Feeling Almost Normal!

Usually, I feel like some sort of circus freak, even in my own hometown.

I am not sure why, but after thinking about it, I have a few ideas.

Most of my friends have either moved off, or are actually in different states. Some have even changed nationalities!

Then there is are my triplets, poor little dears, who get us soo much attention that it sometimes makes me want to just keep them at home all of the time!

I rarely get to do too much locally. I find myself envious of the ladies who run into each other in the grocery stores and out and about.

Other than the people at Brookshires who have worked there since I was a little girl, I just don't get that experience much!

Now, if I go to Wal-mart during faire season in Tomball, or to the McDonald's in Magnolia just down from TRF, then I run into all sorts of folks that I know.

Funny thing is, most of those folks that I run into, don't even live there, either!

But here, if I go out, I maybe run into someone I know every year or so...and that is sad considering my own father and I shop at the same grocery store and rarely run into each other!

Today, however, I feel like I have turned over a new leaf of sorts. I ran into a fellow Red River Mom while I was out shopping!

It was great! I actually finally ran into someone I know. I met her through the site, and pretty much only know her from our Girl's Night Out events and through the forum postings.

I finally got to chat like the other ladies. I know, forgive me if I was a bit awkward, I don't get to do that very often, but it was so very nice to see you today (she knows who she is!)

But for once, I feel almost normal...like everyone else!

Video Game Dilemma!

So, is anybody else already regretting their child owning or playing video games while on their summer break?

During the school year, my eldest is restricted from them during the week & allowed to play only on weekends or while en route to trip destinations.

All hand-helds must be turned in to ME each Sunday evening before bedtime during the school year, as well.

But, now that it's summer, I have relinquished the games and already I am starting to regret it!

It seems that all my child wants to do is play video games of one sort or another!

He went over to my Dad's house to play with his cousins, and all they did was PLAY WII!

While keeping an eye on his siblings, he actually will try and encourage the babies to watch him play video games.

Granted these are the hand-helds I am referring to, but I am waiting for the day when I catch him trying to play them on their cartoon televison set!

I can see that day coming like a freight train in the not so very far off future!

His attitude is okay, I suppose...I have had to get on to him for not wanting to take out the garbage once or twice...but that's about it.

I guess what I am most concerned with is that he just doesn't seem to listen when he plays the games.

He has a habit of tuning out everything in his surroundings and everybody for that matter. His mind just seems to turn to mush!

So, does anyone have opinions or possible solutions that I could try without making him feel like he is being punished for the summer?

I hate to restrict him completely from playing with his games over his summer vacation.

But, at the same time, I would like to be able to do things with him, and have him participate in family activities without the presence of those pesky games!

The Big Wait!

School is finally out for the summer. My eldest was given what he claims to be as his final grades on the last day of school.

I really can believe this, too, as the teachers really do want the children to know where they stand, since their placement at the school depends upon those grades.

I have posted before that I actually have been having nightmares over getting his report card.

I have dreamed everything from a blank report card to receiving one with someone else's grades printed upon it.

Yep, it's really keeping me up at night! As we have had soo many problems this past year with getting his ADHD medication adjusted and set, there is much for me to worry about.

It's really been a huge struggle for him. His new medication worked wonders overnight for him, or so it seemed.

It was just really difficult to sit and watch him make all A's and B's and then see that his averages just didn't come up all that much even though he did well.

But, we kept our heads and hopes held high, and he managed to stay consistent for the rest of the year.

So why am I still worrying? Well, I suppose it's because I have yet to see it in writing.

It's not that I don't trust my child to relay the information, really. It's that I haven't any way of being certain that the grades he was told are the actual final grades and not just the nine-weeks grades.

So, we sit, and we wait, and I worry and worry! But, I know that it won't be much longer until I will know for certain either way.

On Site and Of Friends

A little over a year ago, I answered a little blurb that I found floating among the breaking news pieces on the newspaper website.

About a week later, I found myself starting to write in this blog on RedRiverMoms.com.

I was to write about my triplets and my eldest primarily, and my life experiences with them.

Little did I know exactly how much of our lives I would end up sharing with the world and exactly how far my messages would reach into the lives of others!

I hadn't any clue that every now and then, bits would end up in the newspaper for all to read, or in the parenting magazine that is also fed from our site!

All of the sudden, I began receiving copies of the articles from friends of the family in the mail.

