Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Wordless Wednesday- Baby Kittens, Anyone?

Feb. 23, a couple hours after they were born
Feb. 29th

Aw, look at that pile of kittens

He's the first with his eyes open

Look how tiny any cute!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Winter Vacation, Days 2-5

Sorry I'm so late in posting this.  My migraines have come back with a vengeance and I haven't been able to be on the computer too much because the light from the screen hurts my head.

Anyway, onto Day 2 of vacation.  We all woke up late, so we couldn't go to the zoo.  Instead, I took T and Princess to go see Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.  It was the first time either of them have gone to the movies.  We got there early, got popcorn, and sat down.  Before the movie started, T wanted to leave.  He threw a little bit of a tantrum, but managed to do it quietly and we got to stay and see the movie.  I got some nasty scratches from him that are currently infected, but it could have been worse.

They both thought the movie was so cool.  I really liked it too-mostly because The Rock was in it and he's awesome.  The special effects were pretty great too. T has been begging me since then to go see the Lorax, so I'm going to take him this weekend.

After the movie, I took them to Johnny Rockets, since I haven't had their chili cheese fries since I was in college.  T got really antsy, insisted on sitting under the table on the floor, and decided it was his job to help the waitress by giving everyone ketchup.  Princess burnt her mouth on her first bite of french fry and refused to eat anymore.  We ended wboxing up the food and leaving.

Day 3 of vacation took us to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs.  Unfortunately, the parking garage was full at the museum, so we had to park 6 blocks away.  It was a little nerve wracking for me to have my preschoolers walking that far in the city.  They've never been in the city before, and there's all the traffic, and they're not used to it.  But it was fine and it turned out just to be mommy worry.

It was beautiful outside, and crazy hot in the museum.  The heat was blasting and I was dying after 5 minutes.  We ended up checking our coats, and T was afraid they were taking his jacket forever.  He had a little meltdown, but the coat check woman finally managed to assure him he would get it back later.  The kids wanted to take the elevator, even though we didn't have Goober or a stroller with us.  There was a line, but finally we got on it.  There were 3 nannies with their charges, and a woman from Florida with her kids.  The elevator guy thought I was a nanny too.  I took it as a compliment that I look young and not nearly as washed out as I feel.

We were only in the dinosaur wing for 10 or 15 minutes before the kids decided they were starving and had to eat immediately.  Back down we went, to the food court.  After we ate, we went to the gift shop.  T picked out a set of space shuttles, and Princess got a pink dolphin stuffed animal. 

They weren't too keen on a lot of the museum.  They weren't interested in the hall with the giant whale, or the Asian wing.  I finally got them to go look at the African animal dioramas, which they did like.  T threw a few fits, but it was mostly okay.  The heat got to me, though.  I had to sit down every time we went up or down a flight of stairs because I would start sweating and getting dizzy.  We went back to look at the dinosaurs again, and after they saw the T-Rex, they were ready to go home.

I promised them that if they behaved on the way back to the car, we would get cupcakes (there was a Crumbs half a block from where we parked).  It was a slow walk back.  They were so tired.  The cupcakes were amazing, though.

Then I got lost in New Jersey.  I had to take the lower level of the bridge and I always take the upper level.  I ended up having to go on the Turnpike South, which I am not familiar with.  I got off at the Meadowlands to turn around, and followed the signs for the Garden State Parkway, which I know like the back of my hand.  Then the signs for it stopped.  I had to choose highways and had no idea if I was going in the right direction, because I didn't recognize any of the town names.  I called my parents, who were golfing in Myrtle Beach, and my dad somehow figured out where I was, so I got back on track.  My trip home, which should have taken 30-45 minutes took close to 2 hours.

That's when the migraine started.  I've had migraines for years, but they've cooled off since Goober was born.  I'm allergic to Imitrex and the other migraine medications, and I've tried a bunch of preventatives that didn't work either.  So I'm basically SOL unless a doctor gives me narcotic pain relievers.  I was up all night, miserable.  I almost went to the ER a few times, but I really didn't have anyone to take care of all the kids if I went.  So I stayed in bed, pillow on my head, and tried to keep my kids quiet.  Yes, it involved lots of junk food, but the tradeoff was necessary.

On day 5 of vacation, I didn't feel great, but I promised the kids we would go to the zoo.  Except there was snow on the ground and it was raining when we woke up.  So went went to the aquarium on Coney Island.  I was under the assumption it was indoors, but I was wrong.  It was mostly outdoor.  And it wasn't as cool as I thought it would be.  T and Princess had fun.  Goober didn't really like it.  We saw the entire thing in an hour and a half.  I felt a little gypped, since it took about that long to get there, and I assumed it would be an all day thing.  The kids were happy once they got toys, though.  Princess got another pink dolphin stuffed animal, although this one came in a purse.  T got a 3D dolphin puzzle and sticky frogs.  Goober got a tiny little shark stuffed animal.

Instead of going home, since the boyfriend wasn't feeling well, we went back to my parents.  They were on their way home from Myrtle Beach, but we left before they got there.  The kids love being there to play.  It's roomier than our house, so they have more room to play.  We stayed there until dinner time, when T got really cranky and wanted to leave.

