Amazon and my black list

This has been quite a week. Ever since we've been away from home I've been ordering Christmas presents and Halloween costumes all over the place on Amazon.
The first few were delivered without a hitch and I really didn't think about the fact that we had a temporary change of address on our house. I figured most of the packages would come UPS and the ones that came USPS would be left on our front porch, as always. Perhaps that was dumb on my part.

OK - it was dumb.
I got an email asking if I'd gotten a package from someone and I had the lady who is taking care of our pets/house check. Nope. Not there. OK.

I decided I better check Amazon and see if the rest of the packages had arrived. Most of them hadn't. The tracking pages said things like "undeliverable" or "in transit" -- even if it had been 2 weeks -- not comforting things like "delivered" or "forwarded."

I started panicking! These were my kids' Christmas presents! Worse - my birthday present, a Kindle, was on it's way there too!
I have talked to the post office several times, and each time they've told me that there's nothing they can do. If the packages aren't sent first class mail they'll be returned to sender. First class packages will be forwarded to me. I'd have to contact the sellers and fix this mess.

Fine.

I've spent hours online and on the phone and I've gotten one package re-sent to me at my temp address, one is going to send it again after I pay for shipping again (grr!) and one assures me that it was sent first class so I should be getting it here any day. (we'll see.)
One other package is still in transit, but I suspect I'll have to reorder it and have it sent to me here in Washington. A pain, but my fault I suppose.


Now, for the Kindle - and the reason Amazon is on my black list.
A few points to know first:

1 - When I ordered it I used a $50 gift certificate I had from my credit card points.
2 - I also signed up for the Amazon Visa card and got a promotional $100 off the Kindle.
3 - I HAD to have it shipped to my home address or I wouldn't get the $100 off. I tried, in vain, to get Amazon to ship it to me in Washington, but they would not.
4 - I was unaware that packages weren't being delivered or forwarded.

So, when I realized that packages weren't arriving but were instead being returned (how dumb is that anyway?! Thanks USPS!) I emailed Amazon. I got a couple of automated, unhelpful responses. Finally, I sucked it up and called them. Their phone people were so nice, but not helpful. The first lady was so sweet and was all - Sure, we can help you! No problem! Let me transfer you to the Kindle customer service line!
But then, the phone kept messing up and she finally gave me a number to call instead. I waited and let my phone nerves wear off and then called again. I spoke to a man who was decidedly unhelpful. He said that they couldn't do anything. NOTHING!
When I told him that the package would be sent back to them unless it was sent first class - he told me it wasn't. (Thanks cheap Amazon. I'm spending hundreds of dollars and you can't spring for first class mail?!)
Then when I asked what I could do, he said that I couldn't really do anything.
I'd have to wait till the Kindle was sent back to them.
Then I'd have to wait for my refund.
THEN I could re-order it but I'd still have to have it sent to my home address.
HELLO!? That's what caused this mess in the first place!

When I said that wouldn't work, he said that I could call right after I order it and get the shipping address changed to my temporary address but he wasn't sure that would work either.

When I asked if I could just wait and reorder when I got my Amazon Visa in the mail, (and could therefore send it here instead of home) he said I could, but the cards can take awhile.

When I asked if I would still get the $100 off he said maybe. Only if the promotion hadn't expired.

That sucks!

Amazon doesn't seem too motivated to sell their Kindles! I was so excited to get this and now I'm totally bummed. If I don't get the $100 off when I am FINALLY able to reorder - then I am going to have to strongly reconsider how much I want this thing.
Amazon, hands down, has been my favorite online shopping place for years. I have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars with them!
This is the repayment I get?!

Baby S

I have a new niece! Isn't she beautiful?
Sawyer was born Tuesday @ 7lbs 4oz.
Wish we were there.

Am I the only one?

Am I the only one who likes to sit on Etsy's front page and watch the recently updated items? I get a little thrill out of watching new things pop up every 15 seconds.

This could be bad for my checkbook.

Good. Also - bad.

