Here's to the next decade

Turning 40 

As I reflect on the last decade I realize it's difficult to remember the details. It's been the busiest 10 years of my life, yet one of the most enlightening.
Sure...my 20's were busy going to parties, attending classes, getting my first job, going to more parties and watching countless hours of Lifetime . I guess that was "busy" to a 20 year old.

Little did I know when I blew out 30 candles in '04, that I should have wished for three things.

1. Patience
2. Friendships
3. Sleep

Patience for marriage, children, a career, and the countless demands on my time. Patience with my self in accepting these things take practice and every day is a lesson learned. (Patience to not explode when a five year old overflows the toilet for the third time in one day.)

Friendships - Don't put off making time for the friendships in your life that you cherish the most. Death doesn't just happen to old people. If you love your friends, make sure to tell them, even if it's a simple text message. The moment you realize you can't get time back, it's too late. The 30's are complicated. Having children changes your priorities and the time you have to give to other's is limited. Make sure to cherish that time and give it to the people you love most. You'll never regret creating more memories.  The past 10 years have been spent building a family and a marriage, and I wouldn't change that for the world. I only wish I had more time to nurture my existing friendships, and build on new ones. I find that spending time with friends is so rewarding. There is nothing like a good laugh, a terrific bitch session, and advice from new and old friends to help you navigate new waters.

Finally, I don't need to explain why I would have wished for more sleep. If you have kids you know. I do admit though, I feel better prepared for a natural disaster. I think having kids and sleep deprivation is great training for when we have to live on emergency supplies, make life changing decisions, or sleep on a hard floor in the wilderness. (Maybe that's a stretch.)

So bring on the 40's. I now have sleep, so watch out world. I'm working on patience, friendships and my next three wishes.....

Tiered Pricing

Last week I attended my first private magic show.
When I arrived home from work the boys were busy setting up.
Soon after dinner they bolted upstairs to get ready for the 6 o'clock show.
In hindsight I guess it was more of a dinner theater, without the two drink minimum.
Brooke and I were their first guests.
We arrived at the top of the stairs to see a sign with an arrow pointing to the right. CHECK-IN
We walked over to the box office (literally a cardboard box), to find Nate sitting behind the makeshift check-in desk. On the desk was a price sheet and a sign-in form. I had two options for tickets, either $1 or $10. Their tiered pricing seemed to be missing a level. Thankfully children under 3 were free.
We were handed a ticket and directed to the theater. Our greeter was Jack who collected our ticket and brought us to our seats.
I looked in their room to find every chair we own set up classroom style, three rows deep.
We of course wanted to sit in the front row to be closer to the action.
This is when our greeter also turned into our bouncer.
"The front row is for our $10 guests! Your seats are in the back row... the dollar seats."
So as Brooke and settled into the back row of an EMPTY theater I thought to myself.......their daddy would be proud!
Capitalism at it's best from a soon to be 8 year old and his lovely assistant.

Family Firsts

I wasn't anticipating such a fun first week of Summer. In fact, I sort of dread Summer, minus the family vacations and a break from homework. I'm of the opinion that school keeps kids out of trouble, and without an organized schedule, they start to kill each other....literally kill each other.

I've heard of those Mom's who are excited to have their kids home with them all day, and as much as I love my kids, I have to wonder....are their kids different than mine? They must have the kind that love quiet puzzles, and whisper around the house. Or maybe they have the kind that love sharing a room, and rock each other to sleep.
I have the kind that scream from the top bunk, "Moooom, can you turn the light off, I can't sleep, while the bottom bunk crys, "But Moooom, it's not FAIR....I can't sleep without a light!" And so on and so on......

Before I digress too far, I was trying to highlight the fun parts of the week. It was filled with firsts, and made me appreciate all the exciting times ahead for our family of 5.

We had our first family trip to a Giant's game...in the Coupons.com suite. Unfortunately we will never be able to bring the kids to another run of the mill game again. Once you experience the suite, you never want to go back to bleachers, let alone Club level.

On Sunday we made a spontaneous decision to take everyone to the movies. It was Brooke's first time. We saw Monsters University, and Brooke made it through the entire movie. It didn't start to get sketchy until the last 10 minutes when she started shouting that she had poo poo.... in a very loud voice...over an over again.

She looks a little cross eyed here, but I love her pink hat, and the fact that she kept it on her head.

Life is always good when daddy is holding her.

I consider this a success. All 5 people looking at the same camera.

I wonder?

Often after spending a fun filled day with these three munchkins, I wonder what life would be like if I gave up the fast paced corporate world.

