Ballet Boys

In an effort to wear the boys out, they've been taking gymnastics while Amelia is taking ballet. Then they decided they want to take ballet.

Class starts in two weeks and we've got other things going on next weekend, so on Saturday we went to buy ballet shoes. Apparently it's not every day that someone brings three little boys in for ballet shoes.

The young woman who helped us was so excited. She talked to the boys about ballet and told me to remember that if they liked it, we could get scholarships for them. "We need boys in ballet!" she told them.

She also convinced them to wear black shoes instead of pink ones, so for that I thank her!

The boys danced around in their new shoes, to the delight and amusement of everyone else in the dance store.

However, they were entranced with all the pretty tutus and dance wear in the shop. Alex kept asking what he was going to wear to ballet, and I could see where this was heading. I have told them more than once that they would be wearing t-shirts and shorts or sweatpants to class, though I understand that's not as much fun as getting to dress up for class like their sister.

I solicited a little help from our sales lady, "So can you tell us what boys wear to ballet class?" She smiled and told the boys that they would wear t-shirts and shorts to practice in. (She really did deserve a tip!) Alex wasn't buying that.

I'm still not sure what we'll be wearing to class in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

© Trippin' Mama 2012

Overheard

On Sunday I made homemade carmel rolls.

I know, I know, that's completely counter to the idea of losing the holiday weight, but I did tell you that I exercise so I can eat. But I digress.

The boys couldn't wait to eat them, and then eat them again later. As I was putting them down for nap Isaac and Sam were talking about eating more carmel rolls.

Isaac said, "We have to eat carmel rolls."

"Yeah! So we can get big and strong!" said Sam.

Then Isaac replied. "Yeah! So we can drive cars!"

Really?

I'm all for growing up (can we get a shout out for being potty trained?), but at three they are talking about driving cars?

At this rate I guarantee I'll be gray before they ever get their driver's licenses.

© Trippin' Mama 2012

It's All In How You Look At It

Tonight was one of those nights. I ran to the pharmacy for 20 minutes, and the boys were all in full-on meltdown when I got home.
They didn't want Daddy. They ALL wanted Mommy. Which was frustrating for Jeff and challenging for me, too.

Sometimes it's frustrating not to have enough arms to go around.

Eventually everyone started to calm down and I wound up snuggling in bed with Isaac and Alex while Jeff and Amelia settled Sam down.

As I lay there I thought about how hard it is when they all want to be on mom's lap or held in my arms ALONE. I get so frustrated when I want to help everyone, but none of them want to share me.

Then the Isaac and Alex drifted off, their heads on my shoulders. I heard Amelia and Jeff laughing softly with Sam in the next room, and it hit me.

As upset as I may be that I don't have enough arms or lap to go around, I am far more grateful that my arms and my lap are overflowing.

Sometimes it's all in how you look at it.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

We Now Return To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Daddy arrived home this weekend. He was jetlagged, but glad to be home. Of course, he wasn't half as glad to be home as I was to have him here!

We spent a pretty quiet Sunday as a family, and then it was life as usual today. That included the typical mayhem.

Sam, Isaac and Alex were playing in their room. It was cold and rainy, and they really, really wanted to jump on the beds, which is a no-no. But since we couldn't go out I decided to indulge them a bit, and put a mattress on the floor for them to jump on.

I told them they could only jump on the mattress on the floor, and I left the room. (I know, I know. What was I thinking!?)

A short while later I heard suspicious noises from the bedroom. I came down the hallway to find all three boys standing on top of the dresser, poised to jump onto the mattress on the floor.

"Absolutely NOT!" I yelled. "Get down right now!"

And they all jumped.

That wasn't what I had in mind.

So I had to add another rule to the long list around here: "No standing on the dresser. Ever. For any reason."

© Trippin' Mama 2011

The Park Pooper Is No More

A while ago I shared the sordid tale of being the mom of Park Pooper. That is, a boy who would poop in his pants at the park and then strip down, inevitably leaving me to pick his business off the playground equipment while all the other moms looked on.

Yep. That'll get you kicked off the island.

