i know you have been waiting, and i'm back...

With one of those lame-o teaser posts.

I'm home.  Got back from New York at about 1:30 last night.  I was up and outta bed this morning doing all sorts of things with a source of unknown energy.  With a clean house and about 17 loads of laundry later, (NONE of which are put away yet...) I was spent.  And then I had mutual and meetings and soccer stuff.  Totally skipped running tonight just like I did all but one day of the trip (but it's ok because we walked a marathon every day in that city.) and my half marathon is in less than a month, Yikes!  So now I'm really tired.

But, I thought I would inform you that my camera battery did not make the trip to New York.  The camera did though.  So the pics will have to wait and you have to look all the way back at easter stuff that i never did post, blah, sorry.  Plus, I have no idea where to start with the trip.  It was crazy and amazing.  I might be talking about that trip for a while.  When I get the 250 pictures we took from my mom sized down a bit, return for the marathon post.

So in no particular order...

The LOOT!

5/52

6/52

Yoink!

And now, I'm going my bed.  I'll be dreaming of green grass in my backyard and no more snow.  Can you believe there was TWO snow days here while I was gone?!  So while poor Sarabeth was babysitting the kids, Derek was stranded in a few feet of snow with no school.

where have i been?

Nowhere, really.  Just slackin around for the holidays.  Can I just rub in everybody's face who isn't married to a school teacher how great it is?!  Loving the holidays, fun easter weekend with the fam, spring cleaning, and yard work.  

(here's a little dirty laundry for ya, this is what alli's hair looks like most days.)

Decided to go into Lethbridge one day with my mom while Derek was golfing.  Alli needed new shoes for soccer.  She has 3 pairs of boots that are not going to be any good because the snow has ENDED...RIGHT?!  So here's our escapade.

First store, Payless.  Of course they didn't have the shoes that I wanted in her size.  Called the one single other Payless in town, no go.  (missing Edmonton here)  But I'm not sure it would have mattered.  Alli had a pair picked out and was trying them on.  Pink with stars.  Bleh ugly bleh shoes.  Now, I'm only slightly vain when it comes to dressing my children, but if I'm gonna get something ugly it will not be at the price of $24.99.  Nothing else here, so just carry on.

  

Not so.  

Alli is crying for me to get her the shoes.  She was practising running up and down the isles with a smile on her face that you couldn't resist seconds ago.  She won't put the box down.  The meltdown is coming.  The clerk lady's face was begging me to just buy them.  

Not gonna happen, I can resist.

I eventually drag her out telling her if we don't find something else we'll come back, and I bribe her a piece of gum to stop crying and try to ease the pain.  (my pain of dealing with her that is.)  We stop at a couple other place with the teary whiney child in tow.  Not great at the ol Park Place Mall, not great.  

I finally found a pair I could live with at Winners.  Pink with flowers, if that is somehow better.  She didn't want them.  I forced her to try them on, but she didn't forget about the stars.  I tried to distract her by looking around Winners (ok, I just needed a look around.)  When we revisited the shoe section, she immediatly went back to being crazy child.  The shoes were for soccer, but I had flashes of everytime we left the house her begging for those monster shoes while wearing a cute skirt or dress.  So, I did it.  I gave in.  I couldn't believe it , but I just didn't care anymore.  As she was happily skippng down the mall back to Payless, she noted a small child with an ice cream cone.  

A:  mom can I have an ice cream cone?

Me:  yeah right, not after the way you have been acting today.

And so began a small episode of begging for sugar as is my daily life.  I mentioned my mom was with me.  My smart humble and full of wisdom mother who raised 6 kids.  She may have let us pick our own haircuts as children, but I'm not sure we picked our shoes.  After a quick mother daughter consult, it was time for a life lesson.

Me:  Alli if you want an ice cream cone you can't get the star shoes because they cost too much. But the flower shoes cost less and there would be money for ice cream.  So do you want the flower shoes or the star shoes.

