Mimi Webb -- Triplet Tales & 'Tween/Teen Troubles

A New Beginning

2011-10-14T10:59:00.001-07:00

Soo that's it...the last of my posts are moved over to the old blog because the current blog is set to disapear at some point today.In typical Pirate Mom Fashion, I had to move it all & try & keep it for my kids...gonna keep it going too I think.So, forgive the lengthiness in posting, I started at 7ish this morning migrating everything on over, and its only taken until 1pm today to get it transferred.But, these are MY memories, stories of MY life...and my triplets & teen deserve to one day be able to read about themselves.This has enabled me to preserve the little things, the things often forgotten, left out of the usual baby books...So, here it is, our lives in a nutshell.

So, What's It Like Carrying Triplets?

2011-10-14T10:57:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 25, 2008 at 12:00 PM What's It Like Carrying Triplet's? Carrying triplets is probably the scariest endeavor I have ever endured. In the beginning, of course you find out that you are pregnant and you haven’t any clue that there is more than one tiny person growing inside.Because of my prior health problems, my doctor decided to do an ultrasound at 9 weeks out. Because of a previous miscarriage, I was worried about the doctor not finding any heart beat. Little did I know, that lab tech would find not one, but THREE tiny heartbeats! What a shocker! No, I didn’t faint or pass out, although it did help that I was already lying down. But then again, that lab tech was too surprised to say anything more than, “ How many baby’s would you like?” All I could say was, “How many baby’s are you seeing?” Of course we now know the answer was “THREE!” So there I was, not expecting one viable heartbeat at all, only to find out that I was supporting THREE very strong little heartbeats! The doctor & the lab tech (after much oh my goodness-ing) printed out many pictures of my tiny trio so that I would have the undeniable proof of existence when breaking the news to my family. After all, who would believe I was carrying triplets? Funnier still, I had to have the office worker write me a letter saying that I was carrying them so that work would believe me!Next, it was on to the specialist’s office for my 12 week introductory visit. They don’t EVEN want to see you before 12 weeks because anything less than that may not be a viable multiple pregnancy. That was frightening. I had gained 4 pounds by this point and was starting to feel my jeans tighten at the waist. The specialist turned out to be very nice, however you get to have this consultation in his office where he gets to tell me that I am much to short to be carrying triplets and that my chances for successfully carrying them are very slim. I looked him in the eye and told him, “We’ll just see about that!” This is the point where selective reduction is implied/offered, which in my case just wasn’t an option. So I left my first big appointment with my specialist armed with a list of stipulations: mandatory full bed rest at 5 months, a list of foods that you should and shouldn’t eat, explicit instruction to find, identify and eliminate all sources of stress from my life, and a term date of 34 weeks. The 34 week goal is the scary part, even though the stress elimination was a close second.I decided to approach this rather like a game. I had a starting point which I had already managed to get past (conception-passed that test with flying colors!) and now I had a set end point to strive for. After having been told that most triplet pregnancy’s never make the 34 week mark, I decided that we would hit it right on target. The doctor just smiled. Little did he know that he would find himself writing my OBGYN a letter stating, “Please deliver these triplets the moment Mimi is officially considered 34 weeks. Not a day before, or a day later.” Much to my doctor’s surprise, after a pregnancy of no complications, I would walk to labor and delivery from the Schumpert parking garage and check myself in for my very planned c-section after the most frightening 34 weeks I have ever sustained!

FX makeup trial by fire

2011-10-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Oct 03, 2008 at 10:54 PM Husband & I had a promo Thursday night for our haunted attraction. It was the first time in the history of our theater doing this haunt, for us to get invited to the press promotion that the fair has every year.This meant that, as the icon characters for our haunt, we would need to BOTH get into makeup and costume AT HOME during the late afternoon IN FRONT OF THE BABIES for the very first time.I had NO idea how they would handle this, and even less of an idea how we would manage to fend off three 2 yr olds while we applied makeup to ourselves at our dining room table.It was interesting, to say the least. Kaiden immediately wanted brushes. He loves makeup brushes and finds them great fun to play with!They are even better when he is able to sneak a tiny bit into the makeup itself and color on himself!This peaked Vivie's interest, and she had to have brushes, too. Then of course Kian had to have his share as well.Pretty soon, we were fighting for brushes for us to use to get ready in time for the promo!I don't know if it was because they got to watch us put everything on and saw the entire transition, or if they just really aren't bothered by much at this age, but none of my little people seemed to be bothered by seeing Mum & Daddy in full makeup.We got really lucky, this time! Hopefully, they won't develope a fear of it by next year!Vivienne even gasped and squealed once she saw me with my vines woven into my hair and my dark ages dress and jewelry on!Now if we can just keep Kai out of the black makeup we will be in business! (He still has a little bit of it in his hairline!)

Social Frustrations

2011-10-14T10:55:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Dec 08, 2008 at 01:11 PM I don't know exactly how to write this or how to say what it is that is bothering me so, but I have to give it a shot and try and make a difference. Ladies, please be mindful of your actions and your words, ESPECIALLY when there is an unknown element! It has come to light both recently, and in the past, that I have observed people while out and about, who seem oblvious to the damage their actions and words have on others. I'm not talking about a case of road rage, or shopping frustrations, either. I'm talking about socially, I suppose. There are those among us, who, through whatever reasons, good or bad, have become media darlings with their stories plastered all over the newspapers, television and yes, even spread through gossip. What do we really know of these people, I ask you? Most of us only know what we read in the newspapers, magazines, etc. and what we hear on the news and on telelvision or online. The saddest, most tragic part of all, is that we as a society are want to pass judgement on these people based on only what we hear/read have heard and not on fact or truth in such matters. We tend to forget that the front-page cover-person is really a person with a life and a family just like everyone else and somehow find a way to push that person into a realm all their own where they aren't really real to us anymore, making it easier to talk about them, snub them and socially ostracize them, in spite of how we would have treated them had they not been made into media darlings instead of being allowed to live the life of the average joe you meet on the street. What is it about society today that finds it socially acceptable to treat these people like dogs when they see them out and about? Society tends to treat them as if they can't hear what is being said about them, and even will go so far as to say and do things out loud and in front of these folks as if they weren't even there, or worse, drawing attention to them in situations where it isn't warranted. Shouldn't these people have the same rights as everyone else? Shouldn't they be allowed to go grocery shopping in peace without the stares, comments and extra attention afforded them by the judgemental public? What about their families and friends who are out with them? How should they be expected to react when people say and do things like this? Are they due the same treatment? Is anybody? Who gives us the right to assume that what we have read in the media is truth and status quo? Why do we let this influence the way we view someone as a person? If you were out and about, and in an accident and someone helped you, would you be so quick to hurt the very hand that reached out to help you if it were one of these media darlings that you've seen and read about in the paper or on television? It burns me up to see inherently good people having their lives torn apart by society because someone decided to believe what was written/said in the media without even trying to learn what the truth may be. I suppose the bigger question is, is the truth really any of our business? Who is giving us the right to pass judgement and why oh why are we doing so based upon something written to attract a certain demographic or sell higher volumes to make a buck? People make mistakes. In fact, none of us are perfect. Some make bigger mistakes than others, but that doesn't mean that a person shouldn't be allowed to go on with their lives. So, the next time you are out and about, whether it be at the grocery store, or at a football game or even in the carpool line at school, please think twice about what you say and do! Your words and your actions can have a profound effect on the lives of people in ways you least expect.

Exploring the great outdoors

2011-10-14T10:52:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 21, 2008 at 07:08 AM this past week, my trio has managed to get out into the backyard of their own volition-frightening yet true...kian has developed a new sport & is positively mastered it- its called wet-leaf surfing!!!the doggie wants her room back!!!i have taken to deadbolting the backdoor shut now to keep them from going OUTSIDE!!!!but they are now in search of KEYS- because keys unlock DOORS that lead to the OUTSIDE!!!!dunno how they know this, but they do!!!i'm in soo much trouble!~Mimi

What Do SAHM's Actually DO All Day?

2011-10-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 21, 2011 at 02:53 PM Oh my, can this woman be serious? I know, I know, this is under the job club header- & it is NOT misposted, either!Why would that be? Because even though I stay at home & have since I went on mandatory bedrest at 5months gestation, I still WORK and work HARD!I work from home, I stay at home with my kids (well now that includes school with my trio since they've turned 4) and I still have 3 jobs to work out of the home with in addition to my "Home" work that is household based (the housework & general mom of the house duties that are 24/7)!!!!In fact, I often yearn for an office to go to where I can work in peace, without worry, with adults...but alas, I chose to stay at home with my triplets...or rather they made it quite impossible & improbable that I would ever work out of an office again for at least a while!But I wouldn't change being at home with them for the world, even though I have my moments!I have 2 real paying work at home jobs that do not involve the selling of ANYTHING...I am very fortunate. I also run a non-profit theater and it's seasonal fundraiser haunted attraction which I write & produce each year myself.This is on top of thrice the school duties Moms of 4yr olds have-three times the snackdays every 17 days, three times the storytime duty, three times the game playing duty, the field trips that I must chaperone (I've one child with sensory disorders that cannot go unattended & I cannot trust another to do the job at this stage-he even got seperated from us at the first one and I was there! long story there)So how oh how can they ask what stay at home moms do all day? I mean, I spent my summer in the bathroom...with all 3 of my potty training kids...it was AWFUL- and there were many a day when I took the laptop in with me so I could write, and work orders for my other job and function while they sat there gleefully learning to be big-kids....Sure we go to the park, and do other stay at home mom type activities, but I must also find time & ways to keep up with my jobs at the same time!!!Have you ever tried grocery shopping with triplets? It's an experience in society, that's for certain and I'm not talking about the effects of my kids on the store but rather the reactions & things said & done when we are sighted that are the kickers, the time delays, the forgetfullness that comes from the shock of what some people will say & do in front of my kids....But what do we do all day? WE WORK!!! We don't have an office to escape to full of adult conversations & free of toys to step on & kid programming blaring in the background...What do you think? Do you as a Mom ever wonder what it's like on the other side? Both Moms have their merit, both are doing what is best for their families, but seriously? I work too!!! I just do it from my home!!!article

Disney Magic Moment Ch.1

2011-10-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 08, 2011 at 06:35 PM okay,..first magical moment...The first day we didnt think we would get to do much-keep in mind we drove in 16hrs straight which meant the kids had slept in the car-we got in about 730am, checked into our cabin at Ft Wilderness (which was amazingly ready for us) we changed & took the boat on over to magic kingdom...Yes we got our gac-had the stroller as wheelchair tag & quiet place to rest stamps on it (kai has taken to kicking & biting indiscriminately when past the point of no return in a meltdown-we can usually head off before this happens but it was anybody's guess if we would be able to & what would trigger in these situations)...it enabled us to knock out 3/4 of magic kingdom by about 6ish that evening-rides only pretty much...which was mystifyingWe only got to do pretty much guy stuff-the boys went wild in pirates giftshop & there wasnt too much vivienne didnt have already from there that was for girls...& she was really sad because as she put it, "my hands are empty" as she tried to stay chipper...We ended up @ Phiharmagic, kian had to potty & missed the show with daddy...& we stumbled accross the 2nd level castle entry...with a girly shoppe right there around sir mickey's...husband took the boys to watch the stage show from above at the balcony around back & vivienne & I ducked into the shoppe...She found the cutest disney dolls-toddler versions basically of the princesses & tink-one of them, rapunzel, looked EXACTLY like toddler rapunzel from the movie & has mylar streamers in her hair to make it"Glow"...While in line to pay for our very girly perfectly vivienne purchase (she was giddy) this very foreign fairy godmother came up to her, pulled her a tiny bit off to the side & started whispering very quietly to her smiling the entire time...she sprinkled her with pixie dust & essentially fairy-blessed her that all her wishes & dreams would come true...it made her day literally!!!Fast forward 2 days later, and we were on the boat coming back from the contemporary (another magic story for later) & right as we landed and disembarked, the wishes music started up...Then the first of the fireworks went off above the castle which we could sorta see in the distance from the beach of the resort...vivienne gasped & screamed, "My wishes!!!" & went into this 20 minute long monologue about how some of her wishes in her hair had started the fireworks & how they really worked & how her dreams were coming true...it was very detailed & very sweet & innocent & wonderful (my little moment during her rather large one)...She honestly thinks she is responsible for the entire fireworks show via the pixie dust from her fairy godmother!!! cutest sweetest thing!!! it just made our night (days with kai could become stressful at times for a myriad of reasons)More to come later, this is just a tiny bit of what all happened while we were there!!!

Dinner With Dr Blood

2011-10-14T10:44:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 15, 2010 at 08:17 PM For my birthday week, one of the fun things that I was able to do, was have dinner with a Shreveport Icon, Dr. Blood himself. No, he wasn't in costume, in fact he looked about as mundane and normal as can be if you didn't know any better! (Which of course we do!) It was great because we were able to get many of our old "Family" back together in one place, at one table, which is something that doesn't happen very often. You see, Drew Hunter served as President of Gas Light Players and in 1975 he decided to do away with the State Fair Melodrama show that GLP used to do during the fair and replace it with something that had potential to make the theater a little more money and peak the interest of the fair-goers and Dr. Blood was born out of the ashes of the old and evolved into something...new! For years, the show drew area artists and theater folk together (no pun intended) to raise money for Gas Light Players which went to fund their theater season. Out of all of this, a sort of family evolved out of it. At first, it was the troupe's friends and family staffing the show. Eventually, area high school kids waited for the day when they were old enough to join the show and help out, too. There, we made life-long friends that still meet til this very day, quite literaly, which brings us to this past Tuesday, when we all got together for old times sake! Drew brought us the original Dr. Blood scripts to play with and pictures from, the old days including the promo pics of Dr. Blood's wedding which took place at the revel as a performance piece complete with flower ghouls and a bride chained inside a coffin. We talked about the old days, and then on to the here and how and how the show as a whole has evolved into Gentleman Death's Shocktale out at the fairgrounds once again. We talked about the movies some of us worked on (how Chuck's sister became a cult icon on her own due to Mountaintop Motel Massacre though not on purpose!) Drew told us stories of the Wax Museum from his time spent working there and living in Dallas. We literally stayed until they turned out the lights enjoying stories from back in the day. Best of all, we made plans to meet Friday the 13th in Dallas and check out a friend's haunt in Arlington.

Something New To Do: Let's Go On That Train Hunt!

2011-10-14T10:44:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 03, 2011 at 11:03 PM We went on a train hunt the other day. Did you know we have a lot of train stuff locally? It's so worked into everyday life, that I bet most who live here don't even notice it anymore, but it's still here! Yes, I have a train nut in the family, one who is VERY observant, might I add. As we were driving my eldest down to sing at graduation last Saturday, Kai started wigging out, excitedly having conniption fits, pointing & babbling to no end... He had noticed that we have a train station, right in the middle of the city...as of right now, it's called "Central Station" and happens to be a bar by night, but by day it's quite obviously a train station as it was in its former glory years ago...pieces of the train still sit on a closed off section of track right next to the building under the highway above. So, to make a tiny guy happy, I drove him up as close to the train as I possibly could, so he could see it really well...meanwhile, the wheels in my head starting turning. You see, there is another train station at festival plaza, right there in the center. We visited it during the revel, and made another stop the other day so he could see it without all the hustle and bustle of the festival part getting in the way of his sensory problems. You can visit it during the farmer's market in the morning, though, if you are game and want to check it out! We also hit the railroad bridge nearby next to the fountains & sci-port on our train hunt. Then, for the grande finale, I set out to see if something was still out there, something really nifty, often forgotten, but a tradition among area kids of sorts... We headed out to Ford Park by Cross Lake to see if the old train engine was still there. You see, it's been cordoned off by this wrought ironed fence for absolute years...as long as I can remember...back to a time when there was remnants of a zoo out there, when peacocks roamed freely and you could pick up shed feathers for fun while playing at storybook park... Mother Goose rode high above you, suspended in the trees out at Ford Park...only here could you actually ride in Cinderella's Carriage and pretend to go to the grande ball... But the coolest part was that once upon a time, you could see a real train engine, an old bus, and an old firetruck on display at this park. Once, when we were in daycamp at the Y, we went out, hopped the iron fence (yes all 80+of us did this together, the older ones helping out the younger ones with a breach in the fence or to climb over the spikey fence) & PM magazine came out & got it all on video & it ran on the news that night...proof positive of a Shreveport tradition of not just seeing that engine, but getting as close if not right on top of it as possible. I had wondered if it was still there, banking on the idea that it might be (knowing that Mother Goose had long since taken flight & that carriage long since more than turned into a pumpkin) I set out to try and make my kids really happy by finding that train engine. We found the park with little trouble, the kids didn't know what to look at, the winding road that led to the park or the fact that the lake was right there, spread before their little wide eyes... But before I even turned into the drive, my train guy completely lost himself and started bouncing in his seat pointing and then I knew for certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the old train engine was in fact still there as it was from years past, even a time before I had climbed into it. We parked and the kids were out of the van in no time. They grabbed both hands, and pulled me towards that gate as fast as they could (my fingers STILL hurt) with my eldest tagging along swearing he was NOT going to hop that fence no matter WHAT we used to do when I was little or how many before us had done so...nope, not even the gate that protected the old fire truck...(which is also really cool & fun to see by the way!) But once we got up to it, and the kids had already decided that the train must be Hero of Thomas the Train Engine fame and were chattering at how cool it was that Hero the steam engine could retire to a park where he would be happy and get to see all the children as visitors and watch them play, my eldest's tune changed... Funny thing is, that breach in the fence is still there, even after all these years...I know it's been almost 30 years...and it's just big enough for little kids to slide through and go up and hug that train...Yep, my big kid was over in no time, overseeing the train hugging and making sure nobody used the access ramps which have fallen into quite a state of disrepair... It's ashamed...for a time somebody somewhere must have realized that resistance was futile as these ramps hadnt been there when I was a kid...we had been forced to do things the hard way yet still found our way up & over everything... But someone somewhere had thought to build really nice access ramps...the sides of them are still sturdy...but the cross-planks sadly are rotted making it impossible to use unless you really know what to watch for (little kids wont but an adult might.) Husband wants to try & find the right person who will give the okay to fix the ramps again-it wouldn't take much...after all, it's something really nifty to see when you're a kid...or an adult for that matter... But who knows if they would even consider the offer.... But what I DO know, is that the train is still there...still on display, and still a nifty wonderful site for any kid to get to witness. If you are looking for something fun to do, drive out to Ford Park in Shreveport...it's on Cross Lake and there is even a pier accross the street...parks to play in on both sides even, and the best part is that you will get to see a real train engine up close...as well as an old timey firetruck!

Anyone Tried Disney With a Special Needs Child?

2011-10-14T10:42:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 06, 2011 at 12:08 AM One of my trio has sensory integration disorder to the nth degree where he really doesn't do small confined areas with large amounts of people in them well at all (it causes a HUGE meltdown where he screams & cries uncontrollably like someone is hurting him literally.)I read somewhere about the possibility of obtaining a GAC (guest assistance card) but I also read where people catch a lot of flack for actually USING them, too.Has anyone ever obtaind a GAC at a Disney park for your special needs child or did you forgo one to try it the usual way?How was your experience? How did you prepare your child for the visit?I've read about making books for them with pics of the rides & shows inside so you can show them what you plan to do or have them choose what they would like to try so that they would know what to expect.I also found an interactive YOUTUBE video of the parks in Florida that show small snippets of what the rides are like as well as some of the shows (sadly this has pretty much gotten one of my 5yr olds hooked on the Yeti in Expedition Everest which he WON'T be able to ride due to size but he really likes the idea of the ride.)What was your experience like? Have you tried other theme parks with similar situations/circumstances? Did it work out? I need tips & tricks!!!Vulnadia on May 06, 2011 at 08:29 AM i stumbled upon the gac on a message board the other day-there is not guideline for obtaining one, but there are a lot of accounts of families catching flack for having/using one from the linesi think its great that disney allocates for disabilities that cannot actually be seen/noticed immediately (you notice it if you watch mine long enough-the inclusion teachers at school giggled over him playing only in the water & sand areas at school for the first 2 weeks because of his sensory problem-they thought it was cute of him-it was a good way for him to combat being in the small room with lots of people-it was how he calmed himself & kept himself in check until he got used to everything)but its hard when people dont understand that there IS a problem-some moms have made business cards basically that say the nature of the problem should the family get stares or people try & "help" which can actually make things worse in many cases with autistic & sensory problem kiddos-they just give onlookers the card & leave it at that & ignore them after that while they try & take care of their kids...others make them shirts that have witty sayings on them that nicely try & say hey i'm autistic or have sensory problems...but am not sure if that works or not!i'm trying to get a game plan so we can do this as a family successfully!

Carousel Problems

2011-10-14T10:41:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 11, 2011 at 04:47 PM Yes, my kids are 5 and have only just now gotten to ride a carousel.It took me actually forgetting myself, or rather ourselves, and thinking what a great treat it would be for them since they were out on spring break and supposed to be out on the town as a treat.We had gone to see HOP together, and were headed out to try & ride the trolley...something we have never gotten to do...and weren't about to, either, as it wasn't running yet AGAIN that day...To kill 2 birds with one stone, I also had promised Vivienne a trip to see my friend Richard at The Children's Place so she could get some new shoes since Target didn't have any to fit her pretty little toes (which had really truly offended her & made her cry the day before!)So the boys went off to visit the trolley in its garage, while Vivienne and I visited with our friends at The Children's Place and scored 2 new pair of sparkly maryjane tennies in pink & in white eyelet...The boys HATE shopping, and since the trolley was closed, I thought hey, why not, let's ride the carousel...after all, they are walking talking big-kids now...they are 5...heck, we are even thinking of going to 6flags this summer since they are tall enough to ride most of the rides according to the website (we had just been to the Dr and been measured, too...)So we happily went off to find the carousel, hand in hand, singing the following the leader song from Peter Pan...Bregon bellied up to the ticket booth to purchase tickets for his siblings...and that's when it hit us...the multipleness...we had quite forgotten we were "Different" and that there was a good reason we had yet to ride any carousel...The woman behind the glass just stared at him...then she asked how old the riders were...to which they all 3 chimed in unison from behind their big brother, "We're 5!" (newly so and proud of it, too!)She then had to go into this whole kids 5 & under have to ride with an adult and Bregon isn't one...He's 16...he isn't even delinquent looking...but then she dared look at me and ask, "Where are the other children's mothers?"Um, uh...um...I was quite taken aback with that bit...afterall...all 4 of the kids favor...& most think the baby-boys are identical for some reason and most cant tell any of the kids apart save for their clothing which denotes Vivienne as obviously a girl...she's very fancy nancy flashy...I just stared at her...I couldn't help it...I mean...um...I've gotten a lot of strange things said about us, but this was the FIRST time anyone ever asked the kids where their Mothers were...as if they weren't mine...I just smiled and told her they were triplets finally...and she said THEY CANT RIDE!...Said they were too young, too small...had to be 42 inches to ride...Kaiden is exactly 42 inches actually...and I told her so sweetly as I could muster...And told her Bregon & I would stand with Kian & Vivienne (who happen to be within an inch of 42 inches themselves pretty much...) But she said NO, Bregon is NOT an adult...and on that note she called security...pregnant pause...Then she said she was going to ask them what to do about us...It was really bizarre...and by this time Kai had gotten totally creeped out by her and what all she had said (which had translated to a resounding NO to him) so he was in full out wail-mode...It was too much for him...he was 5...he knew he was 42 inches-he had already tried measuring himself against THEIR ruler thingy...and he knew...he also knew he only had one Mama and that was me...& that she wouldn't let Bregon ride either...so he cried...the only way he knows how to express himself once he reaches past a certain point of frustration (until then he had just stood there with clenched fists trying to get himself under control) but no trolley, no carousel...& he wasn't a big kid notion...that was just too much...I tried to explain to him what was up, meanwhile enter security who, once he talked to the woman behind the glass, couldn't contain his frustration with her-he outright laughed at her at first...and really had Kai not been crying and my other little ones frowning, I might have found it funny too...He told her of course Bregon could stand with them...meanwhile some really sweet lady who had seen the whole thing from a distance, walked up & offerred to stand with one of the kids so we could ride...which was soo sweet of her...(but she shouldn't have had to do this is the point!)I paid for the lady's baby to ride too, with his daddy (he was under a year old) and we all rode the carousel regardless of the crazy woman behind the counter...It was just a truly bizarre experience...It never occurred to me that I wasn't enough Mommie for my kids...or that between the 2 of us we weren't enough to safely ride something as mundane and innocent as a carousel...I had quite forgotten to even attempt riding it until then, too...You'd think the kids being 5 that they would be old enough & big enough to ride...In fact I don't remember ever having to worry about this when I was a kid...do you?So has anyone else had any problem like this? Have you been to six flags with your little ones & been able to ride most of the rides (within height requirement reason) or have you had to do something similar?I don't even want to try going back again after all that was said & the way the lady handled everything...by Vulnadia on Apr 12, 2011 at 06:06 PM i could understand if they were little bitty...but they just turned 5...you are probably right about her not wanting to turn the darn thing on-i hated to complain on her because, from the look of her, this may be one of the few places that would actually hire her the way she looks...she didnt seem too bright...other than the obvious weird questioningshe really upset bregon when she called security though...i thought that was going a LITTLE too far...i understand they probably have teen problems all the time with the hang-out factor, but i'm his mother & he wasn't acting out of the ordinary, just trying to buy his baby brothers & sister tix to ride the merry-go-round...he would have paid for us to stand with them, too, money wasnt an issue...he was really upset though...& her rationale for calling them to ask if my son was considered adult enough to be able to keep a 5yr old on a carousel horse was a bit off or so it seemed to me, then again i'd never tried riding before...but its a kiddie ride...for young children...so it never occurred to me that there would be any problem... he was truly worried she had other motives (finding him delinquent or something-he's self conscious & tries to be a nice kid & not appear delinquent-there its very easy to be thought of as out of place if you are a teen)it was just weird-there are seats on that ride, too- so you can sit with your child instead of ride on one of the animals...it just seems to me that it should be allowed that a child be allowed a choice-i could see if they were very small or totally by themselves, but we were 2 big people to the 3 5yr olds...my 16yr old is much taller than i am!!!but the whole where are the other childrens mothers bit was just rude...& caught me totally off-guard...i dont remember us having any problems like this at hamels when we were little & wanted to ride the carousel...i know i went when i was at least 4...because the earliest i remember was a friend of mine's 5th bday...& we all rode by ourselves...

