Dreaming of the DMV...

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Today I finally went to the DMV and got my Rhode Island driver's license. I was expecting a terrible experience because the word DMV seems to be synonymous with hell but it was actually not so bad!

The Cranston branch was well organized and I was in and out in about an hour. The people working there were nice too- except for the guy who takes the license pictures; he was a little creepy. If someone is as old as my dad I most certainly don't want them checking me out- young guy yes, old guy no.

I brought my kindle to keep me occupied while I waited but I couldn't help but people watch and come up with snarky comments in my head. What is it with people wearing their pajamas and sweatpants out of the house? I actually was beginning to feel overdressed in my jeans and t-shirt outfit. Maybe it's because I am home with the kids all day but if I don't put on real clothes I feel like a decrepit piece of crap. Putting real clothes on makes me feel like I am part of the real world instead of stuck in a pile of dirty laundry, spit up and dirty dishes while dealing with three screaming kids. If for some reason I get stuck in sweatpants and or pajamas all day I feel like my soul has been crushed. Dramatic, huh?

I was actually a little sad leaving the DMV because it was peaceful- once I returned home it was back to the whining, screaming kids. Now on days where the kids are particularly annoying I can dream about sitting at the DMV instead of my usual dream of shoveling cow manure.

May the Force Be With You...

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Something I have noticed lately is the more kids you have the less time you have to care about silly things. With each child that emerges from my belly I have less time to linger on trivial things... like an AWOL spider in my bedroom.

Yes, there is a spider in my bedroom somewhere and I don't really care. I am too tired to care and my brain is too mushy after dealing with whining kids all day to care.

Normally I would have taken every piece of furniture out of my bedroom and stayed up all night until I found and exterminated the spider. Let me rephrase that, I would have had my husband take apart every piece of furniture and stay up all night until he found and exterminated the spider. But now I am a mom with three monsters to take care of which is far more terrifying than an eight legged creature possibly crawling on me.

I know that the little guy most likely isn't even in my bedroom anymore- he's probably under a piece of furniture somewhere mocking me for my pitiful attempt at killing him (it involved a light saber and some toilet paper) so even though I am not terrified by his presence in my house I still scan every room I walk into just in case he wants to make his presence known. And if for some reason he is sitting behind me while I am writing this I want him to know that the next time we meet I'll be better prepared, perhaps with a Nerf gun of some sort.

Angry Bird-Day Party Countdown...

When asked what kind of birthday party he wanted, my son replied "Angry Birds".

I have until May 20th to make it happen. 

The first step was the invitations which I made because I am crazy and enjoy crafty stuff like that. Next I am going to make Angry Bird playground balls and paint boxes brown and gray- all for a life sized game of Angry Birds for the kids to play at the party.

Then it is onto coming up with an idea for the cake. They don't make Angry Birds cake pans so it's all on me to come up with something cool. Then I will pray that I can pull it off when I get home from work that Saturday because the party is on a Sunday- I predict I will be up until 2 am and be covered in frosting.

And on top of the stuff I'm making I have to decide what kind of food we're having (and order it- we decided that grilling for everyone is too much of a hassle), buy snacks and drinks, make favor bags and buy stuff to fill them, reserve the bouncy house and buy miscellaneous party supplies (plates, utensils, cups, napkins, table covers, etc). Oh yes, and we just have to have a pinata because the birthday boy made a special request.

Sixteen days and counting...

Trick or Treat (or drive myself crazy)...

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Every year I make my kids trick or treat baskets that match their costumes. I know that they could care less if they have something that I slaved over or just a pillowcase but I really enjoy doing it and it makes me feel  all mommy like.

The past years have been pretty easy to make baskets for but this year I am kind of stuck.

My daughter is going to be a fairy princess and I dropped a pretty penny on this costume (yes, I know I could have made something like it but it would not have been as cute). My daughter fell in love with it when she saw it and looked beyond adorable when she tried it on. I am going to make her a tutu basket with matching tulle but will iron out the details when I go to Jo-Ann Fabrics this week. Not the most creative basket but at least it will be cute.

My son is going to be a guy from Star Wars which is where my stuck-ness comes in. I am not someone who knows a ton about Star Wars so I did a lot of searching on the Internet for some ideas for a trick or treat basket. Right now I am leaning towards an R2D2 basket made with a bucket, paint and felt but I was also thinking of doing a Chewbacca basket. I guess I will just have to get my inspiration from aimlessly roaming the aisles of the fabric store.

With Halloween about a week away I really need to get going on these baskets and will most likely run to Jo-Ann Fabrics after my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I swear I am going to drive myself crazy between getting these Halloween baskets done and getting my daughter's/the baby's room done. And like I said before- no one else even cares about any of the stuff I am doing but as long as I care it is all worth it.

Man Up...

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Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely detest getting help. I am a very stubborn person by nature- the kind of stubborn that even when I figure out the way I am doing something is wrong I will still continue doing it that way until I get the desired result. One I get an idea in my head I am going to do it and I am going to do it myself.

I apply my stubbornness and unwillingness for help to pretty much all aspects of my life- especially when it comes to my kids. The only time I ever don't take them places with me is when I can't, such as when I have to go to the doctor (I don't want my kids seeing me spread eagle while my doctor checks to see if I'm dilated) and dentists appointments (impossible to keep an eye on the kids while plaque is getting scraped off of my teeth). Any other situation and I just soldier on and take the kids with me. Yes, it would be way easier to ask my in-laws (who live in an in-law apartment at our house) to take the kids for a bit while I run to the store but I never (ever, ever) do that. If having kids were supposed to be easy everyone would have ten of them.

Is my way the right way? It is for me because if I got lots of help I would feel like I were incompetent at my job of being a mom. For everyone else- you just have to do what is right for you and your family. But think of this- if you think raising babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers is hard then just wait until they are all teenagers. I'm not sure that dropping them off at grandma and grandpa's house would be a viable option then so you might as well man up now.

Stupid Laundry...

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Am I the only person who wastes tons of electricity and water because I am constantly forgetting that I have clothes in the washer?

I love the feeling I get in the morning when I happen to walk by the washing machine and see a full load of washed laundry that has been sitting since the night before. Not wanting to take a chance of having musty smelling clothing I put in more detergent and turn the washer back on making a mental note to switch it over in a somewhat timely manner.

On the same note, there have been many instances where I have opened my dryer after throwing a load of clothing into it and realized that the clothes were still soaking wet because I forgot to turn the dryer on. This usually happens over 24 hours after putting the clothes in the dryer (my turnaround time on laundry can really suck sometimes) so back into the washer they go.

I can't even blame these things on the baby turning my brain into mush as I have been forgetting about laundry for years. I really hate laundry.