Wednesday, March 30, 2011

We Didn't Start The Fire...


Shortly after my day began the boys accidentally started a small fire in the kitchen.

There was no damage to property or boys.

I, however, may be traumatized for life.

I want to do the post justice, so it will have to wait until tomorrow, because it has been a long day here.

I will say that the rest of the day was much better than the beginning. But then, we've never set the bar quite so low before.


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Get In Line


You, dear readers, need something from me. A good laugh. A witty post. A little sentimentality perhaps? Heck, even a decent recipe would do, right?

Well, get in line.

I have mouths to feed, volunteer work to finish, paying work to start, sleep to grab, laundry piled up. Ehhh, forget that last one. You definitely come ahead of the laundry.

So standing in for me tonight is...me.

Want a good laugh? Check out my posts on Tupperware (one of my fave videos) and Gucci (still makes me laugh every time). Or Jeff's post on Boogeroni and Sneeze.

Witty, you say? Check out Martha Stewart's take on potty training.

If sentimental is what you are after, check out the early-morning post I wrote on the day that, unbeknowst to me, turned out to be the boys' birthday. Or watch our in-hospital baptism in a video slide show. Or gain a little perspective on how these days pass in the blink of an eye.

As for recipes, feel free to browse My Kitchen anytime.

We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow...I hope!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Saturday, March 26, 2011

The Adventures of Potty Boy, The Bandit And Mr. Footprint


Once again, names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

We are in the worst stage of potty training. Also known as the "Please, please Mommy is begging you to poop in the potty" phase. I've changed enough poopy underwear to last me several lifetimes.

Since the boys are pretty predictable, I've been putting them on the potty about the time they usually do the deed and trying to keep them there for 5-10 minutes so they can go in the potty. It reminds me a lot of the early days of potty training.

Unfortunately, the boys have the run of the house now and are into a lot more things than they were in the early days. Which means that the other two get into a lot more trouble when I'm in the bathroom doing tricks to keep someone occupied long enough to do the deed.

Which brings us to what happened the other day...

After 15 minutes on the potty and no results, I put a certain boy in undies and sent him on his way. Not two minutes later I glanced over to see he had "the face." I grabbed him and raced to the potty saying, "Don't poop, don't poop, don't poop! Let's poop in the potty!" When I got him there, he had the job partly done, so I put him on the potty and encouraged him to finish on the potty. (Please, please, I'm begging you!)

About that time I heard major commotion from outside the bathroom, so I told Potty Boy to stay on the potty and stepped out to see what was going on. It took me a couple minutes to break up the fight.

When I returned to the bathroom I found Potty Boy was no longer on the potty. And what should have been in the potty was everywhere. There was poop on the potty seat, on the wall, on the bath mat, on the tub, on the stool, and on the sink. There was poop everywhere except where it belonged.

AAAARRRRGH!

I grabbed for the poopy-bottomed, poopy-handed boy and started to clean him up. Then I realized that he had also unrolled the entire roll of toilet paper and put it in the potty.

That's when I heard a crash and laughing from the kitchen. I grabbed the now-clean, but bare-bottomed boy and put him in his crib for a time-out. When I came out of his room I found one of his brothers walking down the hallway chugging half and half straight from the carton. The carton that had been in the fridge.

AAAARRRRGH!


I took the carton away, grabbed the Half and Half Bandit by the hand and followed the trail of liquid back to the kitchen.

Turns out that the safety latch on the fridge had finally given out under excessive pressure. Sloppy joe meat and a trail of tomato-sauce footprints covered the floor.

AAAARRRRGH!

I hollered for a time out and the culprits sat immediately. Which was convenient, since I needed to clean Mr. Footprint's feet.

I told them to STAY RIGHT THERE while I cleaned up the worst of the kitchen floor and got Potty Boy out of his crib.

I sat all three boys on the floor and was about to deliver a stern lecturing about listening to Mommy, not opening the refrigerator, and a few other things when the Half and Half Bandit looked up at me and grinned.

"That was YUMMY, Mommy!"

 And I was forced to send them off to play before they saw me laugh.


