Can Anyone Hear Me?

The honest truth is...being a parent is hard. Especially when kids are little. They can be draining with the sleepless nights, constant need of a watchful eye, a role model to look up to, entertainment to keep busy and a spiritual compass. Now I know why having kids in your early years was so desirable. There's no way I'd be able to keep up in my 40's.

For the past years of my marriage it has fallen on my shoulders to be the designated midnight monitor of the kids. Larry needs his sleep and is quite non-functioning in the middle of the night. Although in Larry's defense, he does get up if I REALLY need him in extreme situations, but the results are more of punishment to the walls than relief to me. (yes he's so out of it he has run into a few of them, it usually makes me laugh) Plus I have no problem waking up on a dime and being as a wake as day. Even falling back to sleep comes easily!

The real point of this blog is the fact that Larry has been able to ignore many of these fabulous encounters at night with his trusty, mini, rubber, purple tampons that he shoves in his ears every night. OK, the ear plugs aren't really tampons but they look like it. He even is careless with them in the morning and I am constantly trying to keep them away from the kids. Yesterday I found one in the lint box of the dryer. NICE! Least to say I hate this things. I would love to dump them all in the trash and claim stupidity when he searches for them that night.

Rationally I understand why I don't need a sharp, functional brain to care for the kids...but emotionally I think I'm getting the raw end of the deal. Especially on weekends. Can't he take break from them? Larry says he can't stand any noise now that he's become addicted to the ear plugs. Bah-humbug! Late at night when I would be feeding a newborn or administering some meds to a sick child I could picture Larry in our nice warm bed, hearing only a muffled sound of the screaming child, in which translates into the crashing of waves on the beach in his tropical dream land. This makes me livid!

Or as the great Mrs. Bennet said..."I'm quite vexed."

In the morning, my temper has diminished and I recount the evenings activities to Larry as I try to score some sympathy points. It works about 1 out of 5 times. Recently I have taken up to holding a one sided conversation with him as I sit next to him in bed and nurse. Knowing full well he can't hear me. Sometimes I childishly say rude things. It makes me feel a little better.

Damn those purple things drive me nuts!

Even if the food is FAST is it worth eating?

Have you noticed that as you move through life that your likes and dislikes of certain foods has changed?

When I was a kid simple foods like Kraft Mac'n cheese, beans and weenies, canned chicken in a casserole or bologna were great. I think it was Sydney who said that she could eat chicken nuggets for every meal. (blah, now I wouldn't eat those frozen things if you paid me) As a kid I loved them all, but I hated vegetables. I gagged every time I ate them. I used to think it was the way my mom cooked them (sorry mom). But in college I learned that the human tasted buds change every 7 years (or something like that, don't quote me). Now I love tons of different vegetables and hate all that stuff I used to inhale as a kid.

For example I can't eat taco bell anymore. I hate it. All through high school, college and even the early years of our marriage Larry and I were totally fine with fast food. There are still a few places that we like. BUT mainly we think they are all crap. Are we getting snooty in our "old" age? Or are we just not willing to put up with crunchy refried beans or chewy tortillas? I'd like to think that we are just more informed of what is out there to eat. There's a wonderful chain Mexican food place called "Chipolte" that is our new substitute for taco bell. I highly suggest the salad!! DELICIOUS! We have even replaced the craving of Panda Express with Pei Wei.

So my plan was to skip over the whole McDonald's thing. But I think I have to address it. Kids love it. I have a hankering for their fries...sometimes. And when Larry and I were watching that documentary on McD's where that guy ate it for every meal for a month...we seriously paused it and got some Big Mac's to eat while we watched it. (I can't believe I admitted that!) Although I do believe that I am 100% cured of that craving for the rest of my life.

"WHY?" you ask (just roll with me)

Because I have now officially been sick (praying to the porcelain god) twice from food I ate at McD's. What's that saying?

"Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me."

When is too much really too much?

As many of you know we are hanging out in limbo land as we wait for our much anticipated BAR results. Waiting for 4 months is very exhausting. I'm a SURE that Larry will pass, but potential higher paying Law Offices don't take my word for it. (go figure) However for the time being Larry is working for a "country lawyer" (the bosses words, not mine) in Terrell TX. He's working for about $20,000 less than he should be getting once we receive notification about the BAR. Until the huge beef up in our salary we still struggle to make ends meet with student loans kicking in, raising 3 kids (not cheap), no insurance (for Larry and I...yes we haven't cleaned our teeth in over 3 years...totally gross I know!) and living in an itty bitty apartment.

To keep my mind preoccupied I have been surfing the web and looking at homes to rent or buy online in all the different cities that we apply to county jobs in. (yes Larry would love to be a county DA or something in that field...a trial lawyer.) I've become addicted to http://www.realtor.com/, my sister even found a house she purchased in San Antonio on there! A lot of people have tons of pictures of their houses posted on there and it shows you tons of details, like square footage, local schools, etc. I dream of having 3 bedrooms, a garage, a backyard. If you haven't checked it out I totally recommend it. Just to prove that I search through this website way too much, Sydney has begun to ask to look at it too. What can I say? Like mother, like daughter.

