What a sad state of affairs we are in around my house. I am over my mini cold, though a touch of chest congestion reminds me that I have indeed been not completely well. TLL still has a runny nose and a cough, though she isn't running a fever, so I hope that she too is on her way way to being well. H is coughing, but there is no sneezing or runny nose involved. LB is running a fever tonight, and while he isn't coughing, he seems to have a cold. JB is also running a fever tonight, though her only complaint at the moment is "her head feels funny." BB is not coughing any longer, but his nose is still a tad runny and his extreme over attention to the issue is causing frequent nose bleeds. My mother has taken to calling every couple of hours to see if we are dead yet (read she is terrified of Swine Flu) and that is also driving me nuts. Blah! Germs, get lost already, okay?
Prior to JB's temperature rising, she had a friend's birthday party to attend. Super Mom struck again and we had to stop at Target on our way to the party for a gift. JB was quick to let me know yesterday that her friend doesn't like Hannah Montana (her lucky Mum) but that she loves new games for her Nintendo D.S. After I stopped laughing, I informed my daughter that we would not be buying any D.S. games...sorry Friend. But, with four minutes to party time what were we going to get? A Bratz doll that was nearly as expensive as a D.S. game was in the cart until I spotted a computer game for young animal lovers...for $4.98 on clearance...SCORE! We grabbed a gift bag, card, crinkle paper, cheap pen. We were on our way and only 10 minutes late!
Once JB was playing with her friends, I took the other four out to lunch. We went to Panera, and I guess I had forgotten how expensive it is. My heart skipped a couple of beats when I heard that I had to cough up $30 for three kiddie meals and a salad. My salad was yummy, but, um not THAT yummy. I was the food nazi in no time, demanding clean plates, and faster chewing jaws. We rolled back into party central at exactly pick up time. Whew!
It was 90 flipping degrees here today. I must admit that one double stroller (anyone out there with a recommendation on how to acquire/what I might like in a triple?) plus a 50 pound 2 year old and a 30 pound 10 month old (yep, today she is 10 big months old) equals big work for an 8 month pregnant mommy. I was sweating off all the leg make-up that I had applied so that I could wear shorts in no time flat. *I am freakishly white, especially for a Floridian.* Not to worry though, I think that wasted make-up will forever adorn the upholstery in my truck, so it shan't be forgotten. We headed for the mall, because air conditioning was a must.
The very best part of the mall right now? The expecting mom parking!!! Okay, so I will admit to you now, having spent so much of my adult life knocked up, I have in the past been guilty of snagging one of those prime spots when I was less than deserving. I think those signs should read 'Reserved for Expecting and New Moms' not be just for pregnant women, so, in the past I was actually questioned by a security guard. An awesome offense being the best defense, I replied somewhat hysterically, "are you suggesting that I'm just this fat?" Therefore, because of my past issues with parking, there is something righteous about going to the mall in my truly pregnant state.
While there, I made a new enemy at the Children's Place. Freshly imported from the wilds of non-English speaking Miami...a new sales girl. I have a coupon on a past receipt for an additional 15% off. It does say 'one time use' but usually they all know me there and could care not if I use it 100 times. Hell, with 5 kids that can all wear their clothes, I think I max most of their sales quotas. This chica gave me a very dirty look for daring to use my coupon on a $5.oo purchase, and then scribbled 'USED' through the coupon code so hard that she tore the paper. Congrats, Chica, pero no tengo miedo...you however might not like what I have to say to your DM next time I see her. Trust me, she knows me. *Please note that I have nothing against Spanish speaking folks...just so long as they speak English to me, or are visiting. If you have been here for 20 years and still speak only Spanish? Yeah, then I think you suck.*
After the Children's Place, I was in the mood for a bit of pampering, so I headed off to Gymboree. They have over priced clothes, but, you get every cent of it back in good customer service. It is Gymbuck earnings time!!! Which is so cool...thanks Pam for tipping me off. You spend $50, and they give you back a coupon for $25 off. Nifty! Granted, the only thing that I have ever purchased there that was full price was a hair bow. Nevertheless, when I am feeling snotty...the fawning from the sales people makes me remember what my life was once like. The television/toy area where H sits with other kids his age and gets to pretend he isn't really at the mall...totally rocks too! Today I scored a shirt and dress for TLL, socks for JB, and 6 hair bows for the girls for $21. Ah, clearance racks...you clothe my babes with the fruit of your hangers.
I was so proud of myself (I mean my kids of course, silly me) that we headed for Maggie Moo's for ice cream. I had an antioxidant punch with Mango sorbet which was "very tasty," as my H likes to say. After our last visit, I forbade ice cream in garish colors, so the kids had vanilla and chocolate with different mix-ins. JB refused ice cream which was a tip off to feel her forehead...warm, of course. The rest of us finished our ice cream and we exited stage left.
Since we've been home, I've done more freaking laundry, sterilized more bottles, and opened the to go box from dinner last night for my children's gourmet meal. They ate a mish mosh of fried chicken, Italian subs, and cheesy garlic bread for dinner.
I am about to carry H upstairs (really I don't want to) and try to fall asleep. If I'm not successful, I'll do some more laundry. Hope every one's weekend is way better than mine!
It's Finally Fall, Y'All
3 weeks ago
Oh my goodness, you have your hands full!!
ReplyDeleteI am 1 of 5 children, the only girl. Yeah, I might have been a little spoiled...
It's so fun now that my brothers and I are all adults, hanging out together, our children running around together. Big families are awesome.
I wish we were neighbors.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have heard to just get a freaking quad stroller if you need a triple, because then you have a place to put shopping bags, purses, diaper bags, etc.
I have a quad stroller. It is heavy but works okay on smooth terrain. Wouldn't work for a newborn, though, because the seats don't recline enough.
The tandem 3-strollers (around here we refer to strollers by the number they will seat -- 1-stroller, 2-stroller, 4-stroller) do not offer much in the way of leg room. In your case that would be okay for a while -- H could be in front, and TLL probably wouldn't be crowded for a while -- but it's a shame to invest that much money if your kid's knees are going to be cramped after just a year.
When I had Jane the twins were 26 months. Because she was tiny, I kept using my double stroller and wore her in a sling when we had to go out. Maybe if you do that for a while, H will be responsible enough to ride in the jump seat on a double stroller with a sit'n'stand thing. (Ha ha ha...)