Surviving the Domestic Jungle

I have a sister in law that is completely opposed to plastic toys. She tells you upfront do not buy her child (my niece) plastic toys or she will not accept them. Sounds brash but it really doesn’t come off that way when she says it! It is just her preference and I respect that. I, on the other hand, dont mind plastic toys and my children have tons of them. I hate to think about the chance that their toys will kill them or poison them. I cant deal with the stress of it. I played with plastic toys, ate hotdogs (raw!!!!!!) and McDonalds and I survived childhood. I know that everything around us is toxic but I also think that life needs to be lived. If I allowed my fears to take over, my children would be wearing potato sacks and playing with sticks…grown on organic trees The life expectancy used to be 35 (if you were LUCKY!) and now it is what? 70-75 or more? I’m not sure of exacts. So, while we are filling our bodies with absolute crap, we are living longer. I suppose my point in not valid as people had very poor living conditions and way less food….Either way, I support her and I know more and more parents take her views on toys (I’m sure you have noticed more and more wooden toys on the shelves) but I still buy my kids plastic stuff. They never really play with it so I guess it doesn’t matter! My kids are happy making villages out of blankets and boxes! I guess time will tell just how bad all those toys really are……

Ive never really had a fun New Years. When I was a teenager, most of my New Years were spent babysitting. When I was a young adult, they were always built up to be something they weren’t. Since becoming a wife and mother, it is a miracle of I make it until midnight or even notice the time. I really want to have a fun New Years one of these years. Maybe a little party….maybe a little celebration…anything! I don’t need some over the top extravaganza but having some sort of plans would be lovely. So far this year is looking to be a pretty calm evening. I don’t mind that it is a quiet evening at home with my babies as they are my best friends and favorite people! Whatever we do end up doing will include the kids! I think New Years is one of the only holidays that is built up to be something way more than it actually turns out to be. There is so much pressure to kiss someone at midnight…I have had the only lips I want for the rest of my life sleeping next to me at night! I will say that my favorite part of New Years is the fact that the holiday season is officially over! After all the stress and crowded roads and stores, I am ready for January and a new year! Ill keep you posted on my plans to ring in 2012….

Im having one of those days where I feel like I am failing at everything. I don’t have enough time to do anything as well as I would like to…including my beloved blog. I think of things to write and then I get distracted or fall asleep. I feel badly. It is so hard to achieve everything I want to. Even writing this I am writing at the speed of light because I am moments away from some sort of temper tantrum or injury! I would love to have a ‘nanny’ for just two hours a day but then I worry that I would be a bad mother. I know if I had full time help I would probably have them babysit way to much but then the good old guilt would kick in and I would probably get rid of them…..only to call them a week later begging for their return! For now, I have to do it all on my own which is fine with me! I just wish I had a tiny bit of alone time to write, work on my seo writing and maybe try out a new recipe. My house is a certifiable disaster today but today was also a kid activity success so there is a give and take involved. Something has to give and I would rather the laundry stay on my bed waiting to be folded and there be 10 pairs of shoes right as you come in the front door and have happy kids! I, as well as them, will look back on the fun we had, not whether the floors gleamed with the beautiful glow of cleanliness. Ahhh cleanliness…I miss you….

I have been watching a lot of movies recently where the people are totally naked in the love scenes. Hold on….that does not sound good at all!!!!!! I mean to say, I have not been watching porn but movies where the people are totally naked in the love scenes! I think that being totally naked during love scenes/making is for the young and pre-baby. If I could show up in spanx with full makeup and hair I would. If I had sex totally naked, there couldn’t even be a moon because of the light produced. I have carried three babies that were all over 8 pounds, I nursed those three babies and I have had my weight go here, there and everywhere. I am not trying to have my husband behold me in all of my naked glory. Movie sex isn’t realistic to begin with…Porn or otherwise. As a parents you barely have time to take off your pants and have a quickie let alone have a fully naked passionate encounter. Passion nowadays is a peck lasting more than 2 seconds! I cant wait until the day we are both wearing bifocals (because when we take them off we will be too blind to notice flaws) and we can just shut our door and tell the kids to stay away. When we can have sex because we actually want to and not because the kids are asleep I may just do it totally nude with the lights on as a sort of celebratory victory dance!

I have admitted to being a History addict many a time on here! I am in need of feeding my addiction. I need to go tour a historical house or go to my favorite place for historical things: Galveston! It is an absolute dump of a town that could be an absolute jewel if it was taken care of properly. I’m sure back in its day it was a sight to behold but unfortunately it has fallen apart a bit. What does remain, however, is a fantastic historical downtown and row upon row of gorgeous turn of the century homes. I love this time of year there because the houses are lit up like little gingerbread houses and there is a lot to do. We used to live about an hour and a bit away from there but now it is a very large commitment to visit. I want to go quite badly but we will see if it works out. The thing about living in Texas is there just isn’t a ton of history to satiate the needs of a person like me. Some cowboys and some Mexicans and the Alamo (which is the size of a closet and not that impressive!) is about it. I wish there was a little more to do. I did find a working pioneer farm but of course they are closed for the holidays so come January it is on! It doesn’t help that I have been watching Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Such a great time! Such manners! Get this girl some history-STAT!