On Saturday (Day 6 of vacation), I took T and Goober over to my parent's house, and stayed there most of the day.  The boyfriend was still under the weather, and Princess slept all day.  Sunday we stayed in.

T was so happy to go back to school on Monday.  He really loves his teacher and his class.  I got a letter that his meeting to get re-evaluated will be on April 20.  I hope they'll let him stay in the school next year.  He's doing really well there, and I can't afford for him to go to preschool at all if the district won't pay for it.  We're also going to get Princess evaluated and try to get her into the school because she's been copying his speech and now she doesn't pronounce a lot of words right.

All in all, vacation was good.  Now T wants to go to Disney World, or as he calls it, Mickey Land.  He'll have to wait for his grandparents to do that one, but I hope we do get to go one day.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Winter Vacation, Day 1- The Aquarium Debacle

T has off from school this week for winter vacation.  My parents decided to go to Myrtle Beach on a golf trip all this week, and my sister is panhandling her way from NY to Wyoming to go to a wedding.  I am here with all 3 kids, all week long, with basically no help.  T is not happy there's no school-he cried all weekend that he didn't want to have vacation because he loves school.  So I promised him we would have a great time and I would take him to a bunch of places.

He wanted to go the aquarium, the zoo, and to see the dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History.  Since the weather is super nice for February, I thought none of this would be a problem.  I didn't realize how hard it is to try to take 3 small children somewhere by myself.  In the past, someone has always insisted on coming with me, or taking one of the kids so I only have 2 with me.

Not today.  We had a little bit of a late start, so I decided to take them to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT.  It's about an hour drive.  The trip started okay, until T wouldn't leave the touch tank.  Princess was terrified of the crabs and other creatures, so I kept an eye on her while she ran around to the nearby tanks.  Goober kept crying, so I finally got T to keep walking.

Then Goober threw up all over himself and my brand new Sit and Stand Stroller.  And I didn't pack extra clothes in the diaper bag because I have never once needed them on a day trip in the 4 years I've had children.  And I did the one time they weren't there.  We were right next to the children's play area when this happened, so while I attempted to clean as much as I could with the wiped I'd packed, there were 3 or 4 small children that weren't mine watching me, pointing out that there was a big pile of vomit all over.

Once my wipes were done, the mess wasn't that much better.  We had to head down in the elevator to get to the bathroom, where another child complained that my baby smelled.  No shit, kid.  I had to sit poor Goob in the sink to get him clean, and there was only cold water.  He was not happy.  I spent a good 45 minutes getting barf off everything.  But his shirt and jacket were soaked. 

We had to go to the gift shop to buy him a shirt.  We proceeded to walk down a long hallway, where I received a bunch of nasty stares and comments about my shirtless baby in the middle of February.  Did these people somehow think I brought him to the aquarium without a shirt?  Seriously.  Of course I had to buy 3 shirts, since it wasn't fair if only the baby got one.  $37 later, T decided he needed to eat. 

Not the snacks I brought, but cafe food.  We took the elevator upstairs (and I learned the baby is terrified of elevators), and the kids decided they wanted french fries and onion rings.  I also got a grilled cheese sandwich since the baby wanted to eat and I felt bad.  I figured it was less greasy than anything else there, and it was bland too.

After lunch, we went back to see more stuff.  Princess wanted to see the sharks, and T wanted to go back to the touch tank.  They were fighting about it, so I took them somewhere else entirely.  They had a boating exhibit where the kids could play on a fishing boat and pretend to fish and put on life jackets.  T had a bunch of fun.  Princess sat on the edge of the boat, glaring and yelling at kids who ran into her or were too loud.  I let the baby run around for a little, but his shoes kept slipping on the concrete and he wasn't too happy after he fell on his face a few times.

T didn't want to leave, and threw himself on the middle of the floor, so no one could get around him.  I told him we were going home since he wasn't behaving, and had to carry him out of the exhibit.  He screamed all the way outside.  Those looks and comments I got from old ladies were fun. I have a tip for them: if you don't want to deal with noisy children but want to go to the aquarium, don't go on President's Day when all the kids are out of school!

He finally told me he would behave, but we were already outside and at the parking garage.  So I promised him that if he was good all the way home, we could stop at Toys R Us.  Yeah, I bribe my kids and they're spoiled as hell. 

I couldn't find the highway entrance on the way home, got stuck in crazy traffic, and spent another $30 on a Power Ranger and Littlest Pet Shop toy.  Of course, when I got home, the boyfriend hadn't cleaned anything or taken out any trash.  I was exhausted, and he told me he would watch the kids for a couple hours so I could rest.  Instead, he went back to sleep after sleeping all day.  And Goob threw up all over my bed.

Well, it was an eventful day.  Tomorrow, I think we're going to go to the museum.  That is, if the boyfriend comes and the baby's okay.  Otherwise, I'll leave Goober with him (or take him if he's feeling better), and go to the Bronx Zoo.  The kids love it, and we have a membership, so it's totally free, except for food and the gift shop.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Memoir Pitch

The prompt this week for RemembeRED from Write on Edge was to write a 200 word pitch for your memoir.

