In My Mom Era

It’s 6:45… There goes the alarm. Again. Damn, I hate that thing.

I head to the bathroom, notice that I still, in fact, have an hour’s worth of cleaning to do in there, and roll my eyes at myself.

“Come on, girls, time to go out!” I say to Grace & Sadie (our German Shepherd and Great Pyrenees mix)

Out to the living room, where Dec is currently sleeping on the couch (renovations to the upstairs are under way – for significantly longer than I thought they would be 🤦‍♀️🙄), and get him up. “Hey buddy, time to get up, you know where your clothes are. Then you need to make your lunch.”

That’s usually answered by a sleepy, “Good morning, mom, ok.”

Next up, T

Head to the back of the house, where T is on the other couch, completely covered up looking like a lump under a blanket. I ease the covers over his head, give him a gentle shake. “Morning buddy, time to get up.”

Let the girls outside in the backyard.

Head to the fridge and get a glass of water. T has successfully covered himself back up.

“Come on, T,” I say, as I completely take the blanket away. That gets his attention, LOL. T is a MUCH heavier sleeper than Dec. He sits up, and THEN I know it’s safe to walk away. “Get your clothes on, buddy! I’ll get lunch.”

Babies are chatting in their room…

There they are – “Dec, can you go get the babies up, please? T, you’re in charge of cups and milk!”

Nora opens the door, and happy screaming ensues!! *It is SO loud in my house… well, all the time, really, HAH*

“Ok, babies, diaper change time!! Come on over! I’ve got PopTarts!” (Yes, I know PopTarts are terrible LOL, you come handle my house in the morning 🤣🤦‍♀️)

“No, mommy. I don’t want to!” – Nora

“Thank you, Addy, good girl.” *begin changing diaper* “Nora, it’s not a question or a suggestion. You WILL get your tiny butt over here for a diaper change!”

“WHY MOMMMMMY?????” – Nora

“Baby girl, I keep telling you, if you start using the potty like a big girl, I’ll stop changing your diaper! You’re missing out on so much stuff… COLTON, DO NOT HIT YOUR SISTER!!! Like school, and dance and I don’t even know, but a LOT!”

“Yea, Nora, you could come to school with me and Dec!!” – T

“No. Humph!” – Nora

I grab Nora after successfully changing the twins. She starts screaming/crying: “I WANT BEAR-BEAR!!” Dec hands her Bear-Bear. Butt is changed.

It’s Been 8 Minutes

“Ok, Dec, do you have your lunch ready? Or do you need help?” (We just started having him make his own lunch; things happened LOL). He says he’s good.

I go grab the keys and head out the back door – “Come on babies! Gotta bring the boys to school!”

A chorus of “Yay, yea, and boys SOOOOL” ensues.

*I’m internally sighing at this point, because we’re at the point in the littles’ lives, where they want to HELP ME – by climbing into the car, settling into their carseats and buckling the TOP portion of their buckles*

It Is Now 7:32

“Come on boys, we have GOT TOGO!”

“Coming mom!” Both boys

“Belts, shirts tucked, backpacks, lunches? Got it all?”

That’s typically met with an, “Oh, I forgot *insert item here* 😅” by at least one of them LOL.

“Babies, do you all have your stuff? Milk, Bear-Bear, Panda & Buddie-dee-dees?” (I check, and thank GOD they usually all carry their essentials out on their own LOL)

7:39 And Ticking

“Good job, everyone! Alright, to school!”

“Mom, can we listen to Imagine Dragons?” – Dec

“Go for it.” At this point, he knows how to use my phone better than I do in some cases 😒 🙄 😅. I am NOT technologically inclined!

“OK, we’re here, go ahead and climb up buddy!”

We alternate front seat privileges between the two boys in our 2019 Chevy Suburban weekly. So, whoever is in the far back, has to climb OVER Nora and her carseat, and then they sit on top of the one seat we have closed down, specifically so we can get everyone in/out of the car. Honestly, its a NIGHTMARE 🤣😅

If anyone knows of a bigger, AFFORDABLE vehicle that’s NOT a schoolbus, let me know!! 🤣 We’re at capacity!

“Love you, boys! Have a good day at school!!” “Love you mom!” Chirped back at me as they climb out.

School Drop Off Line Successfully Navigated

“Mom, we go home now and watch Paw Patwol!?” – Nora

“PAW PATOL!!!” – Addy & Colton

“Yep, babies, we head home now.”