4A.M. Fashion Emergency!

2011-10-14T10:41:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 04, 2011 at 07:27 AM I was soo warm & cozy, all snug in my bed, when the screeching and crying of one Baby Vivienne came through the baby monitor. Now, this doesn't happen too terribly often anymore...in fact, usually it's one of the boys that cries out in their sleep, but not THIS time. It took me a second to wake up and stumble about to find my robe and actually get it on in the dark (so I could try and STAY warm!) I bolted up the stairs, trying desperately not to fall DOWN them in my sleepiness and haste, threw open the bolt on the door, and managed after a moment of thought, to remember that the doorknob sticks and has to be pushed down upon if one wants the door to actually open... And there she was...perched on the edge of her baby girl bed (all Fancy-Nancy-fied complete with tassels & top) in tears, holding something... All she could do was try and convey through her tears that she NEEDED her hair fixed...that she couldn't do it herself...in between sobs & sniffles, I FINALLY figured out what she was trying to say... To make a difficult translation short, her little barrette that she insists upon sleeping in to keep what would normally be considered her bangs (if her hair wasn't all one length that is) out of her eyes, had come loose while she slept, and when she woke up having to go potty, she freaked out because she couldn't get it back in... Really, it has been quite decided, debated and finally concluded that I am THE ONLY PERSON within our household who can properly fix the Beautiful Baby Vivienne's hair in the first place as she has difficult hair that must be twisted before a barrette is able to hold it into place properly... Remember Dorothy's twisted pigtails (Judy Garland's not Faruza Balk's) or the way Belle's hair is twisted back so that the wisps stay in her ponytail? Vivienne's hair must be twisted in that way before the barrette will listen, something that most people (as it turns out) just do not understand or think to do to one's hair...try it, you may be surprised at the change in the way your baby girl's hair obeys!!!plus tis pretty too!! But back to us at 4A.M. all sleepy, confused, and trying to resolve the Beautiful Baby Vivienne's fashion emergency...I did finally manage to wake up and get coordinated enough to get that barrette back into her hair somehow... As it turns out, she really just needed to go potty, but had become INFURIATED that her pretty sparkly heart barrette that Santa brought her just did NOT want to sleep in her hair properly...she felt betrayed by it, thus her tears and frustration & forgetting that she had to go potty 'til reminded by the likes of ME!!! All's well that end's well (to quote a certain poetic Bard) and once beautifully restored to it's rightful place, that barrette allowed her the peace of mind to remember to go potty, and she climbed regally back into her fancy bed, asleep before her little beautiful head hit her purple unicorn pillow pet!

St Patrick's Day Pinching-Prevention!

2011-10-14T10:40:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Mar 17, 2011 at 07:25 AM Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!!!My trio woke up this morning with a mission: NOT to get pinched today!The problem is, they wear school uniforms & GREEN is NOT on the list!So, Vivienne, who has been planning this in her head apparently very far in advance, insisted upon a green scrunchie, green piping lined panties, and there is green on her tinkerbell socks & on her very high-top black peace-signed tennis shoes!She also has overseen the greening of her brothers-they are both wearing extra pairs of green mardi gras beads picked out by her very observing eye...Kaiden had other ideas on what was green though...& set about picking his nose...something we had to put a quick stop to...he really cares though...& means well...What do you do for your kids for St Patricks Day to ensure no pinching? It's hard when they wear uniforms!

Keeping Up With Teens Grades! What's a Mum To Do?

2011-10-14T10:40:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Mar 16, 2011 at 10:25 PM What do you as a mom of a teen do to help your child stay on target with their grades?I've medicaded the supposed ADHD symptoms that teachers reported-as my son has gotten older, I've found that he has a focusing issue & basically bad organizational skills...he is on the mildest medication that we could find...just enough to keep him able to focus...without the depression & the side effects.I stay on top of grades as best as I can, too. I frequent teacher websites to monitor homework,test dates & assignments...I monitor the school site where grades are posted to try & stay on top of grades, too...(it sure beats the game of will the progress info make it all the way home or not.)Do you find that teachers don't often post assignments until almost after the fact? Our teachers are also notorious for not posting grades-they will enter the assignment's worth into the system, and some will even enter a zero until they grade the actual assignment which can bring the grade down temporarily-we were actually punishing our child for bad grades that just weren't posted yet...which causes a HUGE problem...We can't tell a real zero from a not-yet-posted one-& the grade reflects it either way is the horrid part making it close to impossible to tell if it's for real or not without the frequent emailing of the teacher!!!It's the last part of the 9wks for our children-literally it ends on Friday, and I cannot tell WHAT his grades are going to be- it's anybody's guess at the moment...one teacher is soo far behind that February's grades aren't even posted yet...I'm sweatin it, and trying my best to stay on top of everything with him so I can keep tabs...But what can you do? How much is too much? Should I back off or should I stick with it?What's the best way YOU have found to help keep up with grades & not be too immersed into it, yet constructively be there to help your teen stay on target

Time Change Prep!

2011-10-14T10:39:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Mar 10, 2011 at 09:13 AM Dont forget to turn your clocks FORWARD AN HOUR this Saturday night! It's timechange time, again!!!If you have small children on schedules, it is a good idea to start altering them NOW in 15-20 minute increments forward both for feeding & nap/bedtimes until you have altered it by the whole hour! If you start early, they won't even notice that anything different is happening!Doing this will alleviate any time-change shock that your children may have! I had 3 preemies & they would freak out on any change in their schedules both as infants & even when they got a little older, so I discovered that if i started a few days beforehand & worked them into the new "timechange" in 15-20 minute increment changes (forward or backward depending on season) each day, by the time the big day rolled around, they were no longer in shock!!! They had no problem with the new arrangement!!!! In fact, if you do this starting about a week ahead, they may not even notice a thing and you will have an easier time of everything once those clocks change.Dont forget to change those clocks & think of your little people ahead of time!!!

Toddlers & Tv

2011-10-14T10:38:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 23, 2011 at 04:33 PM There is soo much in the way of conflicting advice on whether or not to let your kids watch TV or play video games...Now they are saying not to let kids under aged 2 watch any TV in an effort it would seem to encourage learning/exploration using all of the senses etc.Yet they also turn around and say that for preschoolers, TV is a great way to prepare for school...So what's a Mom to do? Personally, I let my kids have TV...not LOTS of TV, not withholding it to the extent that it becomes such a novelty that all they want to do watch it whenever they get the chance (kind of damned if we do damned if we dont situation if we arent careful!)So, what are we to do? I watch our programming...I cannot stand things that appear mindless or have children that act out & arent constructive in problem resolution...If the characters habitually act out, we don't watch it...That being said, I love Backyardigans and my kids actually act NICER when it's playing in the room-they don't even have to be actively watching it for their mood to change...it also paved the way to transition them over to watching Gilbert & Sullivan DVD's...I actually ended up with a Pirate King over that one...they love Pirates of Penzance...too funny really-and they can launch their own production of it in the nursery...added to their repertoire of Annie and a few other musicals they have taken a liking to...I also let mine watch musical theater productions on DVD -Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, Into The Woods...But as a parent we also have to be very careful-did you know that Cartoon Network will air older programming after a certain hour? Much of it isn't suitable for little people at ALL and some is even scary!!!So what do you do? Do you limit your kids TV time or do you let them have at it? Have you had any problems with them watching anything?article

Single Moms Bad For Society? Who Are We To Judge?

2011-10-14T10:37:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 17, 2011 at 04:20 PM Somebody actually went to the trouble of doing a survey (who knows as to the validity of the factors used to determine the outcome) but they did it, and it supposedly claims that most find single moms are bad for society.SERIOUSLY? Are they kidding? Who are we to judge in this day and age? The same survey included same gender relationships & families too, is the odd part...I really thought we as a society had come further than this, what about you?I mean, aren't there far more bigger fish to fry in the area of what is wrong with society today than a single mother trying to do her best for her kids and herself?I mean, really, those who make up the single mother demographic cover a broad range of types of mothers-not just unwed teen mothers, but the divorced, the widowed, the abused, and then those who are quite single by choice and every last one of them has their reasons for being in that situation...is it really anybody else's business than their own?Is society really truly affected as a whole by these choices when it comes down to it?What do you think? I think single moms actually on the whole give their children a positive message about life. These ladies are strong self-sufficient people out there on their own doing the best they can for themselves and their children and many MANY of them have set quite a high precedent for those to come.What about you, do you agree or disagree with this survey & its findings?ARTICLE

Sexting Legislation: Protecting Or Eventually Harming Teens?

2011-10-14T10:37:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 11, 2011 at 09:02 AM Sexting legislation is becoming quite the hot topic of the hour.For the unitiated, sexting is the act of sending provocative or explicit messages & or photos via cellphone & is extended also to computers.A lot of adults do it (equate it to the cute love notes of years gone by or messages wives leave their husbands in their lunches or post-it notes left on the vanity etc) but it's becoming quite the social norm for teens, too, which has led to a more widespread issue.Technically, if an adult is found with this sort of image or message from a teen or iniated by a teen on their cell or computer it becomes an issue of child pornography, technicality or not (think on the grounds that your child has a laptop with webcam or their cell phone but you are responsible for it & it is also YOURS as a parent.)This opens up a whole new slew of issues should the information be found...what's a parent to do? What do Law enforcement officials do also in these situations? Burden of proof becomes an issue, as does context of the images, messages & their creations.The sender & the receiver are obviously at risk as well. There are laws in place to protect us from predators & those laws are wonderful, however with the advent of teen sexting, it has opened up a whole new world of problems.What should parents do to combat it? What if anything should schools do to protect students?And then there is the biggie, state intervention & legislation is being considered and of course this will lead to national policies as well.Exactly who's job is it to police this? How can we as parents protect our children? HERE is an article on the debate and HERE is a blog on how the state of Texas handles sexting for sake of example.The penalties in texas for sexting are 10 years jail time & life on the sex offenders list according to the blogger. Sure the blogger is bordering on the absurd to show the folly of the situation and there is a lot of sarcasm involved, but it is a good look at what is really going on.Exactly how should this be handled legally? Where are the lines to be drawn between adult predators & teenage antics? There is a HUGE margin for error but the law is still the law when it comes down to it & interpretation can be a problem.10 years ago, these messages were in the form of passing notes in class & possible polaroids left in lockers for sake of example-should this be punishable by law?Life on a sex offenders list is pretty harsh for a teen but not for a true sex offender who molests children- yet there isnt a clear definition yet.What do you think about the issue? What would you do if it were your teen? Kids are going to be kids no matter what we as a parent do. It is inevitable that at some point or another your teen will engage in some form of sexting (may nor may not include the picture portion) but what if the law was applied to your child today? What would you as a parent do?Should teens be imprisoned & put on sex offendors list for sexting? Should it be left to the parent, school or law enforcement to decide punishment?

Sesame Street True Blood Parody

2011-10-14T10:36:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 11, 2011 at 09:46 AM I'm sitting here with my 4yr old who is home sick, watching Sesame Street & just did a HUGE doubletake...They have a True Blood Parody, theme song & all, called "True Mud" with what appears to be Prairie Dawn playing the role of Sookie (with boobs & tight shirt) & a Guy Smiley type in the roll of Bill...it's a rhyming sketch, but it ends with Sookie & Bill & a mud bath...kid you not...So, I have to ask...is this appropriate? How many little kids really know anything about True Blood the series much less the Charlaine Harris Sookie-verse & the books that go with it?Is this appropriate content for our kids? Sure, it's done tongue in cheek, and has it's teaching/educational merits in some ways, but the parody itself seems more SNL caliber not Sesame Street...I personally am a Sookie Stackhouse fan and have read the books & am more than amused with the series (it hits way close to home on more levels than one-an old friend once roomed with Charlaine Harris for one in college & told stories for years about her before the books came out-after knowing who she is, the whole thing became one huge amusement for us not to mention I'm from Shreveport & my favourite house is in the credits as are many local shots found in it) but still- I'm not soo sure this is the right vehicle for teaching my toddler rhyming words...That, and the addition of obvious older girl-parts on a muppet (I dont recall Ms Piggy really being THAT anatomically correct even in her hey-day, not that she is a Sesame Street muppet but just for sake of example) kind of bothered me-she was even wearing the white tight t as described in the book & on the show...& then...the mudbath...& the fang-reference (the Bill character did NOT appear to have fangs or be a vamp unless you just know the references.) It just seemed so...adult...I'm all for the adult content in old cartoons & such, but it wasn't considered primarily for children's education or primarily aimed at little children's demographics, either!So what do you think? Is this appropriate or too much for toddler tv?VIDEO SKETCH FOOTAGE HERE

Valentines Day For Teens

2011-10-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 09, 2011 at 03:35 PM This is the first year my eldest has had a girlfriend for Valentine's Day.We have quite a dilemma: What should we get her?I rememer as a girl this day being VERY important at school-we got balloons, roses, candy, stuffed animals, you name it-But that was 20 yrs ago, what is the right way to handle this today?What should he get her? How much or how little is appropriate?They are a very cute, understated couple...so I am not sure what the right way to do this would be!!!he is tracking down the school rose sale-if not she will definately get her rose delivered by hand-but it used to be cooler if you could catch the zclub sales & have it delivered in front of the class...we cant spend a LOT of money, but i can prolly pull of balloons small candy & such pretty easily...

Fencing Frustrations

2011-10-14T10:34:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 05, 2011 at 10:32 AM We all know it snowed yesterday...delivered the real deal, complete with bottom layer of ice for good measure & sticking insurance even. Schools and all school activities were cancelled with the anticipation of the pending snow...and that cancellation carried over to the weekend, sadly for us. So Friday afternoon rolls around, and we expected this weekend's High School Championships to be cancelled because they were to have been held at the school... Well, because Caddo cancelled the school activities, the organizers (who are NOT from a Caddo school but from a private fencing school locally) decided to instead just MOVE the tournament to their own sal...posing a HUGE problem for our team fencers. Sounds like they were being nice, but fact is, because the activities were cancelled, the students who normally check out equipment for these big tournaments could not because of liability issues: ie, the school would be going against the cancellation decree by loaning things out... Furthermore, any student on the team was told they could NOT represent Magnet in any way at this tournament should they choose to fence...even though this tournament is one of the Varsity letter requirements. This completely crushed my eldest since this was the only remaining requirement for his letter this year (he has one from last year already but wanted one for each year of high school-what kid wouldn't?) On top of it, they still have yet to cancel the tournament for some weird reason...and they would not... So we spent the afternoon trying to find out if he could fence at all at the tournament-it was already paid for even (fencing tournament fees are not cheap by any means and my kid is a 2 weapon fencer so he was entered in more than just one event.) As it turns out, he can fence without repercussion, but he cannot represent his team. Coach also waived the requirement for lettering thankfully, so this one doesn't count towards it. Coach swears there will be no repercussion for the kids fencing this weekend, but I have my copies in writing JUST IN CASE because the problem comes in that we must all have our home school as primary school on our fencing affilliation registration and it can only be changed once yearly and its not that time of year!So, this morning, at the crack of dawn, husband and my kiddo crept quietly to visit his fencing maestro at the fairfield school (our 2ndary affilliation listed even though technically it is where our loyalty lies) and borrowed the rest of the missing equipment (mostly epees for extra because they tend to break easily in competition and backup is necessary.) Because they refused to cancel this tournament, my kid feels all sorts of renegade having to sneak around and try to arrange for equipment to complete his gear and then having to fence as a pirate so-to-say...even if he wins, the school cannot recognize his victory or any rating he may glean from the tournament...its very sad... But they slid over to the other fencing school for the tournament early this morning, making just in time for check-in but barely because of all the ice... He's there now, working himself in hopes of training for Junior Olympics which will be in Dallas week after next (Presidents Day is his competition date.) We've spent the better part of our snow day dealing with fencing frustrations.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music.on the web http://gaslightplayers.com.MomsLikeMe Discussion Leader Send to FriendsFacebookPublish to a group

Snow Day Rituals!!!

2011-10-14T10:34:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 04, 2011 at 05:54 PM It's too funny, my trio have already figured out the family snow-day rituals!They ask for it all in order & by name, too! They now expect their Daddy to be home at least part of their day to play with them and take part, you see, he has his own snow-day duties as well!Everyone knows that in the deep dark depths of the pantry are the snow-day marshmallows, graham crackers & secret stash of chololate bars just waiting to become S'mores!The kids know that all meals will come from the fireplace, too and that marshmallows are an every-meal food!My kids know that every meal can & most likely will contain some form of hotdog, too, and on snowdays this is acceptable!!!We spend our afternoon outside in the snow, making snowmen and fairies in the snow, snow ball fights & snow castles too!!!Everyone knocks the snow off of their clothes mittens and coats before coming inside, knowing that I have everything laid out to change into waiting on them in the laundry room.They spend their recovery warm-up time before the living room fire while Daddy makes them each their own mug of hot chocolate filled with tiny marshmallows with the correct colored straw to coordinate with each of the babies!The rest of the afternoon is spent watching netflix specials and everyone taking turns choosing their shows.Today, Bregon even took Buddy upstairs to watch Star Wars on the ceiling using his projector!Our day is winding down, but it's been a peaceful, beautiful fun filled day for everyone, relaxing in it's own way.

Promoting Piracy: I'm A Bad Mommie!!!

2011-10-14T10:33:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 03, 2011 at 02:20 PM It's freezing out...but not as cold as yesterday, that's for certain!So this morning, instead of fussing with Kian over which coat he wanted to wear (he insisted that he wanted to wear his very light blue jacket which he has dubbed his "Pirate Coat" since it has a pirate ship on the inside of it) I just calmly suggested that he wear his frock coat instead.Let me rewind here and explain a bit...first off, a frock coat is generally what you see Pirates wearing-its the official looking long sleeved coat with the turned back sleeves...Second of all, I was thinking quick when I suggested it...I noticed that his red velvet frock coat was indeed heavier than his pirate ship jacket hence the mommie-mentality of the moment!And truly, it is heavier...I also suggested as an alternative, his pirate coat which is really a fleece skull & crossbone bathrobe but it too is also warmer than that jacket of his!So yes, of course he agreed to wear the red velvet coat...what kid forsworn to a life of piracy wouldn't want to wear his pirate coat to school?And for those who wonder, yes, it is uniform official & solid red velvet...sure the cuffs are black, but its really the LINING that is black as the cuffs are just rolled up & back like any other coat or shirt would be hence the jacket is solid red on the outside and dress-code compliant!I shudder to think about what everyone thinks up at school, but at least Kian is warm!!!I'm sure teacher has already messaged granddaddy about all of this but oh well! What's a Mum to do? Besides, he was cute in his little green knit muffler and his mittens toboggan hat & pirate coat!!!In fact, all of my kids resembled that poor kid from A Christmas Story today, all bundled up and ready to face the bitter cold!!!!! And you can BET Kian is the most stylish kid in class!!! RRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

WAHM & Balancing Your Day

2011-10-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 01, 2011 at 05:09 PM I'm going nuts it seems as of late!I thought once the babies went to school I would have more time, and I do...but it seems that I also have to spend that time volunteering at school X's three during the day as well as try and work all of my work at home jobs & maintain my nonprofit (which requires not only business aspects but also creative being that I also write and produce productions for the theater!!!)So I feel like I'm losing my mind...I can schedule myself to work this or that job, but then it gets interrupted by the intermittant school responsibility (storytime,snackdays,field trip chaperoning (yes I have to go because of one of my kids being high-maintenance due to sensory integration disorder) then there is everyday household needs that must be met & carpool to run on top of it to 2 different schools!!!! Add in dr appointments & the occasional meeting and there seems like there isnt much time for anything anymore!!!!Lately, husband is getting bitchy over my working at night, after the kids are in bed and dinner is done & put away...sure I stay up late, but I am also bringing in $100 minimum for that extra few hours I stay up, too-we're talking 2-3 hours tops for the money that's not too shabby!)But he feels like if I am on the computer then I am not doing anything even if most of my files & 2 of my paying jobs are computer-related...I write & I do data processing for a phone company...to be cost-effective I must do the phone company work in bulk during non-office hours to pull in the big$$$ and he knows these things, too, but he still treats it as if I'm wasting time or doing something that just isnt important!What am I to do? I can't add enough hours in my day it seems and husband isn't doing much if anything to help support me in all of this!!!!I don't have room or the $$ for a nanny or au pair...but I do have a 16 yr old (but he is a competition fencer with plans for a career of coaching after college) & he helps as much as he can around the house & with his younger sibs (the age difference is about 11 years between them) but his schedule is also hectic!!! it will sort of resolve itself in a way once he gets his license but it will also open another can of worms!!!( driving, girlfriend &accountability sure i trust him to a point but I also trust & expect him to act his age & do teen things such as test limits etc)its frustrating to be expected to bring in the $$$ (which I dont mind) & perform creatively (I must script as part of my nonprofit which isnt always something that just rolls out of the brain on cue!!!) when husband doesnt find my jobs as legitimate or worthy of devoting time to as his (being that isnt in the home) its one of those situations where he thinks I sit here & drink martini's & eat bonbons & watch soaps all day (to be facetious) instead of juggling everything!!!i'm also the one who must be on call 24/7 with the trio at night--its scary because last week while the kids were home sick nothing got done-try 3 sick 4yr olds all needing a lap because they felt horrible... then they fight for attention & for space & each are deserving & need the love & care but must share on top of the usual responsibilities-but i wasnt sleeping trying to get everything in & when i did sleep it was soo hard I couldnt keep that one eye open & didnt hear one of the kids screaming when they got sick...husband did & took care of it but he had a hard time waking me (i felt terrible about it but sometimes you just cant wake up) but I did it somehow!we do try & do things together on friday nights if possible, but fencing season is having us divy up competition responsibilities too (trips drive time & entry fees & equipment acquisition) & its hard!!!!

