Popcorn

Tooth Number 1 and Tooth Number 2 came in within 3 days of each other. Tooth Number 3 is here and has been for 2 days and Tooth Number 4 is fast on its heels, any minute now. I do believe that I also see the possiblity of Tooth Number 5 within the next week or so. These things are popping out like popcorn!!!

Taking out the Trash

I've hit one of those times in my life where I can't handle any of it any more. I went away for the weekend with just the baby in order to get a little relaxation. When I returned home, I realized the difference between relaxing and resting. Relaxing to me means the absence of daily chores and household maintenance. Which is exactly what I did while visiting a very dear friend and her family. Resting to me (which is now obvious) is sleeping. Hours upon hours of lost sleep regained through a day or two of uninterrupted SLEEEEEEEEEP. Needless to say, with Bunny being with me, my version of rest did not occur. So, when I came home to all the usual mayhem and chaos, I couldn't handle it. Sug wasn't feeling well (we know how that goes). Bird has been feeling particularly rebellious and defiant, and Bean is out of control. Her screaming, whining and crying has been a constant for a few weeks now. My sleep deprived mama brain can only bear so much and the amount has been exceeded for a while. I would be lying if I said that I didn't consider abandoning it all. I had plotted a month long undetected escape. Unfortunately, the type A personality that thrives within my being got caught up in the logistics and I was violently thrashed back into reality and the need for change. It is time for our family to take out the trash. Potty mouths, violence, back talk, disobedience, whining and screaming are all being kicked to the curb. Last night, I watched about 6 episodes of Supernanny and began to really take notes on what seems to work and why. I also began to pray to know and understand my children better so that I can execute the proper guidance and discipline required to each as an individual. I will also be implementing a special Mommy time and Daddy time for each child each month. My time away with Bunny will be her Mommy Time for the month. Bird and I will be attending a clothes swap this Friday evening and Beanbag and I will be touring our CSA farm and how it operates on Sunday afternoon. As far as Daddy time is concerned, I really want them to figure it out on their own (says the control freak). I'm ready to change the atmosphere of this house from children vs parents to our family vs the world. Keep us in your prayers as I am well aware of the fact that I can't do this properly on my own.

For Every Season

Since Bird was home 'sick', yesterday, I took the opportunity to start to switch our clothes from summer to winter. Don't get me wrong, I do believe that Bird was sick when I picked her up from school, but all yesterday's activity told me otherwise. To find out last night that she had a temp of 100.0 still, baffled me. Upon waking up this morning to the same (even after another night of 'sick socks') just didn't seem right. After some diagnostic testing, the verdict is that the temporal thermometer is broken. Bean had pulled the tip off and replaced it after I had taken Bird's temp a few days ago. So, with a day of us all stuck at home, 'sick', moving clothes it was. I have to admit that after 5 years and three kids, I have finally gotten the system down. I am blessed to have quite a bit of storage in my basement (being as it is unfinished). I have a storage tote for each size: 0-6, 6-18, 24-2T, 3T, 4/4T, 5, & 6+. The 6+ is for all the clothes that people give us that have not yet been designated a tote of their own because nobody is big enough to wear them. At one point, I tried to even separate summer from winter, but I realized that I usually hang on to at least 3-4 outfits from the previous season to help make the transition smoother. There is nothing worse than having an unusually warm day in October, and no short sleeve shirts to celebrate. I begin with Bird, I clear everything out of her dresser and closet and fold them out into sizes/seasons. I bring up the totes for whatever size is in her closet/drawers and the next size up. I pick out a few key items from this season to hold onto, and try on things from the next size to see where we're at. This year, Beanbag had more things than would fit in her drawers and closet, so I let her go 'shopping'. I picked out anything that was stained or I didn't quite like and set them aside. Ithen let her pick out what she liked and packed the rest back into the tote (Bunny may have different taste by 3T). Today it's my stuff and Bunny's stuff. Going through Bunny's stuff always makes me sad because I realize it may be the last time I'm seeing these things. Whether we decide to have another child or not, there is no guarantee that it would be another girl. My clothes on the other hand are depressing for a whole different reason. Because of my constant increase (maternity/ size 22 at my largest) and decrease (size 6 at my smallest) in sizes the past 5 years, it's always a chance drawing on what actually fits and corresponds with the season. Pray for me and my current endeavour.