Good:

• Brussels sprouts
• Coloring with the kids
• Asparagus
• More creamer than coffee
• Stretching
• Sleep
• Friends
• Chocolate
• Learning to cook with whole wheat flour
• An unexpected cash gift
  

Bad

• Beets
• Kidney beans
• Political emails that are stupid and untrue
• People who forward stupid crap all the time
• White chocolate
• Blisters
• Boring t-shirts and jeans, over and over
• Leaky roofs
• Unhappiness

Random enough? Eh. It's a random kind of day.

Dogs or boys?

Untitled from Devan on Vimeo.

Did you miss me?

Cause, you know, I didn't post for 4 WHOLE DAYS. There's no coincidence that this is the same amount of time my inlaws were here. They are on their way to the airport as I type.
Their visit was fine.

Let's move on.

Do any of my readers live in Seattle? Not to offend you, but I'm not loving it here. It rains a lot (duh) and the traffic. Oh. My. The traffic.

I've come to realize that I am not made for city living. If I lived here in Seattle I would rarely go downtown. Not like this weekend, when we trekked down there TWICE, because someone wanted to. One day it was raining of course.

Can you just see us? I had C strapped to me in my Mei-Tei, and d and O were in the stroller and we were running from our parking space (way far away) to the Science Center. Needless to say, we didn't stay dry long.
Nevermind that we had already BEEN downtown the day before and no one was interested in doing anything down there even though it was a beautiful NOT RAINY day. Once it started raining, we of course had to go down there again and go to a museum. Even though there is one very similar that we could have gone to near where we actually live (that's half as expensive and all inside with FREE PARKING.)
And then, since it was raining, no one was interested AGAIN in doing all the typical Seattle things, like the Space Needle and shopping and such. Nevermind that we drove all the fricking way down there because someone wanted to.
But the $35 parking ticket made it all worth it.

Oh, had we moved on? Sorry.

At least I got some flowers for $10 at Pike Place Market. Of course, that was the not rainy day.



HUGE bouquet! It's actually much bigger than it looks in that picture.

Finish it!

I snagged this from Shelly. Fun!

FINISH THE SENTENCE

Maybe I should get some "real" clothes on and take the kids outside and check the mail.
I love the smell of Burt's Bees baby wash.
People would say that I am sweet.
I don’t understand why people lack common sense sometimes.
I lost my motivation.
Life is a wild ride. Crazy and over too soon.
My past involves nothing too exciting.
My idea of a good time is going out with girlfriends and no kids. Or D and no kids.
I wish I was thinner.
Twins are 2 babies.
Dust bunnies are our friends.
Tomorrow I’m going to see my inlaws again.
I have low tolerance for holier than thou attitudes.
I’m totally terrified of spiders.
I wonder why a clean diaper is an invitation to poop.
Never in my life have I tried illegal drugs.
High school was not so bad.
When I’m nervous I close down and freeze up.
One time at a family gathering someone had sex in the bathroom. ew.
Take my advice: Make sure you're ready.
Taking a good picture is almost impossible if you want a group shot of 3 squirmy kids.
I’m almost always sarcastic.
I’m addicted to TiVo.
I want someone to give me a bunch of money.

Optimistic Tuesday

I'm devoting this Tuesday to being optimistic and being thankful. I'm trying to let some things go and become more at peace with the way things are going in my life.

* My kids are wonderful, beautiful, & smart. Most importantly, they are happy and healthy.

* My family doesn't want for things. We have a wonderful house, food to eat, and more things than we need.

* We have a multitude of family and friends that love us and care about us.

* I have a computer, which helps me stay in touch with everyone, even though we're far away.

* D will soon start working less and we will be able to do more. I will get less homesick, or at least more patient. What's 2 or 3 months in the grand scheme of things?

* I may not be as thin as I would like, but I have the ability to work on it. Physically, I am capable and healthy. Mentally, I am strong and determined.

* D & I are still very much in love. We lean on each other and can make it through anything.