Disorder Intolerance @ My Dr's Office!!!

2011-10-14T10:32:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 01, 2011 at 01:34 PM Yesterday, I picked up the babies from school and headed to the Dr's office to get their flu shots (which were on hold with their names on it in the fridge of all things!) They were okay and knew what was up (we had discussed it and the why of it & all the week before & they had practiced their blowing "Bubbles" so they wouldn't feel the pain as much and everything! I had bought Skittles to keep them occupied in the waiting room and we hit the potty first thing after signing in (it was super busy of course because EVERYONE is sick.) Then we caught some funny glances from folks as we practiced our colors and counting (if you can't name the color & count how many you would like at once then you cannot have the candy!!!) Apparently other folks dont do things like this with their kids to pass the time or something, who knows. Kai was fine considering they had a sub at school that day (he doesnt do well in chaos, he melts down) and was pleasant even after his shot. Then he lost himself in the line waiting to check out...all we had to do was turn in the paperwork and leave, but he had already lost his jacket, and refused to carry his toys...he was melting down fast, and I didn't have anything to wrap him in heavy enough to calm him (a sensory disorder trick.) The older, sometimes rawther crotchity lady who works the check-out desk quickly became irritated with him...he could hear the kids screaming from their shots and all and the general overall unhappiness and he finally just couldnt take it-he had tried covering his ears and closing his eyes and it just didn't work...I was helpless since i was ladden down with paperwork and stuff already, so I couldn't do anything other than try and talk to him but he was already trying to tune out!!! The crotchity woman behind the desk was very ugly even after I tried explaining that he cannot help it, that the noise & magnitude of everything was too much for him (I started trying to remind her that he had the disorder but she didn't want to hear that at all-she knows him but apparently she wasnt having a bad day too!!!) I just find it hard to understand why something like this cannot be understood or at least tolerated at a dr's office of all place!!!

Floating To School, Now Freezing!!!

2011-10-14T10:31:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Feb 01, 2011 at 01:24 PM Wow, I knew the weather was going to be bad this morning, but SERIOUSLY??? My poor kids...Bregon was up & ready much earlier than usual at my prodding upon his wake-up call. Poor Kian was having one of those why-can't-I-sleep-in-moments and refused to wake up even after being taken downstairs and sat in front of his clothes for the day... Kaiden decided he didnt like his Daddy today and only I could dress him...Poor Vivienne was being sweet cute and agreeable as usual... Then they realized that it was raining out...eeewww!!! Kian was the first to realize there would be lightening and to pronounce things, "Scary!" At 730, everyone put their coats on and grabbed their car-toys for the day and headed to the front porch...that's when it got sticky... NOBODY wanted to leave the porch and I didn't have an umbrella handy. Bregon in his haste, panicked and told the kids to just go on to the van...I had grabbed my huge leather trench with the intent of using it as an umbrella...none of the babies heard me though, and they were already being pelted by the gutter overflow... Vivienne turned back soo drenched that her blue coat had turned black...Kai had thought to put his hood up at least but he stuck back with me & found shelter under my big coat....Sister joined us quick enough... Poor Kian had made it all the way to the car and wasn't able to get the sliding door open so he panicked and in the torrential rain flowing downhill in the drive he managed to just fall face first onto the drive...Bregon was in shock and just stared at him...meanwhile EVERYONE is getting soaked, coat & all... I managed to convince Bregon to pick up his brother but not before Vivienne had slid through and into the car somehow...Kai and I couldnt get past Bregon to get the front door open so we were stuck...when he finally did move, he shut the sliding door, slamming the better part of my coat sleeve and my sweater in the door...I could open the drivers side door but I couldn't get in since I was stuck in the door!!! Kai just sat there and stared at me and it didn't register with Bregon that I was stuck even though I kept asking him to open the door!!! FINALLY we all managed to get into the mommievan and belted in and it was just me and the wet road...yuck!!! We somehow made it to Magnet going through Highland and the water was pretty bad there... I was glad to take Clyde Fant to Preston to get the babies to their school, but they were already freaked out by the high water and the force of the wind and rain... Kai is sure the trees are going to fall on us and he wasn't too far from the truth (it missed us but hit husband's co-workers windsheild). We found everything accross that part of Kings Hwy flooded pretty much...it wouldn't have been soo bad save for the SUV'S stopping whenever they ended up in high water which is NOT what needed to happen!!! We somehow swam to Arthur Circle, but I don't know how!!! Then I tried swimming home, only to have a car come floating towards me...I layed on my horn and she managed to float the other way, but just barely!!! Things were much better accross the Ockley street bridge, but the bayou is full still and flowing like rapids... When I got home, I realized that I had somehow managed to actually lose my passenger side windshield wiper...how the heck does that happen??? I mean, it was still technically attached but had been washed or blown or both back to the passenger side window somehow...still not sure how this happened...or how long I had been driving like that...I lifted it back and it obediently went back down into its spot but now it wont do anything at all!!! The babies were prepared for the drop in temperature, but I don't know how they will take it when I go to pick them up!!!

Learning To Count

2011-10-14T10:31:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 26, 2011 at 07:51 PM After talking to teacher tonight (she had called to check on my trio since they were out of class today,) I learned that Kian & Kai aren't learning to count... Kian just doesn't like doing it and Kaiden still cannot be understood well enough yet when asked to recite his numbers... So I am looking for a constructive way to teach them how to count! I started with Kian first. The only easy song I can think of is "10 Little Indians" so I started singing it to Kian ONLY tonight. He thinks the song is "Cool!" so I appear to be in luck. Tomorrow, he has agreed to make a book about the song to share with his brother. I HOPE to teach him both the song, and in making the book at least his numbers up to 5...if he takes to it easily this might get him to 10 in a heartbeat, I am not sure. What I need is a different way to approach Kaiden that will keep his interest and that is different enough to not match Kian's method of learning. Does anyone have any suggestions or creative ways I can teach Kaiden? He has trouble focusing on tasks when there are lots of distractions (crowded room such as a small schoolroom full of children for example.) I need some advice!!!

To Send..Or Not To Send The Kids To School

2011-10-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 25, 2011 at 08:42 AM That is my dilemma, my problem as of late...you see, they have super awful allergies as it turns out... They get headaches from the congestion, they have a little cough...some larger than others... They have snot...some occasionally, sometimes it runs with the force of the rapids... It's the sort of stuff that forces me to have to rotate medications just to keep them from becoming immune to it...to keep things working... & therein lies the problem...some of my kids will take some meds with no problem...melt-away strips are the wave o the future, let me tell ya, EVERYONE loves those... But this cough medicine...the wonder drug that really can help that cough & the congestion...it's NASTY...I dread even trying to give it to my kids...and I cannot help but wonder if adding flavor would even help things... You see, it stings...it's gross, it's soo sharp I can SMELL the stinging part when I open the bottle...eeeewwww...and it's my doctor's med-du-jour...she LOVES giving it to them...thinks it's the best remedy EVER...and it aint cheap either... What fun...so Kaiden HATES this cough med & refuses to take it...you can't even hold him down long enough to try & pinch his tiny elven nose to get him to open his mouth...theoretically that is...it's just not worth it to even entertain the idea of doing so save for literary purpose!!! So, Kaiden gets what he calls "Circle medicine" which is benadryl of some sort...usually generic because we use a lot of everything this time of year!!! Vivienne and Kian, poor brave dears, will actually subject themselves to the cough medicine in hopes of feeling better... Thankfully everyone loves their motrin & other things along that line of meds... And then there is the HUGE problem of the school....ah the well-meaning sweet ladies in the office... You see, my kids are triplets...& I warned EVERYONE up there that they love to work together, a unified effort...all for one, one for all, you get my drift...you've heard the stories... & now there is this thing called "SICK" that can get you sent home from school to hang out with Mum and do fun things...or seemingly fun things... And my kids have figured this all out quite by accident...you see, when they are cold, they get pasty white & their eyes appear HUGE...sometimes even red-rimmed...yet perfectly fine save for their allergies... But my kids are GREAT at appearing sad & pathetic and great at getting orphan points... Which is what is happening this past week...they have learned that they have LEVERAGE... First Kian tried it out...he found himself with a bit of a cough...which he then learned that he could cough stuff up...and spit it out...into the potty...and then he learned to be flamboyant about it...virtually appearing as sad as can be hugging that potty while coughing up phlegm, looking as pitiful as he could muster...did I mention they are very good actors??? So, of course Kian was able to convince the teacher's aid that he was sick...and Kaiden soon followed suit...Kaiden figured out he could act like he does at home (sweet & cute and nice) and that teacher's aid would find his behavior different and sick-like and of course since he wasn't acting like himself (cute & cuddly as opposed to his usually independent stubborn self) she sent him right to the office without passing go or collecting $200... I got the call for Kaiden first on Thursday...then I got another call to warn me that Kian was right there with him after about 15 minutes... I let them know that the kids had woken up that morning discussing that it would be someone elses turn to be "Sick" today...yes they are very democratic in thought... I tried explaining that allergies do not equal fever/throwing up which is the real grounds for being sent home from school... But of course once they had Kai in the office, they had decided to try & take his temperature (which he would not allow of course) so a pratt-fall filled chase around the office ensued with the adults trying to explain what it is they wanted to do to him and him finding them hysterically funny and reacting in kind...Charlie Chaplin would have been proud from what I gathered from all the accounts of it... So today, poor Vivienne woke up with her fair share of a big cough...carefully honed and developed over the past few days...I ALMOST kept her home, but her forhead is cool and she isn't doing anything possibly disruptive classwise (such as insisting on coughing stuff up into the toilet dramatically on a regular basis as Kian had previously) so I sent her on to school... I expect a call any minute now to come collect a wan, sickly looking Baby Vivienne, but we shall see...they were each well-informed and advised that tomorrow if they are NOT sick, they shall get to ride a schoolbus & go on a field trip to a cool concert by their school-music cd people... So MAYBE they will stay at school and not try & feign truly sick... It starts...what am I going to do with my kids? They are far smarter than the office staff, sadly...which I appreciate them wanting them to stay home when they are sick, but they have to meet me halfway here and understand that my trio often will try & pull fast ones over on you...you gotta watch them & learn to call them on shenanigans when you see it!!! Anyone else going through something like this with their little ones? I really thought they were a bit too young to give this one a whirl, but I suppose not after this past week!!!

Teen Cosmetic Surgery

2011-10-14T10:29:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 12, 2011 at 08:27 AM This morning on GMA, I caught the tail end of something-a discussion on when teens go under the knife/cosmetic surgery.So what do you think? Should parents allow teens to have cosmetic surgery? I think that if there is a valid true reason for it (not just whim or keeping up with the other kids/trendy surgery) then sure, let your child have cosmetic surgery.If a child has a problem that needs to be fixed at an early age (some girls end up overly endowed which can be painful for example) then by all means, help your child.I do NOT agree, however, with allowing them to have procedures to change themselves on whim because, the way some may change their clothes or choose a new lipstick.Model bodies have sadly become the social norm & our girls especially feel compelled to try and be model-perfect instead of being taught from an early age to love their bodies and the unique way they look.I do admit in some cases a child does need a procedure medically, however it isn't a decision to be entered into lightly.A child's body is still forming, even in the teen years. We all know that some of us didn't even have a chest until after our first child was born anyways (IE need breasts? have heart, you will most likely end up with more than enough!!!!)But allowing a child to become a cosmetic surgery-a-holic (& if you know someone who has had it you probably realize how addictive it can become once you begin) is not the way to go.What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with cosmetic surgery for kids?

Tired Of Trying To Get This Posted: Baby Names

2011-10-14T10:29:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 12, 2011 at 12:15 AM This was commentary meant for an article claiming that what we name our children can say alot about a person/parents who chose the names.It's been posted, reposted & reposted again & it's become laughable at how my test posts slide right thru but this one has yet to clear....so, here is the text yet again because I feel I have the right to say these things in relation to the article or just for my own giggles & merde...since it's been almost 24hrs and the original didn't make it past the spamblockers apparently!LINK It's really neither here nor there if you want to click on it & see what the original article is all about, point is, I'm tired of losing my own writings on the matter and wanted to try & get it in here where the kids baby book basically essentially is kept.So the study claims that our children's names speak volumes about us as parents.You just HAVE to wonder now, don't you? What does that mean? I mean, really, in all honesty, unless you really REALLY know you're English history you aren't going to have a clue about what I was thinking when I named my kids unless I go ahead & tell you...which is no secret & I'm sure that I've already covered it before somewhere on here...To begin with, I HATE BOY NAMES!!! Seriously, no joke, I just do...most boy names are just awful in my book...And I happen to have managed to have 3 of them!!! Imagine that! While Pregnant with my first one, I scoured baby name books, hit the library and by the last few weeks of pregnancy had resorted to browsing indexes of historical based books at Books-A-Million which was fairly new at the time!Of course that is where I ended up with 2 choices I could live with...Bregon or Tristan (which was too girly for my taste in the end) and I had already flat-out refused to name the baby George after Lord Byron on the grounds that once upon a time I had named the cat George...as in "I will love him & squeeze him & call him George" nevermind that the kitty is a girl, she looked just like bugs bunny coloring-wise.So not a week later, Bregon Byron made his way into the world and has been Bregon ever since...named after one of the original invaders of England back before even the barbarians had managed such feats...Fast forward to years later when the triplets became a reality...and I had not one more boy name to come up with but 2!We went through all of the demigods of various religions, stories of old etc and most were written off due to having named characters at faire after them already & that would never do!So eventually Kai was chosen...it's actually Arthurian in nature...meaning "Keeper of the Kingdom" and Arthur's sometimes brother,sometimes right-hand man depending on which of the legends & mythos you prefer.Ashe...well let's just say his middle name is taken from Bregon's hero Ash from the Evil Dead series...(& yes a month after mine were born his nemesis & quite possibly total antithesis was born & aptly named Ash Vaughen Kaiden...kid you not my child's name is Kaiden Ashe...too funny but no coincidence as the Mom is an old dear faire friend of mine.)On to Kian...who was almost an Alexie but spared by the English version of John pretty much (it's as common as John over there but spelled slightly different on most occasions.)I would have outright named him Loki (at the time I adored the name & still do to this day) but something about naming a child outright after the god of mischief just gives the child cause to want to grow up as much like his namesake as humanly possible & we can't have the god of mischief & his brother the Good Ashe with his chainsaw running around, now can we?Then my beautiful baby girl needed a name...oh yes we knew she was a beautiful petite little flower almost from conception-always measuring weeks tinier than her brothers and carefully maintaining her position at the very top of things in there-yep this holds to this very day actually! (most multiples change location all the time til birth.)I had originally thought to name her Marguerite Anais...but everyone threw such a huge fit...I mean really, it's just Margaret Anne only in french, but I gave in when I decided that I wanted another Baby Vivian in the family...You see, my great grandmother's name was Vivian and when her daughter was born she also named her daughter Vivian...so to differentiate, her Daddy always called her "Baby Vivian" and everyone called my grandmother that til her dying day quite literally-it was always fun to hear her friends page her in Wallyworld when they couldn't find her and were ready to go & watch the look of shock on the peoples faces to find that they were in fact paging an elderly lady!So Vivian became Vivienne (my name is also french so it only fit) and I chose to name her after my great aunt Emmalene as well who I loved very much as a young child...my aunt had fits because she never had much affection for her on the grounds that she was MEAN...maybe to her,but NEVER to me!!!Thus Vivienne Emmalene came into being and I had my Beautiful Baby Vivienne.What do all of these names say about me? I've absolutely no idea...they are all demigods when it gets down to it...I could go on explaining but I've not the notion or the time & don't really know if the post will make it past the spamblocks again or not & this is it's 2nd version!!!!So what do you think? Do our children's names really say a lot about us as parents? What about your own choices? What do you think?

Birthday Party Question/Idea

2011-10-14T10:28:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 08, 2011 at 12:16 PM so i've several ideas for my trio's 5th bday party...going off of last year when NOBODY showed up for their birthday party, not even family, I'm planning for the worst THIS year just in case the same thing happens...I do NOT want them feeling unloved & sad on their birthday again...at first I wanted my dear friend to do his wire sculpture activies for them-he is actually more fun & entertaining than any magician or clown anyone could imagine hiring for a party...my kids LOVE this guy...its a treat whenever he comes to visit & he always leaves them little wire people or animals or the like in his wake to play with...sometimes he hides them for them to find later among their toys, sometimes he has them help him make them & shows them what they are & ways they can be played with...but sadly, he has a HUGE art show in arizona coming up and I'm afraid he will be there instead of here for the big day...so now i'm kicking around the idea of having a mardi gras birthday party at the highland parade- i've several location ideas & would get there early enough to set up (I've friends living along the route in several places too) & I would have our wonderful rugrat's style playyard set up for the parade itself so the kids are all safe-its extra huge & has the extension added in to make it big enough for tiny people parties!!! we could have cake...& drinks & hang a happy birthday sign from the front of the playyard & tables...& we would have the entire parade as an activity...one location has LOTS of accessable parking within a block of it-but its near the beginning of the route...& its very close to home either way...but do you think parents would want to bring their othe r4/5yr olds to something like this? last year we did it at first baptist park-isolated, pleanty o parking, no outside bothers or worries about getting a space or anything, we had the whole thing to ourselves-but nobody showed up literally making it very sad & lonely for my kids...the idea is that if we had it at the parade if nobody showed up, it wouldnt show really & we could just share our bday cake & juice with the kids around us & make new friends for our birthday...but i just dont know-what do you think? is this a horrible idea or a fun nifty one?it's not going to happen every year that mardi gras falls this close to their actual birthday (its the weekend before they turn 5) - the other alternative is that I pack everyone up & haul them down to new orleans to see my best friend & her kids (havent seen her since i was 18 but we keep in touch online) & do things down there at the big BIG parades-Fat Tuesday would be hysterical & I'm not sure we have enough room in the van to bring back THAT much loot...we get astronomical amounts of it at our tiny parades just being triplets in a playyard...no idea what we'd do if we went down there & ended up with the same happenings...but i'm torn, i can invite the kids friends from school...& the cousins (but even the cousins didnt make it last year) or i can haul em down to nola & risk the family down there doing something similar...what do you think? am I a nut thinking of this or is it the idea of the century?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music. Send to FriendsFacebookPublish to a group

Growing Up With Music

2011-10-14T10:28:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jan 06, 2011 at 09:02 AM The fine arts post got me to thinking & thinking A LOT about some things. This morning, on the way to school, in an attempt to get the babies out of the bad mood their terribly 16 teenage big brother had put them in, I found myself teaching them a new song... That's when it struck me, we do things differently at my house...Do-re-mi...do you know what that is, where it comes from? I was shocked to find that not everyone knows, not everyone grew up the way I did...I thought EVERYONE grew up watching musicals on the tele, listening to the soundtracks on their record players (the mp3 player of its time, revolutionary, I promise!) Sadly, tis not the case...Not knowing any different, I accepted all of the musical & operetta movies as kid-fare growing up-I watched My Fair Lady & pined to grow up to be Eliza when I grew up (& almost was once in high school but due to age had to settle for the youngest girl in the grown-up chorus) I knew my Sound of Music and could tell you which songs got cut when they edited the final movie for tv...and always wondered why... At 5, I enjoyed and quite purposefully stayed up to see the end of Zefferelli's Romeo & Juliet, and tried desperately to play the love theme from it on mum's baby grand to no avail (I would be 13 before I was able to find & read the sheet music well enough, but it was quite an achievement in my mind since I'd only been trying to suss it out forever!) But, sadly, not everyone thinks of letting their little ones watch these things, doesn't think that they will like it, or take to it or accept it or I don't know what...so kids grow up not ever having known the Von Trapps...or singing in the tub about how they are "Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" or knowing quite well "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" or that the proper song to sing while dancing round that fountain is "Do-re-mi"... And it's a shame...an awful shame, because kids LOVE LOVE LOVE music...and the first & most accepted thing a baby does is want & love for you to sing to them...and what better source of songs to sing than ones from musicals and operas? Sure, they haven't a clue as infants what Les Mis is, or Cats or Phantom or that their favourite lullaby is actually from Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Origin of Love is beautiful & one of my favourite things to sing to mine even now) but once a child is old enough to watch tv and you pop in a DVD of one of those musicals & or operas, they become enraptured...tis magical...and the best part is they are learning! You don't have to like it, you don't even have to watch if you don't want to, but there are musicals & operas for every taste just as there are tv shows...in fact this is how Kian came by his life of piracy... He watched Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates Of Penzance, and later the kooky 80's version The Pirate Movie, and he and his sibs learned EVERY LAST WORD of both...they could perform it for ya today if you wanted...& they often reproduce it in the backyard, at the park & in their nursery... When Bregon was 5, he wanted to be "Ralpheo" which was his way of lumping the actor with the part from Lurman's version of Romeo & Juliet...but he LOVED that movie for some reason & as a result loves his Shakespear (all of it, sonnets & plays) even to this very day. My daughter watched The Wizard of Oz, and roots for Margaret Hamilton to win, EVERY time because she also has a copy of The Wicked that I somehow found online...she loves both equally, and can tell you the

Weirdest Thing You've Bought This Season?

2011-10-14T10:27:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Dec 20, 2010 at 11:48 PM It's Christmas time, and I've found myself searching for, and sometimes even buying the most peculiar things for folks!Then again, I come from a home where it wasnt unusual for Mum to buy weird things, too...After all, there was the year that she bought everyone rubber fake roaches (the kind that looks real & for the 80's it was the latest innovation believe it or not!) and had them wrapped up beautifully to look like a cartier box or something bought from Tiffany's and then gave them to all of her best friends for Christmas.So I guess my purchasing what I so lovingly dubbed "The Grim Golfer" wasn't soo very out of the ordinary in retrospect...in my defense, the little skeletal golfer figure in resin was for a white elephant party for our theater group, but still...you get the point...and he was in good company with the skeletal rock band that will go to the lady who just HAD to have a copy of the morbid anatomy tableau portrait of baby skeletons all decked out in rockband formation with microphones & all...Then there are those elusive yet simple things, the things that used to be quite mundane and easy to come by but now are considered rare...or worse, "Antique" or labeled antiquated due to lack of technology...example A: a jewelry box with a ballerina inside that spins when you open it...people just stared at us incredulously when we went to the counter to ask for such an outdated thing...but by golly we finally scored one!!!One day, I shall have to tell you how I came by that elusive almost non-existent chocolate moose pillowpet that cannot be found by my friends in Dallas, Houston or Jacksonville, Florida...So what have you found yourself purchasing this holiday season that is considered weird or bizarre...or even something that you normally wouldn't even consider buying?Fess up!!!

