Surviving the Domestic Jungle

Occasionally the news leaves me thinking “what the heck?”. It’s not often because lord knows this world is crazy but occasionally I am left borderline speechless. I was shocked when Sandra Bullock adopted a baby and Jesse James cheated on her. That was really shocking. When it comes to the real news, I was shocked by the tsunami in 2004 and the whole Japanese tragedy that continues to this day. There are a few more but I find the real shockers are celebrity news. Today is one of those days for me where I am literally “what the heck”! Benecio Del Toro and Kimberly Stewart (Rods daughter) are expecting a baby together. All together now: What the Heck???!!! Very odd pairing that I would have NEVER expected. I would have expected them to be attracted to each other let alone have sex or unprotected sex! They are not together so I am not sure if this was a planned baby but as Hollywood seems to go, this is probably not a planned pregnancy. It is just so incredibly hard for me to believe that those two (in their 30′s and 40′s) would be that irresponsible but I have written on that topic before so Im not going to go into it. Obviously considering Kimberly’s dad, is it not about money or fame for her. I wish them happiness but I have to say they win shocking news of the day award from this blogger! Something HUGE would have to happen to top this one for me today. I have to say, I do see her attraction to him. Being he has darker coloring and she has fair coloring it will be interesting to see what their baby looks like!

We are a rough crowd this evening around my house! My poor husbands glasses broke yesterday and he has been suffering ever since from a terrible headache because he is apparently blind as a damn bat! I know he is suffering because he is not himself. He is so mellow when he is usually……not as mellow! He has an appointment tomorrow for a new eye exam because he hasn’t had one in years and of course, they wont use his old prescription. He hopefully will get temporary contacts while he waits for his new coke bottles to arrive!! My son, Hudson, is a cranky baby who has had nothing but cat naps all day because his big sister Hailey cannot ever be quiet….ever! She is the loudest child in the whole world! Yes, the world! I looked it up and she is officially the loudest and due to that, Hudson never gets any sleep! He gets little cat naps and today was especially rough for him. He has been fussy and tired all day. Now, Hailey is having her own issues with her bowels. She suffers (since birth!) with constipation problems and while it is much better, she occasionally has problems and tonight is one of those nights. I just gave her a huge amount of her medicine to get things ‘going and flowing’ so tomorrow should be fun! I feel so sorry for her when that happens because she definitely suffers. I think Avery is the only one doing ok! I am technically fine but because I have to take care of ALL of these suffering kids and husband, I think I have it the worst!! Just kidding!! I better get back to my patients and try and get some of them in bed!

Last night I had the absolute pleasure of watching yet another fantastic Edward Burns movie! He makes movies that I just love! If you are not familiar maybe this list will jog your memory: She’s the one, The Brother’s McMullen, Purple Violets, Streets of New York and the one I watched last night, Groomsmen! All great movies, all based in New York and all have similar cast members. I find his movies give an honest look into the life and feelings of men. I think women have a tendency to look at men as soulless jerks but he brings something vulnerable and emotional to his men characters. The one I watched last night was about these friends from youth. One of them was getting married to his pregnant girlfriend which brought up all kinds of emotions in all of his buddies. I dont want to ruin it for anyone who wants to see it but these men are dealing with life and love and growing up and it is really sweet actually. Every character is very different and complex yet they are all after the same things: Love and Family! One guy who had kids explained having children perfectly. He said something to the effect of if you have one child you have some, not much, but some free time. Then his friend asked him why he had more and his response was this: What do you REALLY do in your free time? Watch tv?? I thought that was great because it’s true. You do give up your free time but what you gain is so much better. That’s kind of the theme of the movie, learning that giving up things of youth and of a more selfish nature can lead to something so much better and not to fear it. Either way, fabulous movie made by a fabulous movie maker and writer!! Check out his movies if you haven’t already!

Baby weight is a bitch. A really big bitch! I only have 10 pounds to lose but finding the time and putting in the effort is proving to be difficult. I am breastfeeding a big baby boy and cant restrict myself when it comes to food. I eat pretty healthy but I do enjoy my sweets! I tend to eat a lot of chocolate which is pretty much become my substitute for sex being I’m not allowed (everyone knows the 6 week rule). I’m not sure how the medical community came up with the 6 week rule but that’s another blog for another time! Anyway, cant change the diet which is fine by me. I’m a healthy eater in general. So the other side of the spectrum is exercise which is pretty much a fantasy land train of thought! I am not a celebrity. I do not have nannies and baby nurses or any help in general! When I wake up in the morning, I am exhausted. I get about 6ish hours a night which is always interrupted by one child or another. After I get up and get Avery to school, I am so tired my eyes are burning. I’m not trying to whine, I am just pointing out that my energy level is beyond low and popping in my workout dvds sounds painful. I Wish I had the energy as I would really love to do them because I enjoy working out in ac! I have to constantly remind myself that I am only 5 weeks postpartum and that I need to not be so hard on myself. 5 months postpartum I better be back in fighting form but for now, I am choosing sleep and snacks over 6 pack abs and firm booty! Ok, I’m a liar. I will never have a visible 6 pack! Under the skin that is loose and gross there may be a 6 pack but after 30 months of pregnancy damage, it will never be visible. Oh well, I am not 18 and belly shirts are not in and never should have been in the first place. That is also a blog for another time! For now, I am enjoying my baby and my baby weight and I will lose the last 1o as soon as I can…..with the least amount of effort!