TMI Monday

I've been on the mini pill exactly 4 days and hate it already.
I've gained several pounds that took me a month to lose. In 4 days.
My milk supply is down, C is nursing every 2 hours instead of every 3-4.
I feel crampy and bloated and have no interest in things that could actually get me pregnant.

Is this how it works? It makes you fat and uninterested so that you won't get pregnant? Brilliant!

I have a feeling my relationship with the mini pill is going to be very, very short.

What in the world?!

I started the mini pill a few days ago and IMMEDIATELY gained 4 lbs. What?! I am ticked.

My $9 bag

Per request, a picture of my $9 bag.

It's not a hot purse or anything, but it's cute and huge and perfect for taking things to the pool or beach. There are two beach towels in there in the pic and you can't even tell! There's tons more room too.

Friday Confessions

Since I have nothing better to do...

1 - Every time I start to lose weight, I sabotage myself somehow. (i.e. buying and eating too many Oreos, when I haven't eaten any in years.) Why do I do this?

2 - I love taking pictures of my kids, but wish I had a better camera.

3 - I'm having an extremely hard time adjusting to living here. I want to go home and I think the lack of friends and mobility is depressing me.

4 - My kids are watching way too much T.V. since we've been here. We have NOTHING to do and I feel guilty about it.

5 - I took a pregnancy test yesterday. It was negative. I almost cried from joy.

6 - I can't decide if I want more kids. I know I don't want any more till at least 2010 if we decide on one more. I need C to be at least close to 2 before we add another.

7 - I've been extremely irritable this week. PMS? Blues? Stress? I don't know. I don't like it.
I hope I feel more cheery by next Thursday. Otherwise, I might not be able to be pleasant to D's parents.

8 - I can't imagine never having another sweet little newborn, but on the other hand, I don't feel like a good parent to the 3 I have sometimes. Would it really be wise to add to that?

9 - I bought a really cute bag yesterday for $9. I totally didn't need it, but $9?!

10 - I recently saw a really ugly baby and lied and said how cute she was.

8-8-08 MEME

I've been tagged by Astarte at The Muddled Sage!

8 TV shows I Love to watch:
Big Brother
Grey's Anatomy
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Baby Borrowers
What Not to Wear
Friday Night Lights
Two and a Half Men
Desperate Housewives

8 restaurants I love:
Olive Garden
Moglie's (Italian)
Sonic (I know it's fast food, but I love their drinks...)
Rosie's (Mexican)
Phil Sandovals (Mexican)
Terranova's (Italian)
Cracker Barrel
IHOP (It's been YEARS since I've eaten here...)

8 things that happened today:
I went to W*l Mart and spent a stupid amount of money on useless junk, and it made me happy.
My kids fought their naps for over TWO HOURS.
I almost passed out from blowing up two $1 pool floats.
We didn't go swimming because of the nap fiasco.
I made dinner.
We picked up D from work.
I ate a dozen Oreo's and I haven't eaten Oreo's in at least a couple years.
I drank 2 glasses of wine. (Wow - diet going well?)

8 things I am looking forward to:
Going home.
A/C at home.
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
Going home.
My niece's birth in a couple days to weeks.
My birthday on the 5th.

8 Things I Love about Summer:
You can go swimming a lot.
There are more daylight hours.
You want to die from heat. Oh wait, that's not love.

8 Olympic Events I want to see:
swimming
gymnastics
That's it. I have watched approximately 13 minutes of Olympics this year.

8 things on my wish list:
A/C. Seriously. This Southern girl is used to A/C!
To go home.
To go home.
D not to work so much.
A/C
To go home.
Is this 8 yet?
I've had 2 glasses of wine, give me a break.

8 people I want to do this same thing:
Um, I don't know.
I never tag people for these things.
The End.
Why are you still reading?
THE. END.
You're still reading aren't you?
The end. For real this time.