My oldest child was crying to me this evening because she feels like I never hug her or kiss her. While this is not true, I can understand why she feels like she gets the least attention. It is so hard to give of yourself evenly between three kids and a husband. My husband is the first to get ignored and then because I have an infant, he takes precedent. I have immense guilt about it but I do the best I can. The other day I took just my 3 year old to the grocery store and left the baby at home. My oldest was with her father. I try so hard to spend quality time with each. I stayed up way too late with my oldest, Avery, watching a movie and giggling together. Either way I cant win because no one ever gets my full attention. Hell, even I don’t get my own attention!! I grew up with three other siblings and while I don’t remember tons of one on one attention from my mom, we kept each other company. We played with each other and I never look back on my childhood feeling like I was ignored. I also am grateful I came from a family of four children. I  hope my kids one day understand I did the best to be everything to each one of them. I try so hard to be fair and keep tabs on how much attention each child gets. Its such a struggle….

First day of Christmas vacation and so far so good. I got to sleep in 2 hours later than usual and was only woken up by my husband asking why I wasn’t taking Avery to school…..Of course it is raining here in Seattle (I do not live in Seattle. I am however a bit of a smart ass). I’m not sure what I am going to do with the kids for 2 weeks but I do have a project! We have this odd little hallway in our house that makes zero sense and is large enough to be a room. I don’t even know how to explain it…..It is the hallway that leads to the backdoor but its not really a hallway…..Either or, it is going to become a playroom for my kids! We never use the space and their room has way too many toys and with Christmas coming, it will just get worse in there. I am going to hang curtains to make a door and little pink carpets and pretty much tons of girly stuff everywhere. There’s a scene in the movie “The Holiday” where Jude Law’s characters kids have this beautiful tent thing and that is the inspiration for this little space. I found of a picture of it (see above) and while it is the inspiration, I will not be constructing a tent like that! I just love the feminine qualities and materials used. Wish me luck!

When I first had this blog designed, I added a store. While at the time I didnt know what I would actually need a store for, I knew I wanted the option. Obviously I have never actually sold anything or even attempted to. Recently I have been thinking about what I could possibly sell. I have thought about various different things but I think my best idea so far is selling items that are either homemade or from businesses that are just starting out. For example, I have a friend that makes wonderful soaps, candles and lotions and things like that would be perfect! I would only want to help out other moms or beginners as we all know those are the people that need the most help…and appreciate it. So, with that in mind, if there is anyone out there that would be interested in this, let me know. Otherwise I am going to keep my eyes open for items. Im not sure of the exact details of how it would all work but I think I may just have a plan! No one will be able to retire off of it but at least it is something! If anyone should be interested, just let me know!

Today is my husbands birthday and I wanted to say a few words about him. While he annoys me, angers me and every other negative emotions me, he also is the one of the kindest most thoughtful people I have ever met. If I was cold, he would literally give me the shirt off of his back if it would keep me warm for 5 minutes! He is the kind of man that would put his coat over the puddle so I wouldn’t have to walk in it. Our children adore him and there are a lot of laughs in our house. While things are not always perfect everyday, his number one commitment is to our family. Everything he does, and everything that takes him away from us, is for us. He never whines about what he isn’t getting or doesn’t have (well, not very often). He has the most incredible smile that has been passed on to our son and his chest is the place our daughter has been falling asleep since the day she was born. He  is an incredibly complicated person who has come along way and as the years go by I’m sure will become an even better man. He wants to grow, he wants to change and he wants to be better. That is an admirable quality! He is amazing in so many ways and I love him very much!

It has been a busy few days! I had to drive three hours yesterday to take my oldest daughter, Avery, to her best friends birthday party at a roller skating rink. The girls have been best buds since we were neighbors a few years back. They are friend soul mates. They adore each other, never fight and genuinely miss each other to the point of depression! I became good friends with the mom and she is now one of my favorite friends. Anyway, we drove there and did the party thing and then headed back to their house to spend the night. The girls played and played and us moms did some chit chatting. I got to sleep in her sons bed which is actually her husbands great grandmothers bed! They actually have the original box spring from 1910!!!! It is a little springy but it was pretty cozy…..well, ALL of my kids had to sleep with me so the bed from 1910, that is only a double, with me and three kids was a little snug. It got me thinking about the bed though. I think I prefer old furniture like that over anything new (except sofas…) because of the story, the history and the quality! Has your bed and box spring lasted since 1910? I highly doubt it. We were giggling because she said her husband used the bed in college and I said “I bet this bed could tell some stories!” 100 years of history and various people doing various things on it. I barely got any sleep in that bed (because of my children) but in some weird way, I feel honored to now be apart of that beds history!