Get home, unload everyone, and make sure we have all of the stuffies and cups. Herd them all inside, unwillingly, of course, because they want to stay outside and play.

Head straight to the living room, and on goes Paw Patrol. Last month it was Bluey. I’m not sure WHAT it will be next month. All three of them climb up on the couch and settle, while asking for milk and more PopTarts while they stare, engrossed with Ryder & Co.

Kitchen for snacks and supplies. Back to the living room. Open my emails, check on any new opportunities or collaborations for the new site ❤️. I’ve been SO fortunate the past week since the relaunch!

I’ve received collaboration offers, hotel stay possibilities, books for review, affiliate offers and more. And it’s only been a week! I keep pinching myself to make sure I’m not dreaming!!

But, then I know it’s real because Addy comes running into the room completely NAKED and I’m immediately yelling, “Addy!!!!! WHERE IS YOUR DIAPER!!”

Giggling ensues – and I rush to find a diaper to contain the dang girl LOL!! Nora and Colton are trotting behind, with Nora going, “Addeeeeeeee, you NEED TO LEAVE YOUR DIAPER ON FOR MOMMY. UGHHH!”

I “talk” with ChatGPT for a bit about the blog

And then my thinking is interrupted. Paw Patrol has TURNED OFF. NETFLIX, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! KEEP THE KIDS’ SHOWS RUNNING – SINCERELY, EVERY PARENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN ON THE PLANET!!!!

So, switch to another app, turn the show back on and then back to planning and working on the blog.

Let the doggos back outside, fill up their water and make sure no child has strewn their food all over the floor. Inevitably clean up said dog food from the floor – or their carts… they like to put the dog food into their mini carts and push it around the house. 🙄🤦‍♀️

Kids.

YESSSSS!! It’s 1130!

“Oh babies…”

“NO, MOM, NOT MEEEEE!!” – Nora

“We’ll see, Nora, but the twins are going down for a nap!! Time to change butts and get some milk!”

20 minutes go by, and I’ve successfully corralled the twins into their cribs! I have NO idea how they still haven’t figured out how to climb out of their cribs, lol, but I’ll take it!

Let the dogs back in.

Then it’s Nora’s turn for a nap – which means I get a nap, too!! YES! Honestly, minus the fit that Nora throws for the first 15 minutes, it’s my favorite part of the day. ❤️ For naps, Nora gets to sleep with me in my bed – with Bear-Bear, of course. She snuggles up, and within moments, we’re both out. ❤️

There’s That Damn Alarm Again

“Mommy, is it morning?” – Nora

“No, baby, but it is the afternoon – and, we need to get the boys!”

“YAY, LET’S GO GET THE BOYS!” – Nora

“Yep! Let’s go get the boys, but first, the babies.”

“It’s OK, Mom, I get the kids up!” – Nora

She streaks into their room and wakes them up (assuming they aren’t already awake or never went to sleep, depending on the day, Ha). “Kids, we gots to go get the boys!” – Nora “YAY!!!” from the twins

Another round of diaper changes, cup-filling, and rounding up of stuffed animals later – and we’re finally headed to the car.

The school implemented a new rule this year where we have to wait in a car pickup line… in years past, you could be in line or you could socialize in a kind of seating area in-between the Church and school with other parents… but this year, it’s ALL the pickup line.

I Learned Within 2 Days That Being On Time Meant I Was Late

SO, now, my alarm goes off at 220, so that I can get the littles up, ready to go and over to be in the pickup line by no later than 240… or I’m waiting until 315 to actually PICK up the boys. 😅🙄

I put those 20 minutes to good use, though! We sing and chat; sometimes we call Daddy (he’s OTR trucking); we talk about the birds and how they’re doing, depending on the day, and whether the 3-year-old is having an existential crisis.

I alternate between yelling at Colton for pulling on Addy’s hair until she’s screaming and at Addy for taking Panda from Colton. Then I yell at Nora for throwing Bear-Bear at Addy, who decides that Bear-Bear is now HERS, and I have to wrestle it away from the front seat to toss it back at Nora. Then I yell at Colton AGAIN for throwing his cup for the 17th time and screaming at me to get it for him because he A) doesn’t know where it is and B) isn’t listening to common sense.

Honestly, in those 20 minutes, I’m thankful everyone is buckled in. They might be fist-fighting if we were home! 😅🤣

Boys acquired.