Fitting in

I'm part of 3 mother message boards. I know a LOT of people don't like them, but they've always been fun for me.
However, lately it doesn't feel that fun. One of the boards is pretty crunchy and small, one is very conservative and very small and one is pretty mainstream and very large.
How is it that I feel like I don't really fit in anywhere?
I can post the same exact topic on each board and get exact opposite responses. I feel like I'm a mix of all those places.
Well, maybe not the conservative one so much. I love so many of the women there, but we have so little in common sometimes. I often feel like an outsider, and they are all very religious yet there are some that act anything but.
I also often feel like I'm not crunchy enough for my crunchy board, though I really love that one.
The other, more mainstream, board is good too, but with that many people there are bound to be problems and annoyances.

It's so frustrating. I feel like I have all these different parts of me, but no part is big enough to define me. Mainstream or crunchy, conservative or liberal...
Am I the only one who feels like I don't fit a label?

Are you sick of pictures yet?

3y 5mo

~16mo

~3mo

What day is it?

I know it's Monday but it feels like it should still be Friday. That's what happens when you don't have a weekend. Oh well.

Being that it is Monday, it's also weigh in day. Drum roll please!

I lost 2 lbs and 4.25 inches last week! I guess adding in the YOU On A Diet workout kicked me in gear. I feel more lean and muscular too, though 2 lbs is really not-a-lot. My new goal is to lose 10 lbs by October 1st. That's 7 weeks, so I have to really stay focused and lose a little over a pound a week EVERY week, but I think I can do it.
I've only lost 5 pounds since my mom's group started our FitClub on July 1st, but I've lost 17.5 inches, so that is encouraging! (Why is it that if I have a bad day I can gain 2 lbs, but if I have a good week I can only lose 1/2 a pound.) This is hard work. The workouts are what is really helping I think because I'm not dieting per say, but trying to eat healthy and not snack mindlessly or out of stress and boredom. I can't cut calories too much because of nursing anyway. (Though C is almost 20 lbs so it's not like he's starving...)

What really helps is that I really like vegetables. I can live without fruit, but I adore veggies and love finding new ways to incorporate them into our meals. On that note, I tried something new last night and it was yummy!

Buffalo Meatloaf:
1 lb buffalo (it's supposed to be leaner and healthier than beef)
1 orange bell pepper -cut into strips & sauteed in evoo
1 zuchinni squash -cut into strips & sauteed in evoo
Seasoning (I used cajun seasoning, garlic salt, black pepper)
2 eggs
oatmeal
ketchup and teriyaki sauce

I mixed the buffalo, oatmeal (maybe a 1/2c or a cup?), 2 eggs and seasonings together. I put half on the bottom of a round glass dish, then I layered the half cooked veggies on top of that and then spread the rest of the meat on top. Squirt on some ketchup and teriyaki - mix a little and bake at 350 till it's done. I think it was about 45 min or an hour.
The veggies in the middle add a little something and it's so yummy!

For sides we had fresh asparagus sauteed in a little evoo and seasoned with just a touch of basil/tomato/garlic seasoning and corn on the cob we got at the farmer's market. YUM!

________________

Poptart had a hilarious post about the Wii Fit and I am so interested in this. I really want to get one! (and my birthday is coming up! Perfect excuse!)
However, I looked them up on Amazon and they are pricey $$! D was SO excited about the thought of me letting him buy a video game system, since I've always said NO WAY to them before. The price really put him off though. I still really want it for my birthday, but I have a feeling that won't happen. Bummer.

Christmas gifts

Yes, I KNOW it's only August but I've needed a little retail therapy this week so I'm pretty much done with the kids Christmas shopping. Online shopping rocks!

d:
hat
shoes
belt
jeans - 1 pair (I bought some on consignment so he didn't need many)
long sleeve shirts - 3
short sleeve shirts - 4
shorts - 4
See & Spell toy
Two Books

O:
pants - 1 pair
one piece outfit - 1
long sleeve shirts - 1
short sleeve shirts - 2
Pound and Roll
Two Books

C:
one piece outfit - 1
short sleeve shirts - 1
Babylegs set
Stacker
Two Books

Together:
Abacus
Egg shakers (We used these in music class and they were a hit, stocking stuffers.)
I need to get a few more stocking stuffers, underwear and socks, some candy, new paci's, some cheapy little toys perhaps.
We'll probably also start a 529 for each child from us. The wooden toys are what Santa told me he's bringing. ;)

Friday Confessions

1 - I just spent $200 on clothes for my boys for Christmas. I feel slightly guilty that d got 15 things, while O only got 5 and C only got 2, but being that they are all boys born in the same season - what should I have done? d actually NEEDS many clothes, because he doesn't have any. C & O are pretty much set, though I like to get them each a few little things that complement their personal skin/eye color and personality and to replace things that were ruined. (Plus, they're still too young to care.)