Smelling Like Roses

So here it is....Since having children, I have yet to have a day that I end up smelling like roses. 15 days ago I began a mission to have one day (not even a 24 hour period, just from 6AM-8PM) that I did not have to deal with poop. I know I still have to change Bunny's diapers, but does she need to decide to do her happy dance just in time to get it on her foot and kick it all over my arm? And I know that Beanbag is potty training, but do I have to find out that she had an accident by sitting down in the exact chair that she pooped herself in? And I know Chloe hates me, but can't she just prove it by eating out of the trash again instead of stepping in a pile of the stuff she left in the middle of my kitchen floor? And I know I need to clean out the litter box, but why is there poop on the outside of it? And then there was the day of the mystery poop, which still goes unresolved. I was cleaning the house and while vacuuming the living room, I noticed a smudge on my arm, which was most definitely poop. Where it came from, I have no idea. I just have to chalk it up to another poopy day. Today has already been crossed off of the potentially poop free day, but there's always tomorrow. I have been praising God for things like baking soda, vinegar, soap nuts, and anti bacterial hand sanitizer as well as hiney wipes, paper towels and house rags. The first day without poop will be a cause for celebration, but I know that the first year without poop will be a cause of sadness and reminiscence of days gone by. Everybody is going to have a crappy day, and today is just one day in a long string of crappy days, and I couldn't be happier.

Mommy Sex

Yes, I said it...Mommy Sex. In my life, the two words are complete contradictions, not because I wrestle with that Madonna/Whore thought process and the necessary mental jumps that tend to accompany that, but because I'm a mommy and I'm tired, and sex (if done properly) is a lot of work. My husband and I recently had a passive aggressive joking spat about our sex life. Now, as a Christian, I believe that after loving God with all my heart, mind, body, and soul; I need to love my husband and respect the bonds of marriage above all else. This includes sex on a regular basis. Unfortunately, being a Christian and believing something doesn't automatically make it happen. I have hundreds of excuses and some of them are quite valid: Bunny sleeps either in our bed (to nurse once or twice a night) or in the hanging crib next to our bed, Beanbag wakes up at least once during the night and needs to be snuggled back to sleep or she'll begin screaming at the top of her lungs waking everybody up which results in being awake for hours (not to mention hubby's temper tantrum from being woken up), and Birdie and Chloe have something against anyone sleeping any later than 6:45....the list is endless, but most of it revolves around the reality of sleep deprivation. The recent spat began after Sug thought it was a good idea to put the "moves" on me at 5AM. Although he thought he was awake because of his unbridled passion for me, it was actually because I was just climbing back into bed after putting a fully nursed Bunny down in her crib. I had already been up twice with Beaner, twice with Bunny, and neither of the big girls went to sleep until 11PM (Ridiculous). Needless to say, Sug's enthusiasm far exceeded mine. A few minutes into our little make out session, Beanbag wakes up screaming....again. I had to "go, go, before she wakes everyone else up!". Later that day, I was confronted with the jokingly said statement of "How can I make myself more attractive to you, I'm already the best looking guy I know. It would be nice to be surprised by you every once in a while." I can only assume that everyone knows exactly what Sug meant. So, in a very respectful way, I posed a challenge to my dear husband. He didn't have to stay awake with me, but he did have to wake up every time that I did through out 1 night. He accepted my challenge. Last night was a fairly slow night. The girls went to bed easily and on time, Bunny only woke up around 1 and again around 5:30, and Bean only woke up once around 3. I never saw my husband move until 5:30. I had assumed that he did not participate in the challenge, until I received my morning phone call. Sug usually calls at about 7:15 to check in for the morning, my call this morning did not arrive until 8. I answered the phone to the words "Alright, you win. I woke up every time you did, I couldn't stay awake and I'm exhausted today, already. I just want to go to sleep. You win." Now, don't think for one minute that I win by us not having sex. That would actually be the biggest lose/lose situation ever. I think that what I was trying to show my husband was that the way that I feel about him and my enthusiasm for him has literally been exhausted by my duties as "Mommy". Sug will keep trying, and maybe I'll even surprise him sometimes, but it's nice to know that he can appreciate where I'm coming from. Instead of being angry, confused, feeling unattractive, or unwanted; he can understand and sympathize with our reality at this season of our lives. There truly is a season for everything. I am grateful and humbled by the fact that my husband loves me enough to accept my challenge and has taken it to heart. We've come a long way in our marriage, and this could easily have been another hurdle. It could have easily become a source of confusion, pain, resentment, and distance. Instead, we were able to take practical steps to understand each other better and open the table for discussion. Hopefully, in a few more months, Mommy Sex won't be such a contradiction.