The next thing I knew, people were stopping us in Wal-mart, the mall, or parking lots to say, "Hi" and they already knew my children's names and shenanigans from having read about us in the magazine, online, or in the paper (which made our normally awkward situation a bit easier and more friendly actually!)

I quickly figured out that, not only did I need to print copies of my blog for my children's baby books (really just large binder-styled photo albums,) but that I also needed to pick up copies of our magazine to add to the collection.

I received comments and emails from Mumsy's in similar positions from all over the nation and became "Friends" with them online, giving advice here and there both with their triplet pregnancies and after their delivery.

Here on the forum site, I have made friends that I never ever could have imagined or met elsewhere.

I don't even know all of them by sight, necessarily, but I know them from our postings and emails and blogs!

Although we may share nothing more in common than being Mumsy's, I have discovered that even the smallest common bond can lead to friendship.

We Red River Moms are an eclectic group of ladies. We come from all over the area and are as different as night and day, yet we gather here on our site as friends, doing our best to welcome and embrace everyone as family.

Sometimes, (and if babysitters permit,) we get to actually meet face to face at our monthly Girl's Night Out gatherings or if our children are well enough and in good enough moods, at playgroups.

But mostly, we write and post from work or home, as we go about our day and find the need to vent, or chat, or even if we need support.

Our site is much more than your just your average forum. Ours is a community of Mums ready to help out a friend in need, or give advice, or even a good giggle when needed.

If you're a Mum out there, and haven't already, do join us here at RedRiverMoms.com!

My Morning Wake-Up Call

Don't you just hate it when you get one of those calls that comes seemingly at the crack of dawn from the various banks you have car loans with that you don't actually get to the phone in time to answer so you have to check that message....

Only to find that it says that they are from the bank and have an urgent message for you and to please press whatever number to hear that VERY important message...

Of course you are listening to a voice-mail and consequently cannot possibly press any number to get that very important message and they have very politely chosen to NOT leave a callback number where a sane and concerned person might actually return the call and find out WHAT THEY WANTED AT 8 A.M. in the morning!

So, at the crack of dawn, in your drowsy, sleep-deprived state, you begin to wonder if you remembered to pay your car-note last month...

Then the paranoia sets in because one month has suddenly merged into another and you really CAN'T remember ('cause you re still sleepy, of course, and not yet thinking properly.)

So there you are in your nightie still, no coffee in sight, suddenly finding yourself trying to fire up the computer so you can check your bank statement to see if you actually did remember to pay...

But your computer hasn't woken up yet either, so it's actually running slower than you are at the moment, which is really saying something there!

So, there is this huge moment where you just do not know what to think, what to believe.

Then you finally DO know for certain as you see it in black and white on your bank statement, and in the green of the bank website confirming that in fact you really HAVE remembered your payment for the month in question.

Now you are quite ticked because these idiots are calling you at the crack of dawn for WHO KNOWS WHAT REASON!

Because all that you know is that you are relieved because you really did remember to set the payment to credit on time, like you were SUPPOSED to do, and these idiots are calling you for probably some cold-calling product offering rot!

It is now only a little after 8 in the morning and you're now wide awake and have a headache over having thought that for the first time in the life of your car-loan that you might have actually FORGOTTEN to make that payment on time.

But you didn't forget, did you. So it doesn't feel nice. It doesn't feel good, even though you haven't done anything wrong.

In fact, you should be feeling relieved, and really quite proud of yourself as you have yet to miss a payment yet and it's always been punctual to boot, but you don't

Why? Because of course you still haven't any clue what it was that these folks wanted in the first place at 8 o'clock in the morning.

So, somewhere in the back of your mind, there is still this nagging feeling that is really quite unmerited, unwelcome really.

I know that I've paid, even done so on time, and done nothing wrong. So why is that feeling still there? Why don't I feel any better?

Ah well, 'tis breakfast time for triplets. These people were actually up before my babies. Time to try and put them out of my mind!

Mumsy's Middle School Nightmare

It's happening again. I suppose it has happened every year for the past three or four years, but it still bothers me.

We are precariously close to the end of the school year, and I am petrified over what my eldest son's grades are going to be.

It's not secret that he got off to a seriously bad start this year, no matter how hard we tried.

Due to a scheduling error, he started the school year without any medication for his ADHD.

Then, once he was finally did get something, it was majorly the WRONG something and it had adverse affects on him.