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011

From My Kitchen: Aparagus and Sausage Risotto


On Tuesday we had friends over for dinner. I should have been getting clothes ready to sell at the childrens' sale, but I've been dying to try out this new recipe, so I made risotto instead.

It was a great decision, despite the 20 minutes of stirring that risotto requires. (Which is completely incompatible with having 2 1/2-year-old triplets in the house, by the way.)

If you've never made risotto, you have to use Arborio rice, and you must stir, stir, stir. You add the liquid little by little, and stir each time until it's completely absorbed. The result is a creamy risotto. Mmmm! 

This recipe was delish! I liked the smokiness of the sausage, but I'd like to try it with shrimp. And next time I think I'll roast the asparagus, since that's my favorite way to eat those yummy spears.

Of course, once I do that it will be a whole new recipe. That's one of the things I love about a recipe like this: You can play around with it and make it your own. Or just use up whatever you have on  hand.

This recipe came from a grocery store flier. Here it is:

Asparagus and Sausage Risotto
1 pkg. smoked sausage
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (or 1/2 cup additional chicken broth)
2 cups sliced asparagus, cooked crisp-tender
1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese, divided (I only had Kraft grated on hand. Still good.)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped (or substitute dried)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut sausage into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Reduce heat to low.

Heat oil in a 4-quart pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned.

Add butter and rice. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in wine (or broth). Cook until liquid is almost completely absorbed.

Stir in 1/2 cup of heated chicken broth. Cook, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed (about 20 minutes total).

Remove from heat. Stir in asparagus, 1/3 cup of Parmesan and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy! 

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wordful Wednesday: When Life Gets Crazy


Sometimes life gets a little crazy.


Like when you're in the midst of preparing to sell a bunch of outgrown kids' clothes and gear at a big consignment sale. And your living room looks like a Babies R Us exploded.


Which takes away from blogging. (Boo!)

I find when life gets crazy there's only one thing to do: Find something that makes you smile...


Or better yet, laugh out loud.



Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:



© Trippin' Mama 2011

Monday, March 21, 2011

About That Dog...


As if to prove to me that the very last thing we need around here is a dog, my children had the kind of day that had me mopping up the floor multiple times and washing a load of undies and pants before naptime.

Thanks, kids. Message received.

I'm not the only one dealing with puddles (and more!) these days. Check out this blog post from a stay-at-home dad who had one of those days recently. His language is a little PG-13 in spots, but Jeff and I laughed so hard at this that we nearly had accidents of our own.

Here's to a drier tomorrow.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Maybe We Do Need A Dog


Spring is here, and today we were getting the garden ready for planting. We found a worm, and Amelia immediately picked it up. Everyone was inspecting the worm when Jeff asked what the worm's name was. Amelia was quick to answer.

Seriously? Elizabeth? Who names a worm Elizabeth? We were laughing. Then they all started petting the worm.

Eventually Jeff tried to rescue Elizabeth from certain doom by putting her back in the dirt and letting her dig her way (frantically) underground and away from the children.


They were all very interested in watching her, and they defeated her efforts to get away more than once. Most notably when Isaac picked her up for a little lovin'.



We were laughing, but ewww! Perhaps we do need to get a dog.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Two Boys in a Basket, and Giggles Galore!


I've been busy with the video camera around here lately.

Check out Isaac and Sam enjoying a ride in the basket. Their giggles just crack me up!



© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Wordful Wednesday: Guys & Baby Dolls


Amelia goes to preschool three days a week. The other two days a week she's home with me and the boys, and I love having her here. She's generally pretty helpful, and now Sam, Isaac and Alex have reached an age where they can play with her (at least when they want to!).

Usually the four kids play pretty well together, or sometimes they will buddy up two and two. Lately, one of their favorite things to do is to play in Amelia's room, mostly climbing on the bed and reading books.

The other day the kids were all playing in Amelia's room and I went in to check on them. I found Amelia and all three boys wearing baby doll shirts and nothing else.

Alex, Sam and Amelia (who accessorized her baby doll shirt with tights).

"I got the boys dressed for you, Mom!" Amelia said.

Thanks, honey! That's just the kind of help I need.