A Day to Myself

I had a day to myself yesterday. I had Bunny, of course, but Birdie and Bean were having a lovely day of their own with their Uncle Brother and his family at the beach. Uncle Brother got his name because he is the only boy in our family. So instead of calling him by his real name, my sisters and I just started to call him Brother and with the births of all of our children it evolved into Uncle Brother. I had so much planned for my day to myself. I had picked up a bunch of delicious cucumbers from my CSA and planned on making some pickles to bring with us on vacation for Bird's birthday. Didn't happen. I planned on being able to read a couple of chapters of "The Princess Bride". Didn't happen. I planned on cleaning the house from top to bottom. Didn't happen, I didn't even take the clothes out of the dryer from the night before! I planned on making 4 sock monkeys for Craft Hope. Didn't happen, although, I almost finished one, she needs 1 eye and a smile! I planned on doing my Bible study. That I did do and it set the tone for my whole day. It may have seemed like a wasted day to the untrained eye, but to me, it was perfect. I did my bible study and spent a huge majority of the rest of the day playing with and snuggling and kissing my Bunny. During the average day, she gets so overlooked by all of the vocalized needs of the big girls, the discipline and training that's going on, and the day to day stuff of life. Bunny is so mild mannered and goes with the flow so easily, that I rarely get to just spend hours upon hours lavishing love upon her like I did for my Bird and my Bean. So that's how I spent my day to myself. I learned more about my God and my baby girl. It was totally worth the sink full of dishes, the dog hair tumbleweed covered floor, and the still unopened cover of a beloved book.