I am the kind of person who is very loyal to pretty much anything I decide I like. I buy the same products over and over if they have proved they are worth it. I am technically a creature of habit. I am open to new restaurants etc but when it comes to certain things, I am very very loyal. Well, not so much anymore. I am a total traitor to Huggies brand diapers. I have used  Huggies since the day Avery was born in 2004! I wouldnt buy any other brand or use any other brand no matter what the situation was. I would go to multiple stores to get Huggies if need be. Well, the other night, my husband had to go get Hudson diapers and came home with Pampers because that was all Walgreens had and he is not as loyal as his neurotic wife! Instead of ripping his head off for getting the wrong kind, I decided that it wouldn’t kill me to try them and the irony is, I think I like them better….That hurt to say! My son is continually having “Blow outs” in his Huggies diapers. Its not because its a massive amount of poo or anything but they just dont grip to his leg and booty right or something. With the Pampers, no blow outs and no leaks. They are great! I am quite impressed with them and feel ridiculous for never trying them. You think I would have being I have been told all my kids look like the Pampers baby!! Whatever the Pampers baby looks like…Im assuming gorgeous and adorable like all my babies! Now that I have become a diaper traitor, I may try other products. I guess the old saying of “you dont know until you try” is a good saying to live by. Life is too short to have blow outs when you could have poop free pants!! Im sure my son appreciates mommy trying something new!

Last night I watched a show called House Hunters which is on HGTV and pretty good. People look at three prospective homes and chose one at the end that they move into. Anyway, it was this couple who was from Indiana and looking for a new home in Hawaii which after watching this episode, I would NEVER live in Hawaii!! You need to have lava insurance if you live on the island they chose or if you live near the water, you have to have tsunami insurance. No thank you! My point is, these people were looking at homes and two of the three had water catchments. I’m not sure if that is exactly what they are called but basically it is a system where the water that falls on your house and goes into your gutters then goes into a tank in your yard and becomes the water you use for your home. No the tank wasnt beautiful but the purpose of it was. These guys were horrified by this “eyesore” and I wanted to scold them about how ridiculous they were being. First of all, you live on an island, water is an issue. Ever heard of a Bermuda shower?? Then second of all, you are doing a great thing environmentally. I would have a water catchment thing if I could! I would have solar panels and any other “green” upgrade I could. They ended up going with the house that didnt need lava insurance, tsunami insurance and had a big tank and they were happy so it all worked out in the end but man, it upset that they were all hung up on the water system. I would have been more worried about the damn lava!! Oh well, to each their own…..

All my babies are asleep and there was a topic I have been waiting all day to write about so before I turn in, I’m going to take my little moment for me. Today I went to see my big brother at his work (which he is top dog at by the way ) and while we were there, I met one of his co workers and he explained to me that he is trying to “couple friend” this guy and his girlfriend. I thought this was so adorable because I never knew my brother actually tried to “couple friend” couples! I think we all do! Couple friending can be a tricky business but if played right, very rewarding. Couple friending is where you find a couple you think you would get along with and hope that both spouses like the other spouses. When you are married or in a relationship, having friends is almost a thing of the past so you need to hang out with people in your exact situation to make it work. Can my husband go out with single guys looking to get some action? Hell no! That works both ways by the way. You never want your spouse to be hanging out with the guy/girl that makes being single look fun! We all know being single sucks and those single people are just trying to find someone to love. Or at least that is what us married folk tell ourselves. Anyway, you need to have friends that are on the same level… marriage, kids etc. When you involve a couple, you are fulfilling her needs, his needs and potentially your kids needs. The only time this will backfire is when one spouse dislikes one spouse and then the whole deal is off or you keep them on your friends list as last resort friends. If my husband really liked a friend of his and I hated their wife, I would suck it up and make it work so that he could have his buddy. I know he would and has done the same for me. Us married people are just desperate to get out of the house and do something!! After my brother told me the couple friending thing, I was surprised that he does things that I do and also made me realize I want to have new friend couples! Ill have to work on it and see what I come up with and maybe I will just couple friend my brother and his wife and then become friends with his friend couples and we can all have friends and something to do on a Saturday night!!