2 - I've taken d & O swimming all by myself the last 2 days and it's gone well. I also took C of course, but he stayed in the stroller on the sidelines. Also, it's very close so that's a major plus.

3 - C likes to sleep on his stomach, but it makes me totally paranoid. I have to check on him every few minutes to make sure he's still breathing. All I can hear in my head are the pediatricians words that back sleeping is safer and that 2-4 months is when most SIDS cases occur. Ugh.

4 - I'm going to make No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate cookies and try not to eat the whole batch. I'll probably regret this later, and yet, I am still going to make them.

5 - It's only August and I've already bought their Halloween costumes. d is going to be Lightning McQueen for Halloween. O is going to be Fred Flinstone and C is going to be a spider, which is O's costume from last year.

6 - I was watching What Not To Wear on TLC and remarked that I should go on that show after I lose the weight I'm targeting right now. D agreed. Ugh.

7 - I really want to go home but since that's not going to happen, I'm going to try to be more positive from now on. Of course, if I'm not complaining I don't know if I have anything to blog about.

Karate CHOP!

I see karate in our future. hehe


Untitled from Devan on Vimeo.

Just how is this supposed to work?

This 3 kid thing is kicking my arse. I've got the part where we stay at home down. I can manage to keep them all fed and relatively clean and at least partially happy most of the time.
However, when we leave the house? Not so much. I'm breaking out in a sweat just thinking about it.

First of all, getting ready to leave the house is complicated. It takes a long time, but I think I've got that down when we're at home. I can make multiple trips. I can put the bag in the car, leave baby by the back door and load up O while d climbs in the van. Buckle the "big" boys in and snap in baby, and go.
Being in this apartment makes things a lot different. We have a garage, but it's not that close to our apartment. I have to go down 15 stairs, out our door and walk about 50 feet, go down more stairs, cross the parking lot and walk another 100 feet. (While trying to dig garage door opener out of pocket while dragging O, holding carseat with baby, trying not to drop diaper bag and ordering d to stay near me and not get run over.) I cannot make multiple trips because the garage is too far from the apartment and I can't leave the kid(s) in the car while I get the other kid(s) or the bag or the groceries or whatever. I could put the bag in the car and then go back to get the kids, but I worry about O breaking his leg on the stairs or d just opening the door and going on out.
Plus, my hands are still full because I have to take all 3 kids at the same time no matter what.

Once we get to the car, it's good. I've got that part down. woo.

Other things are still a struggle. Take the store for instance. How in the heck are you supposed to grocery shop with 3 kids? Going without them is just not an option a lot of the time.

Problem 1 - The carts aren't big enough. At minimum, I need to have 2 kids in the cart. O can walk, but I don't have 16 hours for grocery shopping. d NEVER wants to walk, and frankly, it's easier for me if he's in the cart. Clearly, C can't walk. I can wear him or put him in his carseat. Either way, it's either 2 or 3 kids in the cart.
Problem 2 - No room for food in cart.
Problem 3 - My brain explodes, trying to find everything on the list in that short, short window where none of the kids are screaming, fighting or hungry. (Yes, I'm one of those moms that will open a box of crackers or cereal to maintain the NO screaming state.)
Problem 4 - Lines. Oh man, the lines. The kids are typically good as I'm racing through the store, but standing still in line makes them come unglued. I almost never encounter a store where there isn't a long line. UGH!
Problem 5 - The bathroom. The first time d insisted he had to go potty in the store I almost had a heart attack. 3 kids and a cart full of groceries do not make this easy. I typically end up asking some cashier to watch my cart and haul all three kids to the potty, while whispering tersely - Do. Not. Touch. ANYTHING. There must be an easier way!