Food For Thought

I feel as though God has slowly been trying to teach me the proper way to care for my body. It's been a long road, but I think I may finally be getting it. The road started in a way that may seem easy enough; I stopped dropping acid. That was in 1997 (I think). I then stopped all hard drugs and finally quit smoking pot, but only because it made me paranoid and tired, not because I wanted to take care of my body, necessarily. That was in 2005, and yes, I was a Christian and a mom at that point. During this time, I was also battling alcohol, by no choice of my own. I gave up smoking cigarettes and only indulged in the occasional glass of wine while I was pregnant with Bird. After I had Bird, I was a breastfeeding mama so I tried to bump up my occasional drink without going completely haywire, but I realized that I just couldn't. At this point, I began to realize that I had a problem. One drink easily turned into 7 or 8. I didn't really know how to deal with it. I stopped hanging out with my friends and eventually even talking to most of them. I put everything I had into my baby and completely isolated myself. I prayed a whole lot and came to a point that I would actually become physically ill if I drank even a few sips of a beer. When I was pregnant with Bean, I had gestational diabetes and learned that my life was being run by SUGAR! The reality of multiple daily insulin injections really woke me up to the warning that gestational diabetes may be a precursor for adult onset type 2 diabetes. I vowed to change the way I ate and thought about food. I went on Weight Watchers and learned how to eat smaller portions and well balanced meals, and I had my last drink on September 22, 2007. When I got pregnant with Bunny, I was probably in the best shape of my life (not my lowest weight). I felt strong and although I wasn't on WW anymore, I had continued to apply some really good exercise and eating habits. With bunny, I wanted to have a homebirth, but if I had GD again, I would be considered high risk and would not be considered for a homebirth by the only midwife in our area who attended homebirths. I was suddenly thrust into a battle against diabetes. During that time, I learned a lot about herbs and the benefits of grinding my own wheat. With God's blessing, I narrowly beat the diabetes and was blessed with an amazing homebirth. That was nearly 4 months ago. Two weeks ago, I looked questionably at Beanbag when she said she "needed" to have a lollipop at 9:30 in the morning and I suddenly realized that it wasn't about me. I had been focusing all of this new found food knowledge on healing myself while continuing to allow my husband and children to become addicted to sugar and other unhealthy foods. I'm not going to let my children become a statistic. My children will not be counted as one of the nearly 24 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the US. After calling, once again upon my Lord, I was led to read "The Maker's Diet". In 2 days I was halfway through the book. I know that we will not be able to stick to all of this diet all the time, but I plan on adopting many of the guidelines in our home. Sug is not yet on board, so I may be buying 2 sets of groceries for a little while, but for a family who doesn't have much money, I'm sure that won't last long and the Doritos and cheese doodles will be taking the hit before the organic fruits and veggies. We have been blessed with our own little Garden of Eden by way of fruit trees and fertile land and I plan on making good use of both. I am so thankful that God has provided a way for my family to enjoy a healthy lifestyle and I look forward to amazing results.

The Luxury of Illness

I never thought being relegated to the couch with a bucket and a glass of water for what seemed like days on end was a luxury, until now. Mommies are not given the luxury of self focus during illness. How can we change this? I'll sign any petition, or vote for any law that would require that ONLY Mommy is allowed to be sick when she gets sick, and no one else is allowed to complain about feeling ill or ask her to participate in any day to day activities. I do believe that a 2 day limit would need to be set for this law as the temptation to curl up in bed, left alone to watch an overabundance of junk TV could be devastating to our economy and culture. I also think that daddies need to be sick first. Around these parts, if anybody besides Daddy gets sick first, Daddy freaks. All we hear about is what we were supposed to be doing or how his plans have been thwarted and he trys to get the sickie to carry on as if they are fine. But when Daddy gets sick first, he gets it. The girls are set up with activities, fed meals, and bathed while Mommy get regular hydration visits and respite from arguments and mayhem. Unfortunately, Beanbag, Bunny and I got sick this weekend. We still made it to the Farmer's Market, Babies R Us, Kohl's (to return some stuff), JC Penney (to buy some stuff to wear to a wedding), Trader Joe's and to a baby shower (sitting in the back of course). I will finally get the chance to sit completely still for a few hours today just in time to beat the tail end of this thing.

The phone just rang and it was Sug. He proceeds to tell me that he had to throw up right before he went to work today and that he was planning on doing absolutely nothing when he gets home. Part of me feels a little vindicated, but Daddy being sick is a whole other issue in and of itself.

One of Those Days

I was just reading through some of my past posts and realized that I never embellished upon my husband's new teeth, so here it is. I was away with all 3 girls and some other family members helping my grandparents clean out their house. It was the last day before everyone else was leaving to head home and the girls and I would be staying, because we could and there was so much more to do. My mother walked through the door announcing that there was something wrong with my car. I was not totally shocked because the afternoon earlier I had taken the girls to the playground to run out some energy and when I turned left to pull in to a parking spot, my car made the most horrible grinding crunching sound. My uncle gave it a whirl and it was decided that we needed to find a shop ASAP. As we were looking for the phone book, Sug called. He had just gotten a faceful of PVC pipe and had consequently knocked out his two front teeth. Thankfully, these were the same teeth he had knocked out by running face first into a tree as a kid, so the bloodshed and pain were minimal, but he wasn't sure if he should see a dentist or finish working. After advising him to call his boss and see if the dentist was available, I told him of our car trouble and we basically concluded that it was just 'one of those days'. I quickly dropped the car off and when I returned, I picked Bunny and her bouncy chair up off the floor and put them on the kitchen table (so none of the boxes of stuff would topple over and crush her). Instead, I bent down to pick something up and my elbow caught ahold of the edge of her chair flipping bouncy seat, baby and all onto the cement portion of my grandmother's kitchen floor. The baby had hit her forehead and her knees. I knew in my heart that she was alright, but the remainder of the day was spent in an emergency room waiting for my conclusions to be confirmed and being spoken down to by the attending physician. Those type days are the days that you can be sure that the angels are all over you. The car ended up with a broken axle that only cost $200, my husband ended up with a new set of teeth, and the baby was/is just fine. Praise God for His mercy, grace, and protection especially during 'one of those days' !!!

