Every time I log on to look at my blog I feel completely overwhelmed by all that I need to do in order to catch up. So...tonight I decided that I would add some monthly folders from July 2013 to current so that I would be able to slowly try to catch up on last year but not miss any of the current updates.
What is a typical day like in the Stamps household these days?!? Well...I have 5 year old twins and an almost 2.5 year old little guy so we still are on the move. The kids usually wake up around 7:00 am and on school days (M-R) we need to leave the house around 8:15 am in order to get to PreK by 9:00 am. Reid insists on wearing a dinosaur or digger shirt every day. Cole could care less about what he wears so I just pick something out for him and lay it on the ground so he can put it on himself. Gwen is extremely picky about what she wears. She insists on wearing dresses but is bothered by dresses with sleeves. So, yes, I am the mom who drops her daughter off at prek with sleeveless dresses in the middle of the winter. I finally decided that it is not worth arguing with her about what she wears. If she is cold the natural consequence would be for her to be cold and realize next time that she should wear layers so why stress over it? When it comes to feeding my trio they all have yogurt first thing in the morning and then I try to load them up with protein because Cole is a bear if he doesn't have the protein to balance out the carbs. When I say 'bear', i mean he will start hitting/kicking/screaming/temper tantruming etc. if he does not eat properly every few hours. Reid survives on cows milk at this point but wants to be held and snuggled most of the time when he drinks it. I swear if he had been a long term nurser he would still be nursing every few hours! So after everyone is fed they do their "jobs" of brushing teeth, watching faces, brushing hair, putting on shoes/coats etc. Then we get into the car and usually there is some kind of disagreement about who is going to sit in each of the carseats. After Mommy declares that may be late if we continue this fight things usually get settled. Once I start the car Reid immediately wants his milk and a packed breakfast and Gwen insists that I need to pull over because her carseat strap is too loose. Cole is not happy with the song selection mainly because Reid insists on listening to his new favorite music together song, Don Alfredo Baila, at least 15 times each day. Somehow we usually manage to arrive at school early which is good because Gwen and Cole are obsessed with using the bathroom there even if they just used it before leaving home 30 minutes prior. I usually try to entertain Reid outside the bathroom door while the big kids go but if i need to wipe a bottom or two, Reid just makes himself at home by coming into the stall and trying to flush the toilet which usually ends with Gwen or Cole yelling that they don't like him flushing it when they are on it. If i can convince Reid to stay outside of the bathroom he plays in the water fountain and ends up with a wet shirt (and sometimes pants). On the way up the stairs to the classroom Reid refuses to walk and usually fusses until I carry him. Yes, I admit that carrying him is so much easier than holding his hand and trying to convince him to walk with the group. I love getting kisses from Cole and Gwen before they run into their classroom where their teachers, Mrs. M and Mrs. Kamon welcome them by commenting on their smiles, outfits etc. After drop off I usually chat with a Mommy or two on the way out of the church/school and then Reid and I have all of 2.5 hours to shop/play etc. Some days we go grocery shopping. Reid loves the lobsters and the train at wegmans. He also enjoys buying yogurt and eating it in the kids section especially if some of his little friends meet us there. Other days we head to playdates with friends or just enjoy the weather as Mommy and son and still other days we head home so Mommy can get some housework done while Reid enjoys having all of the toys to himself. At pick up there is usually fussing on Cole's part because he is starving (they only get a small carb loaded snack at school). I try to have some fruit, veggies and protein ready for my big guy to munch on in the car but getting to the car is often difficult as the kids want to say goodbye to all of their friends and then they push and shove to be the first one in the car and the first one to get to the bottle of sanitizer. After everyone is strapped in I get to ask my big kids about school and they love to tell me: "we don't want to tell you, Mommy" It is like they enjoy having a little secret between the two of them but after a few minutes I usually get an answer out of one or both of them. When we get home I make lunch for everyone while they run around the house loop (kitchen, family room, hallway, dining room and REPEAT). On a good day I only have to stop a few times to help with boo boos or pull one of the boys off of another child. After lunch I head upstairs with Reid to give him a breathing treatment and put him down for his nap. I love snuggling him during his breathing treatments. He always holds a dog dog and sometimes Dino his dinosaur or another small plastic animal like orange frog are in his other hand. After he goes down I try to get the big kids settled with quiet time. Some days that happens and other days we end up playing games or crafting together and if i'm lucky one or both kids will help me prep dinner. When Reid wakes up from his nap he is usually very needy. He likes to be held for awhile so we usually end up having reading time as a family. Gwen and Cole seem to understand the basics of reading but they have no interest in reading by themselves--they much prefer for me to read to them and i love having all three kids snuggled close and calm. They ask 1,001 questions while i'm reading and ask the same 1,001 questions the very next time i read the same story. There is usually a fight over my lap at some point and there is always some crying on Reid's part because he thinks we should just read his stories and his always have to be read first. Afterwards we eat our 3:00 pm snack (If cole misses this he becomes a grouch/bear etc.!) then we try to head outside to play. These days going outside means getting everyone in snowpants, boots, gloves, hats etc. This is quite a process because everyone needs help at the same time but once we're outside they usually enjoy shoveling, digging, blowing bubbles, stomping in puddles etc. Once we're finishing up our outside time, Daddy comes home for dinner. I rush to get dinner on the table while the kids clobber Daddy. All three kiddos are very active in the evenings so it is often difficult to keep my cool when they are running around like little crazies and we still have to baths, snack and calm them down for bed. REcently Gwen and Cole have been going to bed around 7:30/8:00 pm and Reid has been going down with a breathing treatment around 8:30 pm. Cole often goes to bed and then comes downstairs several times to tell us that he is scared and wants to sleep in our room. He then helps himself to the toddler mattress in our sitting room or to Daddy's side of the bed. Reid continues to wake up 1-2 times a night begging for milk and a few nights a week Gwen wakes me by saying "mommy" in my face because she needs help finding her lost bunny or blankie. Cole sometimes ends up at the foot of our bed. BUT one of my favorite parts of the day is when I wake up in the morning hearing Reid singing "MOmmy, Mommy, Mom. I want you, mommy" and then I bring him into our bed to join Cole and then Gwen comes in and we have everyone together and semi calm for a few minutes before starting our day :) That about sums up a day in our lives at the moment. Oh except on Wed. when Gwen has dance in the early evening and I try to entertain the boys for an hour while she dances.
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