Christmas - 4 down, 1 to go...

So, Christmas has been a very, very hectic time around here. We have had, so far, 4 Christmases (party at my mom's with my dad's friends from college on Sunday, opening gifts at my mom's on Monday, Santa dropping in on Tuesday, going to Milwaukee to see Stan's grandmother on Tuesday) and have one left - Christmas in Joliet with Stan's family, but we hold that one off for New Years day.
We'll be having our traditional New Year's Eve party that's not a party. Everyone with kids is invited to come and bring the kids with. We'll eat pizza and snacks and watch movies all night. If I can get things together (ha!) I'm going to try to clear out space in the basement so the kids can vanish down there and play. The girls best friends that are twins are coming so they are over the moon.
I am soooooooooo looking forward to school starting again and going back to work. I miss my routine!

We're 5 for 5

Kid #3 succumbed yesterday. At least we'll have all the fun of puking over before Christmas and I think the girls will all make it to their Holiday Party at school tomorrow.
I am tired, but actually slept through the night (well, 6 hours of sleep!!). I could use about 30 more, but that will have to wait until tomorrow night. I am off now (6am) to go to the 24 hour Wal-Mart for some supplies that I forgot for the girls craft for tomorrow and then hopefully the post office opens early and I can get some flat rate boxes to finish my Christmas shipping...

'Tis the season

For the stomach flu! It's running through our house right now, which explains why I am up at such a crazy hour (2 am). I started it off last Friday, Hannah followed on Saturday, Stan yesterday and Sarah about 1/2 an hour ago. Sigh....only one more kid for it to run through. At least we should be done before Christmas...

Guess who we saw today?

Best Christmas Photos Ever

Rest assured that this will not be the picture you get on your Christmas card,
but they turned out so nicely that I couldn't resist!

Soooo busy, will try to post more soon!

Upon further review

Sarah got 7 stitches, not 6. Here are the pics...

Never a dull moment

Bear with me, this is gonna be a long one!
So, yesterday I was at work and my cell phone rang. I checked the caller ID and it was the school nurse. I answer and it isn't the school nurse, it's the secretary. She's calling FOR the school nurse to tell me that Sarah fell and cut her head open and that someone needs to come take her to the ER as soon as possible. The nurse can't come to the phone because she is 'working on Sarah'. OK, so my mommy sick feeling kicks in. I tell her I am going to call my husband because he is closer to school. I call Stan, tell him to high tail it out of work and go get her and to call me as soon as he sees her. I tell my boss (who, thank goodness was home and it was almost time for the babies to go down for a nap) that I have to go. I call the school back and ask to talk to Sarah and the playground supervisor answers the phone in the nurses office. I ask her if it's bad (I know her from hanging out waiting for our kids to get out of school) and she says that I need to come. Now. OK - now I am in super panic mommy mode - she has a bunch of kids and wouldn't say that unless it was bad. So I call Stan, tell him to bring Sarah to the Edward Hospital Urgent care and that I will meet them there.
After the longest 20 minute drive of my life I get there and start waiting. I call Stan and he says that I should make sure they have a CAT scan there in case x-rays are needed. X-rays? I can't take it!! So I go in and check, and, for future reference, they do have a CAT scanner.
He pulls up with Sarah who will not walk...she wants me to carry her. I grab her and run into the urgent care and the woman at the desk tries to get Sarah into a wheelchair and she wants NOTHING to do with it. She is screaming and yelling that she's OK, she doesn't need a wheelchair.
We get into the room and the nurse takes a look at the wound. It's HUGE. About the size of a quarter, and about an INCH deep. Blood is everywhere. Sarah is freaking because she can't take the sight of blood.
The doctor comes in and does a thorough neuro exam and Sarah passes (thank God!) with flying colors. He tells the nurse to prep Sarah for stitches, so she gets out the cotton ball soaked in lidocaine and puts it on her wound. After she does this, I asked Stan to go confirm with the doctor that Sarah truly didn't need an x-ray because she had been being a bit combative and unlike her normal self. He goes out to check, I get Sarah settled again and we start to watch Dragon Tales.
Stan comes back in and says he's going to go sit in the lobby for a minute, does he look pale? Then, BAM! He passes out. Falls right to the ground. Nurses are running in, the doctor is running in, I get Sarah off the bed and run out to another room. She is screaming that her daddy is dying, I am trying not to freak out and trying to get her away from there AND find out what the heck is happening to my husband.
The nurse comes in and tells us that it looks like the combination of the lovely 90 degree heat here and the stress of getting Sarah taken care of (plus the gore of the wound) probably all added up and caused him to faint. She said it happens most of the time to the dads (apparently we moms are made up of tougher stuff). I tell her he is on blood pressure meds, she doesn't seem concerned.
The doctor comes in and assures me Stan is OK. At this point I am losing it, and Sarah is trying to comfort me and apologizing saying that all this is her fault. Poor baby.
Then they get ready to stitch her and Sarah freaks out, screaming, thrashing. They get her calmed down but have to go ahead and inject the anesthetic into the wound because it was too deep for the cotton ball. She freaks again. By the time they start stitching she has calmed down enough and I am holding her legs down and sobbing. I get it together by the time they finish - 2 internal stitches and 6 (blue!) external stitches.
I collect my husband, who insists he can drive home, and make him get in the van with us. Then we go to pick up my other 2 girls, who, thank goodness, went home with my girlfriends' girls.
After all this, my other girlfriend took me to get the other van from Edward's parking lot.
I am glad yesterday is over.