But guess what? Yesterday the Park Pooper pooped in the potty at the park. And then he did it again today!

Unfortunately, an outrageous potty dance at the park will also make all the other moms look, too.

But what the heck. It was a victory worth celebrating!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

The (Bottom) End Is in Sight

It seems that potty training is nearly behind us. Last week we had just one accident, and one of my two holdouts on the pooping in the potty front finally caved.

I can't claim any credit for teaching this one to poop on the potty. Our efforts were aided by a little intestinal trouble that made it very easy to go, almost too easy! Every time he sat on the potty he went, and every time he got the latest potty-training treat: candy corn. (I'm going to have to stock up on that stuff before the season is over!)

I hope this means the end of pooping at the playground and then stripping down because "it feels yucky." Yep, I know what it feels like to be the mom who has to chase down a half-naked boy and then pick his poop up off the playground equipment. After the first incident I started to carry plastic bags in case I had to do pooper scooper duty again. I shudder to think how many times I had to use them.

My other non-potty pooper is now diaper trained. When he has to do the deed, he goes to the bathroom, gets a pull-up, puts it on and then comes to me to be changed after he's done.

Hey, I'll take it. As long as I don't have to clean any more poopy underwear, it's all good.

Now that I've finally, with great trepidation, started to leave the bathroom door open, the boys have started to just go in and use the potty without being told. They have also started to go in and run a sink full of water or "clean" the potty, which is why I resisted leaving the door open in the first place.

You've just got to take the bad with the good, I guess!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Duck, Duck, Goose!

A couple weeks ago I was in the kitchen and I overheard the boys organizing a game of Duck, Duck, Goose.

They learned how to play it in the church nursery, and since they are a crowd, they can play it at home by themselves!

I peeked around the corner as they all sat down on the floor in a circle. Then Isaac got up and started the game. The other two were clamoring, "Duck me! Duck me!"

Everyone was duly "ducked" with a good swat on the head several times, then Isaac yelled "GOOSE!" Everyone jumped up and ran down the hallway and back, laughing the whole way. Then they all sat down and did it again. I was happy to join the game once I determined that I didn't have to run around every time someone got "goosed."

I was finally able to catch this video of the boys playing the other day. They did start playing a second version where only the person who is "It" runs away after yelling, "Goose!" You'll see both versions here, and around 1:30 you'll hear Isaac and Alex saying, "Duck me!"

I know the video's not great. (It's hard to capture the person walking around the circle while sitting in the circle.) And it's longer than most people probably want to watch, but this is one of those things I want to remember my kids doing. And that's the real reason I started blogging in the first place.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

The Bedtime Blues

Oh, bedtime. How I hate you.

I used to love you.

But not since the move to big boy beds. (THREE months ago!)

Bedtime used to mean a respite. A chance to recharge, and maybe do something for myself.

Now it means sitting guard over boys for at least an hour, often two.

On Sunday "naptime" involved the boys pushing a mattress to the floor. I walked in when I heard a thunk and crying, and they told me they were "diving into the pool." Alex ripped out the entire back end of his shorts during the time he was supposed to be sleeping in his bed.

We've rewarded, we've yelled, we've separated (temporarily, it's only a 3-bedroom house), we've encouraged, we've persuaded, we've soothed, we've given time outs...to no avail.

Now we've taken away the privilege of going to sleep in the big boy bed for the next couple of days. After a terrible nap and an even worse bedtime, Isaac has been relegated to the pack and play for a couple nights.

I have my doubts that will work, but even at the end of my parenting rope, I know we have to try something. It seems the lure of goofing around with the brothers is worth whatever punishment mom and dad might mete out, and I'm not sure how to change that.

*sigh*

I sure hope they outgrow this phase before they outgrow the pack and play!

(And believe me, I am thinking ahead to just how early I'll be waking them up when they are teenagers. You know what they say about paybacks.)

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Eureka! We've Found It!

Scientists have been working for years to create an energy supply that is plentiful, cheap and environmentally friendly.

Well, guess what folks. We beat them to it.