Isaac apparently wasn't happy with the outfit Amelia chose for him, and stripped back down about five minutes later. Alex and Sam, on the other hand, wore theirs until lunchtime.

Everyone was happy, so I just let them be. Though I did insist that everyone add a pair of underwear to their outfit. Everyone knows that nothing goes with a baby doll shirt like a pair of Toy Story undies.

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:



© Trippin' Mama 2011

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Jacuzzi!


Ah, nothing is quite as relaxing as a soak in the Jacuzzi.

Of course, we don't have a Jacuzzi.

Instead we've got this, which I like to call the poor man's Jacuzzi.



It may not be as relaxing as the real thing, but it's a lot more fun!


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

Amelia's Hairy Experience


Just after lunch today Amelia, Sam, Isaac and Alex went to the basement to play. About five minutes later Amelia came up the stairs and very calmly said, "Mom, I need a little help here."

A little help?

She had one of the remote control cars stuck to her head!


I had partially untangled the hair here. When Amelia first came upstairs the car was so tangled it was up by her ear.
Since she wasn't upset, I started laughing and tried to untangle her hair from the car axle. About that time one of the boys came to tell me he had to poop, and well, that takes precedence in our house. So I sat Amelia at the table and took care of potty duty. When I came back I got out out the camera.

Amelia tried to explain what happened:

In the end, I had to get out a screwdriver and take the car apart to "unget" the hair.

I could have just cut the last little bit of hair, but then I would have had to give her a haircut, and my hands aren't very steady when I'm laughing.
© Trippin' Mama 2011

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Daylight Savings: Time to Reprogram the Children


More attentive parents I'm sure gently moved their children's naptimes and bedtimes back in 15-minute increments all week to prepare them for the daylight savings time switch. About Wednesday I realized I should be doing that. 

I didn't.

Well, I tried. Sort of. But we generally are having so much fun before bedtime that we can barely get the kids to bed on time any night. Early? Ha!

So, we took the more brutal approach to reprogramming the children.

This morning we all got up as usual at 7 a.m. I immediately set my watch forward an hour. And we implemented our plan to run the children into the ground and skip naptime so we could get them down at 7:30 p.m. DST.

We went to Costco, then to McDonald's for lunch, then to the playground. After nearly three hours on the playground we took the kids for a hike and more play time. Finally at 4 p.m., well past naptime, we loaded them in the van and drove up to the church to drop a few things off.

The boys took a 20-minute snooze in the van, and then we woke them up to play on the church playground.

Poor Isaac could hardly even walk straight when he got out of his carseat and headed for the slides. We spent another hour there and headed home for supper, bath and bedtime.

Jeff likened it to stumbling through your first day with major jetlag. You just don't lay down and sleep until after supper and the next day you're all set. It's brutal, but it works.

All our little people were asleep by 8:30 DST, so we did pretty well. Although they weren't the only ones we ran into the ground! Oh well, a little ibuprofen and we'll sleep well tonight, too.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Friday, March 11, 2011

Anniversary of the Big News


Typically I post a recipe on Friday, but today I have to remember a very important day for us instead. I sometimes will work that into a recipe post, but I can't come up with an appropriate item to offer up with the contents of this post. Three servings of pickles and ice cream? A stiff drink?

Yesterday marks the three-year anniversary of the day Jeff and I learned we were not expecting Baby Number 2, but Babies Number 2, 3 AND 4.

So when I woke up, I rolled over and told Jeff that every March 10 we should celebrate the fact that I am alive and the shock of that news didn't kill me.

There are many, many things I can't remember from my pregnancy and the first year of the boys' lives, but I will never forget the moment when the ultrasound tech said, "I see three." If I live to be 100, I will recall that with perfect clarity.

There is a story about that day that I haven't told here, and it really deserves to be told.

Before we had our ultrasound I had called my mom and told her that based on my hormone levels, the doctor thought I might be having multiples. She (a little jokingly, I believe) said, "Well, I'll come a week for each baby."

After Jeff and I left the doctor's office, I called my mom from the car. When she answered I said, "Mom, I need you to come for three weeks."

"Three weeks? Why would I come for three weeks?" she said.