Head back home – sometimes we have some errands to run – for instance, yesterday we took the truck to the local car wash to make use of their vacuums, where the boys learned how to vacuum out a vehicle (great lesson!).

Once we’re home, all chaos breaks loose! The boys have to get out of their school clothes, put their shoes away, put their belts away, and put their dirty clothes on or in (depending on what I’ve accomplished that day, HAH) the washing machine. After the clothing is taken care of, typically whilst I change poopy diapers on one or two littles, they have to put their lunchboxes in the kitchen and hang up their backpacks.

It’s 430.

Ok, Kelly, you can do this, just a few more hours before bedtime!

Paw Patrol is on AGAIN in the living room and Spidey and Friends is on in the back. Boys have either done their homework, or we’re waiting until 7 so I can help without littles running amok.

Dinner – where we eat something simple. It’s usually pizza or pasta. Sometimes it’s cereal. Occasionally it’s mac and cheese. Sometimes we happen to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s – but as long as everyone eats, I’m satisfied!

I alternate between working on emails and the blog, and refereeing fighting and arguments between the boys and the littles. Sometimes between the boys and Nora.

I Try To Keep The Cussing To A Minimum

I am NOT Mother of the Year! I had this idea when I was pregnant with Dec… that I would NEVER cuss in front of my kids… 😅🤣😅🤣👀👀 Yea, so tonight, during homework with Declan, I said, “Declan, buddy, you are SO MUCH smarter than me! I mean, you brought this home the other day and I took one look at it and went, “I don’t know that shit.””

Best laid plans and all that. But really, I DO try!

7 PM finally rolls around and its BEDTIME for the littles!! “Dec, you’re on stuffed animal duty! Make sure Addy has all THREE bunnies, Colton has panda and Nora has Bear-Bear!”

“Yes ma’am! Babies, let’s FIND THOSE STUFFIES!!” – Dec

“T!! You’re on milk duty! Find their cups and fill ’em up!” (We’re transitioning to water at bedtime… it’s not working so well 🤦‍♀️)

“Got it mom! Also, guess what? (I look at him) I LOVE YOU UP HERE, DOWN THERE AND ALL AROUND , I WIN!!!!” – T says cackling.

“Dang it, you got me again! I’ll get you next time!!”

He walks away laughing. ❤️

The Babies Are In Bed

“Sweet dreams, sleep good and I love you always and forever, more than the moon and the stars, Nora!”

“Mom, you tell Bear-Bear goodnight?” – Nora

“Yes, good night, Bear-Bear, I love you.”

“Mom, now it’s Colton’s turn…and then Addy.” – Nora

“Sweet dreams, sleep good and I love you always and forever, more than the moon and the stars, Colton! Good night Panda, I love you.”

“Now Addy, MOM!!” – Nora

“Sweet dreams, sleep good and I love you always and forever, more than the moon and the stars, Addy! Goodnight bunny 1, bunny 2, bunny 3, I love you all!”

“Mommmmmmmy!! Now me!! I need a kiss too!!” – Nora

“HAHA, baby girl, you know I already kissed you!!” I video call Ty – “It’s bedtime Ty – say goodnight to the babies!”

I carry the phone around to each kiddo and show them his video – he tells them all goodnight and he loves them.

The Screaming Starts As I Shut The Door

I feel bad for all of 5 seconds, and then I set to getting myself something to eat while mentally reviewing what I need to accomplish with the boys.

This week, it’s social studies and spelling with Declan, and practicing the Responsorial Psalm with Tristan.

After that, it’s about 7:30. Time to READ!! Another fun part of the day: the three of us sit on the couch, each with our own book, and read for 20 minutes – we use a timer.

Once that’s done, it’s time for meds (allergy, etc), teeth and bed!

About 8/815, I’m tucking them in – “Sweet dreams, sleep good and I love you always and forever, more than the moon and the stars, Declan!”

“Night mom, I love you.”

“Sweet dreams, sleep good and I love you always and forever, more than the moon and the stars, Tristan!”

“Love you, mom.”

Slowly Meander to My Room

Take out the contacts, take my medicine, debate on showering or not. Think again, I have GOT to clean this bathroom LOL while brushing my teeth. 

Turn on the fan and hop into bed – finish up whatever is going on with the blog – an article, a draft, looking for photos, just enjoying myself in the quiet. 

I relish those times in the evenings. They help me balance out the chaos of each day.

I wouldn’t change a thing. This life is not perfect, but it’s mine – and I’m finally taking it in a direction I want ✨️🌟

Kelly