Vehicularly Vexed

I am utterly confused about this whole Clunkers for Cash incentive that's currently being offered. I normally wouldn't give a second thought to some scheme I couldn't understand, but we could really use a new car. Birdie and I were talking about a family of friends when she announced that the fact that they only have 2 children and are probably done having children was "bad, just not good".
Perplexed, I asked "Why?".
She exclaimed quite matter of factly, "Because it's better to have 3 or 4 or 6 kids!"
I tried to explain that God has a plan for each family and all families look different, some don't even have any kids, and some have many more than 6. I finished my mini sermon with what I thought was an extremely though provoking question... "How many children do you think God wants us to have in our family?"
As soon as the words were out of my mouth, she answered "3!"
Perplexed again, I asked "Why?"
I then had to cover my mouth to wipe away the smile that was fast spreading across it when her response was, "Because our car isn't big enough to fit anymore kids!" I believe that I have mentioned that Birdie is quite intelligent, and, of course, she's right.
Unfortunately, I love my car (not in a weird, don't touch it or eat in it kind of way, but I'm thankful for it). That car is the car that God gave me when I couldn't afford a car, never mind one THAT nice. That car is the one that Sug, my then fiancee bought for me and my safety. That's the car DJ and I used when we went to the beach and the movies the whole summer after her mother died. That's the car that moved us into our first little rental house. That's the car that drove us to the hospital when I was in labor with Birdie and drove our new little family home. That's the car that has taken us on all our family vacations, as well as all of our everyday errands. The broken moon roof is a reminder of a really rough storm about 4 years back. A tree branch fell on top of the car and cracked the moon roof while our new little family sat in the dark surrounded by candles listening to the wind howl (literally) through the ancient windowpanes around us. It was lovely. The crack in the windshield is a daily reminder of the day Bunny entered our world. Sug, broke the windshield when he pushed our new carpet into it by accident. Having Bunny at home ruined our carpet. Small price to pay for such an amazingly blessed experience.
There are some technical reasons I don't want to get rid of the car as well. First and foremost, I still owe quite a bit for it. Secondly, it has never cost all that much to fix whenever any issues have arisen. Thirdly, it fits all 3 car seats (snugly) and still has room for the stroller and a week's worth of groceries. Finally, it has all wheel drive which is beyond necessary for where we live. What's a girl to do? Well, when you have a husband like mine, you just tell him all of it (even if halfway through, he rolls his hands and eyes gesturing that he wants me to get to the point!). Well, after I poured out my heart and my concerns, he nonchalantly responded with "What about my truck, we can always trade it in and I can use your car, problem solved!"
"My hero!"

Introducing....

So, I figured it would be best to start this blog with a brief introduction to some of the key players in the story that is "my life". My life pretty much revolves around God, my family, and a small spattering of close friends. So, without any further ado, I bring you the cast...**Drumroll**

God~If you don't know Him, I'd be happy to introduce you, but I can only do that through His Son, Jesus. I'd like to think that we're pretty close, but there are a whole lotta days that I seem to forget He's here. (My fault, not His). We've known each other intimately for the past....almost 7 years, I guess. We've been through a lot in such a short period, it feels much longer.