The dating Game

2011-10-14T10:26:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Dec 20, 2010 at 05:26 PM It's started...not the cute little dating thing kids do in middle school, or the harmless take your old friend's daughter out bit...He turned 16 Thanksgiving week, and by the week of break, had a girl obtaining his phone number so she could meet up with him...Meetup...meant more like meet Daddy at the sal after youth program..all official like real people...nothing impromptu or spur of the moment...yep, I've already met Daddy...and he got to meet the sibling circus too...Daddy took them to the Boardwalk Sunday afternoon...and let them walk around by themselves...a bit less protective than I originally thought, too...We have a Wednesday afternoon tea-time Horror Flick marathon at her house scheduled...as long as there is a parent present I think I'm okay with this...THINK...But I don't know! I don't know at all! Saturday, he will get his car from Santa...my Daddy is doing this for him, not me...but this is HUGE..for him, for me...soo much all at once!!!Oh my...today I had an impromptu eyedoctor appointment because we discovered last week during Christmas program that he was having trouble reading the sheet music...Today he has new glasses...AND contacts...he is growing soo fast...faster than I can keep up with!And back to this dating thing...obviously he's ready, but am I?

Piano Recitals, Jackets And Missing Friends

2011-10-14T10:26:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Dec 17, 2010 at 12:19 AM Wow, what a day this has been. I had THOUGHT that after having Christmas Lunch with the babies and remembering to carefully send the teacher presents this morning, that I would be done done done with all the school stuffs.I had even carefully checked the teacher websites for any updates and they were deceptively positive that I was in fact DONE with school save for carpool for the year.BOY was I wrong!!! I happily picked up the babies today at the usual 3pm timeslot. We headed home and let Kian put his remaining Christmas store purchase under the tree-he had misplaced his Daddy's present yesterday and remembered it today once he got to school!Innocently enough, Vivienne and I headed out to pick Bregon up from fencing practice (he has beefed up practice since qualifying for the Junior Olympics this past Saturday.)When he hopped in the car and said, "Let's fly" I KNEW something was up...he was all sorts of stinky smelly fresh-from-fencing hard kiddo, but this was a kiddo with a mission, one he didnt manage to share with me until we got to the Olive & Youree intersection.You see, it was 5pm (baby dinnertime) and he was already 30 minutes late leaving from practice to begin with, but he wanted me to hurry WHY?Turns out, he managed to miss the whole "We have a piano recital" bit of intel while out performing for his Sibling's Christmas Program this past Monday. Oh Goody...He not only had a recital tonight, but it was 30 minutes away from starting, he was gross from practice & I wasn't anywhere near dressed for the occasion-& it would take me 10 minutes to get us home, and another 10 minutes to drive back to school...IF I was lucky & traffic was good to me...He needed to shower and smell good before getting dressed...which he planned on wearing his TUX...kid you not...not something you just hop into out of the shower, either...arrrggghhh!!!Vivienne in all of her 4yr old sensability, turned around as the light turned green, and told him quite matter of factly, in fact it was quite demure, that, "We do not have time for this!"She was dead serious and totally right...we dont have time to make this one, but we had to try!Somehow, while Bregon showered and put on his Tux, I changed and tried to salvage the hair & redo the makeup to where the public wouldn't be frightened by it...ack I hate going into parent public looking awful, too!We actually made it back to school by 535, but I will NEVER know how we managed.Apparently, come to find out, the recital was in fact a last minute thing...NOBODY was really all that prepared...parents, students...you name it...but my kid cranked out his Mozart as if it were the most natural thing in the world...Apparently some kids play chopsticks on the fly, mine comes equipped with Mozart...sonata in C, all 5 variations...And then it hit me...that weird memory...& feeling that something...or rather someone was missing...it always seems to happen during piano recitals...Used to, in middle school, I went to every recital and met my friend Jenny and her kids there-we would all sit together and try and tape & take pictures of both kids while they played...she wanted her son to learn to play like Henry (student of the year, can do everything grande Henry) I just wanted my kid to manage to play...But we did every recital this way...we frantically made sure the boys were dressed decently, and giggled over this one little boy who always seemed to be wearing the same oversized coat...one he must have borrowed from big brother...or daddy maybe...who knows, it was just that huge on him though!That's what reminded me actually...not just the absence of my friend Jenny, and her son, my son's best friend Brandon...but that coat...you see, the same little boy is still taking piano with my own son...and he is STILL wearing that silly jacket...it has been at least 4 years, and now that jacket is much too small on the boy...And sadly I've only my own son to share this with...the giggle that the boy still wears that darned jacket...Jenny and the little boys moved back to Nebraska shortly after the accident that took Brandon from us all...so it's very bittersweet...I think of them often...but especially at these lonely piano recitals...Tonight I sat on the wall right next to the door we came in because we were literally the last one's there...but they didnt' start without us...and I dutifully videotaped the entire thing, thinking that I might could post it to share with my friend...in Nebraska...and maybe she will be sad, but maybe she will find the jacket bit funny too...

More Parents Putting Babies On Diets?

2011-10-14T10:25:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Dec 02, 2010 at 08:38 AM The more I think about this, the more it just plain makes me MAD MAD MAD! Now, I have to admit, I have never had a "Fat" or "Pudgy" baby, but I cannot imagine putting a baby on some sort of a diet! I fought the health unit & the WIC program for the past 4 years over my kids and their size/weight charts, heck I even fought their glares & bad advice during my last pregnancy (they actually DARED fuss at me & give me problems over having gained 23lbs by 5 months saying I had gained too much too fast to which I just laughed at them and let them know my specialist fussed at me for not having met my 100lb weightgain goal for 5 months!) Then, once they changed the WIC voucher program/foods, I was told that America is too fat hence the changes...during the same meeting where they got on to me for my daughter being underweight and my sons being short for their age (no, REALLY? THEY ARE TRIPLETS DO THE MATH!) I have to wonder how many mothers out there have received the same info unnecessarily and quite unfounded only to become seriously worried and take action? Does this mindset lead to giving us as Americans a complex of being "Fat?" I thought it was common knowledge that babies ESPECIALLY put on pudge/fat before growth spurts...in fact I have watched my own daughter get tiny little bits of pudge (which looks funny on a tiny person, see above weight/chart issues for the irony) then lose it weeks later in a growth spurt! So why oh WHY would you put the fear of FAT into a woman's head to the point where they put their baby on a diet? Unless the child is obviously & beyond a medical DOUBT in danger of being obese at much too young of an age (and I am referring to the extreme cases you see on the cover of the Enquirer not the "I'm fat" mentality and complex given us ladies by the modeling industry etc that makes us conditioned to want to look rail thin and eat brown rice & vegetables (to grab a phrase from a racy movie, lol!) then a child does NOT need a diet! How many kids are starving because of this? What will be the longterm effects on our kids and society as a whole over this alarming trend? It's common knowledge that once a child reaches a certain age they begin to eat almost NOTHING over that picky eater stage, so WHY try and rid them of the storage system the body has to combat these stages? How many kids are subjected to the false "I'm fat" complex bits where it's all asthetics and in the Mom's pre-programmed brain that they MIGHT be getting fat instead of the reality that their baby is NORMAL and then what problems might this incur? In a perfect model body society where self-image is EVERYTHING and society as a whole has driven us as women to set unnatural standards for ourselves when we look in the mirror, what are we to do? Will our children suffer? I grew up as one of those kids who, as a deterrent for a myriad of reasons, was told I was FAT and couldn't wear this or that, needed to only eat this or that etc...when I look back at the pictures of myself at some of these given points, I had a shocking realization that in fact I had NOT been fat, in fact I was quite SMALL at the time, giving my brain the idea that when I looked in the mirror, that I did NOT like what I saw...poor self image begins in places like that! Why oh why would you do that to your kids? Why would you want to?Unless a child is truly medically at risk, why put them on diets? What do you think? Is this an alarming trend or something we really need to all support?originalMore Parents Putting Babies on Diets

This Year's Tree

2011-10-14T10:25:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 27, 2010 at 11:16 AM Every year since my triplet's birth, our tree has stood in its corner enclosed safely with its very own safety gate...rugrats style octagonish goodness! THIS year, this year is the first year that the tree will be FREE...that's right, we're going to try a Christmas without the babygate...nothing between Kai and his tree that he loves very VERY much! We spent Thanksgiving evening sorting through and getting rid of half of our toys...they will go to the Philadelphia Center to help some kids have Christmases that normally wouldn't have one as Merry as we can make it. Yesterday, we made dough ornaments and set up the tree in its little corner. The kids put a few ornaments on it for good measure. Kai just wanted to make sure the new tree was tall enough and big enough for our house (he felt the last one was too small and he was probably right! Last night, while the kids were in bed, I dug out the shatterproof ornaments and made an executive decision to try and have Christmas houses again this year. The kids think the houses are all castles and are completely and totally enchanted with the houses thankfully! Now we await the homecoming of Daddy and Bregon so we can put the rest of the decorations on the tree! After an entire year without decorations of the breakable kind being put out, we wont know what to do with ourselves!

Avoiding Incidences: Childproofing Nightmares!

2011-10-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 17, 2010 at 11:36 PM It's ironic, really. Just earlier today, I was kidding around with a friend of mine when she scoffed about having to childproof her home for her 1yr old grandson.I had said something to the effect that childproofing is nothing but a way to make parents feel better about having at least tried to avoid the inevitable.I mean, sure we can avoid SOME things...but in my case & in my experience none of the childproofing products we purchased actually did the deed...yep, all they really did was serve as some sort of puzzle, some source of amusement for my children in their steps to naughtiness!Maybe that stuff is just to give us parents a heads up that our kids must be some geniuses to have mowed through these deterrents the way they do...or maybe it's to let us know that whoever designed these things really took us for a ride...because THEY DONT REALLY WORK!!!I mean, those staypuff marshmallow door-knob covers for example...most adults can't open a door with those things on the knob...but my kids...& I of all people know and are fully aware they are different (not just in a multipleness or triplet sort of way) but trully different...My kids just looked at those knob covers for a minute...scrutinizing them carefully much in the way a safecracker is portrayed in a good movie...and then Kai made his move...yep the singular version of the word...MOVE meaning one...he took his tiny little finger & poked at the darn thing...once...one poke...and that thing fell off of the doorknob into 2 pieces on the floor...one single poke is all it took to disable the device...Either my kid is some sort of mystical magical genius and going to be a rocket scientist or great quantum physicist when he grows up (yes I already anticipate the making of napalm in the sandbox hence the serious lack of Tide with bleach in my laundy room!) or whoever made that silly childproofing product was on some serious stuff when they thought it would keep a child from getting to the knob!!!Sure, my house is covered with childproofing products-knob covers on all the doorknobs, babygates and even cabinet deterrents...many different kinds of cabinet deterrents...all of which were immediately breeched upon installation rending them POINTLESS!!!NOTHING kept Kai from what he wanted to do...NO shelf too high, no lock too locked to be undone and breeched...So what's a parent to do? Why do they make this stuff if it doesnt really work?Is it truly to make me feel better when the kids DO get into things? I mean, it only takes a split second for a child to get into trouble and parents can't watch them ALL of the time...you have to blink sometimes and the child knows this too!!!So fast forward to tonight...we put the babies to bed in their nursery, safely latched in so they cannot leave the house (they have long since mastered the art of the dead bolt and even the windows must stay boarded up to keep them safe within their room.)I THOUGHT they were safe...after all, they are 4 now...well past the danger stage or so I had thought...then the screaming ensued...we went down the mental list-did we remove the duct tape used to keep the dvd player closed & the dvd safely inside? check...no breaking glass noises were heard so nobody breeched the windows...check...so what is it?We went upstairs, held our breath as we unlatched the nursery room door...and flung it open only to find that somehow, Kai's blanket found its way up on to the chandelier...and there it had stuck fast...it wasn't that they couldnt reach it, it was that it literally was stuck...Upon closer inspection, it actually was MELTED to the chandelier lightbulb...MELTED...no way to free it save to put a rather large hole in it from peeling it off of the light bulb...We had a very distraught Kai because his BLANKET...THE BLANKET had been defiled, desecrated...and it was holiest of holies in his 4yr old mind...and now it literally is holy...which made him cry even harder...I was just relieved that it hadn't caught fire or smoldered or anything worse...but still...I'm stuck thinking...could I have avoided this? Is there something I could have done to prevent it from happening?Short of removing the chandelier entirely, I don't think I could have....but who would have thought that a few minutes of touching that bulb could actually melt a hole into a blanket like that?We were able to fix the blanket and Kai was much relieved to have it back seemingly in one piece and no longer melted and charred...but could this have been avoided...I have to wonder...So is child proofing really the answer? We put things high up out of reach and the kids still find ways to access them...they move furniture...they stack cushions, stuffed animals...they find ways around all of the deterrents we set for them...they throw things...blankets...sometimes they land their blankets in chandeliers...other times you find your child swinging from the chandelier...and you raise it thinking it can no longer be reached...but still a way can be found it seems...mine STILL remove their mattresses & make slides out of them & they have big-kid beds!!!they also use vivienne's canopy bed as a jungle gym!i couldnt hide or put things up far enough-kai could even get on top of the fridge given the want/drive/need to do so-he was in the coffee pot, the oven, loved shiny silverware (relocated it almost daily to try & prevent his playing with it/in it-even hid it in the pantry on a shelf-he just tried stacking things to reach the shelves then climbed the rest of the way-he has scary strong upper body strength!)~mimi

Pet Problems: Kids & Animals

2011-10-14T10:23:00.005-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 17, 2010 at 11:50 PM Have you ever had any problems with your kids and your animals? Lately, my friends and I seem to be having issues with our kids and our pets.I always thought it was healthy for kids to have pets and that they learned from them.But, us Mommies have been comparing notes, and the notes are a bit...um...disconcerting to say the least.Most of my experiences have been to prevent or head off problems before they actually start, so when my doggie died a year ago, we didn't run out and get a puppy...or a kitten...I got a DOG...already trained, already older and by far more sturdy than a baby version...You see, my niece once was given her cousin's bunny to hold...only the bunny squirmed and my niece held on tighter and tighter until the bunny didn't struggle anymore...my niece was only 2...who the heck gives a bunny to a 2yr old without holding it FOR them anyways? To put it gently (pun most intended) the bunny broke its neck and didn't make it. They actually dared blame my niece for its death, too..something that left a lasting impression with me...hence my not wanting puppies or kittens for quite some time, not til my kids were older anyways!Then there was my friend in Houston. Her daughter is notorious for leashing her kitty...in fact we don't know how kitty is still breathing it happens soo often. Poor kitty was last found precariously balancing on the edge of the children's rocking chair with a belt looped around her neck and tied to the radiator trying not to hang itself.Then she got her son a beta fish as a starter pet. Her son is 3...he pet it to death...literally squeezed the fish saying it needed a "hug" and then smiled sweetly and asked if he could have a shark now since it was what he wanted in the first place anyways...Yesterday, my own daughter was caught picking up our Tarantula's lucite box and dropping it repeatedly (it was only an inch off of the table but spiders are VERY fragile and can suffer internal damage from falls.)I think she only wanted to see the spider move, but it really upset me to see her do this. She knows better than to touch the spider box, too. (Yes Blanche the Tarantula is just fine in case you were wondering!)Then today, another friend of mine writes me in a panic. It seems that her cat Jesus was playing with a salamander and her 10yr old ended up dismembering the salamander he had retrieved from the cat.She was upset because she worries that it was alive when he did it...she THINKS he thought it was dead, but we don't know for sure...I mean, what do you say?You would THINK a 10 yr old would know better, would know right from wrong...but then again we teach them to dissect things in science class to learn about them so technically what should the kids think?So what do you do? How do you react when you find your children doing things they shouldn't with your pets or other animals?

What Are Your Kids Reading?

2011-10-14T10:23:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 16, 2010 at 11:08 AM My 4yr olds have reading each night as part of their homework (to be read TO not for them to do the actual reading!)We actually started them on library books last spring as part of their bedtime ritual.My daughter LOVE LOVE LOVES Fancy Nancy (she is the real-life incarnation if one could be found of her!) and Eloise (though she finds Eloise naughty & often BAD!)Kaiden loves his Curious George and anything having to do with Thomas the Train or any train for that matter...Kian loves his Pirate Papa book (which we all love soo much we had to acquire our own copy!) and currently has a gingerbread pirate book that we will be finding soon to add to our own personal library. He also loves his Franklin books & Clifford as well.So, what are your kids reading? Which characters & books do THEY prefer? Which ones do you like to read to them?I was raised with my Aunt's Eloise doll (she still resides on our living room shelf in her always spot actually) and she has been an integral part of all of our lives over the years (several generations!!!)My eldest loved his George books as well as his Clifford, and major life events have been marked with the advent of the newest Harry Potter installments since he was a little guy and they first started publishing them...In fact, we had the whole "The new Harry Potter comes out Friday, I wonder what will happen" talk this morning...we are hoping that all it will herald is his sweet 16 birthday which is Monday, but we had a bittersweet talk about how the last movie coincided with the death of his best friend...So what books are you reading to your kids? What are their favourites? I know I am looking for birthday & Christmas ideas and books are at the top of our wish-lists at the moment and I need more ideas!!!

Christmas Wishes

2011-10-14T10:23:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 11, 2010 at 05:29 PM What does YOUR child want for Christmas?My kids have been practicing asking Santa for their wishes so that they don't get tongue-tied when they finally get to their turn on his lap!Vivienne has decided she would like a new baby doll with a bed for her to sleep in & a purple unicorn pillow-pet.Kaiden would like more trains, please sir!Kian would like a Davy Jones action figure and a Captain Barbosa to go with him!Strangely enough, the word from Santa is that all systems are a go and that the elves have been very busy working all summer to make sure that these Christmas wishes come true!!!How about you? How are the elves doing with your child's list? Any problems tracking down that most wanted object yet? Ebay & Amazon.com are an elven dream come true!!!~mimiby Vulnadia on Nov 13, 2010 at 03:31 PM mine arent too picky, but have their little "Things" that they are each in to...kian's was the most difficult-davy jones dolls are NOT a dime a dozen specially since he's gone & no longer in the series anymore!!! but he's a pirate fan & has everything pirate!!!am having trouble finding a decent doll bed-i already remade mine from when i was a kid & gave it to her...am prolly having husband make her one...but time will tell!!!the eldest is all fencing gear...he has 3 competitions in the same month, 2 of which are huge...so we need to get ready for it!

Christmas Decorations: How Early Is Too Early?

2011-10-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 04, 2010 at 08:31 AM Every year it seems that Christmas decor makes it to the shelves earlier and earlier.I even have one friend who actually put up her Christmas decorations the DAY after Halloween...Used to, we put everything up the day after Thanksgiving as part of the Holiday weekend and all...Afterall, once Santa arrives closing the Macy's Parade down, isn't it officially Christmas Season?Not to be too "Miracle on 34th Street" but seriously, that's the way we always looked at it, even before artificial trees became quite the social norm!So what about you? Are you already decorated and ready for Santa before that Thanksgiving Turkey ever hits the table? Or Do you wait until later?I've even noticed that one house on the way to the babies' school is already decked with Christmas lights and Christmas trees outside...so what about you?Are you already decking your halls?

Christmas Shopping

2011-10-14T10:21:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Nov 03, 2010 at 12:04 AM Went to vote today, and found myself in Toy Fair Christmas shopping...found something I needed to complete a set for Vivienne too!!!Went to buy Halloween candy for my cast this past Sunday, and found myself buying Vivienne a Christmas present...Tomorrow, I'm going to Sams to fetch rootbeer for the school homecoming picnic Friday, a case of cheetos because Kian is addicted to them, and I plan on buying Kai's big Christmas present...So, anyone else already immersed in Christmas shopping yet???I've been doing it little by little all summer, but it seems that everywhere I go now, I find something I need to get before they all disapear!!!Do your kids want some of the amazing disapearing hot toys this year? Luckily mine dont have any huge wants (very cute & very simple wants actually-Vivienne wants a new baby doll with a bed to for her to sleep in-ever so practical...Kai wants trains & Kian just wants a Davy Jones doll...and maybe a Barbosa one...)What about you?

Grandparents Day

2011-10-14T10:21:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Oct 15, 2010 at 08:47 AM Okay, let's start at the beginning of our story: My kids really do NOT have any grandmothers left in the family. The last one we had was my husband's step-mother who decided to become an active grandparent in retrospect only after her marriage counselor suggested that it would be a nice couples activity for she and her husband to participate in together (as if they didn't already have plenty of things that they do together, she had to drag my kids into it.) So after about 8 months of active grandparenting on her part, she one day bails on ye ole father-in-law with not so much as word one to the kids she had played "Grandmother" quite actively for months. Let me stop & go back about 12 years to another little boy who also grew up sans Grandmothers-my eldest. He had problems when he was 4 and newly in school because all of the other kids has Grandmothers who took care of them and he was the odd-man out and they all made horrid fun of him because of it for some reason, making it very awkward for him. He wouldn't figure out this lady was his Grandmother for another 3 or 4 years actually (he always just thought it was his cousin's Grandmother and not his due to inactivity!) Back to the here and now. My kids do have 2 Grandparents left that they DO know, my Daddy known to them as "GrandGary" and my husband's Daddy known as "Grandpa Don". They both do their best to be active Grandparents, but one is newly divorced (accounting for the recent hole in the Grandmother department) and my Mama died before my eldest was born and my own Daddy never remarried. The other issue is that my Daddy also is raising my sister's 3 kids, the youngest of which happens to be only 9months older than my trio! Well, this past week, Teacher sent home a project that made me cringe after our history with Grandparents...a family tree to be put together and sent back for display on Grandparents Day at school today, complete with a little program and everything... I scrambled to figure out what I would do to fill the blanks...I mean, it only includes Grandparents then the immediate family, but that means that there are 2 very HUGE glaringly obvious blanks where Grandmothers should be displayed...and I don't even have a picture of my father-in-law to put in his spot...what should I do? Well, I did have my Daddy drum up a picture of my Mama so that we could put her on it (even though they missed meeting my Mama by absolute years (poor Bregon missed meeting her by a little over a month before he was born.) Sadly, the only picture Daddy could find was out of the album from right after Mama got sick, so just seeing the picture makes me sad, but the babies won't realize. So, there I was, with this stack of pictures times three...even a picture of the family pet (yes I omitted one of Blanche the Tarantula in lieu of the cute smiley picture of my little doggie from her adoption day photo!) Armed with a bottle of rubber cement, I tackled the project trying to stay chipper and positive about the entire thing, worrying all the while that they will have huge blank spots where the rest of the grandparents should be but aren't... So, to combat the holes, I put the picture of Daddy that he had meant for me to cut my niece out of in the center, leaving Killian in the picture too...I wrote his name "GrandGary" with a tiny arrow pointing to him and then did the same for Killian. This took up the center top and covered the other Granddaddy spot...oh well, sorry GrandpaDon, no pic available...and thankfully the kids haven't asked after Grandma Jan since she left in August... In her spot, I put a group shot of the babies taken the day they came home from the NICU (Kian and Vivienne came home together last) and they are all 3 sleeping in the middle of what appears to be a very large pack-n-play...but fact is it's the babies who are tiny making the playpen seem HUGE!!! I filled in the other blanks with groupshots of their cousins that live with Daddy and gave their names with cute swirly arrows to go with it. I managed to make the page look purposeful in spite of the blank boxes...they were all covered up, even the labels that would give-way to the fact that there are huge blankspots in their family tree...it even looked cute when I was all done... This morning when I got up, I dreaded taking them to school. Their teacher was just sure that my Daddy would be there today for them, but I had my doubts... I know it sounds weird, but I did...you see, growing up, Daddy never made much if many of Bregon's functions like this, and I had no idea what would happen today, but the Teacher had told the babies he would be there and they believed him. I was MORTIFIED at the idea that he might not be able to make it, afterall, he's a single Granddaddy raising 3 grandkids each at different schools and has his own business on top of it all. As we pulled into the school driveway, I distributed totebags and we all unbuckled and I kissed the babies good-bye for their day as I waited for the teacher on duty to wade through the sea of people in front of the library there with their Grandchildren for the bookfair... As the kids piled out of the car, I looked up to see my Daddy standing there waving at them with the biggest smile on his face. HE MADE IT!!! They all looked soo happy as I drove away. I'm one happy Mommie today! It's amazing how things change over time and sometimes, just sometimes, it all works out for the better.