Isaac, Alex and Sam

Okay, so they aren't cheap, but they certainly produce bountiful energy, and they aren't any harder on the environment than your average herd of cows...I don't think!

Somehow, we just can't exhaust them. Four hours at the water park? Nope. A whole day of hiking and playing on the playground? Nah. An entire afternoon and evening at a birthday party complete with a pool, trampoline, water balloon fight and wrestling gymnastics mats? Ha! It still takes my kids (especially the boys) as long as two hours to fall alseep. And they'll bound out of bed before 7 a.m.

Add a little sugar and bedtime can take even longer, plus you get the residual energy from all the spinning and bouncing.

Now if we could just find a way to make a little money off this invention, it might compensate for the lack of sleep Jeff and I are experiencing.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

More Fun with Tupperware

We've had a string of rainy days here lately, keeping us cooped up in the house. So the other day the boys decided to go "skating." It's not the first time they've amused themselves with my Tupperware!



It's a little tough on the Tupperware, but it did keep them busy for a while!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Wordful Wednesday: Adventures of the Tribe

The other evening I set the boys up at the kitchen table to play stickers while I did a couple things with Amelia in the other room. Pretty soon I heard giggling and then gales of laughter.

Generally giggles and gales of laughter means the boys are doing something mama would rather they not be doing. Or it means there will be some clean up involved.

So I headed to the kitchen to see what was up, and I found this:

Sam, Isaac and Alex show off their sticker bellies.

The boys were yelling, "Stickers!" and giggling madly as they put them all over their bellies.

Say, "Stickers!"

It's another one of those things that I know wouldn't be as much fun for just one.

Play along with Wordful Wednesday at:

© Trippin' Mama 2011

The Potty Training Finals

The boys have been in big boys undies since December, and I was putting up with dirty pants multiple times a day as we went through the worst stage of potty training. It's what I refer to as the "please-please-I'm-begging-you-to-poop-in-the-potty stage." Emphasis on the "please-please-I'm-BEGGING-you."

They were doing pretty well when it came to peeing in the potty and I hated to use pull ups and confuse them, so we trudged onward, even after the day they pooped together on the floor.

On Mother's Day two of three boys pooped in the potty, causing me to celebrate that as the best Mother's Day gift ever. (Sad, but true.)

Not long after that came a day when everyone seemed to have forgotten everything they knew. I had a dozen pairs of wet and/or dirty undies in the wash by noon. I'd had it. And then the boys came up from the basement playroom and proudly announced, "We went downstairs and pooped together."

WHAT?!?

Sure enough, every last one of them was poopy. Who knew pooping in your pants was a team sport?

It was the end of the line for me. Jeff called about that time and got a download of crazy from me that he didn't even know what to do with. I later told him he could have legitimately hung up on me. He'd have had to sleep in the garage for a week, but it would have been legit.

Mama needed a break, so I gave in and bought pull ups. A one week break stretched to almost three weeks, but we're back in undies again, and everyone is doing great. We've been venturing out in our big boys pants with only one minor accident. (Note to the shoe store lady: Seriously, carpet? All you sell are kids' shoes. I'm sure we aren't the first to pee on your floor.)

Alex has the pooping thing down now. Something he likes to prove about six times a day just so he can get a Tootsie Roll. I may have the first two-year-old with hemorrhoids if he keeps this up.

And Sam has become obsessed with a pair of red Lightning McQueen undies. In fact, he has them on over the top of a diaper tonight. Since I didn't get to wash them, I'll have to battle him out of the them in the morning. But that's a battle I'm willing to fight!

Here's hoping that this time the end truly is in sight.

Trippin' Mama 2011

A Confession

Tonight I got to go pick up Amelia at a friend's house while Jeff put the boys to bed.

I drove two miles UNDER the speed limit the whole way there. And back.

Not that bedtime around here is difficult these days or anything.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

"I'm Twapped!"

Today Isaac refused to stay in his big boy bed at naptime. This has been an ongoing problem, so I moved him to the pack and play in our room as usual.

He got out.

Several times.