I wonder:
Would life be simpler?
Would I be picking up toys from morning till night?
Would I be better organized with labeled baskets?
Would I have richer interactions with the kids because we would have more one on one time?
Would I have more time for exercise? (I know that's a joke.....)
Would the house be tidy and the beds made?
Would I have time to make dinner and include the vegetables?
Would homework not be as hard because it would be done by 4pm?
Would I make cupcakes, just because I had time to?
Would I not be searching frantically for matching socks at 7:00AM?
Would I have time to wait for Orkin for two hours when a stupid rat dies in our attic...on a Wed.?
Would I have more friends because I have time to make deeper connections?
Would we have enough money for a Tuesday night dinner at a local Mexican restaurant?
Would I feel as rewarded as when I'm recognized for accomplishments at work?
Would I find it easy to re-enter the corporate world when I'm ready, or will I ever want to again?

And the biggest thing I wonder about is if when they are grown they will tell me they wished I stayed at home when they were little? And will I be crushed when they do?

I am an under no illusion that the stay at home route is much easier than a corporate life. Infact, I know that I would miss the days of a quiet lunch at my desk and the catered meals or the many fun interactions I have with coworkers.
But I have to wonder that the day to day needs of a household would be somewhat easier for me to accomplish, merely because I wouldn't be juggling a full time job.

I'm often asked by others how I manage it all. The simple answer is that every day I pick my priorities, and determine what I won't sacrifice.

I won't be leaving my full-time job any time soon, but every now and then, I just wonder if my daily list would not be as complicated to prioritize?

The Aftermath

If I could change one thing about the holidays, it would most definitely be the aftermath.

You know it's time to cleanup when you have to start looking behind toys to find your children.

In my attempt at procrastinating a little longer, Nathan and I watched an episode of Hoarders.
That's all I needed. One episode of Hoarders and one box of 56 extra large trashbags later we are back to normal....downstairs.

(I use the word normal loosely)

Now if  I could just find the energy to de-clutter the entire 2nd story we would be in great shape.

I guess I'll have to watch another episode of hoarders.......

Here's to a clutter free 2013! Happy New Year!







Before

After

Our CEO

We used to call him "Mommy's Little Sheriff".

Thankfully, he's moved on from law enforcement.....it's a dangerous profession.

He's now our CEO, the head of our household, an entrepreneur by nature, and the most organized person I know.

He makes sure to lock every door at night, turn off the lights (so as not to waste electricity), reminds me daily to mail our Christmas cards, (which he stuffed and sealed), and constantly surprises us with his new business ventures.

Currently he's saving for his own car. Not one that he will drive, but one that I will drive for him. He wants a personal car with a DVD player in the back seat.

I can keep my own. His car will be clean, and new, and have a driver.

He's been thinking of ways to earn the money. His recent idea is a craft shop. With just a few scissors and some scrap paper, he's made some great pieces of art.  He mentioned in passing that he plans on selling them to visitors. He also mentioned that I missed the big sale in October, and now I have to pay full price. (Story of my life.)

After arriving home yesterday I said, "What did you do this afternoon?"

He simply stated, "Worked on my business."

Sure enough, I turned the corner and a shop had been set up in the playroom. Every craft had a price tag, and was neatly displayed on the table. He asked if I wanted to buy anything. I said I didn't have cash on me. Not to worry,  he will take credit cards! (Of course he will.)

Our CEO has $28 in his wallet. He could buy one DVD for his chauffeured ride....just another $30K to go.

I never want him to lose his CEO spirit. It suits him well, and I love this 7 year old so very much! 

Have to start somewhere!

I've been thinking a lot about writing in my blog again, and that's as far as I've gotten.
These past few months have given me quite a bit of new material but unfortunately my life doesn't  lend itself to quiet writing time. In fact it doesn't lend itself to quiet at ALL.

The boys are playing baseball with Doug, Brooke is napping, and I'm supposed to be unpacking from our week long vacation. No better time to procrastinate than the present.

I realized it's been too long when blogger has changed it's interface, and I had forgotten my password.
My last post was in February, when a cat had snuck into our house. I should have know that was just the beginning of the busiest 6 months of my life.

I'm not going to fill in all the details, mainly because I don't remember them, but I'll add a few highlights.
March - Traveled to New York, CT and Chicago for work.
April - Selikov girls trip to Palm Springs, Brookie's 1st birthday-IceCream Social
May - Another Palm Springs weekend with my college Besties, Trip to Legoland for Jack's 4th birthday
June - Trip to Newport, RI for work
July - Back to Chicago, then off to New Buffalo Michigan, Sonoma and Napa for work.
August - Week long trip to my parents in Laguna Hills for Nathan's 7th birthday

Here are some pictures from each month, sort of like a highlight reel, but without the bloopers. Actually that gives me an idea for a future post.