Cheap Fun & Easy Halloween Costumes!!!

2011-10-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 20, 2010 at 08:39 PM Halloween season is here and with it, comes that yearly quest for the perfect costume for your kiddo!!!I was at the Dollar store the other day (dollar tree) & noticed that they have a LOT of cheap & easy costume pieces that once put together could make for something really grande for a great price!There are pirate pieces, & a HUGE assortment of fairy wings & tutu's & the accessories to go with it all.If you pick up some of the wings, a matching tutu & grab some elmers & some glitter, maybe some sequins & or pompoms you could let your little girl personalize her own wings!!!A fun craft could come out of it!!! & for those of you who have little girls with birthdays before halloween, you could do the personalize your own wing craft as part of a party with an instant favor!!!You can also make Fancy Nancy's butterfly costume this way if you have a Nancy fan like I do!!!The possibilities are pretty much endless with a decent selection of bases to work from!What have you seen out & about that might help us outfit our little ones for Halloween?

Headstart on Halloween

2011-10-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 18, 2010 at 09:11 PM It's DEFINATELY Halloween season: Happyween if you are 4 and live at my house! My kids have already started planning their costumes and they have requests in for ringpops...lots of ringpops please! I pick up Happyween presents whenever I run accross something wonderful and grande-Friday it was pirate socks from Target! Last week, it was .99 ringpops from Walgreens in Mickey Mouse shapes for maximum trio happiness! They have also started going to rehearsal for the haunt so my eldest can rehearse and sorta know what's going on with the show this year. This means flashlights and playing in the sets...they especially love the ramp in the menagerie room this year. They also like to put on masks and grab the practice knives (they think they are swords & use them accordingly since all self-respecting pirates carry them of course) and run out and try to make the line walkers giggle instead of keep character! They can't wait for Happyween, and are getting a good headstart

Little Girl's Have Bad Days Too!!!!

2011-10-14T10:18:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 12, 2010 at 11:34 PM Wow! This morning started out with a huge bang! Vivienne literally woke up on the wrong side of the bed!She started screaming like a banshee from what sounded like the moment her eyes popped open! By the time I got upstairs, she was all out in hysterics! She didn't even have to go potty which is usually the problem, too!She proceeded to lodge a long list of complaints against her brothers: everything from Kai was wearing HER night-night pants (he'd had to borrow some froggie princess ones because I ran out of Buzz Lightyear ones) Kian dared watch Spiderman for the evening and it was STILL PLAYING & HE WAS STILL WATCHING when she woke up, and Bregon apparently became the BIG BAD GUY who allowed it ALL to come to pass!She finally calmed down enough to tell me she wanted to come downstairs and sleep in MY bed with me...HELLO she hasn't done this in over a year!Husband was soo amused by it, he let her have his spot since he was headed out to work on Artwork at the Haunt building anyways!Every move Vivienne made was a pose, all sorts of tragically beautiful yet sad...Apparently, her entire day went like this because as soon as I got home from running rehearsals, she was STILL screaming about this or that uncontrollably!I got upstairs and she couldnt stop even though I was there!I finally got her calmed down and settled, but I still am not sure what was wrong!Apparently she was having a VERY bad day...does your little girl have one of those days too?by Vulnadia on Sep 13, 2010 at 08:22 AM ugh! yesterday it was all day long literally!!! & then her poor hair...i dont know what she did to it, but it had HUGE knots in it...the kind normally associated with getting something gross like poptart goo in it only it was widespread & all over her head...i cant figure out how she did it or what it was exactly in it, but she was already in bed when i got home so i grabbed a water bottle, comb & some conditioner & went to town & it was better this morning but for 2 days running she has woken up like that...& then it came back with a vengeance during the day & i cant figure it out!! of course it made her cry even harder but i tried to be gentle!!!strangely, her hair wasnt greasy this morning from the conditioner, either...& thankfully she didnt wake up screaming!!!!glad to know other peoples kids do this!!!my boys usually wake up nice....& stay that way for the most part...but vivienne...oh my was she having a day!!!

School Fees: How Much Was YOUR Damage?

2011-10-14T10:17:00.005-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 09, 2010 at 08:43 AM School fees really got us this year. My trio had $35 each plus $15 totebag fees and that was before school supplies & uniforms for each. My eldest really took the cake, though. This year, we have 8 classes instead of the usual 6 so it was already destined to be higher, ESPECIALLLY with the extra 2 classes being electives. Try not to gag or blanch over this one, but his actual fees totalled out at right at $300. That's before I found out that he had to have a tux & dress shoes for choir...YUCK!!! I did manage to score the tux or most of it off of EBAY thankfully with the jacket shirt tie cumberbund studs & cufflinks for aproximately $40 and some change. The pants will be about $15 once I get him measured (hard to corner him with soo much going on!) So how much were your school fees? What class was responsible for the highest amount? Our bad ones were choir ($65 + the tux & dress shoes) followed by fencing which is $40/yr for the class, $40/yr for the team fee & $60 for the USFA membership so he can compete. This doesn't include his whites (uniform) & equipment (masks cords blades & bags.) Share your costs & stories here!!!.

The Importance Of Stickers

2011-10-14T10:17:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 08, 2010 at 11:51 PM My kids have been sticker fanatics for years, actually. I use them for potty prizes, making them quite the hot & coveted commodity. They will voluntarily walk by themselves to the lab at the Doctor's office just so they can get their stickers and band-aids which rate right up there with stickers actually...yes they let them poke them just to get the darn things & they do it stoically at that! Fast forward to school, and of course teacher uses stickers as treats for being good, and learning tools too. You have to understand, that for Kaiden, school is not easy. It's not the work that's the problem, it's the total environment coupled with his sensory problems that he was born with. This makes even the most mundane of tasks very difficult for him (think "What About Bob" and the babysteps to do everything for example.) He not only gets claustrophobic in small areas filled with people, but he cannot handle excess noise and tends to shut down in these sorts of situations. He doesn't WANT to do it, he just does it naturally and cannot help it, making it exceedingly difficult for him. He really tries soo hard and genuinely wants to do good for his teachers, too. He LOVES trying new things, but sometimes communication and sensory overload get the best of him and he cries or has a tantrum. Teacher has been GREAT at learning all about Kaiden and things that upset him, what works and what doesn't work etc. So, when Kaiden is good and gets rewarded for doing something or mastering something at school, he tends to covet those hard-earned prizes more than most would. Yesterday, he earned a sticker during group time with the letter N on it and he was sporting it proudly when he got into the mommievan after school. It was there as we rode over the big BIG bridge (the one over WATER...red water) and it was there while he had his snack. It was there when he got out of the mommievan to take his bag inside, but when he stopped to toss his snack bag in the big BIG trashcan, it suddenly disapeared. He and Vivienne looked EVERYWHERE tiny 4yr olds can possibly look for it, including under the mommievan, but they could not find it. The most awful thing had happened: It had worn down its stickiness and had fallen off into the trashbin when he tossed his trash. This SERIOUSLY upset him...I tried to reach down into the trashbin and fetch it, but alas it was trash day and empty save for a few leaves and some bits of standing water in the very bottom. It had started to sprinkle, so I took everyone inside to stay dry. Kaiden tried really hard not to cry, but it finally got the best of him when he realized it had started pouring out and that it most likely was all melted into nothing...his hard earned sticker was GONE... He cried inconsolably for almost an hour...then it was time to go and pick up big brother from fencing team practice. He tried to stop, really he did, but he had worked soo hard for that sticker and had been soo proud of being good and not having any outbursts...it just made him soo very sad he couldn't do anything BUT cry... He was okay...sort of...on the ride to high school until we passed a trash truck and he lost it again because he just KNEW that they would pick up the trash with his sticker in it...he finally calmed down a little after he found out that the trash had already ran that morning and his sticker would still be in the bottom of the bin when we got home...even if I was too short to reach in and fetch it for him! He had heart, and the hope that Daddy would be able to reach it kept him from bawling outright, but a few tears escaped here and there in spite of himself. When we got home, it was storming again, this time soo hard that Kian even refused to wear his hat inside lest it melt in the rain...so he cried really hard again... But this time, Daddy was home, and Daddy is tall enough to reach the bottom of the trash bin...which he did because his Kai was soo very sad over that lost sticker! We managed to dry it out and tape it into place on the back of his hand and he was finally fine. That hard earned sticker is now in the wardrobe stuck fast on the bin where Kai can see it every morning and it can't get wet or melt anymore! It's amazing how something soo simple as a tiny piece of paper with a bit of sticky on the back can mean soo much to a little person!

The Effects of Coke On Kaiden

2011-10-14T10:17:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Sep 03, 2010 at 06:19 PM Today was Pizza Slice Day at school for my trio. Oh boy, they've been really looking forward to THIS one...pizza as a snack...& it comes iwith a drink... That paper never mentioned WHAT TYPE OF DRINK though...oh no...not one mention... They gave them COKE!!! They gave a bunch of 4yr olds COKE on PURPOSE!!!! Those are some BRAVE people, let me tell you! I don't even give mine real Sprite if I can help it. But they gave mine coke...at school...then sent them home...oh they had candy too...oh boy! It was great, in fact it was hysterical...they were SOOO impressed with COKE that we had to call Grandgary & thank him for our pizza slice day... Then they couldn't be quiet...Kaiden just sang...repeatedly...loudly...he couldn't stop! Vivienne talked incessantly about anything & everything...SHE couldn't stop. Kian told me stories OVER & OVER AGAIN...the same story...one we had read 3 days ago...turns out he has a GREAT memory...did you know he's going on a bear hunt??? I wasn't thinking, I shouldn't have done it, but I had to run by the grocery store and grab a few things so I got them Icees (they don't ever even have coke icees either!) When we got home, something I should have seen coming happened...POOR Kai! I had reminded teacher of his reflux habits & that pizza oftentimes sets it off...but then I went and quite forgot... He had to go potty, and had ran up the stairs doing the pee-pee

Carpool Lines & Automatic Doors

2011-10-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 30, 2010 at 08:24 AM I'm new (AGAIN) to this whole carpool line business, and I know that they want to keep it moving fast, and I can respect that. But this morning, I ran into an incident that really upset me. Kaiden had kicked off his shoes, and I had untied them (they had been double knotted) and was about to put the van into park & hop out and put them back on him. I didn't even have the van in park yet, and the Teacher on duty was yanking open the passenger side door on my mommivan...problem is, the alarm went off because A the van wasn't yet in park and B it is an automatic door system. This means that in order to open that particular door you either have to use the key fob, push the button from within the van, or just pull the handle and let go and it slides open automatically. Well, teacher pulled the handle allright, but when the door started to make noise from the alarm, and it didn't open fast enough for her, she put all of her weight behind it and forced it open as hard as she could in spite of trying to get her attention to PLEASE STOP, it's automatic! What do you do in these situations? I mean, the alarm going off on the van should have been enough for anyone to realize something wasn't right and to STOP or so you would think. But what really burns me up is that anytime you force open an automatic door, it can burn up the motor and she was putting everything she had into that door opening! Aren't these types of doors becoming more and more standard? Are they really that odd that carpool line teachers have never heard or seen them before? My van is super old (it's new to me but it's a 98 for cryin out loud!) My other mommievan had them too and it was newer! In fact, the other mommievan is how I learned the HARD WAY from a grocery store bagger just HOW important it is NOT to force those doors open or shut! He managed to get the door off track and burn out the motor which costs $700 per door to fix and can only be done through the dealership... So, I'm a bit worried about all of this now! They don't even make this model/type of van anymore it's soo old and it WAS in great shape and had very low mileage.... But my huge question is, am I to expect this EVERYTIME my mommievan door doesn't open fast enough for teacher? It's older so it isn't quite as speedy as most, in fact my passenger side window rolls down at a snails pace but at least it works!!! So has anyone else had this problem in the carpool line before with their automatic opening doors? How do you resolve this issue? Teacher wasn't bothered in the LEAST that she did this or even set the alarm off or anything... So what should I do? Would a sticker or sign in the window work? (the windows are tinted too!) I'm at a loss! I appreciate speedy carpool lines and all, but at the same time, I know I have 3 little people all in carseats, that aren't always ready to hop out even though we try really hard! Then there is the fact that no matter what I do, I cannot make that door open ANY faster than it already does without burning out the motor on it! If the moter burns out, I'm not even sure the door will even OPEN anymore which would be VERY bad! The door had to be reset through the computer which took me a bit to figure out this morning, but it works for the moment, but I worry! Has anyone else run into these types of problems in the carpool line yet?by Vulnadia on Aug 30, 2010 at 02:39 PM i'm just petrified that they are going to break it before i can do much of anything!!!it's old & probably one of the first wave of automatic doors (its really a 98!) & for that i'm glad because it has a reset feature that isnt as dire as my honda is which has a part that gets messed up ifyou force it & the bearings break somehow!!!!but I cant believe that once it was opening by itself & you could hear the alarm going off (its not a pleasant noise) that she didnt stop!!! i tried not to be mean or rude about it, but my gosh i was still trying to get it in park, & get one of my kids shoes on him too!!!! (they have a long morning ride!)i'm soo worried i was too mean about it to the lady, too-she's very sweet & nice & also their speech teacher!!! eeek!!!

Stigma Of Being A SAHM

2011-10-14T10:15:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 25, 2010 at 07:19 PM I recently read a thread on our sister site about how SAHM's don't get the respect they deserve, specifically when this one Mom was referred to as a "Kept woman" by another. I SOOO can relate this one, it's not EVEN funny. Sometimes I feel awful or guilty about things like that making me bristle, but I really do things... In fact, I spent most of the summer and last spring trying to get my trio ready for school, get them into school, and that's not EVEN taking into account my eldest son's activities! I spent all of last school year helping ensure that my eldest would have every opportunity to earn his Varsity letter in Fencing since it was his first year on the High School Team (yes he fulfilled his requirements & has his letter but it meant a lot of money to fund the competition trips and gear and stuff & time!!!) Last week, when a friend of mine's father passed away, I received a call as I was trying to get my trio out of the house and loaded into the mommievan in time to make their testing sessions for baseline testing for ECE. I probably shouldn't have answered the phone in retrospect (which is ironic because usually I WONT answer the phone as a sort of phobia/too many years in customer service industry) but I did it for whatever reason. They wanted me to call people...lots of people...and I had to say NO and I STILL feel guilty for having to do it, but I honestly didn't know when I would be back home and for how long with everything the way it was (Bregon had started school that very day and school supply run was in my near future, a marathon testing session that I was running late for because the phone rang & I answered it...and on top of it, I was still trying to track down uniform pieces and that's on top of the usual try and get to the grocery store sans the kids attempts!!! I wasn't at home the rest of that day til about 1030pm...at least not where I could do anything other than get the trio dinner and ready & into bed before having to go back out to collect this or that... I did make a few calls on my cell before it finally protested too much & turned BLACK & blanked out on me...it freezes & refuses to do ANYTHING but turn off!!! In between testing sessions, I ran paperwork to the schoolboard, went back to school to trade out one child for another, ran to the library, the gas station, managed to procure lunch for the trio, traded out another child, collected the eldest, and made the mistake of thinking Target would have school supplies (simple for the eldest-boy was I wrong!) It was a LONG day...and since someone else's Mum had passed away the past Monday, on Thursday, I found myself with my trio and my 5yr old nephew while Daddy did the funeral bit...which meant that I had to run carpool for 3 different schools to collect a total of 7 children after it was all said and done then deliver them to their respective places in one piece and relatively on time! My kids came back from that one with matching smiley face bite-marks on their inside arms because cousin sat in between them (they adore this kid) and he wasn't feeling too chipper so he decided to bite BOTH of my boys...Vivienne was spared ONLY because she was in the middle seat and not in the back with her brothers! It was soo loud by the time I hit the high school that I actually slowed down for this wreck so the kids could get a "Here is what happens when you don't use your inside voices while an adult is trying to drive safely" speech...they were NOT impressed...but now one of my trio feels the need to backseat drive for me... Anyways, I thought once I got them into school, that things would settle down...and maybe sometime soon they might...so I will at least have time to work! Oh yeah, I forgot...like most do...that even though I'm technically a SAHM, I'm also a WAHM...meaning I do have 2 @ home jobs that I perform to actually make money...on top of everything else that I already do!!! I dunno how I would take being called a "Kept woman" what about you???

What Was the Last FUN Thing You Did?

2011-10-14T10:15:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 25, 2010 at 07:52 PM What was the last party or Fun function you attended?for me, my birthday week was an absolute blast! it was more of week than a day because of soo many nifty things going on that sorta went together!It started off with my bathory birthday party (annual event complete with bathory birthday cake (we used the mcfarland elizabeth bathory topper this year) the following tuesday, the man who started our style of haunt came into town & had dinner with us & it was a family reunion of sorts with lots of friends there & he brought lots of nifty things from the first few years of the show & let me play in them-we literally closed down the el chico's in madison park that night (see the whole kid who got her arm stuck in the gumball post for more info) then we had such a great time, he adjusted his schedule for the following friday & arranged to meet us in dallas where we were headed with my haunt cast for the friday the 13th field trip to 2 of the haunts over there to show my cast what regular haunts are like (drew says we most likely have the ONLY guided style haunt in the country & he makes darkrides for a living so he travels all over the world & deals with all aspects of the industry)-we met at zombie manor & had the best time just talking to everyone & i got to meet a lot of new folks along the way!!! it was nice because the very next day, we started auditioning for my haunt... so whats the last fun thing you did??? let's hear about it ladies!!!(all sharing penalties aside that is, lol!)

School: First Day!

2011-10-14T10:14:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 25, 2010 at 07:28 PM So the day finally came...it happened...and I took my tiny trio to their very first full day of school... I hadn't ANY idea how this one was going to go, whether or not they would be okay, if I would be okay.. But surprisingly enough, once I got to the classroom, I tried to help them learn the new routine...and suddenly they were sitting in their spots, nametags on, and didn't even realize I was there... There were a bunch of parents staking claim to this one corner of the room and looking like they weren't planning on leaving anytime soon...so I figured it was time to just slip out...I couldn't say goodbye, not even if I had tried because their attention was focused elsewhere... They were reading happily...then teacher started her goodmorning song...and suddenly they were singing...and didn't notice I was even there...not one bit... So I slipped away... Today was their second day of school...I parked, and walked them in just like yesterday...we got the standard almost running us over bit in the carpool lane and the same woman who almost lost control of her car when seeing us, stopped eventually, and opened her door just to ask me, "Are those twins?" Good thing she was in park, because I told her nope, they are triplets, and she looked like she was going to pass out or something from the shock...(yes we are used to the questioning!) When we finally got up to the school itself, the teacher's aid suddenly had the boys or rather both boys had taken her hand and were off...Vivienne HAD been right beside me, but suddenly she was at the front door of the wing...and it was closing behind them...I didn't have any reason to follow really... Tomorrow I suppose I will drop them off in the carpool lane like the other kids...I don't seem to need to go inside...they learned their way around that first testing day...and they don't need me to tell them to put their name on the board or anything... So maybe, just maybe, I will have to establish a NEW routine for myself...soo much needs doing that I couldn't do before suddenly... Has anyone else had any trouble with their kids having seperation anxiety on their first days of school or did your children take to it as if it were the most natural place/thing in the world for them? How did you handle it? Did they cry? Did you?

Stressed Out Mommies!!!

2011-10-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 23, 2010 at 01:08 PM With back-to-school in full swing (all of mine aren't quite there yet,) It got me to thinking about how stressed out WE AS MOMMIES are when faced with making new schedules for our kids. My trio are schedule babies & I know they will LOVE school structure, but it's MY schedule that is up in the air at the moment!!! I've spent the past summer working to get my trio into school with weeks & weeks of appointments for this & that, everything from doctor's appointments & dentist visits to haircuts and testing for everything under the sun, rarely at the same time! The last testing was late July, then we had to play ping-pong phone tag with everyone under the sun to get them to find the paperwork, get the kids into the school system (one still has yet to make it) and then convince someone to make a decision on accepting them to this or that program: each one decided to give the other body the decision making factor, making it a huge stand-off just to get the admission letters! FINALLY we managed to get someone to decide if they were going to accept them one way or another. I went to school for high school and watched the little slide show & signed the former blue-now-white-book pages for my eldest then went the following Monday for the trio. I came back home with major homework projects for my munchkins that I had only one evening to figure out and put together & it lasted into the wee hours of the morning because silly me decided to choose the first day of high school for their testing & I chose slots all in a row! It would have been great, & I suppose having to go up there every hour to switch out kids really helped them become more comfortable with the school and they now know their way around, but it was hard coming and going, especially when we got blocked in by the carpool line!!! I ran errands to the school board, the library, the doctor and lunch runs in between testing slots & switching out the kids! Thursday, Daddy had a funeral, so I ended up keeping my nephew who is 5 & also hadn't started yet and then we ran carpool for the older 3 kids, so in all my mommievan had a full house of 7 kids 1 driver...we went to three different schools all in a row-middle school first, then elementary school, then on to high school. I thought the kids would find it fun, but instead it was loud, and my nephew left smiley face dental imprints in my boys arms because he got bored and decided to bite...(hence the loud part!) I somehow survived, but tomorrow morning, I have to decide if it's best that my eldest help me get the kids in class FIRST at 8am, or if it would be better if I drop him off first so he can have breakfast and leisurely get to whichever set of classes he has tomorrow...hmmm even I am not sure which day is which at the moment...I think it's A classes, but who knows! I need to verify school supplies with his A classes which he's only been to once now and see if we need dress shoes for choir...and assess the final damage on school fees which is about $300 once it's all said and done... I don't know if I will cry or jump for joy once I have the trio stashed safely at school. They cannot WAIT to get there, they love their teacher, the aid and the room including the turtle, the hamster & the gecko too. I worry that I will get home and turn right back around & have to go back for this or that or worse end up in the principal's office the very first day...could happen!!! Then on Wednesday, we have the mondo-massive very marathon IEP meeting for the trio which should be interesting to say the least since it was originally supposed to be designed to decide school placement but since they were about to give away our spots, we ended up jumping on board the original plan just to keep them...the whole "IS it the right choice" bit is nagging away at me...what if they want to send them to the other school with different uniforms and teachers? I await dr referral pickup for some of the services we need, but don't want to drag the babies out there to get it with me today...I need to make bows for Vivienne so she can feel pretty at school (the english schoolgirl variety, not the huge honking bigger-than-your head variety!) I'm worried about staying on top of 8 highschool classes plus 2 online courses which need finals taken...I haven't the first clue about Italian...I know all about choir and piano, but don't THINK that will become a problem...then there is the English teacher... That's what gets us every year it seems...this year, after spending last year with a very interesting personality, we ended up landing one that seems to have modeled herself after Professor Umbridge from Harry Potter, the lady who always wears pink & has the kittens on the plates hanging in her office...sadly, and privately, this lady really does seem that way even from a parent's perspective after checking out her website...oh my... So is anybody else trying to figure out how they will schedule their day and fit everything and everyone's activities and carpool in and still stay sane? I just worry about spending everyday at school in trouble or something instead of being able to start working again and focus on other things during the school day!have you tried the potty power video yet? its mostly girl themed, audience participation & my daughter caught on really fast...same day fast...i totally get where you're coming from-potty training was awful here-it meant them fighting over the same potty, the plastic pottys, heck i had one go all the way upstairs to try & avoid a fight over having to go potty...i think i spent most of the summer in the tiny closet sized bathroom with the trio!!!i'll be spending every 17 days up at school for 3 days straight doing snackdays...then i do storytime 6 whole times for the year...between everything i have to do as a mommie at school i'm afraid i may be there almost as much as my kids!!!~Mimii got my copy off the internet-amazon probably has it!oh my...i'm already committed to soo much up at school already!!! i dont mind doing school things with my kids, but i worry that i will be up there TOO much (you know how kids act differently w/o the parents around? that's my worry!!! I dont want them showing off, being loud to get more attention etc) its one of those for the normal mom who has one snack day every 19 days, i have 3 snack days in a row every 17 days!!! meaning i will be up at school every day for over half the week at 2pm doing snacks!!! (cups plates napkins & food for 20 each day!) talk about a heavy presence!!! then i have storytime in addition to snack days & that's going to be 6 more days...then add in the other activities on top of it!!!but it will be an adventure, that's for sure!