I replied, "You said you'd come one week for each baby. I need you to come for three weeks."

I waited for the news to sink in.

"Why would I come for three weeks? Two babies, two weeks," my mom said, clearly baffled.

Clearly, she had twins on the brain.

"Mom, listen to me," I commanded. "Three babies. Three weeks."

Finally it registered. My mom hollered at my dad, who couldn't have been more than a few feet away, "She's having triplets!"

My Dad replied calmly, "I already figured that out."

Seems we weren't the only ones in shock over the big, big, big news!

But I lived to tell that tale, and I'm here to say what wonderful news it turned out to be.

Clockwise from top: Alex, Sam and Isaac ~ 3 days old


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Writer's Workshop: A Memorable Neighbor


When I was 18 my parents moved from my hometown in the Great Frozen North. Their new next-door neighbor was an older, never-married lady named Leah.

Leah was something else. She was tough and independent, and still mowing her own lawn into her 80s. And she was a talker. Whew, was she ever a talker! And I know a thing or two about being a talker! But she had a good heart and she and my parents watched out for each other.

Leah also was an avid crafter. Dolls, doll clothes, Christmas ornaments, anything she could glitter or sequin, you name it and she did it. We were pretty convinced you could bedazzle the world with the glitter and sequins that were permanently lodged in the shag carpeting in her house.

One of Leah's specialties was Christmas stockings. She made beautiful, sequined (hand-sewn, not glued!) felt stockings. She was tickled pink when my parents moved into the house next door and she had an excuse to make stockings for so many people. She made a stocking for my mom and dad and every one of their children, childrens' spouses and grandchildren. In the end that totaled 42 Christmas stockings. Forty-two! And none of them are the same.

As soon as Leah found out I was pregnant with triplets she immediately made three stockings. They were done well before the babies arrived, just waiting for us to name the little ones so she could embroider their names on the stockings. 

Amelia, Sam, Isaac and Alex with the family's Christmas stockings ~ December 2009

Leah was thrilled about Jeff and I having triplets. My parents took her pictures after the boys were born and the stockings came in the mail just about a week later. In fact, Leah often referred to the boys as "my babies." 

By the time the boys were about nine months old, Leah was in the nursing home and her health was failing. We took our big trip back to the Great Frozen North that summer, and stopped at my parents' place along the way. Of course, we took the Amelia and boys in their stroller to the nursing home so Leah could finally meet them.

She was so excited. Everyone who came into the lounge was greeted with, "Have you seen my babies? Come see my babies!" Honestly, she couldn't have been prouder of those kids if they were her own. That was the only time she got to see the boys, since she passed away not long after that, well into her 90s.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Leah with the boys and Amelia. I forgot my camera that day, and the opportunity was lost forever. Fortunately, we have our beautiful Christmas stockings to remind us of her every year.

Well, that and a 47-pound box of sequins, pipe cleaners, glue-on eyes and glitter that my mom brought me after she helped clean out Leah's house. Every time we get the craft box out a large percentage of it ends up on my floor. That, too, is a fitting way to remember Leah.

Inspired by:

Mama’s Losin’ It

 
© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Wordful Wednesday: Always Room for One More


One little tub. One little boy.


One tight fit.

But, wait!

"Hop in, Sam!" said Isaac.

Isaac & Sam

There's always room for one more around here.

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Pooper Scooper: A True Story


Note: Names have not been used in an attempt to protect the not-so-innocent. Not that they deserve such consideration, but I am trying to limit the amount of couch time they need in the future. Nice of me, isn't it?

So the other day the boys were running around naked, their new favorite pastime, when one of my precious boys yelled, "Look, Mommy!"

Given recent events around here like the farmer's blow fiasco, I cringe when I hear the words, "Look, Mommy!"

My cringe was well warranted as the next words out of the child's mouth were, "I pooped in the playroom."

Yep. Sure enough, there was a poop on the playroom floor.

"CHILD! Why did you poop on the floor? You were just on the potty five minutes ago!"

As I grabbed paper towels and talked with the perpetrator, one of his brothers came over to inspect the scene.

He said, "I can poop, too!"