It was impossible to keep him in a bed while I was also policing the other two boys who were having a bit of trouble staying in their beds, too. (Although they did MUCH better once I removed Isaac. I think they got the message better than he did.)

Finally I had enough.

As it turns out, you can makeshift a crib tent out of a crib sheet and a pack and play...if you have enough duct tape.

Trust me when I tell you Isaac was not amused.

He was even less amused at bedtime when he wound up in a slightly more sophisticated version of the cage. As I fastened the cover in place with safety pins Isaac looked up at Jeff and said, "I'm twapped! Mommy is twapping me."

You bet I am buddy.

Seems necessity really is the mother of invention.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

A Bedtime Conversation

One of the pluses of having to police bedtime for the boys is getting to hear their conversations with each other. This is what took place the other night when I was sitting quietly in the rocking chair to make sure they stayed in bed.

Alex: Tomorrow we'll get to go to another crade.

Isaac: Not "crade." Pah-rade. Say pah-rade.

Alex: (Very mater of factly) Crade.

Isaac: NO! PAH-rade. Say PAH-rade.

Alex: I said "crade."

Isaac: (Yelling impatiently) NOT CRADE! PAH-RADE!

I guess we know who isn't going to be the teacher around here!

The conversation continued.

Isaac: I like the race car dribers.

Alex: Yeah! We could dribe race cars.

Sam: Yeah! And we could be a marching band.

Alex: Yeah! I lub marching bands.

Then after a long pause, Isaac piped up: "I want to stand on a motorcycle."

I don't know what was said after that. I was too busy saying another "Hail Mary" to listen.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Big Boy Beds = Crazy Town

Amelia never got out of her bed. Not her crib, and certainly not her "big girl bed."

The boys, on the other hand, will get out and bang their bedroom door closed. They will shove the beds around the room in a modified version of bumper cars. They will push the beds together and then leap over the bed rails from one to the other. They will visit a nearby bed to poke a sleeping or nearly-sleeping brother in the face.

And the whole time they scream and giggle wildly like a pack of mad apes.

It's yet another way that Amelia did not prepare us to parent these hooligans.

I honestly believe that the boys are ready for big boy beds. I also believe that the majority of the problems we are having come from the issue of multiple kids. If we take the boys individually, we have one who is a master staller, one who is an escapee, and one who is pretty complacent about bedtime. The last one in particular, I am sure would go down with no problems were it not for the other two.

Even our staller and our escapee would be more easily dealt with were it not for the rest of the tribe. 

I used to look forward to bedtime. Now? Not so much. We're on Day 10 of the transition, and at times I think we're making progress. Then we have a night like tonight and I'm pretty convinced they will never learn to lay quietly in their beds and go to sleep.

Oh I know they will, some day. The question is: Will they learn before their mother gets carted off to the loony bin or after?

© Trippin' Mama 2011

I Love A Parade

Aunt Judy and her friend Scott came to visit this weekend. Since we were man-to-man on the kiddos, we decided to brave the crowds and take everyone to the parade this weekend.

They loved it.

Well, the first hour of it anyway. Then they were done. Fortunately, we had lots of snacks to keep them satisfied for the last of it. Food is the great pacifier around here!

Left to right: Aunt Judy, Alex, Amelia, Sam and Isaac

The Jamba Juice smoothies were the biggest hit of all.

Clockwise from left: Sam, Alex, Isaac

I'm finally convinced to spring for a blender and start making smoothies for breakfast. Anything to get some fruits (and maybe a sneaky veggie or two) into my kiddos. I insist they try their fruits and veggies at every meal, but being the Plate Police sure gets old. If you've got any great smoothies ideas or recipes, send them my way!

I'll try to get back to some regular posting this week, but the big boy beds are really cramping my blogging style these days. I have to police both the nap and bedtime, which has virtually eliminated all of my blogging time.

I'll share more details about the transition to big boy beds soon, so you can commiserate with me. Suffice it to say, if you are frustrated with getting your kids to stay in bed you are not alone. And you are not the first mom to think about using duct tape or a staple gun to solve the problem!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Escapee Alert!