I Won't Know What To Do

2011-10-14T10:12:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 22, 2010 at 02:57 AM Tuesday, my tiny trio start school for the first time, with their first real full day. Kian of course is focused on the cafeteria and eating at the big big tables. Kai is looking forward to playing with his new friends and the cool new toys the room promises. Vivienne is looking forward to stories, the library, and the beautiful princess potty that has a huge picture of Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother within it! I don't know what I shall do...I've spent the past 5 years pretty much focused on the trio...day in and day out...making sure they stay healthy, happy and have a normal life... Well, as normal as I can swing anyways! But now, after the big HUGE IEP meeting on Wednesday, they should be off out on their own... Where does that leave me for the first time in a LONG time? I can clean the house...I could cook... I already have had invites from friends of lunch dates and get-togethers... Whatever shall I do with myself? Will I remember what to do, how to act?

First Days Of School

2011-10-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 22, 2010 at 02:52 AM Yep, you read that one right, I used plural on days for a reason! You see, my eldest started this past Wednesday, but my trio wont start til the following Tuesday! My eldest got EVERY class he requested...which means super high fees...I will have the final tally tomorrow once he finishes the rest of his schedule...its gonna be high though- choir, piano (all in a row, same teacher & he is stoked about it-he doesnt know yet if he's the accompaniest yet or singing!Either way he is already planning on working with our friends at the opera)He landed italian...my old environmental science teacher is his biology teacher & he ADORES her already-He loves every realclass teacher he has already...& only english is left so its all good I think...The babies tested for ece again today- the baseline testing...not entry, they already passed that bit.They got all uniformed up & were super cute & proud to be going to school like big kids!Their faux first big day, only a bit relaxed! Kai cried when he had to leave after his test.Kian wanted to eat in the cafeteria at the big tables, and Vivienne looked quite a bit like Eloise in her little uniform by the time I was done making it "fancy" for her...Yes i took pictures!!! they are silly & adorable as they should be!!!We start real day on tuesday, more to come once things settle down...

Urban Legend: Kids & Gumball/Claw Machines-It DOES Happen

2011-10-14T10:11:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 15, 2010 at 08:25 PM You hear about urban legends all the time, but Tuesday night at dinner, our party was privy to something extraordinairy. We got to see one in action for real...sadly, due to our haunt experience, none of us realized what was going on for about 15 minutes or so... We didn't know what spurned Drew to mention the "Help me" creature that was suddenly the topic of discussion, but towards the end of the conversation, we realized that the "Help me" cries were actually real and that we were hearing them right then and there.... An old friend looked up, and very matter of factly mentioned that if only this child would let go of the ball, her arm would come out of the gumball machine... Yeppers, we actually got to see someone's child get themselves caught in the gumball machine... You always hear about the kid who does, but I know that none of us at the table had EVER seen it in action... Sadder still, at first we had thought that she had tried to crawl into the claw machine which might have actually turned out worse! Yes, two firefighters happened to be eating at the restaurant and were able to convince her to let go of the gumball and they got her arm out safe and sound... So, have any of you ever had your child get their hand caught in the gumball machine or try and crawl into the claw machine? I mean, you always hear about, I actually had written totally off as an urban legend!

Back To School

2011-10-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 08, 2010 at 05:06 PM Oh yes, I've even already been back to school...the high school meeting was this past Thursday. For the unitiated, the high schools must all convert on over to the modified block schedule...yippee...now its going to be a huge guess each Monday as to which classes you should go to...first half or 2nd half? Teachers won't be able to guess any better than the students will really...and if you have a holiday, sure hate it for ya, but no make-up for that missed class day really! They will stay on schedule!!! High School should be definately different this year, that's for sure! Tomorrow, I get to go to preschool...through much finagling, my Daddy helped get everything straightened out with my trio and I should be able to go to the meeting...should... I know where they will be going, I know who their teacher is, but the school hasn't gotten all of the paperwork yet because of one person not having completed their written evaluation...just ducky!!!It's been a huge mess, and it's pretty much where I've been the past few weeks, tryin to get my trio into school properly...it's been difficult, and not too much fun!!! But tomorrow night, I should get to go to class and do the Mommie thing for them...three times the school supplies, three times the room-mommie duty, three times the snacks...this should be interesting to say the least! I sort of have uniforms done...sort of, without Vivienne looking TOO much like a secretary that is! Now to figure the rest of all of this out! I don't think I'm going to know what to do!by Vulnadia on Aug 10, 2010 at 01:56 PM i seriously doubt i'm going to like this much...the way they are doing it is that every other monday will alternate-so it will change, tuesdays & thursdays will be one set of classes, & wed/friday will always be another set of classes-with monday changing always...no makeup if its a holiday...sure we get more classes, but we already had a good set-up to begin with-thisknocked out the fencing team class completely & jacked up the elective system (used to you signed up for something & they made sure you got that class-1rst choice was almost ALWAYS guarenteed-but now with the more "elective choices" you end up with too many students trying to fill classes they didnt account for (ie picking whatever) & funding didnt give more teachers, so this year early reports are not good for the elective choice-which is bad when you have a child focused on very specific courses for very specific reasons- i wont know for certain til we see the actual schedule though, this is just the problems voiced from the folks who usually do the scheduling-they are very worried about it actually because for absolute years nobody ever had to worry about not getting the classes they needed!!!plus the overage in classes does NOT mean you can just take more science courses & knock out the core4-you have to get specific permissions to do that & the way its set up it will be very difficult to add them in (you have to have the prereq courses first not at the same time & the way its offered doesnt work out that way)

Vivienne & The Magic Wands

2011-10-14T10:09:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 07, 2010 at 02:07 PM Everyone by now has probably seen at least one Harry Potter movie and knows all about the basics of magic wands... Somehow, my 4yr old even knows the basics about them even though she HASN'T yet seen a Harry Potter movie! You see, it all started with a new nightie...we bought her one because while the boys have stacks of pajamas to choose from each evening, she only has a few things to pick from and that is sorta sad! So, we found a tinkerbell nightie (yes another one) and this one happened to come with a magic wand... Who knew that the magic wand would become such a facet in Vivienne's everyday life? She set about IMMEDIATELY trying to acclimate it to herself. She worked very VERY hard because at first, it just did NOT work...it must be broken! I reassured her that it just took time and a little bit of practice...you see, she is accustomed to being able to turn the lights off and on with narry a tiny grunt...a feat she has honed for many a year now... So, she has spent the last 3 weeks trying to master this new wand of hers... Fast forward to the other night when the unthinkable happened...her brother borrowed and BROKE it into several pieces, OH MY! Husband tried to hide it from her so she wouldn't know what happened until it could be replaced... You have to understand, she SLEEPS with it...so it wasn't a good idea to hide it under her bed... She woke up at 4am, screaming and crying that the monster in the closet stole her magic wand! It was HORRIBLE and she was quite inconsolable for the longest, she even woke her brothers up in the meantime! A change in movie choice helped settle everyone at least so I could go back to sleep! Last night, while out procurring the babies my birthday cake (they ordered chocolate) I happened accross a very nice red and gold snow white magic wand...best of all? IT'S BENDABLE!!!!! It will reshape back to original form if crushed by a borrowing brother!!! So for my birthday, I bought Vivienne a new magic wand...the boys each got a new pirate figure... The FIRST thing she did this morning was turn around with it and SMITE her brother...I think it must have manifested in the form of stinky feet, who knows (I made his 15yr old self put his shoes back on!) She hath proclaimed that this wand works MUCH better than the old one!!!!

Who Do YOU Share A Birthday With?

2011-10-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Aug 03, 2010 at 07:31 PM My birthday is coming up here in a few days, & I got to thinkin (well I was talking to sister earlier today & she was funny about the one person she knew that she shared a birthday with & how mine was amusing yet soo appropriate) which has me thinking...Do you share a birthdate with a celebrity or historical figure or even a friend???We discovered a few years back while writing a show for a friend of mine's haunt in houston, that I share a birthdate with none other than Elizabeth Bathory...immediately my friends insisted that I have Bathory-themed birthdays from that point forward-yes I even have the t-shirt...kid you not, that was the FIRST thing my best friend saw to!!! Every year, we figure out a theme-cake for me too...last year's was soo pretty we're going to try and use the same topper & do a better bigger job with it...its a mcfarlaine figure of bathory in her bathtub complete with candelabra & wine goblet & gold guilded clawfoot....we may even attempt a lava cake, the verdict is still out on it... so who do you share a birthdate with? do you do parties themed that way for fun or share parties with them?~mimi

Uniform Quandary

2011-10-14T10:08:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 26, 2010 at 12:57 PM It's that time of year, back to school, and we will be going to one of 2 schools, each of which requires UNIFORMS!!!so where is the best place to find little girl uniforms? the only skirts i can find in her size (tiny) are polyester & gross!!! so she has 2 pair of skorts so far & that's it for bottoms!!! once I find out for sure which school, i can do plaids, but at the moment i dont know yet!!!so where does one find cute normal material (like twill or cotton) khaki skirts for tiny little ladybabys???i have ruffly shirts & all, & the boys well they are boys & easy...they have more than enough clothes (i hit on 3$ shorts at pennys on saturday) but vivienne is getting the short end of this stick!!!help!icool, do they do the plaids???i really REALLY am looking for plaid skirts & pleated khaki skirt type things...just the twill though...even target had polyester!!! i checked!!! but we already have skorts!!!i have this weird thing about putting her in breeches...she's a girly girl & it just seems mean!!!i'm even gonna change out the buttons for her so she can have pretty..yes her clothes can make her cry...she is a consumer sadly!!!once i know about which school, i can go jumper or not...one allows them, the other doesnt...so i'm kinda stuck in a rut!!!!~mimi bought the only 2pr of skorts they had in her size the day we were there...am trying to find the skirts in her size & academy didnt have anything but skorts!!!will try back again i supposetoday old navy has uniforms $5 for shirts 10$ bottoms & i have a 30% off coupon for the ordermay do that route too & see!no, its hard to just run in anywhere when you have 3 4yr olds, so i thought i'd ask & see what everyone else knew before i actually tried it!shopping with 3 that age isnt fun & isnt easy no matter how good they try & be, ESPECIALLY in places that dont have child containment (shopping carts) & our stroller will not fit into shreveport gymnastics, so was hoping to find somewhere else with later hours!!!has anyone ever been to ranchland in bossier? they say they have them...but i dont know anyone who has actually been inside!!!fencing camp is over after tomorrow, so i hope to be able to try & hit the bankers hours spots next week & see what happens sans the kids...~mimi

My Latest Pet Peeve: Hover-rounds In Traffic!

2011-10-14T10:07:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 30, 2010 at 12:19 AM For the longest, I honestly thought these darn machines were meant to help disabled folk out in the home, in stores & on sidewalks. I even had to use one while pregnant with my trio so that I could get the Christmas shopping done and the necessities for the babies purchased & such. I learned that folks who drive them aren't given a wide berth or even noticed in places such as stores and all, in fact people oftentimes made it difficult to get anywhere at all no matter how polite one tries to be. But recently, I've noticed an alarming trend. At first, I thought it was just limited to Highland for some reason...don't ask me why, I just did... That's the primary place I've noticed the problem occurring, actually. At first, I noticed people driving them down the gutter literally as if they were biking or something. Keep in mind these carts do NOT go very fast at all and do NOT maneuver well either for that matter! But, for some reason, a portion of our population seems to feel that these carts should be used IN THE STREET! AS A MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION!!! Kid you not, they have taken to the streets, driving in and out of traffic, causing very scary traffic conditions as if some streets aren't hard enough to navigate without having to worry about cats or doggies darting accross the streets or watching for small children or worse, seeing a loan ball roll into the street knowing there is a child somewhere about to follow it.... But now, now we have to watch for hoverrounds...something that cannot go very fast, and isnt really meant for all-terrain (ie potholes etc found in streets) yet people feel compelled to go out into the street with them regardless of how nice the sidewalk is...or now nice the little ramps in place of curbs may be.... Today, I watched a little old hunchback of a man literally jaywalk accross Airline drive...he was about a quarter of a block down from the stoplight and just darted out into traffic with his little hoverround, never even thinking of the oncoming traffic or the traffic turning from the other streets... I don't know how anyone survived this, I really don't. I watched 5 cars come to screeching halts because they had been in the process of turning the corner with the arrow only to find this little man toodling accross the street at a snails pace... Can you be ticketed for jaywalking if you're technically riding your hoverround? I mean, he's a pedestrian, and not driving a street-legal vehicle by any means...Sure pedestrian's have right of way, but there are laws that are supposed to be being followed...what if someone had had a wreck trying to avoid hitting this little man? How awful would it be? And it's not regulated to the elderly either, i've seen many a young person driving these darned things around the streets too, for I don't know what reason...I mean, is it soo much to ask that they ride their bikes or walk like other folks? We're not talking disabled even, in fact I saw a group of folks pull up to someone's porch on their hoverrounds and hop off & all hang out just fine in the front yard talking, each fully capable of functioning normally...all appeared spry and in decent health (as well as one could see anyways in passing.) So what is it with these folks? Is this the wave of the future? Should there be some sort of regulation or enforcement with these carts being used on the street and in traffic? Have you nearly hit one recently or noticed them being used for purposes other than the original intended use? What do you think? I think it's my newest latest pet peeve!

When Siblings Give Baby-name Advice!

2011-10-14T10:06:00.003-07:00

10870 postsPosted by Vulnadia on Jul 27, 2010 at 10:36 PM When my Mom was pregnant with my sister, they asked me what I thought they should name her.I went through LOTS of possibilities, but my favourites were "Marcie" from Peanuts/Charlie Brown and "Mandy" after my favourite dollie at the time (anyone else have a "My Friend Mandy" doll when they were a kid?They actually let me name my sister, but we only called her "Mandy," her real name is Amanda.Yes, she was named after my favourite doll at the time. And to think, she could have been a "Bilo, Eloise or even Rosie Posie!"So did you help name any of your siblings? Have you consulted your kids in the naming of their own siblings? What names did they come up with?original'SpongeBob' and Other Names Our Child Wanted to Name the New Baby

In Just One Month

2011-10-14T10:06:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 22, 2010 at 02:08 PM It was just a month ago that my trio tested the second time for ECE and developmental disabilities (something you have to do for good measure when you have higher order multiples to ensure that they don't end up far behind or stuck in k-5 for years!) They learned soo many things during that testing session that they came home seeing the world a different way, and since have picked up soo very much! I had to get them to change some of their report when we went back yesterday, too. In the past month, both Kian and Kaiden have obtained and maintained their potty powers. They even are keeping their night-night pants dry or very nearly dry, learning to wake up and ask to go potty in the night if they need to go which is a huge step for any kid their age. They look at stories differently now, too. Kaiden quizzes us the way teacher quizzed him during testing on what we see in the stories and then gives us his answers afterwards. All three of the kids have opened up socially and at home with each other during their playtime. They are verbalizing things more where they used to just be symbiotic as a trio unit (they didn't have to talk to play together they just automatically fill in the blanks with what is missing.) I almost wonder what would happen if they were to retest today on the things they tested for a month ago, but the testing stands as originally done with a few minor toileting amendments. I am relieved because they will go into 4yr old ECE with IEP in place and that will help us all. I cannot wait to see how fast they pick everything up once in the classroom if they learned soo much from just a few hours of teaching time!

Back To School Confusion!

2011-10-14T10:05:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 22, 2010 at 02:02 PM Yesterday, we had our final testing for the trio's school eligibility. After all this, I THOUGHT that we would know where they were headed. Oh no, we haven't much clue save that the lady over everyone in the clinic could tell us it is our neighborhood school and then where the overflow for kids that could not be accomodated is... Which leads me to where we are now: buying common uniform pieces for both schools. YUCK!!! They supposedly have 30 days to figure out where they will put my 4yr olds scholastically. School actually starts in 3 weeks, both options require uniforms, and I have no real way of guessing where they will end up!!! I can't prepare my kids for anything...they HOPE they know who their teacher is but we just do not know for certain! Both schools are good ones, one is actually even better than the other is the nice part, but the anticipation is hard!!! So, I await that phone call or letter setting up my IEP meeting for the trio. Until then, I haven't any idea where they will be, oh my!

Multiple Mania

2011-10-14T10:05:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 19, 2010 at 11:09 AM This posting/thread came up on the national boards & I just couldn't believe that people really do sit around & think things like this, I mean, REALLY?Seriously? Do they even KNOW what it is they are asking/wishing?It's not that I mind the whole, "Are Multiples Easier" bit, or anything, natural curiousity doesn't bother me.It's the whole get it over in one shot business & the thought that it would just be easier to have one pregnancy & be done with your entire family. Do they even realize the risks involved to both the mother and the babies??? ESPECIALLY the babies...And to add insult to injury, I'm willing to BET that these ladies are the SAME ones who are quick to trash Octomom for having hers.I know I know more about it than most, but I just can't get over the idea that ANYONE would want to purposefully have a high risk pregnancy or even wish preemieness & the problems that multiple preemies face on their children and families.They think they are cute...but do they realize how scary it really is never knowing from one day to the next if you will be pregnant with one baby, two or three babies or any babies at all?Do they understand that everytime you go in for your ultrasound (and they happen quite often in multiple pregnancies)that there is this feeling of "What-if?" that can happen?I wish I could make them understand how the specialist's office is not a happy place, that more often than not I saw ladies come out in tears because their babies no longer had heartbeats & they were headed over to admitting to say goodbye ( to try and put it as nice as possible)or they found out that something was seriously wrong with a baby and that they no longer were carrying multiples or that they must make a decision on if to terminate over birth defects or not...But in their singleton world, they think it's easier to get it over with at one time, not to have to go through 2 labors & that end of pregnancy discomfort more than once would be great...They can't possibly think it's easier to function in a multiple pregnancy where your body can't move but your mind is racing...& the pain they experienced in a singleton pregnancy is nothing compared to the discomfort from carrying 2 or more babies at once...I just cannot believe people really do sit around and think like that, I mean REALLY?I don't know, maybe I'm just mean, or unsympathetic to their cause, but my goodness, why on earth would anyone want to purposefully do this to themselves and their possible children?We as multiple mommies made choices to carry ours as far as we could, we took on a HUGE battle and responsibility. Most cannot handle the one, so why would they say they want multiples...because they are cute...seriously?What do you think? HERE is the original thread and the post that caught my eye initially."I have to admit that I've always been slightly envious of moms of twins. One pregnancy, two babies...instant playmates for life, etc. Then again, twice the diaper changes.... If you could choose, would you rather have more babies at once or just have one at a time? Moms of multiples, please weigh in!"

The Trip Home

2011-10-14T10:00:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 11, 2010 at 12:38 PM It started this morning about 9ish and the GPS says they should be back by 430...wow! No more worries after that, hooray! I've been nervous all day over that return trip. They seem to have had a great time, though, doing that guy bonding thing, doing things together for once. The tournament was fun, and the Hall of Fame reception even cooler. I think Bregon talked to as many people as he possibly could, and even found many of the people he had only read about or seen on video footage and in some cases just heard about from the fencing realm. They were soo excited to discover that not only are there blue walmarts...and later green ones, but up there there are actually RED walmarts...no they have yet to figure out the differences between them...yet... I wonder what sort of fun things they are bringing back for the babies!!!

Trips To Atlanta Make Me Nervous

2011-10-14T10:00:00.001-07:00

Trips To Atlanta Make Me Nervous 10870 postsPosted by Vulnadia on Jul 09, 2010 at 11:03 PM Call me crazy, but it just hit me out of the blue the other day that my kid was going to Atlanta THIS weekend of all weekends. Coincidence or not, he lost his best friend in an accident a year ago this weekend along the same road he must travel a year later. It has been making me nervous as humanly possible. I'm a wreck. I couldn't tell him no don't go, it bothers me, but at the same time it's his big tournament. So here I sit, a nervous wreck, worrying. I worried the day they left and all through Mississippi knowing that was where it happened. I was ever so glad to get that call saying that they made it all the way there the other day. Now if I can just breathe and get through the trip home! Not to be weird or anything, but I am just nervous and worried and well...I miss his friend...and my friend...his Mom... That blasted turtle of their's has lived with us ever since, just as he left it a year ago...I go in every now and then and poke it, just to be sure he's still kicking in there... That turtle will probably outlive us all...stinky as it is...and I can't help but worry.

BOOTS!

2011-10-14T09:59:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 09, 2010 at 11:11 PM A friend brought us this lovely pair of rather large brown pirate boots last Saturday... They are haunt-bound (costume closet) BUT Kian adeptly intercepted them almost immediately. I know, I know, they are adult sized...but they are also real PIRATE BOOTS and Kian being the pirate king has decided they shall adorn his stinky pirate feet! This means that Kian gets up every morning and puts himself into these rawther large boots. You see, they are bucket boots, but to Kian, well they come right on up to his underwear line...in fact if he wore boxers i'm sure he would tuck em in like breeches... Today, he decided to wear them out to the pharmacy to pick up the meds... This meant I had to hold his hand going down the porch stairs...then help him scuffle to the car somehow...he can't pick his feet up because he will fall...he falls wearing normal shoes...heck he falls wearing no shoes at all actually...but this is by far scarier! In order to get him into the mommievan, I had to pick him up while holding the boots up garter-style...all at the same time-not an easy feat! No pun intended...or maybe I did who knows!

Dad's Are Crying At The End Of Toy Story 3, Are You?