Busy, busy, busy

Things are sooo busy around here! I feel like I never have a minute to catch my breath. Part of the increase in activity is that I am working not one, but two jobs now. I watch the triplets that I watched last year three days a week (they are 13 months old now and a blast!) and I watch another set of triplets (they are 10 month old boys) 2 days a week. So I drop the girls at school, go right to work, leave work and go right to pick the girls up. Then there are all the after school activities...it's crazy! However, the jobs are perfect in that I can still drop off/pick up the girls and I have no worries about childcare. The occasional day off of school or illness can conflict, but usually grandma and grandpa are glad to have the girls that day!

A little story to illustrate how my week has been...

So...yesterday I went to work, went to the grocery, picked up the girls and brought them home. They had choir last night, so I made them do their homework right away and at 5:15 we went to Wendy's to get dinner. After dinner we went right to choir. I met my girlfriend, Carolyn, there and we were sitting in the vestibule chatting when I decided to put my feet up on the chair.
When I looked at my feet.....








I was wearing.....








2 different shoes!

That's pretty much how my life has been in a nutshell lately.

Feeling very efficient today...

but very tired. I have completed the following today:

• got up at 4 with daughter #2 who refused to go back to sleep
• cleared off the 'counter of death' in the kitchen
• made a coherent grocery list after searching the ads
• went grocery shopping and forgot nothing on said list
• browned 3 lbs of ground turkey
• crockpotted 4 lbs of chicken breasts
• made 2 lbs of macaroni noodles
• packaged the above for freezer/fridge
• went to the eye doctor
• took girls to birthday party and picked them up from said party
• made a plan for the week's dinners

I am tired.

I made ParentHacks.com!

I made parenthacks.com again! It's one of my favorite websites!

http://www.parenthacks.com/2007/09/meal-orders-red.html

I made the paper!

And on my birthday, too :-D

Click here

Teenagers!

So, I'm driving from work to pick the girls up at school. I go through a neighborhood where the speed limit is 25, and I am being careful (since I saw a million cops in the neighborhood on my way to work) to go 30. There is a car behind me with 2 teenage boys in it. It seems to be following me closely, and it's really aggravating me. I pull up to a stop sign and the car pulls next to me (on the left). I assume he's just going to pass me because I am driving *too slowly*. He signals to me to roll down my window and I am all ready for some sort of argument or taunting about driving a Maxi-van... I roll down my window and the kid asks,
"Does GGG 2000 stand for girl, girl, girl born in 2000?" (that's my license plate)
I answer, "Yep!"
The kid says, "That's cool!" and then signals for me to go ahead.
Darn teenagers! I get myself all ready for a rumble and then they pull that!!

Hi ho! Hi ho!