The escaping from the cribs has begun in earnest. Yesterday nap time was full of little footsteps running across the floor, the boys' bedroom door opening and closing and ultimately, I caught Isaac in Sam's crib--twice!

I finally had to sit in the boys' room and police the nap time so they'd stay in their cribs. Fortunately, they didn't repeat the hijinks at bedtime.

We've been pretty lucky that it's taken the boys this long to start climbing out of their cribs since they've been climbing since they were 11 months old. Isaac was the first to climb out of his crib, but he fell doing it and it scared him and Alex badly enough to keep them in place for quite a while. Alex made the next attempt, and he belly flopped to the floor. That only left Sam, and every time he'd try to climb out, Alex would sound the alarm by screaming at him, "Only Mommy and Daddy get us out!"

Sam climbed out last week when he was in time out, and now they've all figured out how to do it without getting hurt, so the glory days of trapping them in their cribs are pretty much over.

Since one of my mantras when it comes to parenting multiples is "Containment is key," this is tough news to take!

We've been talking about moving the boys to big kid beds, but there's a big difference between talking and doing.

Sure, it makes sense to move them and get them adjusted to big boy beds before we travel this summer. Just think, no pack and plays to lug along!

But actually moving the boys? Taking down the cribs and replacing them with beds that they can jump on, climb in and out of, and generally do anything but sleep in?

*shudder*

I figure that things are so bad right now when it comes to partying at nap time that we may as well make the change and just plan to police them for a while until they settle in. At least we'll minimize the risk of them getting hurt as they carry on with each other. I'm already playing nap police, and I can police big boy beds as well as cribs.

They'll have to move to big boy beds at sometime, so I'm relying on another of my mantras to get through this: "Be brave."

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Did You "Bote"?

It was Primary Election Day today. Did you "bote"?

I took the boys with me to the polls. We sure livened up the day for the poll workers!

Because the boys have been so good lately and such big boys about holding hands, we walked in together. (Note: I hold two boys' hands in one of mine and one in the other. I can't yet trust them not to drop each other's hands and bolt.)

Now no stroller is still a risk for us. If more than one boy melts down or someone takes off on me or they start to get destructive, I have no lockdown and no way to make a speedy escape. And let's face it, part of successfully parenting multiples is containment, and there are times when a quick getaway is critical.

I figured we'd be able to handle it because I knew there would be no line and "I voted" stickers.

As it turned out, one of the poll workers was a twin herself and one had twins who are 26, so we had a very understanding crowd. The boys got stickers and lollipops and far too much attention. I cast my ballot and gave us all a little pat on the back for conquering yet another milestone in the journey from triplet insanity to normalcy. 

Sometimes the little things are the big things.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Conquering Triplethood, Little by Little

A couple weeks ago I documented the end of an era. We took down our big configure gate and brought the  the couch back into our family room after a two-and-a-half year absence.

Bye-bye Baby Cage, hello Family Room!

True, we still don't have end tables or lamps, but it's a big step in the right direction around here.

We took another big step last week. Tuesday we had terrible storms that kept me from posting and had Jeff and me setting up the pack and plays in the basement just in case. We have used those pack and plays, one in our room and one in Amelia's room so the boys could nap separately. That was critical to success around here, because it kept one boy from interrupting everyone's nap. And it let me go into the troublemaker's room to rock and soothe and coax him to sleep.

On Wednesday morning I decided not to set them back up. I told the boys that they were big boys now and they could all nap in the same room. We talked about being quiet and going to sleep, and they surprised me by doing great. In fact, they did way better than they do at bedtime when they tend to chat a lot. The rest of the week went so well I never even considered setting a pack and play back up. Tonight I folded them up and stored them.

That means that I can go into my room or Amelia's room during naptime to put away clothes, make beds, clean, gather up laundry...ahhh, normalcy!

Now I want to confess that I haven't done those things, because for twoish years I have trained myself to not venture to the bedroom end of the house unless someone is crying during naptime. But I CAN!

Sometimes the little things ARE the big things.

© Trippin' Mama 2011