When I tried to get him help from the prescribing doctor, all we got was a "Dear John" letter from the office referring us back to our pediatrician for help.

So, we basically waded through the first two nine weeks of school without much direction and with medication that had more than its share of adverse affects.

We finally got things straightened out towards the middle of the year, but my child's grades had already suffered to nearly the point of no return.

The new medication really did help almost instantaneously, but we both knew it was going to be a struggle just to keep his grades up to the point where he could stay in his magnet school.

Well, he was able to pull his grades up, but to what extent I don't really know yet.

That's where the nightmares are coming into play. I go through this every year with him, it seems, to some extent or another.

Ever since he and his friends figured out that it was only the final grades that really mattered in whether or not they would be promoted to the next grade or not, I have lived in a world of bizarre grade combinations.

There is no stopping a child once they think that they have figured out the laws of averages and the magic and secrets of the G.P.A.

Yep, my child has known as early as the third grade exactly how much he could slack off and still pull through in the end.

I know that I should be happy that he is that smart, but it really puts a Mum through quite a bit of hair pulling and bewilderment when one never knows exactly what grades a child really has.

Then one must take into account the unknown of that last report card and the fact that the mail could be misplaced or misdirected at any given moment, leaving you further in the dark!

Once upon a time, I only had to wonder if he made it to the next grade. Now, I have to worry about his making the cut-off in the standards to stay a student in his magnet school that he attends.

I really won't know until the final report card gets here. I really do try and monitor and keep up with everything grade-wise, too.

Some of his teachers have websites and actually post the student's grades. I adore those teachers.

But, then there are the ones who rely on the student to keep up with everything. With my child, even if he did keep up with it, would he ever really share that information with me?

I remember what it's like to be thirteen and having to watch my own grades in the exact same situation and school that he attends, so I have no doubt that things slip by my watchful eye!

I do know that as of this moment, he is actually passing French with a nice sturdy "C."

Teacher has been sending home weekly grade sheets to remind us of how much we Mums should be worrying.

I am most grateful for this "C," too. I hadn't expected anything that high as he had spent the greater part of the first few months of school trying to get out of that class!

Now, the only thing I wonder about is his History grade. I don't have much hope for it as my little sister had the exact same teacher and it was the first time she ever made a bad grade in any class.

I have poked, prodded and tried to get my child to try harder and do well in that class, but I just do not know how well any of the kids can do with that class, really!

So, last night, I had a nightmare that his final report card got mailed to the old address and it took all summer for it to get to us.

In the dream, once we received it, it had the wrong grades on it and they were all the wrong classes and were really for another child.

Of course this other child had failed and received a voided contract letter as well.

But, being that the grades and classes did not belong to MY child, I had to figure out a way to actually find out what his real final grades were and get them to give him back his spot at school if he passed.

It was one of those awful nightmares that rival bad horror flicks and have that feeling of DOOM all over them.

I woke up very thankful to find that it was all just a dream and that there really was a few more days left of school.

But, the nightmare doesn't do anything to help my worrisome-mumsy mind at all.

So, here I sit, watching, waiting and worrying. Nothing will put my mind to rest until I have that final report card in my hand and know that he will still be attending the same school next year.

Then maybe I can finally relax a few months until it starts all over AGAIN. This next year is even more important academically.

I suppose I shall be a basket case all next year, too, until I know for certain that he is accepted and contracted to the high school of his choice.

I suppose I may have to get used to these nightmares!

Jack-In-The-Box!

Saturday, my sister-in-law sent the babies their belated birthday/Christmas presents!

The van was packed full, so much so, that we almost didn't have any room for the groceries that we needed to buy!

But, after we unloaded the van and put away the groceries, it was time to open presents for the babies!

Vivienne got a stroller and a new baby that cries and giggles and can be soothed with her paci,blanket and bottle.

The boys each received a mega-block tow-truck filled with mega-blocks, their favorite!

Then, there were two bags that were for all three of the babies. Inside one was a super bouncy yellow ball with a smiley face on it, what fun!

The other bag held something special. Inside was a Jack-In-The-Box! What fun!

We immediately set it free from its binding packaging, and set out to see what the babies would do with it.

The all gathered around husband in little huddle to watch and see what the box would do.

Husband turned the knob, and the music box began to play its song. Then, the box popped open and the clown sprung out at them.

Vivienne just stood there with her head cocked to one side in deep thought.

Kian gave us this huge crooked grin and purred his best laugh. Then there was Kai.