An idyllic childhood turns sour when a young girl makes the mistake of angering her friends, leading to her ostracization.  Compounding the problem are her family issues, which lead to her withdrawing into herself.

After being bullied for years, she is broken and feels like she has nothing to live for.  Her self-mutilation and cries for help go unanswered until she meets the man who will change her world.

He is everything she thought she wanted, but the fairytale doesn't last long.  She gets drawn into a dark underworld of abuse, drug addiction, and lies, where, in desperation, she sinks to unfathomable lows.

Although she finally gains the courage to break free of the relationship, she can't kick the drugs and manages to drag everyone around her down as well.

An unexpected pregnancy gives her the strength she needs to turn her life around.  Motherhood proves to be a fulfilling experience, and she finally finds the happiness that  has escaped her for so long.


Write on Edge: RemembeRED

Monday, February 13, 2012

WoW Stole my Life and the Cursed Comforter

I just noticed I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks.  The boyfriend finally renewed my WoW subscription like he promised, so all of my spare time at night has been spent playing instead of writing blog posts.  It's a seriously addicting game, and I figured I should get my money's worth and play it.

T stayed at my parent's house last night, so all was quiet here.  I finally had a chance to take my white comforter to the laundromat to get washed since it's too big to fit into the machine here, and Goober puked on it a week ago.  I cashed in my lotto tickets from Christmas to pay for it, since I didn't have $15 laying around. 

Every time I pay to get the comforter cleaned (I have a backup, but it's old, and has tons of rips in it, and it does nothing to keep me warm-my legs freeze all night), it seems like the kids get it dirty almost immediately.  I probably shouldn't have a white comforter with small children around, but it was free (from the dumpster behind Home Goods because the pillows were missing-new and in the packaging, in the dumpster), and it's really thick and warm and awesome for winter.

I usually only have it on my bed for 24 hours or so before one of the kids spill something on it, or get sick on it-the poor comforter has been puked on and pooped on more than I'd like to admit.  This time was no different.  I kept it off my bed for a few hours after bringing it home because Princess and Goober were up and about, and I figured someone would have grubby little hands that would love to get my comforter dirty. 

I put it on the bed when Goober looked like he was getting tired (since he and I share the bed).  In less than 20 minutes, he managed to get a dirty mouth print on it (even though his face looked clean when I put him on the bed).  Then T came home.  He mentioned that his stomach hurt and went downstairs to watch TV.  I ran to the store because we were out of milk.

When I got home, the boyfriend told me T threw up all over my comforter.  I was furious (not with T, but with the fact I paid $15 to get it cleaned and didn't even get to sleep under it one night).  I called my parents and they told me he was fine all day and hadn't even eaten since lunch.  I bitched and moaned about my comforter and how it is cursed, and my mom told me to come pick up a spare comforter set that she was going to return to Kohl's (with a normal sized comforter that will fit in my washing machine).

I picked it up, got the bed made, and took a shower.  T and Princess were in my bed when I got out.  He told me he threw up again-all over my new sheets and comforter, that once again, I didn't even get to sleep under.  I wanted to scream.  Instead, I did the laundry, and put everything back on the bed before it was totally dry because I hate having an unmade bed at night.

I banished T to the couch and he fell asleep almost immediately.  I attempted to wash the cursed comforter in my machine.  I practically broke a sweat shoving it to fit.  The machine made horrible noises the entire time, and the comforter is so big, the part at the top of the machine stayed dry.  I don't even know if the machine still works right, but I guess I'll find out.  Oh, and the comforter was still stained, so I have to go take it to get bleached at the laundromat anyway.  It's been in the dryer for 3 hours and it's still wet. 

Oh, and T woke up and barfed all over his grandma's computer keyboard.  I'm just happy it wasn't mine, and I'm hoping she doesn't see my comforter in the dryer because she will kill me.  I'm waiting for her to go to bed so I can sneak it upstairs and hang it over the bannister to finish drying.  I guess T won't be going to school tomorrow.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

The Real Me


This is my favorite picture ever of me.  It was taken on the teacup ride in Disney World in January of 2007.

My mom took me on that trip after my fiance and I broke up after a 4 1/2 year relationship.  When it happened, I thought it would be really sad, but instead, I was so relieved.  I finally had my life back, and I really enjoyed it.

I love how happy I look in the picture.  I was so miserable for so long, I forgot what it was like to be happy, but it was still there.  In that vacation week with my mom, I regained everything I lost of myself, and became the person I used to be.

5 years later, I am still that person.  I learned that I can be me and be happy in a relationship-there's no reason to give up me to make someone else happy.  I think, if anything, I've become an even more joyful person because of my kids.  There's something to be said about how becoming a mother changes you for the better as a person.

I wrote this in response to one of this week's prompts from Mama Kat's.  4.) Share a photo that was taken of you, that you think really captures who you are.

Mama’s Losin’ It