Sug~My husband. His nickname is short for Sugar and he's been recognized by this name, not only by his loving wife, but also by most who know him. I suppose it may have been a little embarrassing or maybe even annoying the first 800 times he was referred to as such, but it's grown on him. The fact that his boss and the men in his new bible group call him Sug makes me laugh. Anyway, Sug's a year younger than me and never ceases to let me forget. He's working toward being a master plumber and pipefitter and works very hard to provide for us. Sug and I have been married for 5.5 years.

Bird, Birdie, Birddog~All are nicknames for my oldest daughter. She is currently 4 but will be 5 at the end of the summer. She's been planning her birthday party since Christmas. Needless to say, it changes everyday from princesses to animals to art to circus to Dora...she should be a party planner. Bird is "the big sister". She tends to have a heart for others (others meaning for those OTHER than her sister, Bean). She's an animal lover and could talk the bark off a tree. She's smart funny and definately a leader in the making, but right now...dare I say, she's just plain bossy.

Bean, Beaner, Beanbag~All are nicknames for my little middle daughter. She's 2.5 and a spitfire to say the least. She's the kid who uses the fishtank to fill up her teapot for her teaparties and tosses that fishwater back like she's doing shots at a fratparty. Life has been nothing short of interesting since Bean has joined us. She started walking at 8.5 months old and running 2 days later and hasn't stopped since. Beanbag LOVES music. She'll sing excerpts from ANNIE on command even in front of a crowd of people she doesn't know. It's fun because she IS 2 and doesn't speak completely clearly all the time and even though she'll be singing at the top of her lungs, it may take a few seconds before you can really recognize the song she's chosen. Bean is adventurous and makes us laugh often. She also has a tendency to make THE most annoying sound ever when she gets worked up, which tends to be more than I would like.

Bunny~Is the nickname for our youngest. She acquired this name by being born around Easter. She's almost 3 months old. At this point, she is the sweetest, most easy going of my three girls. She only cries when she's hungry or needs a diaper change. Mostly, she'll stare wide eyed at all the goings ons and flash the hugest smile when she notices you looking at her. For some reason, having Bunny has given me the desire to get a little greener in my living. She was my homebirth baby that I now cloth diaper, neither of which were the case with Bird or Bean. We co-sleep, breastfeeed until about 1.5 and more often than not use a sling, just like with Bird and Bean. Hey, it works for us.

Chloe~my arch nemesis. She's a 12 year old black lab who has hated me since I married my husband. We used to be pretty cool, but coming back pregnant from my honeymoon changed everything. My husband had her for 4 or 5 years before we started dating. Since he was a fisherman at the time and gone for days and sometimes weeks at a time, she was never trained with any consistancy and now we are usually at odds. She's beyond youthful for her age, even the vet who has known her since puphood just claimed that if he didn't know any better, he'd think he was examining a 3 year old dog....YEAH for me!

Lil Mo~ She's Birdie's new kitten. We've had cat's before, but she ROCKS. You can always find her playing with the girls or curled up sleeping with them at night. She lets them pull her tail and dress her up. She is a perfect fit for us as a family.

Me, Kimmiesunshine~ Last but not least, the writer of this here blog. From the prior introductions, it's pretty obvious that I am a Christian wife and mother of 3 girls. I was permanently laid off of my part-time bookkeeping job 1 week before Bunny was born, so I am now officially a SAHM. In my life before family, I was a nanny (which lead to my bookkeeping career), a massage therapist (trained and educated by a very reputable school, but only massaged for family, friends, and friends of friends as a hobby), and have for the past 7 years been trying to obtain certification as a birth doula, but I keep getting pregnant and having babies of my own. My motto is "My husband makes the money, and I save it". Let's just say that he does his job much better than I do mine in that regard. I like cooking and doing crafty type things. My focus is on my family and training us all up in the ways of the LORD, no easy task whatsoever. Since, I only recently became a Christian, you may notice that quite a bit of sass still flows freely, although, that may never change. I'm starting this blog to help me remember... my life in words.