What's My Age Again?

Hubby is an extreme extrovert, social butterfly type. 

I'm an extreme introvert. I like being around other people, but I like being by myself or with my Hubby only. After all this vacation was about spending time just us. 

Our first night at the resort, we got a drink at a piano bar and hung around for awhile. We met some nice couples and Hubby kept saying we needed to make friends with one of them so we could hang out while we were there. 

After the initial round of singing, introductions were made all around the room and we quickly learned 90% of the couples at the resort were on their honeymoon. There were a handful of others celebrating their 10th like us, their 30th or just taking a trip together. 

The next day on the beach we saw a few of the couples from the piano bar. Each one said hello politely but they had no idea who we were. They'd been too drunk the night before to remember they'd met us. 

Hubby wondered why we couldn't make a connection with anyone. (Let me point out that we weren't introducing ourselves to every couple at the resort. We'd smile at people at the bar or pool and then chit chat.) 

After about 2 days I figured it out. How do I usually connect with someone? My kids. They are a great confidence booster and my number one way of meeting new people. Especially when I have them with me. They're a nice way to break the ice. 

When a good 3/4 of the couples we introduced ourselves to were on their honeymoon, we couldn't very well bond over our children. I was at a loss for conversation beyond "Where are you from?" and "How long are you here for?" 

It was at this time I started to feel old. Sometimes I still think I'm in my mid 20's and then it hits me I'm 32. 

I wasn't scared when I turned 30 and I'm not afraid of getting older. It can just be a rude awakening when the crowd you're with isn't moving at the same speed as you. 

Back to Reality

Well we had an amazing time in Jamaica. As much as we missed the kids, we still didn't want to come home. It was so nice to have down time and be relax the whole day. We swam in the ocean every day, laid on the beach, ate at amazing buffets and restaurants and drank to our hearts content.

It should have been just what we needed to reset ourselves. We talked about how we wanted to change our attitudes, how we wanted to handle the demands of our children from now on.

Hubby needs to work on keeping his cool and not snap as quickly. I need to work on not being irritated/annoyed by the little things. (Please tell me other parents experience these faults as well??)

Our flight landed in Denver at 11 PM Mountain time Tues. night. By the time we got our luggage and called the hotel shuttle where we'd left our car, it was 12:30 AM. Every hotel in the Denver/Aurora/Limon area was booked. We drove and drove until finally stopping in Burlington at 3 AM.

To say we were exhausted was an understatement. We stopped at the first hotel we came to in Burlington and it wasn't pretty. I think it was America's Best Inn or something similar. It smelled like smoke w/ cigarette burns on the tables and bedspreads, the shower curtain had mildew all over the bottom and the pillows were flat as a pancake.

The room had two double beds which meant Hubby and I didn't have to share. After traveling all afternoon and driving late into the night the last thing I wanted was to cuddle.

We got up early Wed. morning and were back in HC by 12:30. Just in time for lunch.

We left again at 3 PM for another 4 hours in the car. This time w/ our 3 lovely children. Baby C was ready for a nap so she didn't make a peep and the big kids were content to watch a show.

After about 2 hours, Ainsley had fallen asleep so both the girls were snoozing when Carsen started whining about his foot hurting. He made so much noise he woke Charlotte up and she could not be consoled. We had to pull over to change her diaper and give her a snack. After that she was just gonna have to tough it out.

Surprisingly we made it home before dark and got everyone into bed w/ little effort.

It's been 2 days and I'm not 100% on my "resolution" but it's there in the back of my mind. The little voice saying, "Don't get mad, laugh instead, turn it around."

Maybe I'll be better once I get caught up on all the laundry.

The Perfect Neighborhood

When we moved here 3 years ago one of the things we were looking for in a house was a nice neighborhood. A neighborhood where our children could play and be safe and have other kids to play with.

We were lucky and found such a house. We live on a cul de sac which at first one would think is a great idea b/c there's not much traffic. I can tell you that is a myth. Our cul de sac is very busy for many reasons:

1) One house at the end of street has multiple families living in it. This means there are cars coming and going constantly.

2) People turn down the street thinking it's a through street and then must turn around when they get to the end of it. This happens a lot.

3) You'd think people would drive slow down a cul de sac but no they speed down it doing at least 30 mph. Especially the people who live at the end. I guess they think they don't need to slow down until they get closer to their house. 

There are a lot of kids that live on this street and for that we feel our kids are lucky to have playmates so close.

I should say that we live in the middle of the cul de sac and the houses w/ the other kids (at least the ones our children play with) are toward the end of the street.

There are 3 boys Carsen's age that like to come over and play. Every time we pull into the garage one of them rides in just behind us on their bike or scooter. I want to say right away all 3 boys are very nice, sweet, and  for the most part well behaved. Their manners are a bit lacking but what kid has perfect manners?

At the beginning of the school year is when they first started coming over to play w/ Carsen and Ainsley. But what they really wanted we found out pretty quickly, was to play w/ all the things we had in our garage. Ainsley's new trike was too tempting and one boy hopped on it and took off down the street.

Nothing was safe. Bubbles spilled and dumped out, sidewalk chalk broken, random golf balls we had collected on walks thrown into the yard, and every bike, trike, and scooter we owned was pulled out and discarded on the grass.

When everything had been played with, they would grab their own bikes and ride off down the street to their own homes.