Kai jumped back in surprise, and then put both hands on his cheeks and screamed!

It was soo funny, that we decided to do it all again to see if the reaction changed any.

It didn't. Everyone did the exact same thing. In fact, Kaiden actually has the same reaction each and every time the box opens, even though he knows what it is going to do now.

It's soo funny, that when friends come over, we have to show them what he does with it.

And, each and every time that clown pops up, Kaiden jumps back, and screams on his cue.

Nobody taught him to do this, he just came programmed that way I suppose!

When Did They Grow Up?

Tonight, I had the honor of attending my niece's graduation ceremony at her high school auditorium.

It was super weird for me, really. I mean, just yesterday she was this cute little two year old baby girl, giggling and hiding in a corner from her cousin who is basically the same age.

Saturday morning, I will have the honor of getting to watch my other niece get her diploma as well.

Wow. My how time flies! They are both so very grown up. Each has different plans and ways to carry them out as they start their very big-girl lives.

I just cannot get over how mature and ready to take on the world they both are!

In just a few weeks, my dear friend's daughter will also graduate and I will be there as well.

Where did those days go of little giggly girls and dollies, stuffed animals and tea parties?

Now the girls are all into their cell phones, computers and cars, make-up, clothes, college plans and gasp, jobs!

It all seems so sudden...I know it really isn't, of course, but it makes me feel, well...old.

Instead of picking out toys for presents for them, I must find them each something special and befitting of their grown-up-ed-ness.

Don't worry, I'm sure that I will figure something out, somehow! I am so very proud of them and their accomplishments, I could just burst.

Happy graduation Chelsea, Jackie and Asa!

WHAT IS IT?

Last night, the babies went to bed as usual, happy and content in their little routine.

Little did they know that two of them would be in for a RUDE awakening! Kian, of course, sleeps through ANYTHING!

We knew it was coming. It was getting dark super early, and the sky was looking rather frightening and angry.

We just didn't try explaining it to the babies, that's all. Maybe we should have, but how do you explain a storm to a bunch of toddlers whose life revolves around cheese, babies, and cars?

At first, they didn't seem to notice the storm much. We did, because every time lightening struck, it seemed that the television signal wavered, distorting American Idol finals to a very amusing end.

Then, the thunder came. It was loud, the rain came down harder, and the babies could no longer ignore the scary noises coming from outside.

I will never be sure if it was Kai's penchant for an over-abundance of dirty diapers (he is so proud of them) or if it was Vivienne's disdain for the awful stench wafting about the room that may have added to the trouble.

But I do know that something was quite amiss in the nursery! There was much screaming to be heard at our house last night.

We rounded up very sad babies, and marvelled at the way Kian lay sprawled on his back, passed out in his little boy bed, drool running down his chin, totally unaware of the chaos around him.

A few tiny cookies and sippy cups of milk later, Vivienne and Kaiden (who seemed to be screaming only for his own enjoyment) were both calmed down enough to be understood.

We figured out what Kai's problem was quickly enough, as that smell would upset anyone easily enough!

But Vivienne, poor thing, winced and made faces every time the lightening came. She would whimper a tiny bit with every bit of thunder.

She just was not sure about the state of things. The poor dear wandered around the living room quite unsure of herself, wearing a puzzled scowl upon her beautiful baby girl face.

Finally, Husband couldn't stand it any longer. He scooped her up and took her outside on the back patio. Bregon grabbed Kai and brought him along for the ride, too.

She scrunched up as tiny as she could and backed into the furthermost crook of his arm trying to get away from the scary rain.

We could barely make out her words when she finally spoke. She very quietly asked, "What is it?"

Husband walked her to the edge of the patio, and stuck his arm out into the downpour.

He told her it was only water, and showed her the droplets on his arm for her to investigate.

She smiled, the funny scowl finally was wiped away for a time. Kaiden only laughed and tried to get down so that he could go out and play in the raindrops.

Then, the thunder and lightening started up again, making both of my little people uneasy again.

It was definitely time to go back inside. It took some coaxing, but we were finally able to convince them that it was safe enough to go back upstairs and go to sleep.

Kaiden managed to wake up Kian once he got upstairs, though. Funny how some kids can sleep through a nasty scary storm only to be awakened by a sibling wanting to share a good story about it!

Caught In The Act!

Yesterday, baby dinner-time was going to be considerably and inevitably late.

