mickey helps

i was on the computer in the dining room, engrossed in the layout of my blog and wanting to make some quick changes.  my boys were playing all around me, though elijah stopped to wash his hands in the kitchen.  suddenly a deep-sounding crash emerged from that direction.  my eyes popped up, and elijah was at the sink looking down at the floor.  i walked over and saw hundreds of black-painted pieces of ceramic splattered across the tiles.  i had forgotten that the hand soap dispenser was empty, and apparently my son decided to use the heavy dish soap dispenser instead.

"aw, elijah, you should've asked me for help,"  i whined.  "are you okay?"  i remembered to ask, though with obvious frustration, as i tip-toed across the floor to transfer elijah from the stool to the living room.  "keep out of the kitchen while i clean this up," i advised them all, as the other two, as well as coby, arrived to view the situation.

i began to boil as i gathered the ceramic pieces and silently vented in my head.  why am i always bothered whenever i take some time during the day for myself?  why is there always an extra, out of the ordinary mess to add to the usual messes that i already have to deal with every single day?  why, why, why?!

at that point, the other voice in my head, the one that i'm really supposed to listen to, interrupted.  if it could've, that voice would have given me a hard shake, or more deservingly, a slap on the face.  how could you get upset over this?  the boy wanted to clean his hands.  it was an accident.  he's only four years old!

jonah interjected with a few words too.  but i could barely hear his little, sweet voice over the one screaming in my skull.  "what?" i asked squatting with my back facing him as i continued to wipe the floor.

"mickey can help, " he repeated.

"mickey?"  as in mickey mouse?  for a moment a blurred vision of mickey in his black tuxedo jacket and red pants came over me.  i felt drunk, but i wasn't even drinking!  dazed and confused by jonah's statement and my mind cluttered with voices, i decided that i wasn't going to try to figure that one out on my own.  i finally turned around, and lo and behold, there was mickey.  jonah stood there with his familiar, gigantuous smile, wearing his silver and green mickey mouse ears.

his smile was contagious as i caught it, and so did his brothers.  i laughed, and all of my boys did too.  and the mess was cleaned up and gone.

their second christmas

"santa made it christmas again!" noah exclaimed when he and his brothers saw the snow through the window.  my children's eyes widened, and all their little faces lit up so bright.  their expressions were identical (get it, identical?) and made me warm and fuzzy all over.

i wished i had a camera to capture their picture-perfect expressions.  that little voice inside my head - you know, the one that you dont always listen to but should always listen to - bugged me about the camera that morning, telling me to charge its battery every time i passed by it.  we planned to go to pump it up, jr., a place filled with bouncers and inflatables, and which we've been to countless times since the boys were two years old.  there wasn't a special event scheduled that day.  why would i need the camera?  ... then it snowed, the first snow of the season.  for all that i can remember, it might have even been the first snow of 2009!  and it happened while we were at pump it up, jr.

where did the snow come from?  i tracked the weather on the web all week and looked at it that very morning.  all i saw was rain!  but there they were, out of nowhere, large, ivory, beautiful flakes floating down from the sky.  isn't the science and technology of meteorology dependable?

shortly, all but one family at pump it up, jr. disappeared.  like a naive, young woman (though i'm actually not that young anymore), i said to the grandmother, "i guess everyone's gone out to play with the snow."

like a wise, older woman, she replied, "nope.  they're all worried about how they're getting home."

of course.  when it snows here, even the slightest, everyone reacts as if the state has just declared an emergency.  it doesn't help that the city and its surrounding metro areas share a total of only two or three snowplows either.  consequently, the roads were congested everywhere, and commute time compounded exponentially!  we had to pick up jason from work that afternoon, and the drive home usually takes no more than five minutes.  but on this day, it really would have been quicker if he had walked home!  sadly, though, due to the traffic, the sun set before my sons could play outside.

i was worried the snow would melt overnight.  yes, worried.  i was probably the only one who felt that way while the rest of the state's population felt relief.  my sons love, love, love the snow.  they truly wished for it this past christmas.  but in the immediate forecast were warmer temperatures and rain.  just our luck.

elijah jumped out of bed the next morning and looked out the window.  we were so elated that our backyard was still heavenly white.  after breakfast, the boys gathered at the sliding door gazing at the snow that they so longed for.  like puppies, they whined and rapped at the door to be let out.  or was that coby?  i was having my coffee at the moment, and my children had already learned that i should not be bothered when im still sitting with my cup of kona.  however, the predicted weather threatened to melt the snow, so i had to compromise.  but only this one time.

i went to the closet and dug out their snow outfits.  it's been a year since my kids have had to wear them that i forgot how long and tedious they take to put on.  so i formed an assembly line in hopes to speed things up: 

helped jonah put on his bib (jumpsuits, i have no clue why they're called bibs).  told jonah to put on his socks and boots.  helped elijah put on his bib.  jonah's foot got stuck in the middle of the boot shaft.  told elijah to put on his socks and boots.  held jonah's boot and tried to shove his foot down into it.  tried again.  told jonah to keep trying by himself.  helped elijah with his boots.  elijah's first foot made it all the way in, but his second got stuck.  tried to shove it in.  got it.  jonah got his boots on too.  helped noah with his bib.  told him to put his socks and boots on.  helped jonah and elijah with their jackets and told them to put on their gloves.  shoved noahs feet into his boots and helped him with his jacket.  told him to put on his gloves.  let the other two out into the backyard.  let noah out into the backyard. 

total time = 15 minutes, give or take a few.  not bad!  whew!

this time, my camera battery was charged, and i captured my sons' picture-perfect expressions as they relished in their gift of a second christmas from santa.

resolutions

sure, why not? new year, new you, right? i havent invested much effort into resolutions over the last several years, though. that sounds horrible, i know, but really, they take a lot of work. to achieve the initial goal in the new year may vary in levels of difficulty, but most resolutions require maintenance for a lifetime. say i wanted and needed to get fit. sure, i could get my body mass to where it needs to be within the year, then what? let it all go? nooo ... well, i shouldnt. id have to keep fit for the rest of my days on earth; otherwise, whats the point? been there, done that. no thanks. (feel free to argue with me on this one.) so, i figure ill just tackle each issue of my life one at a time, at my own pace, when im good and ready. ... apparently, im ready to tackle one now.

here is mine:
more time for me
jason, my family, and a handful of friends (you know who your are *hugs*) have provided me with opportunities to make this possible. still, its not the easiest thing for me to actually do. if i run errands or take care of responsibilities when others are with the boys, then fine. but everytime i choose a leisurely outing, guilt follows me out the door! its as if, when i close the door behind me, i can hear my children scratching, pounding, and pleading, "mommy, dont leave! how dare you go out and enjoy yourself without us!" of course, that never happens and when i return home, the boys are perfectly okay. i know, i know, ... so whats the problem, right?

one of jasons:
no procrastination
i asked him in regards to what, and he said "everything". wow! i suggested that he be more specific about it because to not procrastinate on anything is huge! you might as well not have any other resolutions on your list for the next few years with that one! we have triplets who only attend school a few hours a day three times a week. jason works full time and attends college at least half-time. i work part-time. we dont have daily help with the kids or the household. with all of that said, somethings gotta give.

jason, on the other hand, is an overachiever at the beginning of everything. he likes to start off with a clean slate and try his best to keep it that way. good luck, hon! im behind you!

to the rest of you with resolutions: i wish you the best!