Don't even get me started on clothes shopping. It just ain't happening.

It's not just the store, even "kid places" are hard. Yesterday we went to the park. My first outing to a kid place with all three kids since we've lived here. It was a nightmare.
1 - I had to drop D off at work so we could have the car. The traffic was a nightmare and I was in a new place.
2 - The traffic was terrible but the park will be nice and empty at 11 on a Tuesday, right? WRONG! I had to drive through the parking lot multiple times just to find a parking spot. Who waits 15 minutes for a parking spot?! I felt I couldn't leave at that point, we'd driven 25 minutes to get there and plus, we were out of the house. Too much work to turn back now.
3 - I finally found a place to park and strapped the baby into the sling. We walked to the play area where there were probably over 100 kids (not exaggerating!) and d immediately took off. I tried to keep an eye on him and help O do the stuff he was not able to do himself. (everything.)
Of course, O got to the top of the slide and wouldn't go down OR come back to where I could reach him. I couldn't get up there because I was wearing the baby and didn't think I would fit. (I eventually did climb up there.) While I was trying to get O down, I lost d. Couldn't see him anywhere. I was on the verge of tears and calling 911 when I found him. Shoeless. And shirtless.
What the heck?!
4 - There may have been some overreaction on someones part. *ahem*
5 - I took them over the water area where there are fountains and such. They played for awhile, and then d was soaked and ready to go home. We'd been there less than an hour.
6 - We were there less than an hour! Less than an hour! So much work for less than an hour. *sigh*
7 -Then I got slightly lost while d was asking incessantly where we were going, why I wasn't listening to the GPS (who wanted me to go a different way) and asking why I wasn't going faster. The traffic was bad again and then both kids fell asleep in the car and I had to get 3 kids, a diaper bag and myself up 20 stairs and across the parking lot in one trip. AND it was 83 here yesterday, which is fine, except we're in a 3rd floor apartment with NO A/C and it was friggin' hot. Of course, the kids were crabby cause I had to wake them up and then it was so hot they had a hard time going back to sleep. (They did though, eventually.)

This is my life now. I can see how it might be easier if the kids were a little more spaced out, especially the last 2. However, that's not the case.
Almost none of our outings go smoothly and I feel so awkward and inept much of time. They get bored at home, but I'd almost rather stick a pencil in my eye than go out with them again. Almost.
So, is this a case of "practice makes perfect" or a case of "this is how it is, now get used to it and quit yer bitchin'?"

Product Review - Baby Dipper Bowl

I have the good fortune to know a lot of moms. One of these mothers has invented something that I now LOVE, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.



It's called the Baby Dipper bowl. It is amazing! (I'm not getting paid for this endorsement, or getting anything out of it.) I have 2 of these bowls now and I'm in love. I probably would not have bought one at all if Barbara hadn't shown all of us how it works. Check out the About Us page on the site too, Barbara is the mother of TWO sets of twins, 2 girls and 2 boys - and she still had the time to design this product!

It's weird for me to go the site, because I know all the babies in the pictures. We did that photo shoot with my mom's group. Check out the FAQ page for one of my little guys - and a picture of my arm! Look! I'm famous! hehe





Anyway, the bowl makes self feeding for toddlers so much easier. O was just eating yogurt this morning and making MUCH less mess than he normally would! d likes the bowl too, though he is a very efficient and neat self feeder. It also makes feeding baby with one hand much easier; and who couldn't use an extra hand?

The one and only thing I don't like about it is that you have to hand wash it. However, I always have a few things I need to hand wash, so it's not really an issue, I'm just lazy. Thus, the reason I got 2, so that I'd be sure to always have at least one clean.

Go check it out, http://www.babydipper.com/ , and be sure to tell her Devan sent you if you order one (or two.)