Husband was running late leaving from work, which meant that I needed to pick Bregon up from the Renzi Center.

The Renzi Center classes are over at 5:30 each day, meaning that if I must pick up Bregon, the babies must wait to have their dinner until after we get back from the ride.

I could feed them earlier, but it just confuses them more, and they just will not eat early.

So, I innocently sat at my computer working, listening for the tell-tale signs of baby trouble that might signal a problem in baby-land.

The usual draw rifling noises never came, and I didn't hear the rustling of the fireplace fan that would clue me in that somebody wanted to play in the sandbox, so silly me thought everything was good.

WRONG WRONG WRONG! Quiet, or lack of tell-tale noises does NOT mean that trouble is not amiss!

It was time for me to load the babies into the van and head down to the Renzi Center, when I walked into the living room and found that they had indeed been sneaky, naughty little babies!

The tip-off might have been the fact that Kaiden was sitting in the middle of the floor gnawing on the plastic cookie container that was now in two pieces.

Or maybe it was the tea-pot full of crumbled cookie bits that Vivienne was trying desperately to pass off as normal that clued me in.

I shrugged it off knowing that I had a deadline to meet, and went to scoop up Kian to take him and buckle him into his car seat.

That's when it hit me. He was standing there with that huge crooked grin across his face, laughing at something.

Then I noticed that his face was all chocolatie. I really didn't want to touch the gooey baby boy, but I had to compromise and do something because Bregon was waiting!

Kian had no less than two formerly whole cookies clutched in his little fists, the bigger bits resting against his chest, nestled in the crooks of his arms so that he wouldn't lose them.

He was disgusting and trailing cookie bits EVERYWHERE! Did I mention I do not like mess?

The only way I thought that I might survive this, was to scoop him up like an infant and use his body to keep the crumbs from tracking all the way across the living room, down the hallway and out to the yard where I could brush him off!

It worked, basically. I didn't trail anymore cookie crumbles or bits inside the house.

But, when I stood him up outside in the front yard to brush him off, cookie went EVERYWHERE!

He lost the bigger bits, and I was fortunately able to get most of the cookie to land in the yard and off of the baby!

I sat him in the van, leaving him with a few bits in each fist to appease him so that he didn't feel cheated or anything.

Then, I went back for more babies! Thankfully, nobody else was hoarding any cookie bits on their actual person.

Kai apparently had eaten his share, and had a chocolate-stained face to show for his misdeeds.

Vivienne was more lady-like in her endeavors, having kept her share inside her teapot for safe keeping and to keep everything tidy.

But, I know now, that the babies are even more sneaky now than they EVER were!

I simply cannot rely on the usual tell-tale noises to know when mischief is occurring!

Disappearing Sippy Cups

I don't know what it is, but it would seem that sippy cups are just about as difficult to keep up with as socks.

Socks disappear every time I turn around at my house. I almost never can find a decent match for anyone, myself included.

For the longest, I was certain that the dryer was somehow eating them.

Now I have a knew problem. Sippy cups are disappearing faster than I can gather them up after a meal!

I know that Kian likes to carry his around like a favorite toy, and has a tendency to hide his in the event that someone might try and borrow it.

But lately, my sippy cup supply has been coming up short and it's not just Kian's cup that is missing!

I don't know if the babies are sneaking them upstairs or playing hide-n-seek with them or what.

Today, I found three cups upstairs, stashed under the owner's respective beds.

Kian's green cup has since resurfaced in the fireplace, of all places!

I suppose I need to check the train table drawers, the pocket sewn into the side of the recliner, and maybe in the play-house stove.

The babies also are convinced that cups belong in the cabinet next to the refrigerator.

They have some merit in that idea, as the adult cups are kept in the cabinet above that very same cabinet.

It would help if that cabinet were refrigerated, though. And maybe if that cabinet wasn't as deep and difficult to see into things would be easier to find!

Well, I'm off on a treasure hunt. I only know the whereabouts of three of the 9 cups that I keep in circulation and I have a lot of work to do!

Vivienne's New Habits

As of late, she has developed some new habits that are getting to be quite amusing.

For one, she insists upon wearing shoes every minute of every day. She has even tried wearing them while taking a bath!

She prefers her own pretty shoes, but will gladly improvise and make use of her brother's shoes.

They don't even have to be a matched pair, even. As long as she has two shoes, she is good to go!