It's back to work I go - with a twist this year! Not only am I watching the triplets I watched last year (they'll be a year old on the 31st) , I have added a new set of 9 month olds that I will be watching 2 days a week at least through September! I know, I'm crazy! But, I really love being with the babies (well, toddlers now!) and it's a great fit with the girls' school schedule! So far, so good :-D

We have liftoff!

I now have 3 second graders!!!


Hannah

Sarah

Emma

Sarah

Emma
Hannah

ONE MORE DAY

One more day until school starts! I can't believe it. I went to parent orientation last night, oh my gosh! I hope I am able to keep up with all the paperwork! The girls' school went to an A-B-C-D-E schedule for their 'specials' (music, art, pe and health) and initially the girls' were in different groups, but their new teacher realized that might be a little much for me, so they will all have the same rotation. Dodged that bullet!!

It's getting closer...

The girls got their classroom assignment today. They are all in the same class, with the teacher that was my first choice. So far, it looks like it's going to be a great year! We are going shopping this afternoon for clothes and shoes...it's that time of year!

Backpack Shopping

School is just around the corner...we went backpack shopping last night. The girls got new backpacks and lunch boxes. Let the countdown begin!

The girls also got a new cousin this week, Pierce Henry was born on Wednesday.

Home from Vacation

We're back from vacation. It was lots of fun, but now there is a period of 'grandma withdrawal'. The girls got used to having grandma and grandpa around 24/7 and it's been a little tough for them. I am just trying to get unpacked...there is still is stuff everywhere, but I'm slowly making my way through it. Little by little, I'll dig out...
We've been spending time at the pool, but, alas, there are no sea shells to search for like at the lake.
When does school start again??

Latest pictures

Here are some of the latest pictures...


This is one of my favorite pictures ever! One of the moms who was helping at Bible School is also a reporter and she took it on the grounds of our church.

Double the triplets!! Hannah and Sean, Sarah and Luke and Emma and Charlotte.
These are the babies I watch while my babies are in school.

Hannah making a fashion statement....

It's T-ball Time!!

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime

Summer has been thrust upon me, and with it, three children 24/7! Aaack! I'm finding some sanity by taking them to the pool almost every day and the park district (God bless those people) have a free program twice a week in the mornings. The kids get to do crafts and play games, lots of fun stuff! Next week, Vacation Bible School!

The end of the year crush

It's here - the end of the year crush! The girls have started t-ball, and their ballet recital is this weekend. Not to mention that there is something assigned to a letter of the alphabet for every one of the last 26 days of school! Then there's Field Day, the family picnic, the field trip to the zoo....so many things to keep track of and prepare for! Part of me wants school to be over, but there's also a part of me that is not too excited at the prospect of having the girls home all day, every day all summer!!

In the hallway with an entire elementary school

Don't you love tornado season? I was helper mom today and there was a sighting, so we all were in the hallway :-D

It was a long, hot time, but thankfully, there was no tornado.

Birthday Party Pictures - click below

Make your own | Click to play

Happy Birthday to Hannah, Sarah and Emma!!

Today my babies turn 7! I can hardly believe it. From 2 pound preemies to smart, happy first graders -- it's amazing!

What a weekend!

This weekend was really busy. I had a luncheon for new and expecting moms that went really, really well. It's always nice to see the 'new' moms! Then a bunch of triplet moms from the local group went to the Oak Brook Lodge Hotel and spent Saturday night. It was a blast - especially the martini/Italian tapas bar we went to. The entertainment was like something out of a SNL skit - the Sweeney sisters, perhaps, or Will Ferrell being the music teacher. Never in my wildest dreams have I seen the combination of hot pants and a red sequined duster!! There was plenty of laughter (and martinis!).
After that restful night I got an incredible surprise. One of my best friends in the entire world, Carolyn, organized a bunch of moms from our bunco group to come and help me declutter. I came home to a much cleaner, more organized house. I am both humbled and embarrassed that things got so out of hand. Depression is a funny thing, and I don't mean funny ha-ha, it pretty much sucks any will to do anything other than what is completely essential. And this time of year is depression city for me -- I still have a lot of issues regarding the girls traumatic birth. So this surprise was the most incredible blessing for me. I've been crying since I got home from being so grateful! I can't believe that people would care enough about me to help me with something that was seemingly overwhelming for me!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

So busy, so busy

Well, the Easter chaos has died down and now I am in the throes of birthday party planning! The girls are having their party at Sweets and Treats - a local candy store - and I am busy trying to get invitations out, goodie bags assembled, etc. I am also speaking at a new moms luncheon on Saturday and then spending the night at the Lodge in Oakbrook. It will be a nice break, but I've really got to figure out what I'm going to say!! I feel like the treadmill is speeding up and I might fall off!

