'Repeat Play' and other parenting mistakes!

Warning: If you are in the market to read something uplifting, loving, kind - this is NOT the website for you. . . .

I am hopeful that relaying the story of this hellish week will somehow lighten my otherwise unbearable load, but I guess that remains to be seen. Since becoming a parent some 3 1/2 years ago, I have been so careful not to say, "I will never___________ with my child". I have actually said those words a couple of times thinking that I would be safe from the inevitable, "I told you so" of my life, but even the smallest things that you 'will never' - given the right circumstances, you will.

For the past 96 (yes, that's one entire work week) hours at least one member of my household has been vomiting and/or having diarrhea (note the use of the word AND), including Jonathan and ME! This is enough to cause me great mental harm as I have a terrificly insane phobia of throwing up. Truthfully, it is one of those things that I am just really, really, really neurotic about. If I even think that you're grandmother's aunt's sister has been exposed to a stomach bug, I will not be seeing you within a good 72 hours. With that being thoroughly explained to you, you should completely understand why the fact that all four of us have the stomach bug is enough to send me to the nut house. Here's the quick version . . .

Monday - Carrie puking
Monday night/Tuesday - Jon Thomas puking
Wednesday - Charlie diarrhea
Thursday - Jonathan puking, snotty with a fever
Friday - Charlie puking, diarrhea, snotty nose, fever

All these things considered, I think that you will completely understand and forgive the fact that I went back on several of my 'I nevers'. First, I have always prided myself in the fact that I limit my children's TV time and the content of the shows they watch. I'm not one of those TV nazis who doesn't own a tele, but I do only allow so much in one given 24 hour period. Until yesterday. I found myself SEARCHING the channels for something else for Jon Thomas to watch. By searching, you must understand that I really mean that I was desparately flipping the channels looking for a cartoon-like program. My brow was flushed and I was a little sweaty at the thought that something might not be on. At some point I did realize that I was going a little insane, and I did force some fresh air on the kid, but only after probably 5 or 6 hours of Dora the Explorer.

Another TV problem, Charlie is INSANE over Baby Einstein videos. He calls them 'Baby', and while he's been sick, that's ALL HE WANTS TO DO! More than once I have found myself absently staring at Baby Bach in a mesmerized, catatonic fashion. One more thing I have always prided myself in is that I HAVE NEVER utilized the 'repeat play' function on these videos. Well, until yesterday. I think Baby McDonald played ALL DAY LONG.

Since we have moved to Alabama, I have become more careful about what the kids eat. We don't eat out very much, and I try to make everything from scratch with fresh ingredients. Until yesterday. Jon Thomas finally felt like eating something - Chic Fil A chicken nuggets. He ate them - THREE TIMES YESTERDAY. Yes, I drove my car to Chic Fil A 3 times to order food for us because I could not stomach the thought of preparing something myself.

Lastly, I am the best at helping the children give up the passie. I HATE going somewhere and seeing a 3 or 4 year old with a passie in their mouth talking to their mother. So I decided to let my kids have the passie (which by the way I recently heard a Mom call it a 'suckie' - that is just wrong) until the age of 1 year at which time it is only allowed in their beds with them until 18 months when it is given up completely. Until yesterday, when Charlie carried around three passies. One in the mouth and one in each hand.

Before you strip me of my official "Mother of the Year" title, I have to be completely honest with you about the remainder of the week. Today, I was so tired on so many levels that I threatened to run away. Jon Thomas cried. People, it wasn't pretty.

But for this very minute, everyone is asleep but me. I am imagining their littlle antibodies working properly and little bodies healing themselves through lovely, recuperative sleep. Until tomorrow morning, I can dream of a world where my 1300 sq ft house does not smell like a litter box. I can dream of a world where children that do not while 23 1/2 hours a day, and I can think about what a much better Mommy I'm going to be after a good night of rest. Yeah, I'll keep you posted.

My New Commute!

Shew, I finally made it work this morning! My big commute from the bed to the kitchen for my morning dose of Coke and straight over to my computer - it was tough. For a moment there I thought there might be some road construction but I quickly realized it was just the remnants of last night's Little Tykes truck parade in my den! It was touch and go there for a minute or two.

Since I haven't posted anything good in a while (except, of course, for pictures of my lovely kiddos) I thought I might discuss the following topic: Milestones reached by members of your family that you're are totally elated by but really not many other people can share in your joy.

Here they are . . .(listed in descending order of importance)

1. The ability to buckle one's own seatbelt over one's own booster seat. This has really changed my life in that now I say, "Jon Thomas, go get in the car and buckle up." I can send him out a full five minutes before I go out to have a moment to compose and gather all those things that need to be transported to the car, which include another human being.

2. The ability to do the nightly teeth brushing routine all alone. This occurs with the help of Agent Cool Blue - a lovely product sold at all local WalMarts that you should all invest in.

3. My children have finally mastered (namely the older of the two) the ability to play independently for more than 20 minutes at a time while I actually accomplish things!

4. It has taken 8 long years to get this one down - but older male members of my household have finally realized there is no garbage bag fairy who replaces the bags after he takes the full ones out, so HE DID IT HIMSELF! I was shocked into stunned silence when this first occured! Now we are working towards replacing DVD's in their own cases!

5. Charlie's milestone is small but a milestone for me nonetheless. We are trying to instill a helping spirit in our youngest and thus we have him take his dirty clothes to the laundry room each night. However, many nights I go into the kitchen to find his clothes in the GARBAGE CAN instead. Have you ever tried to clean coffee grounds out of knit shorts? Not fun. But now, he has successfully made it to the laundry room every night this week!

These are just a few of the little things that my family can do all by themselves! I look forward to hearing about your milestones!