And before I could even react, he squatted down and pooped right next to his brother's accident.

My eyes bugged out of my head. I couldn't believe he just did that!

"CHILD! What did you just do? Where does the poopy go? It does not belong on the playroom floor!"

The front of my brain was telling me this was not a good thing. The back of my brain was screaming with laughter.

I cleaned the bottoms. I cleaned the floor. I made the perpetrators tell me that poop goes in the potty. Then I shooed them out of the room so I could laugh.

Thank heavens they didn't exchange a high five after they did the deed. That would have put me right over the edge.
 
© Trippin' Mama 2011

Monday, March 7, 2011

Every Now and Then


Every now and then it's important to stop.

Soak up the now:


Clockwise from top: Sam, Alex and Isaac ~ March 2011

And remember the then:

Clockwise from top right: Sam, Alex, and Isaac ~ Nov. 2008

Once again the song lyric pops into my head:

"These are days you'll remember.
Never before and never since, I promise, will the whole world be warm as this.

And as you feel it, you'll know it's true that you are blessed and lucky.
It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you."

These Are Days

sung by 10,000 Maniacs



© Trippin' Mama 2011

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Shhh...Everyone's Asleep WITHOUT Pacis!


As I write this, all the children in my house are asleep, and nary a paci in sight. It wasn't without tears at naptime and at bedtime tonight, but they all did it.

Why now? Honestly, the boys have been chewing holes in the pacis lately and they aren't cheap. Might as well give them money to eat instead. Today at naptime we found ourselves without three pacis, so that was the end of the road.

We explained that the pacis were all gone. We've been having the boys throw away the ones they chewed up and telling them that soon the pacis will be all gone, so they knew. They didn't like it. But they knew.

Isaac struggled the most at bedtime, with real tears and everything. Alex didn't manage to take a nap without his paci, but did OK at bedtime, probably because he was tired from not napping. Sam seemed to take it all pretty well in stride, though Isaac's crying kept him awake at bedtime.

The one who has had it the hardest is Amelia. She has been struggling to give up the paci for a long time. We didn't force her to give it up before the boys were born, in large part because she still wasn't a good sleeper and we needed all the help we could get on that front. And once the boys were born? Well that was like asking an alcoholic to give up the booze while living in a liquor store.

When Amelia turned four she said she was going to give up the paci. We started working with her, but it was so hard for her, and we were just getting the boys to sleep well at night. So that was really about us not having slept in a year and a half. I think we were entitled! But we did limit the paci to bedtime only, more or less.

Then Aunt Allie asked Amelia to be a flower girl in her wedding this summer. And we told her that she couldn't be a flower girl unless she gave up her paci. Well, she really wants to be a flower girl. Really, really wants to. But you know what? It's still hard to give up the here and now for something in the distant future.

The distant future started feeling a little closer the other day when the flower girl dress arrived in the mail. After three paci-free nights Amelia got to open the package. After two more she will get to try it on. I'm hoping by then it will stop being so hard for her, but even tonight she cried to have her paci again. Poor girl!

I'm bracing for an ugly naptime for the boys again tomorrow, but praying that bedtime goes better and that it gets easier for Amelia since I keep telling her that.

I went in and rocked a crying Isaac for the last time about two hours after we put the boys down tonight. We rocked for a few minutes and then he asked to go back to his bed. As I laid him down he said, "The pacis are all gone. I chewed them up." I didn't hear another peep out of him after that.

It seems that once Isaac analyzed the situation, he was OK with it. At least for tonight.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Friday, March 4, 2011

From My Kitchen: Paper Bag Chicken


When Jeff and I were first married and living in England, money was tight. Really tight! One time my monthly stipend check was late, and we had to call home for money so we could buy groceries. Fortunately, we were young, in love, thrilled to be living there, and still in impoverished college student mode anyway.

And, fortunately, I knew how to cook some great inexpensive meals. One way we stretched our grocery money was to buy a whole chicken and squeeze at least three meals out of it. I'd roast it, then use the leftover meat in chicken enchiladas or a casserole, and then I'd make soup out of the carcass.