Our neighbors told us they had to make the rule that no one but the owners are allowed in the garage. We quickly put that rule into action at our house along w/ no leaving our yard and stay out of the street. I still don't feel comfortable leaving them all alone outside though.

 So far we haven't allowed these boys to come in the house to play. It's only happened once when Ainsley asked and I quickly said no. Seeing their behavior toward our outside toys, I definitely don't want them inside roaming free.

Some nights after seeing us pull into the garage one of them will ring the doorbell and ask if the kids can play. This is around 8:00 at night! Call me a "mean mommy" but that's almost bedtime in this house. 

How do you find the balance between being the house everyone wants to play at and being the house no one wants to play at?

I'm dreading this summer when I want to try all the ideas I've been pinning on Pinterest like homemade sidewalk paint and chalk and other games for fear these boys will want to join in. We may be playing in the backyard for most of the summer.

Bathroom privacy

We've all seen the ecards laughing about Moms having no privacy, especially while going to the bathroom. Why isn't this the same for Dads?

I don't know what it's like in other homes but my Hubby doesn't allow the kids in the bathroom while he's using it. The unbelievable thing is, the kids comply!! 

He feels especially uncomfortable around our daughter. She's a little more curious than our son was so she's not afraid to push her way into the bathroom and observe. She's even compared "it" to an elephant! I about died. 

I don't always leave the door open when I use the bathroom. If my children follow me I try to simply state, "Mommy is using the bathroom." Can anyone guess how well this is received? 

Locking the bathroom door isn't an option for me, I simply won't do it. The only exception being when I need to "cool off" and take a few minutes for myself. (And of course when Hubby is home I may lock the door just to avoid interruptions.)

My daughter comes in just to say hi and maybe for a chat. She looks around for something on the counter to hold or play with, something she isn't supposed to be touching. 

My son almost always has a question or a request. "Can I have a drink? Can I watch another show?" He's more compliant than his sister when I tell him I'm using the bathroom, can he come back? 

And then there's my 4 legged child. The dog. He barges in whenever he pleases but usually only stays long enough to sniff out the room before going to look for something more exciting. 

What kind of bathroom stories do you have to share? 

This brings me to a similar topic: Nudity in front of your children: At what age do you stop?

I usually come out of the bathroom after my shower wearing my bra and underwear. If I happen to be naked and hear my children coming down the hall, I pull my shirt on really fast or grab my towel.

When Hubby comes home the first place he goes is usually back to the bedroom to change clothes. The kids usually follow talking non stop about what happened that day. On the off chance they don't follow him back there and I do, you can guarantee they'll be along shortly.

A friend and I have been taking an aquatics class at our local Y every Wed. evening. When Hubby comes home I'm usually in a hurry to change and get out the door. One Wed. night I'm changing in the bedroom and Hubby comes back to get "instructions" so to speak. Of course, the kids are close behind him. I'm naked, putting on my swimsuit, and the kids are jumping all around the room.

Later Hubby asked me when I was going to stop undressing in front of our 5 year old son. I was quick to point out I was alone in the room when I started changing, the kids followed him back to the bedroom. And what did he mean by naked? Completely naked? Bra and pants? Bra and underwear? There's a number of combinations he could be talking about. I don't really want to be reduced to changing in my bathroom, but I also don't want to give my son a complex later in life. Not to mention giving my girls a complex over body image if I'm constantly hiding while changing.

Do anyone of you have a policy about bathroom privacy/

1 Month to Go

Now b/c I've been MIA for the past 2 months you all that read this blog have no idea what I'm referring to in the title of my post.

I'm 1 month away from giving birth to my 3rd child. (C-section actually.)

I've read a lot of stories about how 3 children is either the perfect balance or the perfect nightmare. Hubby and I planned this pregnancy so we knew what we were getting into but that doesn't mean the doubts aren't there.

We keep joking about how much we love our sleep and are able to sleep through the night now w/ our 2 older kids. Are we really ready for that part of parenthood? The sleepless nights, reading the signs for why the baby's crying?

But then we look at all the newborn pictures of our 2 other kids and remember the smiles, coos and faces they made. Plus after what our daughter put us through (colic, constant nursing, and didn't prefer sleeping alone) I think we're ready to handle anything.

Hubby and I took a tour of the hospital b/c we will be having this baby at a new hospital than the previous 2 kids. It's a much larger hospital but the maternity ward is being updated which is a plus.

We learned during the tour that there is no nursery in the maternity ward. The baby will be in our room DAY AND NIGHT.

Hubby and I looked at each other in a panic. Our previous 2 babies spent every night in the nursery, only coming into my room when they needed to be fed. How were we going to have a pseudo-restful night w/ our baby in the same room?

Great parents, right?

There is a full size bed so we'll have the luxury of sleeping together. (Before we each had our own twin size bed.) I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not.

It will be nice to sleep w/ him, but I expect to be somewhat uncomfortable and when the baby wants to nurse Hubby will be just as inconvenienced as me. Not to mention that if I need to sleep at an inclined position, he has to sleep that way too. (That's to say the bed has that option.)

I still have a million things to do. Sure most everything is moved into the nursery, but as far as organization goes the room still needs some work. Totes need to be gone through to find clothes (we don't know the sex of this baby), the mobile, car seat, etc.

We moved our 2 older kids into the same room (more on that later) and it's going really well. Let's hope the arrival of this baby doesn't screw w/ our system.