Keepin' it Real, Negative-Nelly Style (Sorry!)

So, last week was awful. How do you like that opening? Makes you want to dive right in, huh? :) Turns out the girls had an order of Strep all around. You haven't lived until you take three little people to the doctor to get swabbed. Birdie has always been crazy sick. Beatle's just pitiful and sweet--you want to do anything you can to comfort her. Every once in awhile, Birdie will want to sit on my lap but mostly, she's converting the exam table paper at the doctor's office to next New Year's confetti, trying daring feats of acrobatics in the waiting room chairs, and sifting through the biohazard trashcans looking for something good. (I kid! She's never actually fully-opened the trash can but I have had to sit on it before to keep her out of that tantalizing orange box.) The nurse came in while Birdie was doing some move in the chair that I learned at the Burlesque studio for my sister's bachelorette party and I told her, "Believe it or not but that one's actually the sickest." Then, when the doctor came in and she was being a Tasmanian devil, I told him, "Doc, if this is her sick, don't make her well!" She definitely needed to get better tho. We had tried to shake this thing on our own but she wasn't improving and her behavior was beyond. She'd lure me in to hold her but toward the end of the week, I didn't know if she was really going to hug me or pimp slap me. That's the thing when they are sick, you don't know how much to make concessions for--if it is them not feeling well and how much is just plain unacceptable. On Tuesday, I tried all day to be so gentle and loving, talking through every bad choice. By the end of the day, I was ready to get all black-momma on her and take my shoe right off my foot and whoop her good! It was just a constant struggle all week, possibly the perfect storm. We had just introduced the big girl bed, which for anyone who's made that transition, you know what I'm talking about. You work so hard to get your kid to sleep all through the night and you get about a year of that and then they promote and it's back to interrupted sleep, nightmares, etc. By Friday, I was starting to crack up due to lack of sleep, not being able to move without someone crying about it, and having every inch of my life interrupted. Besides getting them all on meds, we've made our guidelines about interrupting to Beatle clear, Birdie's successfully slept in her bed for three nights in a row, I'm giving myself more permission to be a person and Birdie's had a crash course on what will land her in timeout. I think Brent and I are turning this crazy train around but it's definitely been a team effort because I was running on empty.

Last night, I cut Beatle's hair. She was wanting me to cut like she had it when she was three. Crazy, that doesn't seem so long ago! I did and I think it's a cute little haircut...maybe a little amateur. Unfortunately, it does make her face look rounder. I'd NEVER say that to her tho. I kinda feel like I'm staring at myself when I was younger. She loves it though and kept looking in the mirror yesterday. One time she came out of the playroom to tell on Birdie and she seemed distracted in her speech and I told Brent, "I bet she's looking in the hallway mirror while she talking." He totally busted her! I'm glad she's so happy with it; I just hope no one says anything mean about it.

About haircuts, Brent followed Beatle in my funky little living room hair salon but between hers and his, he got me fighting mad. Bad idea! When he walked into work this morning, one of the ministers said, "Whoa! Look who got into a fight with a razor." Brent corrected him, "No, I got into a fight with the barber. This is a revenge cut." I didn't mean to botch it but I was mad and in a hurry. Not a good combo. I tried to fix it but I've done all I can until it grows out a little more. :O/


Last night, Brent watched the girls while I went to a Bible Study. When I left, Birdie was running around in just a long shirt and Brent was telling her how she needed to get panties on. When I came home, two hours later, she was in the same shirt standing on the stepstool. I asked her if she had on any panties and she just lifted her leg, like a dog at a fire hydrant and nonchalantly said, "Nak-nak". That girl! The touch of clothes must burn her body--I'm surprised she still had the shirt on.

That stepstool is a thorn in my flesh. She can push it around to anything. Nothing is off limits to Birdie. Last week, she discovered where I keep the finger paints, the laundry detergent, and permanent markers. The kitchen counter is now her snack bar. It's crazy! It's not like I'm laying around watching TV or hitting a bong! She's just that fast! I'm either tending to another child or another task and bam! Huge mess! So then, she goes to time out for getting into things she knows she's not supposed to be in and I'm her "in time-out entertainment" on my hands and knees scrubbing (for a lot longer than the minute per year suggestion!) At the end of an unusually hard day, my mom sends me a text saying, "I know you don't believe it but you're going to miss this." It was late, I was sleepy and overly emotional so I didn't text back what I wanted..."No, I won't miss this day. In fact, I just want to take a crap on it, flush it down the toilet and never see it again." I was just so raw last week, in a way that's new to me because Birdie's temperament is so different than Beatle's. Parenting is not for the lazy!!

Yesterday morning, in my three-year-old Sunday School class, we were making Valentine's Day sun catchers--super cute. The lead teacher was putting the finishing touches on them while I was writing their names on them and putting them with their things. One of the little girls coughed and Ms. Bobbie said, "Oh, are you sick?" and then BLEH! BLEH! Up it all came all over the floor and Ms. Bobbie's foot. I grabbed the trash can and told the kids to go sit on the rug on the other side of the room. Ms. Bobbie starts coughing and gagging and I told her, "Hold it together, Ms. Bobbie! I can't lose you too! If you need to (motioning to the door)..." She stepped away to get Brent and the custodian and I took the girl to the bathroom to clean her up. Poor thing! You could tell, that had been churning for awhile. And then one very-verbal, usually-rude but always-honest boy said, "Ewww! It's so stinky in here!" It was so crazy! We had to change classrooms and everything. Not your typical Sunday to end my not typical week! Haha!

Today, we had a snow day (even though there's not one flake left on the ground now!). But it's been a nice, unexpected day to slow down and take it easy. Last night, Beatle and I hung two ice wreaths outside (found it in Family Fun magazine--we froze red heart ice cubes and then put them in a cake pan with a cup in the middle). All day, we've been admiring our wreaths, drinking coffee, and staying in lounge pants. Brent brought his work home and my fitness classes are canceled for the night. Life feels good again. Thank you Lord for new days and fresh starts...I don't know what I'd do without them!