Also, she has taken to sleeping in her sunglasses. Preferably, they should be her pink butterfly sunglasses, but her brothers red, blue or black pairs will also suffice in a jam!

When I go in to wake the babies from their naps, Vivie can be found snoozing with her little head on her Princess Piggy pillow.

She is usually covered with her pink blankie mostly, with the corner tag in the same hand as the one whose thumb she happens to be sucking at the time.

Space has become limited in her bed, so she has taken to sitting or positioning her overflow-babies on or behind the railing of her bed next to the wall.

This results in a nice line of babies staring down at her while she sleeps.

The rest of her babies surround her little sleeping self, sometimes in a mound.

They are all turned to where they are sleeping on their tummies, too.

Each time she wakes up, she must take a minute to choose which baby has earned the privilege of going with her downstairs to play.

The chosen baby of the time depends upon her Vivie-whim and can change with each nap or day.

Baby must come downstairs, and sit with Vivie with her in her feeding chair while she has breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Baby must also be willing to take car rides and risk being baby-napped by a daring Kian.

If baby is lucky, Vivie will even remember to share her food with her!

Another new habit, is that everything must match. Vivienne likes to wear her pink shoes with her pink sunglasses, pink hat, and pink pajamas.

Of course, Vivienne's blanket is pink and it must go everywhere with her as she feels that it must be a fashion accessory.

My how she is growing up and changing!

School Burn-out

The last few school days have been really difficult for my thirteen year old.

He knows how crucial they are, and how he must try no matter what and maintain a positive attitude and make as good of grades as he possibly can.

But, some of his teachers are making things very difficult for him to stay positive and keep his chin up.

His A on his math test was overshadowed by another teacher's apparent bad day.

This one teacher asked the class who's birthday had yet to be celebrated as many fall on holidays and weekends and tend to get skipped over in turn.

Bregon raised his hand because his was skipped over back at Thanksgiving and teacher had never included him to date.

Instead of adding him to the list, teacher decided to tell him, in front of the class, that he must be lying just to get a piece of candy.

It's bad enough that he has been struggling all year in this class, but to be called a liar in front of the class is a bit much.

Especially when, even I remember the incident where he was sad because of the original skipping over of his birthday at Thanksgiving in this particular class.

It didn't help teacher's popularity then, and it has certainly put a damper on his attitude towards that class now, and those last few weeks of school are IMPORTANT!

He had been making A's on his last several papers and had managed to bring that grade up a whole letter.

As bummed as he is, he is still trying to stay positive, even after this last incident.

Then, I got to see his new point sheet. It looks much better than last weeks. His zero's have been replaced with the actual grades at least.

Teacher had managed to misplace several of his papers, including one of his tests, and had written a comment about how he isn't completing his work or turning it in again.

As it turns out, the papers were at the teacher's house, lost until this past weekend.

Every grade makes a huge difference, especially when a child was penalized for the misplacement.

At least this week, his grade reflects his actual work. It's super difficult to help a child who is doing the work, but is experiencing problems with teacher misplacing it and saying otherwise.

Next, he was met with another, usually chipper teacher, who decided to comment on one of the students who happened to say what a great day they were having.

This teacher decided to tell the class that there is no such thing as having a completely great day.

Yep, teacher told the class that perfect days just do not exist, something which perplexes me.

For, in theory, if perfection does not exist, then what do we have to look forward to or work towards?

I don't know, maybe it's just me. It is awfully close to the end of the year to have teachers giving their students these big downers.

You would think that they would all be looking forward to the summer along with the students.

I hope that they were just having a bad day overall and that things get better.

My child really needs these last few good grades to try and make up for the first few report cards.

I just keep trying to encourage my child and hope that the other teachers will stay cheery and chipper.

Flying Fruitloops And The Fussies

Lately, I have been having problems with Kaiden getting grumpy in the morning just before breakfast.

In some effort to try and stop the onset of the fussies that he has been getting, I have been trying different things.

I tried changing breakfast foods. I have learned the hard way that this is NOT the answer!

Baby breakfast at my house MUST consist of nothing less than a blueberry waffle each, slightly buttered as not to make it soggy and still be toasty, and a smattering of Fruitloops for color.

Well, maybe that last bit is really just their way of getting a nice sugar fix, who knows!

But anyways, I have learned not to deviate from the normal and usual breakfast fare!

So, I tried going direct from the crib to the feeding chair, skipping that oh-so-necessary diaper change that I usually require prior to breakfast.

