Ah, Summer!

Summer weather is here! It's been gorgeous all week. Finally some sunshine and warmth. It has been a long, long winter and a rainy, rainy spring around here.

We took full advantage, spending all week at the park or outside in the yard, and it's a good thing, because next week looks like it will be cool and rainy again.

As much as I am glad to leave the days of noses pressed against the window and pleas to go out and play in the rain (at 40 degrees), I now remember that summer has its challenges too.

First there's the fact that it's the season of shorts and sweat. Which means I can't hide hairy legs under jeans. (Oh come on, we all do it. Only showgirls and models shave regularly in winter.) And I have to figure out when to grab a shower without risking destruction of the whole house. I wish I were kidding about that, but I'm not.

Then there's the whole outside thing. I love to be outside. I love to work in the yard. I love to explore new parks and hike. Unfortunately, while we're outside having fun, the inside work is piling up. And we're making more of it, what with all the sand we drag in the house and all of the playing in the dirt.

What the heck. I'll take a dirty house and happy worn-out kids over a clean house full of crazy people who can't wait to go out any day!

© 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

Best Mother's Day Gift Ever

Not to brag, but I got the best Mother's Day present ever today.

BEST. EVER.

Not jewelry. (Though Amelia helped choose a beautiful necklace for me.)

Not flowers. (Though I got a gorgeous yellow bouquet.)

Not cards. (Though I got some very sweet cards.)

Not breakfast in bed. (Though we had a yummy breakfast casserole for brunch.)

So what, you ask, could this best gift be?

Wait for it...wait for it...

Two of the boys pooped in the potty!!!

Color me so excited. Could this possibly be the beginning of the end of the very worst part of potty training? I certainly hope so.

I'll take that over breakfast in bed any day.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmas, and special aunties and friends who help mother so many kids. I hope you all got to celebrate with the people you love.

© Trippin' Mama 2011

A Royal Recipe

Last Friday I wanted to post a special recipe in honor of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, but I couldn't come up with anything.

True, we lived in England for more than a year, but I cooked, and I cooked American style. Also, I was a poor grad student so I didn't have the time or the inclination to try new recipes and cook like I do now.

So, in lieu of a recipe, a story from those long-ago days:

I remember one of the first meals I made after we moved to Canterbury. I was no novice cook, thanks to my mom and my time in 4-H, and I am relatively sharp, but I was baffled that the oven only went to 260 degrees. I figured everything would just take longer so I cranked it up, put my meal in and walked away.

About 20 minutes later it hit me: The English use the Celsius scale. I was cooking at 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whoops!

In my defense the oven was oddly small and the kitchen (which we shared with another couple) also had a dorm-sized refrigerator. So I think it was an understandable mistake.

I realized my error in time to rescue the meal, and Jeff and I had a good laugh about it.

I learned all the foibles of that little gas oven and the art of getting half a dozen meals out of a five-pound chicken while I was getting my Master's degree.

Luckily for our appetites, I also learned how to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit!

© Trippin' Mama 2011

Struggling to Just Be

Recently I got a call from a head hunter who wanted to talk with me about a job opportunity. I was outside in the yard watching the boys play when my cell rang. I didn't hesitate at all before I told her that now was not the time for me to be going back to work, especially as a senior-level executive.

I haven't had any doubts since, either.

And yet, sometimes I struggle so much with this job of parenting. I struggle to just be with my kids all day. Not physically, but mentally. I am here, but not here. I find myself mentally checking out, counting down to nap time so I can do some other things, yearning for time to do something creative or challenging. All the while I'm missing out on what's right in front of me. I know that, which is why it is such a struggle.

My patience wears thin as my kids act up, although I know that they are acting up to get my attention, to bring me back to the here and now to be with them, instead of rolling through my to-do list in my head.

I know some day I will look back and regret the times when I was here and yet missed out because my head was elsewhere.

Seems the work-life balance issues still exist, even for a stay-at-home mommy. So, I'll continue to fight the good fight on this one and try to do my best to just be with my kids every day.

One thing I do know: My head may be elsewhere from time to time, but never my heart.

© 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

Green Beans?

I shared before that the Easter Bunny brought "green beans" to our house. Here's the video of the boys with their "green beans."

This past week was a bit crazy, but things are settling down so I should be back to a more regular posting schedule this week.

© Trippin' Mama 2011