Oh and since I'm airing out all of my dirty laundry I might as well fess up to looking at tons of used cars on local dealerships websites. After squishing in the larger car seat for Ben (yes he is now officially over 20 pounds at 8 months) with Sydney and Emma's booster on either side of it...it has become apparent that a "mom" van is now necessary! I can't believe I have finally converted over to the mini-van. I vowed I never would. Oh well, another promise broken! The thought of being able to open the side doors without worrying if I can squeeze the door open far enough to launch Ben into the middle seat is exhilarating! Funny the things that get moms all HOT and GIDDY! (hint, hint Lar) I also would now like to apologize to all the cars that park next to me. I'm the lady that puts a little bit of my door paint on the side of your car...Buick's car doors are HUGE and HEAVY. What can I say...don't shove your huge SUV in compact car parking spots and then we both would be happy! =)

BUT until the BAR results or a spontaneous hit of lady luck I'll have to make due with what I got. I suppose using the stove top as a cutting board and hearing the crunch of car seat plastic every time I shut the car door will have to continue while we sit in limbo land. It can't be much longer, RIGHT?!?!?

Mexican Heritage

Very few people who are acquainted with our family here in Texas know that Larry is 1/4 Hispanic. I mean doesn't his blue eyes and bleach white skin just scream "south of the boarder"?! Let's just say that isn't a blood-line that many jump to suspicion on. However, he is...even though he doesn't know a lick of spanish. I'm sure he understands tons but a regular dialogue isn't his forte.
But he does know good mexican food when he finds a little hole in the wall restaurant! In this case he found a Hispanic grocery store that serves some wonderful ready-made food, bakery goods, etc... We have tried to preserve some of Larry's favorite memories that he shared with his Grandmother Consuelo Gonzales and one is drinking Mexican Hot Chocolate and dipping in some Pandulce Bread. It's a fun treat! (you can ask the girls in my bookclub who were treated to it last night) Anyway the point is...well ok so maybe I don't have one. But I did take a cute picture of Ben trying to scarf down a whole Pandulce Bread on his own!

I'm the epitome of healthy!

Over the past few years and after having kids I have come to realize that exercise is really, really important. I love to go in the morning and get it done. It helps me to have more energy all day long. I have been really LUCKY to have a CHEAP membership to the YMCA, which includes the much needed child care. This inspires me to go even on the days that I'm more apt to hang out in my pajama bottoms all day. The chance to have release from ALL of the kids is sooo worth it.

So today I took the time to go after I dropped Sydney off at Preschool. I chatted with a friend while I exercised and even squeezed in a few minutes of reading a book while I rode a stationary bike. I am always so proud of myself for having the determination to keep up with it. And then guess what I do when I get home? I was in need of some replenishment. I searched the cupboards, bypassed all of low calorie, low sodium, healthy snacks and ate a Rolo and drank a diet Pepsi. I'm a walking contradiction. =)

Well, wonders never cease!

To beat the heat I took the kids out to the local sprinkler park. We met up with some friends and I was enjoying some adult conversation. When suddenly I see some naked kid prancing through the water. Instantly I laugh and feel sorry for the parent. Then I realized that it was my daughter!! Emma had taken off her bathing suit and was using the sprinkler park as her personal shower. Quickly I lugged her over to our things and tried to pry a wet bathing suit back on her, while asking...

Me: "Why did you take your bathing suit off?"

E: "It dirty."

Me: "There's only a little grass on it. You'll be fine! You have to keep your bathing suit on."

E: "Why?"

Me: "Because we don't walk around outside naked."
E: "Why?"
Me: "Because our bodies are special and we don't show them to other people."
E: "Why?"
Me: with a deep breath of disgust..."because I said so".

I hate saying that. But at least it helped put an end to the ANNOYING line of questioning. What am I going to do with her?

Kid's say the darnedest things!

Over the past week Sydney has been coming up with the funniest comments. I suppose it's probably the age. She'll be 5 in December. But I couldn't let them pass without putting it out there for posterity. If anything, they should make you smile and maybe even laugh.

#1: Syd was using the tv remote as some sort of drum stick. Larry quickly told her to stop because she would break it. Her reply...

"But Dad, it's OK. It has batteries."

(As if batteries can fix anything! Apparently in her mind they do!)

#2: Syd has become extremely fascinated by homes. Especially since she knows that in the near future we might be moving into one. She has noticed that mom and dad look at them on the internet and casually walk through model homes on the weekends. But to our demise she has now made it her responsibility to help us in this quest. I can't get through a car ride without hearing this...

"Mom, can we have that house there without the bricks? It looks like it has a big backyard. What about that house? Or that one with the car in front?"

"Sydney, not all houses are for sale. We can only get ones that have a sign in front that says it's for sale."

"There's a sign. Is that one for sale? It is really big. I bet it has stairs. I love stairs."