A:  ICE CREAM!

Went back to winners.  Alli went straight to the shoes and showed even more excitement for these than the stars.  'Oh mom, these are my favorite.  I'm gonna be able to kick the soccer ball so good.'  Ahhh, the smile and running up and down the isles again.

Lindsay Parenting - Bribe with gum

My Mom Parenting - Life lessons

Thanks for the ice cream mom.

I don't think she's worn the shoes other than the day we bought them, so no pics of them yet, thank goodness.

(7/52 i know , they're out of order.  

i'll post 6/52 and 5/52 later)

2 sets of twins...almost

Well, can I just say that I am so loving all the 'open curtains' and 'dirty laundry' out there right now on our blogs.  Awesome.  I'm pretty sure we just started some sort of a slacker mom revolution.  And I mean that in the best hard working mom way possible. I could do a cheesy boost to our egos right now and tell everyone how great we are at our own certain things, but that fact that we are willing to say what we suck at and blog about it and be kinda proud of it, means we are all doing just dandy, right?! Love it, love it Love it! It's been a great compliment-fest (new word?  like it)  And sometimes we don't do all this enough, so it's been good.   And if you have yet to spill your dirty shortcomings, spill it, you'll feel great.

Alright, next topic.

2 sets of twins.


That's what it felt like I had for a mere 3 days last week. I had my 2 nieces come stay with us while Derek's brother and his wife went on a trip. And I begged Sarabeth to let me watch them because she is the best of all bests out there. She has 4 kids kids, preggo with #5 and just has this take it all in stride kind of attitude. Totally admire her on so many levels. I could never turn her down for an act of service like this, because she would do it for anyone else 10 times without even thinking twice. It was fun and really not too eventful, which is good. I was more rather sleep deprived because of my own teething child. And really it was only 3 days, and I can suck it up for that. (especially because she is doing this for me in 3 weeks. see? i told you she would say yes to anyone.)

(alli, all smiles all the time...really...)

However, I would still like to post a few notes for future reference about 4 kids 3 and under.

(poor little margaret missed her mommy the most.)

-Whenever you think you are on time, you still need 10 more minutes for actually getting out the door and making sure you have everyone and everything and they are all strapped in their seats. -Tack on another 5 if it's winter and they need bundling and extra walking/emotional support because guaranteed at least one will fall in the snow, ice or mud. (which it was, and they did.)

-If the kids are hungry, they will eat their meals and snacks, if they don't, too bad. Or you will spend all day messing and cleaning the kitchen.

-If I kept it up, I am quite confident I would lose weight.   All of a sudden I'm starving and I hurry and eat whatever and onto the next whatever.

-Only clean up after the kids once, maybe twice a day (or even none at all.) It's just not worth it in between.

-I will probably not have the motivation at the end of the day like I do now to go running. So turn into a morning person. But because of the above lose weight point mentioned, I may not need to work out.

-And while your being a morning person, shower before they wake up. It's amazing what kind of trouble can be found in 10 mins, but I previously did figure that out with only 2 kids...

-I'm not completely sold on a van. I like the kids to be right behind me like in the car so I can just toss stuff back easily. But 4 in a car doesn't work, so I'd have to be sold on it I guess.

-Get all the same color of plates and cups for the children because there is a guaranteed fight over whatever the color of the day happens to be.

-4 kids in the grocery cart = no room for the food.

-prepare to be ENTERTAINED. Kids really crack me up.

(i don't know why, but this is just so ava, love her!)

So, as always, chalk another one up to all the moms out there with 1 or 10 kids. And if you have twins or more, I bow to you. I get a little sick to my stomach watching that Jon and Kate Plus Eight show.

(ah james, why don't you sleep?)

note to self...never have 4 kids 3 and under. Oh phew, just did the math, it's impossible for me.

One final note.

Dear Spring, I have missed you.  It has been so long.  Please stay, oh please oh please.  My sanity is begging you.
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