This only resulted in yet more screaming from the wet seats and spoiled breakfast all over the floor. What was a Mum to do?

I know they have been sick for the past three weeks with awful runny noses and that they most likely have a huge sore throat, but I was at my wits end.

Then I had an idea. It might work, and it seemed like a great idea at the time.

I brought them downstairs this morning, and performed the early morning fresh breeches and panties routine.

I was even able to get them into their feeding chairs without much fuss from Kai for once.

Breakfast was served as usual and in the usual manner, making certain to give Kai a few more Fruitloops for good measure.

Then I gave them their dinner forks with their breakfast. Usually, they had considered waffle bits and Fruitloops finger food.

But, apparently, Kai now considers breakfast worthy of requiring a fork. That fork avoided the fussies this morning!

As not to tempt fate, I very carefully inched my way from the dining room into the living room, and made sure that Kai's favorite movie played in time to avoid any idea that the fussies might make an appearance.

It stayed quiet for the first time in nearly a week! Well, all except for the little pinging sound coming from the dining room.

I turned around from my work at the television only to find Vivienne desperately attempting to spear her Fruitloops with her fork.

When her attempts failed, the Fruitloops would go flying. Some flew to the buffet. Others were launched seemingly inadvertently at her brothers, but I can never be certain of her innocence!

The rest of the Fruitloops crumbled, and she managed to put them to good use by mixing them with a bit of left over waffle-butter and making finger paints out of the concoction.

Sure, there was quite a bit of mess from giving the babies forks with their breakfast.

But, forks keep the fussies away, and sweeping up breakfast mess made from accidental Fruitloop launching is a lot easier than sweeping up after super sad screaming crying babies!

Multitasking Mommie-Mind

When does it end? It seems like my brain doesn't stop for a moment, not even while I am asleep!

I wake up when the babies scream for breakfast. I don't think about my day, I only focus on getting up and making waffles.

Waffle-making means that I must make milk-cups which means that I really ought to make sure that the television is turned on and on the correct channel (Nickelodeon-my kids accept no substitute!)

Turning on the television reminds me that I should go ahead and set out three diapers, and from the smell wafting down the stairwell, some wipes are needed as well.

The toaster oven dings, and it's time to butter waffles and cut them into tiny pieces, then set them in the pass-thru so that I will hopefully remember to serve them to the babies.

I then head upstairs to see who is awake and ready for breakfast and who must be gently awakened.

While upstairs, I gather any lost sippy cups before they become a fixture in the nursery, hoping that I can manage to carry them and the two babies who are awake all the way downstairs without dropping anything.

Somehow we all manage to get downstairs, sippy cups and all, and I am compelled to change the stinky diapers, thinking all the while how nice it is that I remembered to set fresh ones out and wipes too!

So, I manage to get the two babies changed, into their feeding chairs and served, and the sippy cups put into the kitchen for safe keeping.

From the monitor, the remaining baby is now protesting his abandonment so that I won't forget him, too!

I head back upstairs to fetch the remaining baby and manage to remember to grab Vivie's blanket and the missing ruby slipper that she is currently screaming for from her feeding chair.

Once the last baby is changed, served and that slipper placed upon its RIGHTFUL (not the baby boy who gets points for trying) owner and that blanket properly situated on my daughter's lap, I have to stop and try and think what it is I should be doing.

The quiet is enough to make any thought or notion that I may have had go amazingly away.

Oh yeah, I need to put clothes on so that I don't frighten the neighbors, so I head into the bedroom, stopping to plug and turn on the laptop (work is calling) then head to the bathroom to try and appear presentable.

Since I cannot seem to remember when the last time I checked the Caller I.D. on the phone was, I go ahead and check it while I am brushing my teeth.

I don't know why I am checking it, really. I hate to use the phone, but I do for posterity's sake, I suppose.

Putting up the tooth paste reminds me pleasantly to apply deodorant (thankfully.) Then I must check the email and log into the work computer via remote and see if there are any applications that need processing.

On my way to the bedroom, I stop and open the curtains to let in the light and so I can see the world outside and remember how pretty the day must be.

I check all of the personal emails, the theater emails, and then head to the work emails.

While I shuffle through applications for work, I check my Mommie forum to see how everyone is doing and share my views on mommie-dom so that all the world can at the very least get a good giggle at my antics.

I must be forgetting something, I know it, for it is awfully quiet. A crash comes from the living room bringing me back to triplet-mum reality.