Umbrella

I've had to go back to Swistle's place and find her postpartum post. It helped me so much last year after O was born, and I needed to see it again.
It's all still true, and it helps so much to remind me that I'm not crazy and I'm not the only person who has felt this way. (Especially about the knife thing. Or the dropping baby over the balcony thing. It's weird the way our minds work. )

To say it's been a really long couple of weeks would be an understatement. I should be napping as we speak. All of the boys in this house are in bed, sleeping or not. I feel so drained, but it's hard to turn off your mind, even when your body is begging for a rest. Writing has always helped me in that regard. I wish I was able to write an eloquent and touching post, but right now I'm happy being able to string a sentence together.


As we often hear, into every life a little rain must fall. It's raining over here right now. I don't know if I've felt this upside down in all my years. (Well, maybe minus the teenage ones - we all know teenagers are nothing but hormones, attitude, and drama.)

There's been a lot piling up around us the last few months. The stress of a new baby, 2 other kids, a move, postpartum hormones, a cross country drive, too much working, illness and everything else. Sometimes it's just too much!
It feels kind of like when you're in the ocean, enjoying life, and a big wave comes in and you think you're on top of it. Nothing can get me down, you think, I'm in control! And then the wave bowls you over and you're head over heels, tumbling through the surf, spinning and spinning - struggling with which way is up and just trying not to drown.

Sometimes, when D is home and things aren't going well I think - Look! That window is open. Make a run for it, quick! He'll never catch you with those 3 slowing him down.

It must be that flight or fight instinct you learn about in school.

Sometimes running away sounds so tempting doesn't it? No more kids whining and crying and spitting up and exploding out of their clothes and needing something. Every! Second!
No more husband who sighs and grimaces when he sees the sink full of dishes and baskets full of laundry. No more wondering if he's looking at Susie Secretary who has no stretch marks or extra pounds and actually gets out of her pajamas every day.
No more bills, or chores, or wifely duties. No more sick kids, or swimming lessons, or playdates or grocery shopping with 2 carts.

The flight instinct is a strong thing.

Really, it wouldn't be that hard to pack up. I have only a suitcase full of clothes that fit me; a credit card and the car keys and I could be gone.

Only then there wouldn't be any kids laughing and playing and giving sloppy wet kisses and sweet toothless grins.
There wouldn't be a goofy, handsome husband who always tells me I'm beautiful, even when I'm still in my pajamas at 6PM.
There would be no more innocent faces, or adoring, trusting eyes, or wifely happinesses.
No more snuggly bedtimes, or silly games or anything else.
There would be nothing. No chaos. No joy. No love.

And that is why I fight instead. That is why I try to stop the spinning and struggle to the surface, gasping for air. That is why the flight instinct will never be strong enough.

Even when the rain is falling.

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.

~Gilbert K. Chesterton

Just because

I think it's worth reading again.
http://sabrinaporterfield.blogspot.com/

Suck

I can't think of a more fitting title.

1. The kids have been sick since we've been here. We had to go to a walk-in clinic and get them a prescription for an antibiotic.
2. I'm sick now. Going on 3 days of body aches, fever and headache.
3. D is leaving for work at 6AM and getting home at 6PM or later.
4. O is screaming so much that I'm about to lose my mind. I seriously lost my temper with him earlier. I suck.
5. d is bored.
6. So much for August and September being NOT rainy season. We've been here 5 days. It's rained 3 times.
7. Even on nice days, I don't see the sun. Since I'm grouchy that isn't helping. I keep trying to remind myself that at home it's 95 with 100% humidity and the sun is BEATING down.
8. Baby C is crabby too. I don't know if he's picking it up from me or if he's getting sick.
9. I'm in a new place with no car (most days) and don't know anyone or where anything is.
10. I'm lonely.

I'm writing this on Thursday. Hopefully by the time my travel series is over and I post this I can also post a list of things that don't suck.

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Update as of Saturday:

- I have mono. Yay me. I can't even describe how horrible it is.

We're hoping to do something fun this weekend. So far I just miss home, though there is something to be said for cooler temperatures. Here's to next week being a lot better!