2011-10-14T09:59:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 05, 2010 at 10:26 AM I have to admit, Toy Story 3 was a HUGE deal for me. I had heard all sorts of leaks on the script early on and just could not BELIEVE that Andy would give his toys away to a daycare! After all, wasn't Woody a family heirloom sort of toy from another era? I mean, we all have them, don't we? I have Eloise who belonged to my aunt as a child, then my mum and by then she had become SUCH a huge part of our family, she came to live with me as a child, then grandmother just could NOT bring herself to put her away so she lived on in the living room all through high school and that was where I found her after my grandmother died. Eloise lives in my living room to this very day, sitting there on the bookshelf, waiting to play with my own kids whenever they need a friend... So I really didn't understand how Andy could give Woody away...or any of the other toys for that matter! But, the kids LOVE that franchise, so we went to see it for Kian's potty celebration...and it was terribly sad! The end choice was a grande one, I have to admit it was a great fit and the toys would be happy, but still it is soo bittersweet! So, fess up, who cried? What do you think?originalOpinion: The Real Reason Grown Men are Crying at 'Toy Story 3'

All Of My Babies Are Growing Up: Potty Power Celebration #3 & MORE

2011-10-14T09:58:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 04, 2010 at 01:03 PM Friday, all of my babies reached milestones that are bittersweet and show how much they have grown up. To begin with, it was Bregon's last day of driving for driver's education. He spent half of it with his eyes closed because the other driver was soo scary! Thankfully, he was deemed a good driver by his instructer who oftentimes read the newspaper while he drove-he was just that normal of a driver thankfully! But, once he got home, not only did he have his signed completed driver's ed form with instructions to take it to the DMV, but we also had a potty celebration to plan! So, I had Bregon help me get everyone ready, and we all piled into Mommievan #2 (the new black one) and we headed out to mark a major milestone for Bregon: the learner's permit. I know I know, this means another DMV trip...oh no! This time, I had a plan and we had one less kiddo with us so I knew we could pull this one off-no choices! We got there somehow by about 3ish. The place was PACKED, too. With a feeling of dread, I told the lady at the desk what we were going to do and she gave us a number. With a little bit of luck, there were only 3 people ahead of us and only 1 of them was still there! Our wait was only about 5 minutes-long enough to find a place for us all to stand & loiter-we managed to get the wrappers off of our bank-issued suckers when our number was called! We got to the desk only to discover that the driver's ed people had been WRONG, Bregon would have to take yet another test! He headed over to that area with the whole "Take your time" advice from the girl...this was a scary thought! We hadn't anticipated THAT wait! So, with perfect timing, Vivienne had that funny look on her face as she announced she had to go potty. I got all sorts of excited and told them we would go on an adventure and check out how neat the DMV potty was! Yes, they all 3 bought into this one, kid you not, as we all marched happily over to the restrooms-the entire place must have thought we were crazy since they had been staring at us since we got there-but you have to do SOMETHING while waiting the long wait out there I suppose-so why not? We had the potty to ourselves! So Kai took one side, and Vivienne the other while Kian checked out and inspected the sink set up in hopes of finding automated soap dispensers etc... Everyone took a whirl on the potty, and everyone washed their hands. We headed BACK out to wait for Bregon, but he came running up to us needing me-he was already done... He did super well on the test-in fact the guy behind the desk was quite impressed for some reason (apparently people dont do well on this test for I don't know why!) All we would have to do is wait for the picture to develope for his permit-WOW! We did the adult thing and I gave them money and took the kids out to the car to get ready for a Target run for Potty Power Celebration supplies! We made it about a block before Kian had this horrible "I have to go potty" announcement that came accompanied with an extra, "But I don't want to make stinkies in my big-boy britches" bit! We borrowed Cane's potty and he did his little thing while the rest of us discussed what Kai wanted for his potty power celebration. Once we finally got to Target, we headed for the bathroom en masse AGAIN...Kian really had the men's side in tears with his running commentary on the Pirate Stinkies progress (yes there were more invading) and his help-the-stinkies-out grunting zombie noises... We rendevoused back out front with our buggy, and headed up the main aisle-we split at the end in front of the sheets/housewares-Bregon would take them to the frozen food section to let Kai pick out dinner and I would run the toy gauntlet to acquire THE TRAIN and sibling potty power celebration favours... I hit the jackpot in the toy department-I scored 3 new littlest petshop pets for $.75/piece, 3 superhero imaginext figures for Kian, and the correct big Toy Story 3 train for Kai! I caught up with everyone with Bregon in tears he was laughing so hard...I doled out the cool prizes and tried to let him get himself back together a bit before asking about Kai's choice. As luck would have it, Kai has a little sense of humor himself...for his potty power celebration fare, he chose POT PIES....kid you not...Kian added cheeseburgers into the mix for good measure, and we headed home... It's very bittersweet. Now all of my trio are potty trained, and ready to start school this fall officially. And Bregon...well Bregon has his permit and he drove us home from the store...We went the "Back" way...which meant we avoided some scary traffic, but it was his first time driving down thrill hill... He did great, and the babies didnt even scream in abject terror THIS time...though Kian argued the entire time that Bregon should NOT be driving... Ah sibling bickering at its finest! Now pull over, the kids have gotta go potty!!!

POTTY POWER, The Last Chapter: Kai

2011-10-14T09:58:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 04, 2010 at 12:34 PM If you've been keeping up, then you already know that I have 4yr old triplets, Vivienne,Kian and Kaiden. It's been interesting trying to potty train everyone. To begin with, I'm of the potty training school that seriously believes that a kid will do it only when THEY are ready and able to fully understand what the parent is asking of them & communicate effectively back with that parent on the matter. That being said, Vivienne watched a potty power video months & months ago and instantly figured out what the deal was, and never looked back quite literally...that was it, she had it down pat, even this night-night business. Kian was a bit more difficult...sure, I had the bad idea to try it all at once at first...it was INSANE and I do NOT advise it at all with multiples. Go one at a time so you can focus on the child and their individuality...trust me, it's worth it in the end. Kian had this fear of failure thing going on, and didn't want to give up his security blanket called THE DIAPER. I set aside an entire week for him to go cold turkey (with verbal preperation the week before of course-no real surprises for a child, it isn't nice!) And for Kian, this worked out pretty well. Of course I had to revamp the bathroom theme to piracy for him...after all only a pirate potty for the pirate king would do! But, he got it, and had a HUGE celebration when he made it to Friday as a big-kid wearing big-boy britches. Then we set a date for Kaiden to work towards acquiring HIS potty powers. Kai is a horse of a truly different color when it comes to all of this as he is a creature of very few words. But, I went off of the assumption that he understands and "gets" it as he showed me just that the week for Kian's trial run. We had a bad first and second day, but we kept at it regardless of hours spent in the bathroom in frustration. By the third day, he had found a pair of big-boy britches with James on the behind that he deemed most sacred....too sacred in fact...he refused to soil them...just cant bring himself to do it... So, Kai had his motivation...that and the promise of HIS potty power celebration that Friday should he master his potty powers skills needed...and a TRAIN...that which Kai loves most in the world. That was it, that was all he needed. He even devised a way to keep his little boy parts from spraying all over the place...it's quite funny, actually... Since Kai is built very ...ahem...high up...higher up than most any I've ever seen, he must press down on it to guide his stream... He does this with the candor and panache of Charlie Chaplin...complete with little flourishes and the occasional beep (tribute to Harpo perhaps? who knows!) Sometimes it appears that he is writing his name on the inside of the toilet bowl, but who cares, he is doin it and keeping James dry and clean and that's all that really matters. Friday came and it truly was Kai's potty power celebration day! I was soo worried we would have to put it off!

Condom Distribution For Grades 1-12...What Does A 6yr Old Need With A Condom?

2011-10-14T09:57:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 24, 2010 at 06:55 PM Okay, so I get distribution for middle & high school aged kids, but elementary school? First graders?I have tried to figure this one out, really I have. I'm not saying that kids are having sex younger & younger now, but THAT young? What will a First grader do with a condom? I mean, it looks like a balloon...sure, they will have to have counseling before it can be given to them, but what do they hope to gain from giving a 6 or 7 yr old child a condom?I get that they will now know the proper application and usage of said product, but what is the point?All I can figure is that they can carry it around in the event of sexual predators maybe? And THAT seems a bit odd even in today's society...giving a 6 yr old a condom...I mean, they can play with it...I guess they could blow it up & use it as a balloon...put stuff in it or something maybe...but its actual intended use?Kids this age have a hard enough time asking parents where babies come from...& when they do they rarely are seeking the REAL answer...or rather the scientific graphic pictoral that this would paint for them...I dont know, do YOU have any idea what a child that young could possibly need a condom for?Is this some way of trying to identify child abuse or something? Seriously...elementary age kids? What do you think?originalCondoms For Elementary Students? Yes, Says Mass. Town

Fruit Roll-Ups Are GOOD For Us? Really???

2011-10-14T09:56:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 02, 2010 at 11:40 AM Somebody thought of it...and someone apparently believed it (to quote a very green famous frog) now look what's happening. A lawsuit over the healthy claims from Fruit Roll-Ups is happening. So this made me wonder: do you think these sorts of foods are healthy? I mean, I don't really buy these claims that are on the fronts of boxes of foods. I mean, it comes in a box for one, that's the first huge tip-off that it simply IS NOT GOOD FOR US!!! If I want healthy, I know to head on over to the produce section where the nice original variety of fruits and veggies live, not grab the canned or boxed counterparts that have been put through the ringer via processing, canning, dehydrating & preserving that lowers nutritional value soo much from the originals. I thought EVERYONE understood the basics and just can't imagine someone actually felt betrayed because they believed the claims on those boxes...enough for a lawsuit? What do you think? Is the lawsuit warranted or is it frivolous?originalFruit Roll-Ups Sued Over Health Claims

Teen Relationships

2011-10-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jul 01, 2010 at 02:03 PM How do you handle teen relationships? It's a very difficult time for any child to be a teen, but love always throws a wrench in growing up. How a parent handles teen's relationships really is the key to preventing extreme measures from happening such as suicide pacts and death. It's difficult on both sides (if you have a son or a daughter) because to tell a couple they can't be together oftentimes pushes them further together oftentimes when a relationship isn't quite as serious as it appears. Allow them to "Get serious" and you open up another can of worms. How do you find the right balance? We all went through it growing up and now I see it in my own child's relationships and with his friends in similar positions. How do you know when a teen relationship is toxic? How do you avoid things going as far as suicide pacts? Are there resources out there for parents of teens in just such situations? This isn't a new problem by anymeans, in fact it's been around since the dawn of time. What can we as parents do to avoid such extremes? Story

Potty Training Tips: What Worked For Kian Part 3

2011-10-14T09:55:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 26, 2010 at 12:32 PM Friday was Kian's big day, his Pirate Potty Power celebration. Kian had finally gotten his Pirate Potty Powers and today we would celebrate with a movie. We headed out to see Toy Story 3 with promises of the kids getting to FINALLY go to the Renzi Center to help film what they called a "Space Pirate Movie." All 3 of the babies were psyched and ready to go! They all felt so very grown up getting to finally walk into the movie theater on their own instead of the set up from last year where I still had to use the stroller and make them ride! We headed to concessions and scored a huge popcorn tub to share among everyone. The babies chose to sit on the first row by the handicapped section and everyone settled in. Now for the REAL test. Would Kian know to go potty or would the movie distract him and make him forget that he wasn't wearing a diaper? (there is method to my madness, just don't try this expecting to get to actually see much of the movie!) He was asking to go potty even before the 2nd trailer ran. In fact, we totally missed the Rapunzel one. The second we got back, Vivienne decided that she had to go as well. This was gonna be a LONG movie!I probably got to see about half of the movie, but I now have confirmation that Kian truly does have his Pirate Potty Powers! After the movie, we made a bee-line for the Renzi Center where we were scheduled to make cameo appearances in the latest installment of The Remarkables super-hero series. The boys were slated to play baby bad-guys and I decided to surprise one of my favourite munchkins by appearing as his character (bad guy) Captain Venom's Mum, Anaconda Evita. He was soo surprised and excited he almost cried! It was rough getting the babies to comply and wear the helmets and masks long enough for us to get the shots we needed for the movie, but somehow it happened! We had some water inside and hung out a while so that the kids felt like big kids (yes we even checked out their potty a few times!) Next, I decided to surprise them all with a trip to the toystore to mark the special occasion! There, we discovered that Imaginext had a Toy Story 3 line! We came home with the landfill set, the piggie plane and enough accessories to round out the character line so that they could play most of the story-line if they wanted to. Best of all, there is this train set that is a part of the line that Kaiden REALLY REALLY REALLY would like to have. Guess who's week it will be NEXT week! Kaiden has quietly been practicing his potty skills all week alongside his brother. I haven't pushed him or anything, as I decided to focus on one child per week so that they each had the attention needed to succeed, but I have been letting him go whenever he asks, too! But next week, Kaiden has agreed to kick the diaper habit and will begin wearing HIS big-boy pants starting Monday morning! His potty power prize will be the acquisition of that train he has his eye on and a movie if he decides he wants to go that route! Wish me luck!by Vulnadia on Jun 28, 2010 at 05:53 PM yes they are 4...we are working on the last one NOW actually, but had a small setback since we had to all go take big brother to practice driving at the fair grounds parking lot (if the driving academy thinks its a good idea for 18 wheelers to learn there, then why not a 15 yr old??? lol)so we had to wear pullups...but he has tried really hard!!!& we got a coupon in the mail from the toystore that we can use for the train he really would like as his potty power prize...so he has a goal & a mission now!!!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music.

Is It Okay For Kids To Drink/Do Drugs Supervised By Parents?

2011-10-14T09:54:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 26, 2010 at 02:03 PM Let me just start the conversation off with stating that while we are considered the "Cool" parents, we do NOT allow underage drinking or drugs of any type at our house!!! Growing up, there were parents who did, but ultimately, those parents were thought of as being a bit "Off." What do you think? Is it okay for teens to drink/do drugs at your house? Would you buy for your kids and their friends as long as you knew they were keeping it at your house where you could monitor it? I personally don't agree with this practice at ALL, but I have my own personal reasons as does my eldest (the child who fits the agegroup at the moment!) My neighbor is one of those types of parents who does allow this sort of behaviour and has footed the bill and thrown many a party for her kids. These parties are scary, dangerous (the kids park all up and down our street at odd angles making it nearly if not impossible for traffic to pass) and then they wont go home! They hang out on the sidewalks, they are loud, they toss their beer cans and cigarette butts over the fence into our yard or toss em in the yards out front all along the streets. They drive like maniacs when they try and leave (see blocked street info above for obstacle course idea) and then they come back tires squealing and windows down with bass blaring to have fights, arguements and break-ups at all hours of the night and morning sometimes.) I find the practice irresponsible and outright dangerous, personally. I don't allow my own child to engage in these activities, and most certainly expect other parents to respect that. But seriously, did you have parents who allowed this growing up or have friends whose parents allowed this behaviour? What did you think about those parents back then? Did you like it, or were you weirded out by them in some ways? Would you consider doing this for your kids somewhere down the line? What is your opinion?originalShould 'Cool' Parents Be Punished for Underage Drinking?

Potty Training Tips: What Worked For Kian Part 2

2011-10-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 26, 2010 at 12:18 PM After weeks of pondering, and knowing that testing for ECE was drawing nearer and nearer, Bregon and I stumbled accross the most wonderful thing ever. We were in Dallas, at the Half-Price Bookstore where all things wonderful can be found, and we ran accross a box of metal signs. One of the just happened to be a big black and red sign that reads "Surrender The Booty " with a giant Jolly Roger on it. This was JUST the thing we had been looking for to turn the babies bathroom into the perfect Pirate Potty for Kian! You see, we had managed to convince him that if we turned the bathroom into a Pirate Potty, he would agree to try attempt potty training for good, sans diapers. So, we brought the boys present home and presented it to them. They were soo very excited about this that Kian promised to only wear big-boy pants for an entire week starting on Monday. Monday rolled around, and he cried and tried putting it off to tomorrow, as he ALWAYS has done, but I told him that Grandgary wasn't going to buy any more Kian diapers until he tried this for an entire week as he had promised. He bought it, and reluctantly wore his big-boy undies (we kept an assortment in the bathroom to choose from in the event of accidents as well as a stack of fresh shorts just in case we needed them-no need to stress about accidents, they happen and are normal and we talk about that constantly to reinforce it.) Vivienne decided to chip in and help us with Kian's endeavors. We agreed that if he made it all week wearing only big-boy pants by day and night-night pants at night and learned not to have accidents, that we would all celebrate on Friday by going to the movies and have popcorn too! He kept his little pirate boy mind on the goal and the prize, and managed to make it through the week somehow. For every time he successfully made it to the potty, he got a potty prize (a sticker.) Every meltdown, we discussed the pending celebration should he make it to Friday and we counted off on a piece of paper kept on the fridge so he could see it and understand. At first, he would scream and cry and ask for a diaper every time he had to go potty. I anticipated this and would say sure, hold on while I go get one, I need for you to wait for me while sitting on the potty, and he did. He always ended up using the potty and we never had to go as far as the diaper. By the end of the week, he had it down pat. To celebrate his first entire accident free day, we baked blueberry cupcakes (muffins) and had a celebration for him. Friday rolled around, and I let him choose between a pull-up and big-boy pants to wear to the movies. He chose pull-ups for insurance. For the celebration story, see part 3!p

Potty Training Tips: What Worked For Kian Part 1

2011-10-14T09:53:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 26, 2010 at 12:06 PM All kids are different. Sadly, that's just part of what makes potty training so difficult. First off, most people don't understand that kids must be ready before this can work no matter WHAT anyone tells you, and no matter HOW terrible those looks are when they ask you why your kid hasn't mastered the art of the potty yet! Then there is the whole you have to have them potty trained for this or that to happen at daycare/school push. My whole take on it is that kids have to be able to communicate to you their feelings and show an understanding of what it is that you want & need for them to do before this can even begin to work! With Vivienne, she watched her Potty Power motivational DVD and had one accident to figure out what she SHOULDN'T do, and just did it from that point forward, no looking back, no accidents and even keeps her pull-up dry at night but knows she has it as insurance in case something happens. Kian is a different little guy. He sees things differently not only because he is a boy, but he is a pirate guy, too. He and his brother quickly correlated the whole flushing potty swirl with the whirlpool scenes from Pirates of the Carribean movies, so Pirate Potty lingo was born. Kids will call it what THEY want to call it. You can try to set the lingo yourself, but ultimately it will fall to what THEY understand and relate to. In Kian's case, Pirate Potty Lingo was the way to go. We have Pirate water and Pirate stinkies. The toilet paper became a Pirate ship for all intents and purposes (not to be confused with the more adult version that some have mistaken it for in public restrooms as of late, that story comes later!) Kian's biggest problem wasn't that he didn't know what it was that was expected of him (he was the first to make stinkies in the potty EVER at my house being that he absolutely HATES to be dirty & has since birth.) It was more his fear of failure and need to succeed. His diaper is his security of sorts, his way of not having any accidents and if he does, he has the insurance that it wont get him totally filthy. That being said, we have been trying and trying to figure this out for months on how to best approach this. We thought we had it, but then he was doin his little guy thing one day and slipped (after all it's difficult to balance a tiny hiney on a potty seat while holding a chip bag in one hand and an icee in the other!) For the solution, see Part 2!

Baby Name Remorse? Anyone Experienced This ?

2011-10-14T09:53:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 07, 2010 at 12:45 PM I've heard of buyer's remorse, but never baby name remorse! But after thinking about it, I TOTALLY understand the concept! I worked hard to give my kids their names and they each have very individual names each with different meanings but in their own ways they all match/go together. Bregon has had the hardest time with his name as most people are prone to mispronounce it, something I never even fathomed could happen (dunno why it didn't occur to me.) Most people try to give his name the long A sound in the beginning instead of the short E sound that the grammar rules would normally reflect. His name rhymes with "Egg" not "Eight" but people insist upon doing the whole Megan/Meagen thing with it for some reason. Then there are those who would give it a J sound instead of the hard G sound...I won't go into my thoughts on THAT one (it drives me batty.) Then poor Kian came long and it started again...heck they even get Kai's name wrong...(I blame it on chai tea being popular actually.) Kian is a Brittish name, their version of "John" basically...tis very common there, but not so much over here... It rhymes with "Ian" only with a K on the front...I thought it was easy, but folks try and make it soo difficult!!! Then poor Kaiden...officially he is Kaiden but he's always been a Kai...something people mistake for "Chai" as in tea...something I really don't get, yet it happens!!! I won't even get into poor baby Vivienne's name...yes I kept the french spelling... Do I regret any of their names? Heck no, not even their middle names...How about you? Did you go through a period of baby name remorse?originalI Gave My Baby the Wrong Name!

Kian's Fine With Me!

2011-10-14T09:52:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 05, 2010 at 12:33 PM This morning, Kian was soo cute. I went into my bathroom after we returned from picking Bregon up from his usual Saturday Fencing class, and set out to do a few routine things. In wanders Kian, with his little, "Hi, I'm HOME!" spiel that he does when he's looking for me and doesn't want to barge in unannounced or anything. Immediately, he starts asking questions after I asked him how his day was! Are you brushing your smile? Yes, Kian. You have two colors of toothpaste like ME? Will you get dressed? Funny thing about it is, I WAS dressed! But apparently, he wanted to help me pick my clothes out, so I asked him what I should wear today. He picked out a pretty white top to go with my favourite new shorts. He even picked my shoes for me. Bregon came looking for Kian after a head count in the living room turned up one short. He tried coaxing Kian out of the bathroom, but he said, "I'm fine!" I just turned around and gave them both the thumbs up sign. It's too cute. After Bregon left, Kian looked at me and said, "Mommie, can I be Fine with you?" He meant to ask if he could hang out, but the new terminology sure was cute!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music. Send to FriendsFacebookPublish to a group

Little Girl Removed From Class Because Of Her Hair Product Choice?

2011-10-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

10870 postsPosted by Vulnadia on Jun 07, 2010 at 01:08 PM What would you have done in this instance if you were the teacher or even the parent?Looking at it from both perspectives,(I tend to get nauseated but popcorn fumes sometimes even, or catfood/dog food from a can much less someone wearing something that smells badly~not perfume-like but otherwise)what would you do?As a parent, nobody wants their kid to be the stinky kid in class (I have a 15yr old son that we battle the whole bad b/o bit daily) and if it were a health/beauty product that was smelling even remotely funny even to me, I would change products personally regardless of personal preference, afterall who wants to smell funny?But then again, what if you liked the smell and someone else couldn't stomache it? What would you do? It's almost that whole smoking inside vs outside the workplace issue only this isn't something that has potential to cause damage longterm to your insides, just nauseates and can lead to vomiting.I just don't know what I would do in this case if I were in the teacher's position. I mean, I barf over canned cat food, I can only imagine having to be in an enclosed area for a school day with something that made me repeatedly gag (& I have had instances back in school where such products did make me nauseated be it perfume or something else so I remember!)What's a parent or teacher to do? How can you teach if all your body wants you to do is gag/vomit? Conversely, the student has a right to choice in products...but as a parent if it was in any way causing/raising a "stink" I would be the first to try something new...think of the problems socially it would cause a child? We had an issue where my own child refused to wear anything but this one hoodie that just stank something AWFUL...he wore it even when it was warm out so of course it was stinky, then he would forget to wash it, leave it at school & thought nothing of wearing it the next day!!!! I had to confiscate it!!!We change deodorant on a regular basis and odor blocking body wash is our friend...we invest in every smelly good date-aged body spray/deodorant product that enters the market to try & avoid teen stench!!!But seriously, what would you do in this case? Certainly the child shouldnt suffer for it academically, but that teacher is also due the right to a clean teaching environment free of something that would/might impede her from doing her job (such as vomiting.)This is a tough call. What do you think?original8-Year-Old Removed From Class for Using Olive Oil Hair Productby Vulnadia on Jun 08, 2010 at 03:26 PM um weird question, how do i PROVE that cat food makes me gag? other than the obvious open a can of catfood under my nose & watch me ralph all over you & everyone else in a few ft radius!seriously, how does one PROVE that something like that makes one sick to ones stomache?is there medically or scientifically a way? can you help gagging/vomiting catalysts?seriously, i know my record for holding it back is something like 12 hours...& then when i finally gave in & let it just do its thing, it was HORRIBLE & violent & made me pass out (i also have a phobia of vomiting & will do anything i can NOT to do it, but eventually nature takes over & it happens regardless)i have to admit, in my case, yes products exactly along these lines have made me nauseated personally back when i was in school or in close proximity with a lot of people who use them-it has a very distinct smell & its not my preference to be able to choose if my stomache finds it grounds for nausea or notthis one is hard-because as a person prone to similar problems in some cases, i totally get where the teacher is coming from in the whole cant teach if youre focusing on not puking on your students issue...its a working condition issue really it is & she has certain rights thereon the flipside, the student has a right to personal hygiene & the stuff that goes with it (every school system has rules in place giving teachers/administration the right to make calls & handle poor/bad hygiene issues too)but a student shouldnt be put in a lesser performing class over it, there are ways to handle situations better than thatbut seriously, the working environment issues become a work hazard, but burden of proof on what makes one person feel like they are going to vomit vs someone else sounds bizarreby Vulnadia on Jun 09, 2010 at 12:16 AM that's the thing, they dont mention anything about the other children or any OTHER preventative measures they may have tried/taken before moving the child-& it appears that the parents found out after the fact & some time from what the article says which I find odd, i mean, dont they have to notify the parents before doing such things in the first place ESPECIALLY when dealing with honors class placements?her grades werent mentioned or her progress there either-it just appears that there may be potentially soo much more to this story than what has made the news

Keeping Chloe

2011-10-14T09:50:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Jun 05, 2010 at 12:44 PM This summer, a dear friend of mine needed someone to keep her uber cool little girl, Chloe! I kinda thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped at the chance, ESPECIALLY since I have a niece about her age that maybe I can manage to get to play with her... So, this past week, we started hanging out! The first day, we had to run a few errands and try and acclimate Chloe to life with triplets and a 15 yr old... We picked Bregon up from his first day of drivers ed, and headed out to return some library books. Chloe quickly learned that Kaiden does NOT appreciate it when told he cannot go inside the library. In fact, he is quite passionate to the tune of screaming for quite some time on the subject! He really values his getting to carry his book inside and place it neatly in the drop box time apparently! Next we had to try and pick something up from Best Buy. There, we saw a HUGE cardboard cutout of the Mad Hatter since Alice had came out on DVD that same day. This led to Kian having a HUGE revelation that is somewhat disturbing even today to him: Jack Sparrow (his best buddy in action figure form X 3) happens to be the same guy as the Mad Hatter... In Kian's world this is HUGE and rather disturbing. You see, he wears a pirate hat EVERYWHERE, quite literally (as well as his pirate gear in all its glory & he has much of it if you've ever seen him out and about you know it's him that's for sure!) So, after much thought, and lower lip deliberation, he has determined and decided to acknowledge it, though quite begrudgeonly, that yes they are in fact one and the same (Johnny Depp) it's just that as the Mad Hatter, he WEARS A DIFFERENT HAT!!!! Baby logic. Poor Chloe, introduced to 2 very different aspects of the boys within such a short timespan! She took it all in stride though, trooper that she is! Thankfully,Vivienne isn't nearly as different as the boys are... Until it came to sharing her dolls, that is! Chloe admired Anna (the baby du jour of the week) and Vivienne freaked on us. So, Chloe admired Bilo...the big BIG downstairs Bilo that has her own special carseat and baby bag full of accessories....which made Vivienne freak yet again and have a "MY BABY" moment...think baby carriage rolling down the hill away from the stunned Mommie cry.... It took a minute, but soon enough they were both sharing baby duties as Vivienne quickly came to realize that Chloe would make an EXCELLENT "Nanny" and found herself suddenly charged with changing duty, feeding duty etc. Too funny! We ended up at Chic Fila having some lunch and playing in the inside park together. All in all, I think it was a great first day for everyone!!!!