"No that is not a for sale sign. It's a sign telling you that it has a security system on the house."

I won't bother you with the 100 other questions that came after that. I'm sure you get the gist.

#3: It was late at night and I had just put Sydney in her bed. She came out a few minutes later and took her last try at the bathroom. Then she kissed me good night (again) told me she loved me and started to walk back to her room. Sydney then waited for a minute, turned around looked at me, waited again and then came back to my side and asked...

"Mom, do your legs hurt?"

"No my legs don't hurt."

Then she gave me the best look of...well then aren't you coming? I got the hint and helped her back into her bed on the top bunk and kissed her goodnight (for the 5th time).

I treasure these special moments.

Emma the Big 3

On Wednesday we celebrated Emma's 3rd Birthday! I can't believe it. Although it does make sense because we had Emma the first month of law school and now we're done and graduated (I'm still getting used to that idea). The crazy thing is that most people think she is older then Sydney. But no folks, sorry...
We had a small party and told a few close friends that we were taking the kid-o's up to the much desired and rarely viewed Chuck E. Cheese. The girls love this place. And I think they have converted many of the friends and even Ben. The girls run around like they own the place and Ben just crawls after them, never wanting to be left behind.
I also promised Emma that she could pick out her own cake at the grocery store. I know what you are all thinking...can't she whip something up herself. Yes I can...but this girls stares down the grocery store cakes every time we go. So we might as well support the economy and buy own. I'm really OK with it. Well I was until she bypassed all the feminine cakes with pretty flowers or pink frosting and asked for the dreaded "crocodile" cake. What the HECK!! I even tried to show her all of the other OPTIONS she had. But she could be deterred...and Sydney wasn't helping either.
"Emma, crocodiles are cool! Look at all the green frosting!"
So just for posterity...I did not make my 3 year old DAUGHTER have a crocodile cake for her birthday. This was all her own doing. Either way it was still tasty and full of sugar. It was a great birthday!

A Cancer Fighter

As a few of you may know, my brother Dave has been diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. Not a very "manly" thing to deal with. Plus Dave isn't one to show his true feelings or least of all that he is worried, in pain or scared. We were all extremely shocked to hear this news considering he is only 31 years old. Thankfully he found it early and was able to have one of his testicles removed without any further spreading.

For the past few months every morning M-F Dave gets up early and goes to radiation before work. He has refused to take time off or even miss a day of work. Dave had many reactions to the situation with red skin, heartburn, and intestinal pain. On his last day of radiation he left work after a 1/2 day finally sucumming to the uncomfortableness.

Over the past years Dave has been enjoying a new love of bicycling. He goes everywhere. And hasn't given up his favorite past time with this current detourent. He has found that the experiences of others to be up lifting and inspiring...like Lance Armstrong.

I am proud of Dave, my brother, a father of 3 girls, a wonderful husband and now a cancer survivor. Recently the whole family put money toward his goal of biking in the "tour de tucson". We purchased his entrance fee, a Lance Armstrong T-shirt and shorts for fighting cancer. I hope this inspires all to try a little harder everyday to be a little better.

dedicated: Dave Jeffery Gurvine (a stronger man than most)

Mom the nurse to the rescue

When kids complain of aches, pains, a boo-boo here and a boo-boo there, I tend to be a little uncompassionate. It seems there is ALWAYS some minute scratch to kiss and make all better. Over the past years I have begun to say things like "Is it bleeding? Then I think you'll be OK!" or like a harden football coach, "Just walk it off."

Now don't be turning me in to CPS just yet. If there is a sign of blood, I do take the necessary precautions of a good cleaning, some antiseptic and a band-aid.

Today my oldest daughter Sydney kept complaining of a cough or needing a tissue to blow her nose. These things have also become a trend. She is usually very prone to allergies. And as usual, when she has the symptoms it miraculously transfers to Emma. So many times when Syd gets a chewable allergy pill, Emma will get a chewable vitamin. Or if Syd gets some liquid medicine, Emma gets the same application but with water instead. As you can see how it wouldn't be hard to "wave off" most of the daily complaints. But Sydney was becoming more and more agitated at my dismissals and finally said...

"MOM, IT HURTS MY BRAIN WHEN I COUGH!"

Now that made me laugh! =)

Listening to the news...

I was listening to the news today and they were talking about what would happen if we left Iraq without it being a secured country.

They said that it would be a LARGE possibility that Iran would try to take over Iraq. Iraq is important to us and most of the world because it sits on the largest oil supply. If Iran got a hold of this it could bring the cost of gas to $10 a gallon!!

I'm sure there are more repercussions that would come because of it. But this seemed to really hit home for me. I don't know about you guys but I can't afford to pay that much money. The average middle-class American can't pay it either.

I guess I was always kind of confused why we were in Iraq. I knew we were searching for the attackers of 9-11, but it all seems to make more sense as I see the importance of how it would effect me if we didn't help out Iraq.

If anyone has more insights into this subject or if I'm totally missing a major point, feel free to add to this blog!!