Who's That Cat?

Last night around 9PM, after everyone went to bed, I flopped down on the couch to enjoy some much needed silence.
Our day started around 5:30AM with Brooke and her bottle, later we met some friends for brunch, which turned into a scooter ride around Shoreline Park, and finally dinner at Stanford mall. In between was a quick football game in our driveway.
Not long after I sat down, I heard some very quiet footsteps coming down the stairs.
I was just about to say, "Jack BACK to bed!" But then I saw two beady eyes and a heard a soft "MEOW!
Only problem.....we don't OWN a cat!
I calmly stood up, walked to the front door, and escorted the cat out.
When I thought about it today, I couldn't help but laugh and think....how chaotic does my day have to be to not notice a cat entering my home, let alone IN my home. And who else but a mother to just stand up and nonchalantly take care of business.
Most likely the kitty entered during the touch football game, somewhere in between a hurling football whizzing by my head.
I have no idea where she was hiding all day. The poor little kitty didn't have the guts to come down stairs until silence fell.....but really can I blame her? There are days that hiding under a bed until 9PM sounds like a perfect plan!

I would love to know what the CAT is thinking today?  I'm sure it has something to do with the grass not being any greener down the street.

mBaby Book

This blog is getting harder and harder to write. With three kids and a fulltime job, finding 15 minutes somedays can be virtuously impossible. It's not for a lack of wanting, but if I'm forced to priortize between cleaning up vomit, paying bills, feeding the kids or getting dressed, usually the vomit wins.

So why did I feel compelled to write today? I've been traveling for a week with work, and arrived home yesterday. Come to find out...Brooke started to crawl.

Well, she's more like an inch worm. She pulls in her legs and uses her arms to drag the rest of her body across the floor. I like to think she waited to do the full version until I got home. She just turned 9 months and I haven't started her baby book yet. I'm feeling incredibly guilty, so I needed to capture this milestone. I like to think of it as a video entry to her baby book. It is 2012 afterall. I'm just thinking of her future the mobile Baby book, available only on her iPhone.

With the sound of a cry upstairs, and Jack saying, "Sorry mom, I "accidentally" took her shirt off. My 15 minutes are up.

But at least I have one entry in her mBaby Book.

Hidden message

This morning was a typical Saturday. Woke at 6, fed the kids, watched a little HGTV, all the while trying to keep the boys from killing each other. Somewhere around the 9 o'clock hour it ALWAYS goes South. You would think since I've detected a pattern I could have solved the problem. It's usually around that time that I storm upstairs to ask Doug when he is planning on waking up. I send one boy to his room and take the other with me. This is the only part of the pattern that varies each week. It's always a mystery who will end up in tears.

Today it was Jack. I'm not certain what happened, there was a brief dance party and then things got a little heated on the dance floor.

After a lot of 3 year old excuses, and one silent 6 year old, I had identified the guilty party. Some 10 minutes later, Nate decided to patch up their relationship with a card. He asked for the mega sticker book, paper and some pens.

See if you can find the hidden message.



At first glace it appears to be a perfect apology note....a colorful rainbow, balloons, the words "I'm sorry". Then after closer inspection I noticed the hidden sticker.

A handgun smack dab between "Sorry and I pushed you".  Nice.

I better take a look at that Mega sticker book. Who knows what other hidden messages could be lurking.

Tooth Fairy

If you want to find out how many questions a 3 year old can ask before you run out of answers, try telling them about the Tooth Fairy!

This is our conversation over the span of 30 minutes, with long pauses in between.

Jack: "WHAT???? I thought the Toof Fairy was supposed to come today?"

Me: "No, she comes tonight when you guys are sleeping."

Jack: "But wait, how does she get here?"

Nate: "Mom the tooth fairy doesn't have bones. They only have arms and legs and bodies like us, but they have to go through walls so they don't have blood, right? Right mom?"

Me: "Right"

Jack: "Who is the Toof Fairy? Dr. Niki? "

Me: "No Jack, It's not Dr. Niki, she's a fairy."

Jack:"Is she a nurse?"

Me: "No she's a fairy."

Jack: "Does the Toof Fairy have a scary face?"

Me: "No, she's really friendly."

Jack: "Oh, and the Toof Fairy doesn't have a penis or butt, right mom?"

Me: "Right, no penis and no butt. Once again, she's a fairy."

Jack: "What if the Tooth Fairy doesn't like me?"

Me: "Of course she will, and don't worry, she's not there to see you anyway. She's there to get a tooth and then she leaves. She comes in quickly like a hummingbird, and no one sees her. She's tiny."