What's YOUR "Grossest Moment As A Parent?"

2011-10-14T09:49:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 19, 2010 at 07:48 AM We're the Mommies. We've probably seen it all...no really, we have.So, what's your grossest moment as a parent?Here are some other testimonies that Moms are sharingoriginalMy Grossest Moment as a Parentby Vulnadia on May 19, 2010 at 11:58 PM had a moment earlier...i ran out of diapers last night so i decided to tell the boys that they would have to wear big boy pants today in hopes of potty training sticking this time...well, my communicating-less wonder actually figured it out partways, & ran to the potty...only he got soo excited & was soo proud of himself, he forgot to check to ensure his baby boy parts were all the way in the potty &pointed DOWN...i had beenkneeling in front of him having just helped him pull down everything & get situated...i have super mommie reflexes & barely dodged the stream...he has a heck of an aim!!!& it came with lagniappe...he figured out both stages all at the same time...not as gross as it could be, but ironic given this thread!!!nothing surprises me anymore though, he is the puking king too...one of his superpowers is the ability to have a reflux episode at family gatherings,usually major holidays-he power puked all over the dining room table christmas eve all over my inlaws...then promptly went for gold by passing out from it all so everyone felt sorry for him...& that's just one kid, one tiny little episode or 2...~Mimi

Favorite Summer Activities

2011-10-14T09:48:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 19, 2010 at 10:47 AM The endless days of summer are looming! I'd love some fresh ideas for activities to occupy the long, lazy days. Let's see if we can create enough to keep everyone busy all summer long. Here are a couple of our favorites:Rock walk - we find nice rocks then bring them home and "wash" them in some water Bubbles - always a hit!Bug Safari - look at bugs under the magnifying glass; collect them in jars of observationArcheologist - bury some toys (or even rocks) in the sand box and let the kids find themPicnics - everything tastes better outside, right? Free Movies @ The Boardwalk-Tuesdays Wednesdays & ThursdaysCheck out the Barnwell Center Gardens both inside & out! It's a great place for a picnic & you can "find nemo" inside under the dome! While you are there, check out the current art exhibits! Norton's Art Gallery is free & has a beautiful garden behind it to picnic in, walk thru, and take pictures of your kiddos! Louisiana State Exhibit Museum is another fun place to go during the summer to see some fun things & best of all, it's free too!It's also sprayground time! AC Steere Park, Brownlee Park & the Riverfront all have sprayground water play!What are some of your favorite summer activities

The Woman Behind "Mom"

2011-10-14T09:47:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 12, 2010 at 09:26 AM How would you describe yourself OTHER THAN the "Mom" aspect of your life? Do you have other interests outside of mommyhood? Hobbies? Crafts? Special abilities? Things you love to do, Etc...... We're all Moms and that's been the main title of our lives since we each find out that we were pregnant for that very first time. But that's not all of who we are or what defines us. My kids are my life and always will be and a lot of who I am relates to being their mom. But there is more to me than just "Mom." How about you?--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music. Send to FriendsFacebookPublish to a group Replies2 10870 postsby Vulnadia on May 13, 2010 at 12:28 PM I'm the mom who not only wears her combat boots proudly (& those are the mundane pair of boots that i have...i also have italian red patent leather ones like wonderwoman only shinier & prettier lol) but i am often found in some different clothing or other...its not unusual for my neices to come to me for access to the costume closet from the theater for this or that festival at school requiring garb...in fact one neice borrowed my pendragon leather bodice for ren-fest this past april..she is getting soo old!! the next week, i outfitted her for her hairspray number in choir...i'm the mom who lets their kids play with sharp pointy objects-not knives, but swords-my eldest started stage combat when he was 5...everyonen says its as if he was born with a sword in his hand literally -its a skill that has not only earned him money,but he has never run into another child his age who has a stage combat choreographer resume already...it gets him little paying gigs here & there...he also is a sport fencer for discipline's sake...& aspires to coach if nothing more one day so he always has something to fall back on lucrative...& doesnt end up elderly and as the walmart greeter of the future...(long story on that one)...my 4 yr olds look forward to their 5th birthday when they will each get their first blade & begin to learn to properly use it ...hmm what else...I'm a writer...for the stage...I also direct...& have had rather large casts..in fact i prefer shows that way actually...probably wont know what to do with a 3 person show, but I will have those soon enough, lol!what do you do for fun??--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music.

Drug Testing Your Teen: Would You/Do You Do It?

2011-10-14T09:46:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 11, 2010 at 07:46 AM A situation has presented itself where an old friend of my son's has fallen into some trouble. His Mom caught him smoking Pot, and put him in Brentwood to help him. Now, we've been determined to be the "Good" or "Acceptable" friend (the boys were close and shared a mutual friend who died this past July.) My problem is, that the addiction gene is very strong on both sides of our family. It's something that my son fears after watching what drug use has done and is doing to my sister over the years and how it affected her family, specifically her children. He remembers taking care of his cousins at school. He was always making sure they were okay on the playground, before and after school. But now, I'm torn. I'm at a place where I want the boys to be able to be close friends like they used to be. Circumstances had things where this friend started high school in a different parish and basically fell in with the wrong crowd. I don't know the full story. I don't even know if it was a one time deal or a habit yet. But my worry is that it might somehow tempt my own child somehow. Not that I don't trust my child at the moment, but rather I trust that he act like a child his age as well. What are your feelings on drug testing your teens? Can this be done routinely during well-exams through your pediatrician's office? Do other people do this as a form of prevention? Do you know someone who has gone through this? With us, it would be preventative, essentially. I don't want to look up and find myself in a situation like what happened with my sister years ago. I want my child to be a child, yet at the same time, I want to make sure that while I can, I can help him head off any problems he may encounter. What is the right thing to do in this situation? I cannot trust the friend at all for obvious reasons, but at the same time, I want to help him so badly. He wasn't allowed any closure with the death of their friend. Instead of being able to go to the funeral services,he was whisked away via custody agreement to his father's house. We weren't even able to get him for my son's birthday in November even though we tried. I have encouraged this child's Mother to switch schools and try and put her son in school with mine where his old friends from middle school are (mostly anyways) and where he is closer to what he used to have. Am I making a mistake in encouraging this? How do you feel about the idea of drug testing every few months at well checkups as prevention? I really need some advice on this one.by Vulnadia on May 11, 2010 at 12:00 PM if we do the drug testing, it would be done along with his regular labwork that is done for his medication adjustments- he wouldnt know we were doing it basicallymy father is who has suggested doing this after what happened & what he went thru with my sister.the thing is i really dont know.I've talked to my kiddo about everything-his friend didnt give him much in the way of details on the situation either really- & he really is still petrified of everything after watching what happened to sister so that is good-my father is pushing that i add in the testing & not tell him-we are supposedly able to do this thru age 17 i believe is what daddy was told?but i just do not know

Happy Mother's Day

2011-10-14T09:45:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 09, 2010 at 11:39 AM It's Mother's Day & I'm very sad. Not because it's Mother's Day, that mommie bit is the greatest, really it is, it's just that soo much of everything has happened. The good: Bregon gets to have his other close friend over for the first time since the field trip to the Times to see the press last year... The trip that was sans Brandon because he was in NYC with his family...the trip he only slightly returned from before the trip to end all trips... Come to find out their friend isn't taking Brandon's death very well, in fact he's in a bit of trouble. Which is how he came to be at my house finally, where he probably ought to have been coming all along or so it sounds. I have to try and help him and his Mom, really I do. If everything works out, I can get him into school with Bregon and he will have at least that to even things out a bit... Yesterday was my niece's 8th birthday and the 5 one spent living away from her Mom. She did send her cookies...I brought the party so-to-say, but when you travel with a bouncy house in your trunk & have triplets it's easy to be a party on wheels... The party was great...only I didn't realize, as none of ever really do, that I was happily waving to my little neighbors from when I was little for the very last time (hopefully just for one of them but we don't know yet.) They would be in a horrible accident only minutes after pulling out of their driveway...It's hard not to post what I think on the notice page comments, but for the moment I'm keeping to here where I think it's safe. I loved my little neighbors. In fact they are very nearly like family to me. I grew up with them always around, always waving to them, careful never to distract them when seeing them out & about driving... He very sweetly brings my daddy the legal news when he's done reading it for the morning...every day for as long as I can remember he has done that. He did it yesterday, I'm quite sure of it. Today is Mother's Day. I rarely if ever do anything for my Mother anymore on Mother's Day. I'm just not the cemetery kind of girl (no peanut gallery on that one I know the irony must abound) but I just don't go if I don't have to. But today, I'm thinking about taking Bregon for a visit. We will go the cemetery and I will park at one of the family plots, say hi, then hand over the keys to the mommie-van. I'm going to teach him how to drive...the same exact way Mother taught me & I suspect her Mum taught her. Nothing morbid, nothing creepy, but saying Hi while I'm there won't hurt a bit I don't think. Besides they will most likely find the whole thing amusing. For now, I'm going to sit here and play with the babies until everyone else gets home.

Circus Secret: Drive By & See The Animals!

2011-10-14T09:45:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on May 04, 2010 at 04:24 PM The circus starts Thursday @ Centurytel in Bossier...When we went to pick up our tickets, the lady behind the desk told us a little secret.If you drive past the box office, towards the back of the building, you will find that you can see the tigers to your right just before you reach the stopsign.If you turn right at the stopsign, the elephants are right there along the fenceline!My kids got a HUGE thrill seeing the animals even from the mommie-van!!If you need something to make your kiddos happy, then this might be a fun free thing to do!

Ever Wondered What Was In Your Baby Mattress?

2011-10-14T09:44:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 30, 2010 at 03:15 PM This was inspired by a posting on SIDS & removed to my blog after it appeared to bother Oddly enough, my kids dissected one of their old crib mattresses a few days ago...just peeled back the layers & didnt stop til they got to the center...scary stuff in there actually...seriously gross & scary...Sounds like a bad tootsie roll pop commercial, but do you know whats in the middle???First it's a plastic covering of sorts. Next is a layer of foam/batting type stuff..Ii use those terms loosely because well, It didnt resemble cut foam & it wasnt exactly batting material either as we know it-but it was stringy if you pulled it apart (which of course they did being curious exploring little minds)Then came the weird WEIRD WEIRD layer...it was some sort of um...hay type stuff...rather raffia like but more on the pine straw side yet thinner & woven into a matt sort of layer that shredded easily...trust me, they pulled it apart & i got to have fun cleaning it all up...nasty stuff after you get past the foam cottonish layer bits...this stuff shredded & stuck in the rug...Next, came this odd meshy metal stuff, & in the center, springs...good ole bedsprings...that is where they stopped...but not before leaving some of the layers in tact & getting cars stuck in the meshy stuff that had to be cut out to be salvaged...was metal/twine mixture of mesh...& that is whats in a mattress...or at least that type...just sayin cause it made me think of it!I just found the insides a bit surprising really...I mean they always say foam on the labels...but the straw stuff inside? & this weird meshie stuff too? & the idea that it was soo simple for them to do even on their own...& seriously, if that is cottony stuff with a layer of straw type stuff...what about how easy it would be to ignite?It just seemed to have opened up a huge can of worms!

Back To School

2011-10-14T09:43:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 23, 2010 at 10:57 AM This morning, I went back to school. Yep, it's that time again, my trio finally turned 4 and are old enough for ECE next fall. Now if we can only land 3 of those 20 spots we will be in business. It's anybody's guess on if we will get in or not. You see, they go to be tested this Monday, not for what they actually KNOW but it's more what they DON'T know. Yep, you heard me right, they need to show NEED to be able to get in, not smarts. So, what's a Mom to do? I have to cut them off from Sesame Street all weekend so they don't remember how to count or what their colors are I suppose. Here's to hoping that nobody watches any Gilbert & Sullivan over the weekend and shows a large vocabulary on Monday, too. It's going to be difficult to get Kian NOT to quote Pirates of Penzance though, he quoted it this morning actually, but hopefully it was lost on them...I can hope anyways. Yes, the school is still standing, no they did not get into any trouble while they were there. In fact, they were extremely well mannered even in comparison to the 5yr olds who were there to register for next year. So for now, I hold my breath. How does one show that their kids NEED to go to school next year? They are triplets and might have speech & developmental delays, but who knows! We are getting screened in June for those things just in case, though! It was weird going back to school with my babies!

Did you ever get in trouble at school? Maybe you got away with it?

2011-10-14T09:43:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 21, 2010 at 01:57 PM Did you ever get in trouble at school? Maybe you got away with it?Kids aren't ever going to be perfect. For that matter, adults aren't either. We just try our bestI went to Magnet, where getting into trouble could be redefined to let a LOT of things slide under the guise of educational...It sounds funny, but if you went there, you probably understand...I had friends get tossed out of class for annoying teacher for whatever reason, but were given things such as rolls of masking tape to amuse themselves in the hallways, knowing that the student would make something out of it, which she did (student shall remain nameless!) she made body outlines out of it on the floor and some leaning up against the lockers & on the wall...Some of us would "forget" to do our projects and improvise entire group projects on the fly only to find ourselves with an A ¬ just for effort...how else do you do a group presentation on antony & cleopatra but with a ouja board, stuffed snake, a scarf & a candle borrowed from a few classrooms down the hall? (we did a summoning of spirits via nancy reagan's psychic complete with manifestation of the asp who tried to do one of the innocent groupies in) but it worked!What about you? Did you do silly things that got you in trouble? Or maybe you weren't ever found out? Or better yet, was some of your antics actually encouraged & allowed?

What's The Meanest Thing YOUR Sibling(S) Ever Did To You???

2011-10-14T09:42:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 20, 2010 at 07:38 AM This could be a fun and/or therapeutic discussion -- what's the meanest thing a sibling has ever done to you? You could post about something from childhood or adulthood. Let it out!!! Growing up, my room had a deadbolt on the outside of it, and my 3yr old baby sister decided to lock it one day while I had a friend over. My bedroom was remote compared to the actual living areas in our house, so it took quite a while for anyone to figure out that we were locked in my room! What's your story?

My Child's Announcment

2011-10-14T09:42:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 14, 2010 at 09:00 AM I know it's nothing glorious or anything spectacular, but hey, it's my kid! Yesterday, without telling me ANYTHING, he talked to his Granddaddy and informed him that instead of camp this summer, he was actively seeking a JOB. My child is 15...and has NEVER said anything about this until literally today. He didn't even mention it in the car on the way to my Dad's, either, it just came out in conversation that he is picking up an application from the school office today and wants to apply for this job opening that was announced yesterday at school. It's not that this is a bad thing, it's just that it caught me totally off guard. He wants a job... I need to teach him to drive...he has online courses over & beyond normal school work, tournaments every weekend for the past month, and he is talking about getting a job... Wow...I mean, sure, I worked as a kid at his age, but I had this booming very lucrative babysitting gig in my neighborhood being the only teen within blocks that would keep all of the neighborhood kids at once if the parents needed me to...but I never had what you would call a real job where you would get an actual regular paycheck with taxes and all until I was headed to college. And this is all his idea, his wanting, his request. I mean, I suppose it's not much different than summer camp really. But he's only 15...which is old enough to get a real job. I think he's growing up...more than I realized.

Sandbox Woes!

2011-10-14T09:41:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 14, 2010 at 08:09 AM So, after weeks of begging, pleading & retaliation on the part of my trio, we finally acquired sand for the sandbox. This after the kids broke into my utility room, climbed a shelf, and procurred a bag of miracle grow with which to fill their sandbox...which was their intention... Don't get me wrong, it had dual purpose...you see, Easter weekend, we had planted flowers in the flower beds and they learned that "Miracle Grow" makes flowers grow up faster after you put them to "Bed." Baby logic kicked in, and in some effort to speed up Kian & Kai "Growing up" and learning & wanting to use the potty like "Grown ups" or "Big kids" the babies made a collective decision to try and plant Kai in the flower bed in hopes that he would somehow cultivate the desire to want to "Grow up!" To my kids, all dirt must be "Miracle grow" thus the train of thought of 4yr olds at my house... So, after the Miracle Grow was cleaned up and put back on a higher, different shelf, the kids took to the backyard, found the empty flower bed (which I was planning on placing the sandbox over this one to kill the weeds/grass growing in it rather than clearing it the old fashioned difficult way for planting next year) and proceeded to try and dig holes with their gardening gloves and trowels. Yeppers, they actually really set out to plant their brother in the flower bed. That is where I stumbled upon Kai making what appeared to be "Angels in the dirt" in some attempt at absorbing the necessary stuff to make him "Grow up." Of course Pirate King Kian, who has absolutely NO desire to "Grow up" on the good advice of one Peter Pan, would not be caught dead in that flower bed and was standing guard with pirate hat & coat, brandished sword in hand, watching intently to see if his brother exhibited any sign of change. Vivienne had procurred herself an extra stash of toilet paper just in case the moment really worked and Kai decided that he actually had to go potty... Oh the lengths my kids will go to to achieve a goal. You see, next week is ECE roundup at school and they know that they must be potty trained in order to start in the fall. Vivienne KNOWS she is good to go as her super powers (Potty power) came to her immediately after watching that motivational video (no vat of toxic waste needed to spark HER super powers, gosh I hope that isn't the next step for them!) But she is super worried that Kian and Kai will not meet their deadline for school and they really really WANT to go to school and meet new kids and play with teacher's toys and check out that park in the school yard... And of course...they really wanted sand in their sandbox too...which was where they decided to try and haul the REST of the dirt they had dug up to use to plant their brother... Everything has dual purpose & use when you are 4... So, husband was finally persuaded and inspired to buy them sand for the sandbox with a peace offering of spongebob & dora gardening trowels for good measure. Yesterday, the babies woke up to a full sandbox and spent the ENTIRE day wallowing and playing in it...quite literally. Then, I ran into a problem...They literally had bathed in the sand, and had it in places nobody likes to get sand & it STUCK to them fast! So, how does one easily remove sand from the children? We sped bathed them after husband tried using wipies to no avail, but there HAS to be an easier way...or so you would think. So, does anyone know of an easier way to rid the kids of sand before bed? Even after a good bath, they STILL had some in their hair!!! I need help!only my daughter will set foot in the shower...the boys are PETRIFIED of even the idea of it ...we tried that one not too long ago...though they seemed receptive to the idea of hosing off outside so who knows!i ended up bathing, then brushing the rest out as best as i could for what it was worth...but it was icky!~Mimi

Stage Combat & Fencing Already?

2011-10-14T09:40:00.005-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 11, 2010 at 11:25 AM It starts. With Bregon, he was 5 before he had his first real sword. Don't get me wrong, we haven't armed the babies yet, but last night, husband made them their first real padded practice swords. Bregon and he had just returned from a tournament, and the babies wanted to watch them practice in the backyard. The moment just took them, so they made them each their own little padded sword, and decided to see what they knew. As it turns out, both Vivienne and Kai are good with a staff. Pirate King Kian gets very practical and thinks NOTHING of dropping hat and sword and just running away if he feels too overwhelmed. But, all in all, they love their swords and are starting on their basics for both sport fencing and stage combat. I know I'm in trouble now!

Picky Eaters

2011-10-14T09:40:00.003-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 11, 2010 at 11:13 AM If I know my kids, one of them literally would have starved himself if put into this situation... But, his pickiness stems from his reflux which is very painful if the wrong choices are made... This was a lesson we had this past week when I had a 3 shower night with Kai, his allergies & his dinner...and lunch...and some things we're just not sure WHERE it came from, but it definately had come right back up out of him...eeewwwww!!!! So, would your kids survive a week like this family had? What do you think

Sick Of Kate, Are You?

2011-10-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

Posted by Vulnadia on Apr 11, 2010 at 11:12 AM I know I'm tired of her, but are you? The nation seems to LOVE Kate, the one person that makes my skin crawl in the world of multiple moms. I know, I know, everyone swears they can relate to her...and I know I'm different, I know I'm just not that sort of person...I don't like her, never liked the way she acted, or treated ANYONE at least as depicted on the show. Now that she is on Dancing With The Stars, she has done nothing to sway my opinion of her. In fact, her behaviour has been soo abyssmal in my book, I find it hard to watch even to remark or write about it, even though I know I should. But hey, I caught flack for daring post a comment on my own Facebook page the night she snorted on national television, so I kinda am turned off on the whole thing at the moment anyways! But, her new book comes out soon, and since everyone loved the first one, ran out to get it autographed when she toured and all, will you be reading the new one? What do you think? Or are you just tired of her like I am??? I almost would rather see Octo-mom's book and see if she really is nicer than Kate...

Thanks For The Playdate!

2011-10-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

by Vulnadia on Apr 11, 2010 at 11:11 AM Today we hosted a playdate at Kid City for the site! It was great seeing everyone today! I'm so glad you could make it! Boy, when my kids are ready for their chicken nuggets, they mean business, don't they? I've never had such an easy time getting them to leave a playplace as I did today! Vivienne really enjoyed herself, too. She figured out that they did indeed have a potty that she could use whenever she needed to...BOY did she use it, too! She loved what she affectionately calls the "Robot Potty" because it flushes all on its own. She also discovered that because she is small, if she leans too far to the right, it flushes while she is still sitting on it and she thinks it is a robot with a sense of humor, playing a joke on her! Anyways, it was great to get to see everyone, I think the kids had a great time!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Community Theater, Stage Work, Haunted Attractions, Shocktale Terror Show,GLP, Gas Light Players, Renaissance Festivals, Writing, Directing,Acting, Sewing, Literature, Art & Music. Send to FriendsFacebookPublish to a group