bed is not *too* wet. I hope this doesn't make me a neglectful mother but I throw down a big towel on top of the dampness and promise her I will do a full bed change in the morning (which I do, promise). Her top sheet and comforter seem fine and she is ready to return to her beauty sleep. She stays dry the rest of the night--very odd that she peed through but whatever.

4:00 am | Porter wakes up and is fussing again. Sigh. I go in to make sure he didn't poop and nope, his butt doesn't smell during my highly specific nose-to-diaper test. But I notice he is super awake and chatty like he's ready to start the day. Um, no. I rock him for a bit and try not to make eye contact but he's grabbing for my mouth again. Eventually he does close his eyes and I decide to take him into our bed for extra snuggles...and because he usually sleeps really well with us during these early morning hours. Well, as soon as I enter our room he perks back up and wants to party. I lovingly ignore those requests and finally, at around 4:50 am he finally falls asleep on my arm next to me in bed. OMG. So tired. I really really really dislike wake ups that last more than 10 minutes. Especially a second wakeup, or really a THIRD wake up when you take into account Cecelia's contribution. I am used to being tired and yet I'm really tired of being tired. Mantra: it's all a season, you can sleep when  you're dead (or when the kids all go to college, waaahhh!)

6:15 am | My alarm goes off. I sort of want to die. Nate gets into the shower before me and I finally pry myself away from my little buddy after that. Of course, I have to actually wake Porter up at 7:45 am this date since it's a Lori day. But it's FRIDAY so life is good. Coffee makes it infinitely better, too.

Sorry about those jammies, Port. He and CC had a pajama day at Lori's on Friday but I totally changed him out of these and into properly fitting pajamas because I wanted him to be capable of straight legs at daycare.


That's it, a day in the life! My twelfth post in this series, holy moly.