Whooo hooo! School is back!

SO glad to have the girls back in school! I have a funky work schedule this week, with Good Friday, so today is my day off....well, my day to get things done! I have stops planned for Target, the post office, Blockbuster, Jewel, and helper mom at 2. Sounds restful, huh??

Aacckk! Spring break!

The dreaded Spring Break has arrived. An entire week or kids at home and it is forecasted to rain every day but today . It's gonna be a long one!

Back in the saddle again....

So far, so good this week (although it is only Monday). The weekend was insane - we had something from Friday night until Sunday afternoon! I am looking forward to a calm week --> although I just lost one of my new crowns!! I have to go in tomorrow and get a new one.

All better

At least for now....Hannah woke up yesterday and her temp was 98.2. Phew! I was able to go to work (hooray!) and hopefully will be able to finish out the week. I really needed to be away from sick kids -- 24/7 for 2 days was getting on my nerves (but my kitchen is pretty clean!).

Aaacckk! Sick kid!

Hannah has been running a fever since Sunday night. Took her to the doctor yesterday, her strep test was negative so the verdict was a virus that has to run it's course. She had to miss school Monday and I kept her home again today because her temp was 100.5 this morning. Hopefully she will be better tomorrow - she is star of the week and is heartbroken that she hasn't gotten to share her poster that she worked so hard on!

Carnival Shots!

Here are some pictures of our booth - the theme was Mousetrap...

Winter Carnival

Today is the school's winter carnival. The theme for our booth is mousetrap. We are having the kids throw tiny catnip mice into a piece of cheese (a bean bag target covered to look like cheese). Because I am certifiably insane, I bought myself mouse ears and a gray shirt to wear. The girls said I should give myself whiskers and a black nose, so I am going to. I also got one of the pet carriers that they send your pets home in when you buy them at the store to put the catnip mice in. In 50 years when it is time to put me in the home, I hope they remember I did this for them and put me in a nice one!

Tired

Got up late.... trying to play catch up. We have family fundraiser night tonight as well as choir for the girls. Then either I or Stan will go to the adult choir tonight. Oh well, I guess there's always tomorrow morning for catch up!

Day off??

Well, I guess technically since I'm not working today I have a day off. I have so many errands to run! Grocery, pharmacy, dentist and dropping off items at the girls school for starters. I wonder if I'll ever get caught up on everything I need to do.

As the Boomtown Rats said...

"I don't like Mondays". It's 5:35 am and so far I have:

1. Comforted a child who came into my room crying
2. Started a load of laundry
3. Mentally calculated that my children use at least 42 socks and 21 pairs of underwear every week
4. Started the dishes that were taking over the sink
5. washed my hair and put it in rollers; sat under the dryer while I...
   
6. checked my e-mail

I'm tired and my day hasn't even started yet!

Update:
It's now 7:30 am and I have done another load of laundry, made 4 lunches, packed three snacks, got three folders ready, got three girls dressed, got myself dressed, made myself a giant iced latte, helped a friend with some website text, sent invitation drafts to my sister. Now all that's left to do is 3 girls hair, toothbrushing, facewashing, backpack getting, coat putting on, getting in the car and going to school. Must be in the car by 8:30 am - I have a few seconds to breathe!

First Post

I am going to try to get into blogging again! I let my other one lapse, so now I am trying to get back into the swing of it. Things have been busy - the girls are in first grade and loving it! I went 'back to work' as a mother's helper - I started when the babies were about 6 weeks old; now they're 6 almost 6 months old. It's a great job and lots of fun!
Life is crazy most of the time, but I'm going to try to stay on top of the blog!