Nate: "How do you know?"

Me: "I've seen a picture of her."

Jack:  "But the Toof fairy is going to wake up me. I want to sleep in your bed."

Me: "Don't worry Jack, she won't wake you. She doesn't wake anybody."

Jack: "So she takes Nate's tooth, and then brings him  a new tooth right? Because I saw new teeth at the Dentist." ( He's referring to the fake teeth they use to show kids how to brush.)

Me: "No, she brings money, not teeth."

Jack: "But where does the Tooth Fairy live mom? In a Pipeline? "
(How am I supposed to answer this one?)

Me: "Maybe."

Jack: "I don't want the Toof Fairy to break the front door."

Me: "Don't worry she doesn't break down doors."

Jack: "Maybe she will take a shovel and smash it into the window."

Me: She's too small, she can't pick up a shovel, and she's not evil"

Jack: "How does she get here?"(I think I heard this question already.)

Me:  "I'm not sure how she gets in. Probably through cracks in windows, or through walls, like Nate said."

Then Jack proceeds to go to the window and says, "HELLO Toof fairy...Are you out there?

It's going to be a long night!

Obama and the Missing Tooth

Who knew September 26th would have been such an exciting day????

It all started with an explosion of energy. While I was showering, Nate rushed in beside himself with excitement. "Mommy, I lost my first tooth!" He was holding his tiny tooth in the palm of his hand with his 3 year old side kick close by. They both stood there examining his tooth like it was the 8th Wonder of the World. Next came the conversation about the Tooth Fairy. Luckily Grandma put a rush order on a homemade pillow at the initial sign of the wiggle. It arrived a few days ago, just in time for it's first offering.

Jack began to negotiate that Nate must share whatever the Tooth Fairy gives. I quickly squashed the idea of any toys, and said the Tooth Fairy leaves money.

To which Nate replied, "Oh good, I can buy a toy with that!"

I made the mistake of mentioning that I used to get a silver dollar. His eyes lit up with excitement. Now I have to run to the bank to try and track one down. Not sure if the Tooth Fairy still carries those.

As if my day wasn't complete....my lunch was equally as exciting. My simple Asian Chicken Salad run turned into a Presidential motorcade sighting. Obama was visiting Linkedin, and flew out of Moffet Airforce Base, down the street from my office. As I was waiting for my salad, I started to notice an excessive amount of police starting to hover. Next came the road barricade, the closure of the freeway exits, and then the helicopters arrived. I figured it must be for Obama.... but then remembered I left my phone in the car. Bummer, I would need to burn the image in my brain. (I guess I can't sell my footage to TMZ.)

It was well worth it! Super cool to see 30+ police vehicles and the President turn right in front of me...and of course my Asian Chicken Salad! I wanted to yell out, "Can you do something about the AMT tax?"

The day isn't even over. I planned a simple pasta night. The possibilities are endless!

Catching up

There seems to be a common theme developing, and it called, "Catching Up". My last post was at the beginning of August and covered the previous three months. If I'm looking for trends, I seem to be improving, but I'm no where near my 2 posts a week of yesteryear.

Here is a quick recap from the past 8 weeks.

• Nate turned 6 and started Kindergarten, Yoga, Basketball and Soccer.
• Jack started Preschool, Art and Basketball
• I started a new job at Coupons.com
• Brooke turned 5 months old, and started cereal! (Everybody was starting something.)
• Doug started covering for my late hours. :) 

I would love to try and write the funny things the boys have been saying lately, but I can't remember them. Infact, today I Googled, "memory fading at a young age". I know I should have been Googling something much more relevant, like how to get rid of head lice, but my memory loss seemed like a pressing issue. The best part of my 5 minute research were the steps to increase your memory. It said you should use your brain to solve problems everyday. Judging from that advice, I should be as sharp as a razor blade!

I was disappointed to find that they missed a few causes. Nowhere did I find that waking every night at 2AM to change a 3yr old's wet sheets and pj's would cause memory loss. Or waking 3 hours later at 5AM to walk down a flight of stairs to make a bottle would cause it either. Then finally waking at 6AM to shower, get dressed, get the kids "officially" awake, fed, dressed and out the door by 7:40AM would cause you to lose your mind. There was a hyperlink though that said, "See sleep deprived" or "Mother of 3".

Having three kids though has caused me to realize a few things. Caffeine is my drug of choice. Going to bed at 8:30pm is mandatory..... for ME. Spending one on one time with each child is much better than spending it with all three at once....especially between the hours of 5pm-8pm. Having a date night with just Doug is one of the most anticipated events, and one that I no longer take for granted.

TGIF!