So, off to the living room I head, to free the babies from their feeding chairs and make certain that they are happy with their programming and being nice to each other.

While in the living room, I notice that the puppy is jumping up and down wildly a the window, which means she must want to be fed.

So, I head outside to feed the puppy and the kitty cats, too, as the babies all watch with noses pressed against the window panes.

Once everything man and beast is settled in their places, I head back to the bedroom to work.

I would work in the living room where I could watch the babies more closely, but if I turn my back, even for a moment, they have been known to disassemble the laptop keyboard.

It's best that I work from the bedroom and keep a sharp ear out for shenanigans and their tell-tale signs.

Before I know it, nap time is hear, and it's time to head upstairs with the little people for a nap.

While they sleep, I get their lunch ready and their drinks set. If I am lucky, I remember to grab my vitamins and a bottle of water before I head back to my room for more work.

When work slows, I switch over to working on my theater paperwork. Sometimes it means working on scripting for the fundraisers, sometimes it means working on sponsorship packages.

Today, it meant making sure that I remembered to properly fill out the annual report, write the check for the yearly amount, and ensure that the envelope was filled, sealed, and made it to the mail box in time for the mailman to pick it up!

All the while, I have been flipping back and forth between applications, watching for more applications to come in that require processing for my real work, keeping an ear out for the babies to wake up from their nap, and fielding emails from various addresses for both personal accounts and the theater.

When the babies wake up, I heat up lunch, get it all cut up and ready to go, the diapers and wipes set out, and hold my breath in hopes that they will each all want to eat lunch and be good for me.

We have thirty minutes for them to eat and hopefully be happy before it's time to load them into the van to go and pick up Bregon and take him to class at The Renzi Center.

If I am lucky, everyone eats and Kai doesn't throw a fit. Today isn't so lucky, and he screams almost as soon as his behind touches his feeding chair, before I even have a chance to buckle one strap.

So, I took him out of his chair and set him carefully on the floor for his fit while I let the others eat.

He screamed clear to the school to pick up Bregon, stopping only long enough to walk to the van and climb in for the ride.

While waiting for Bregon, I try and read a little of my "Grant Writing For Dummies" book that I picked up this weekend in Dallas.

The bell rings, Bregon gets into the van and we race off to The Renzi Center, dodging school zone traffic and Sunday drivers.

Then its back home, unload the van, get the babies a snack and ensure baby programming is acceptable, then it's back to work for me!

Thankfully, I remembered that I needed to pick Bregon up today, so instead of cooking dinner for the babies, I loaded back up the van, made sure that the portable DVD player would play the requested Backyardigan's episode as the chanting in the backseat had so nicely requested ("Tough tough tough") and headed back down to The Renzi Center to fetch my Breglet.

Thankfully, it's easier when he is with me, and he unloads the babies while I try and speed-cook dinner for the very hungry babies.

Kaiden has taken to jumping in the bottom drawer in front of the oven, Kian has been running in circles around Vivienne trying to grab the back of her pajama's, and she is very unhappy about the entire situation.

I continued slicing cheese during all this, telling Kai to get out of the drawer and tempting Kian with a piece of cheese if he would leave his sister be.

She still cried, but Bregon came to the rescue with diapers while I finished nuking fish sticks and mac-n-cheese.

We got the babies changed and served dinner in their feeding chairs, and it was back to work for me.

Next I needed to write a bit in my blog while I mentally make a list of the all the things I have forgotten to do during my day.

I know that I need to do some laundry, fold and put away the babies clothes, and wash the towels so that I can hopefully shower...someday!

I will need to figure out dinner, make sure that the demolition on my donated set is going as planned, and work on those sponsorship packages some more.

I found some places that are going out of business, so I am adding writing letters to those places about the possibility of the donation of any mannequins or left-over furniture and possibly unwanted clothing or merchandise for the theater.

Then it will be back to work again on those pesky applications. Wait, I have forgotten something.

Oh yes, it's baby bedtime and my mind is in overload! Oh well, maybe I will remember what it is that I have forgotten to take care of while I sleep...that is why I have pen and paper on my nightstand.

It's not to write down bits of dreams or anything of that sort, no. It's so that I can take notes on what it is that I may have forgotten or need to do for tomorrow!

But sleep is such a long way away! Heck, husband isn't even home from work yet. But, thankfully, Scarlet, tomorrow should be another day!