I prefer to roast my chicken in an oven bag because it stays so nice and moist, but we couldn't afford the bags. So I roasted my chicken under foil to keep it from drying out. I didn't have this recipe when we were overseas, or I would have used it! The brown paper bag keeps the chicken juicy and moist, and the seasoning is delish. This recipe came from a former co-worker of mine.


Paper Bag Chicken
6-lb. oven stuffer/roaster chicken
1 rounded teaspoon garlic salt
1 rounded teaspoon onion salt
1 rounded teaspoon celery salt

Clean chicken. Combine salts and rub into the skin of the chicken. Place chicken in brown grocery bag. Staple shut or fold and tuck under chicken. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet.

Bake for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours at 400 degrees. When done, carefully cut open the bag and carve the chicken.

It takes just a couple of minutes to get this ready to go in the oven, and the results are delicious.

Enjoy!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Writer's Workshop: Parked for a Quick Getaway

Thank you Mama Kat for this week's prompt to write about a pet peeve that shouldn't drive you crazy, but does. Now I am justified in my petty complaining, right?

I am baffled, befuddled, curious, and also annoyed.

Why is it that everywhere I go these days people insist on backing into parking spaces? The other night I ran to the grocery store at 9:00. There were 12 cars there. Four of them were parked backwards. Why?

They are doing it at the drugstore, at the gym, even at church!

Are they concerned about making a quick getaway?

"Run Martha, the priest saw we didn't put anything in the collection basket!"

Perhaps their reverse lights aren't working and they are trying to prevent an accident from happening when they back out of their parking space?

A phobia about backing into a lane of traffic?

A need for the hood of the car to be pointing due north?

A desire for a parking challenge now that we rarely have to parallel park?

Seriously, what's the reasoning here?

I do understand that it is easier and maybe even safer, to pull forward into traffic, even slow-moving or completely non-existent traffic. (Case in point: The grocery store at 9 p.m.)

That's pretty much offset by the fact that the lady behind you in the parking lot (ME!) does not expect you to jam on your brakes and BACK UP after you've passed an open parking space, especially when there are four more open spaces in front of your vehicle. Nor does she expect to have to stop in the aisle so you can take up both lanes in order to back into a space, instead of simply staying on your own side and pulling in.

Don't even get me started on the people who insist on backing into a parking space, but never fail to take up two spaces because of their ineptitude. I drove around a parking garage for 15 minutes the other day trying to find something wider than half a space. If you're going to do it, at least learn how to do it right.

Finally, please don't glare and gesticulate at me and every other person following convention by parking nose first while you're busy creating your own set of rules about how to park. That doesn't just make you annoying. That makes you a backass.

And nobody likes a backass.

This post was inspired by the Writer's Workshop at Mama Kat's. Play along!

Mama’s Losin’ It


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Wordful Wednesday: We Are Cast-Free!


Sam got his cast off Monday. Everything has healed perfectly.

We are all very happy about this.


Or, perhaps they are just happy about the cake?


Really happy about the cake!


Nah, I'm sure it's the end of life with a cast that has us so happy.


Hair-raisingly happy!


Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:


© Trippin' Mama 2011

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

It Was a Rookie Mom Moment


Today I was driving home with all of the boys in the van when a child, who shall remain nameless to protect him from future embarrassment, announced with great delight, "Look Mommy! I found another booger!"

I immediately gave the standard mom reply, "We don't pick our noses. If you have something in your nose you need to blow it."

Rookie mistake.

Next thing I knew all three boys were following my instructions and blowing their noses quite effectively. Without tissues. Straight down their fronts onto their coats.

All I could do was laugh while trying not to laugh. After all, they had listened and done exactly what I told them to.

I quickly handed back tissues, which they merrily shredded while giggling and proudly patting what they had blown out of their noses.

Luckily we were just a couple minutes from home so the damage was minimal. As soon as we pulled into the drive all three noses and six hands were wiped and all three coats went immediately into the washing machine.

Later when Jeff texted me to see how the day was going I replied, "I inadvertently taught all of the boys the farmer blow today."

Can you believe he didn't even respond to that? How could you not?

Must be a sign that crazy is the norm around here.

© Trippin' Mama 2011