Blog Challenge Days 11-14

Hi friends!  Sorry to take a hiatus like that in the middle of a blog challenge.  Went on vacay.  We had a great time, although there were several hiccups including my phone (and camera source) being stolen.  Yes, I have a big camera - no I don't use it like I should.  So most of the photographic evidence of our trip is gone forever.  Yuck.  But I won't dwell on it....

DAY 11 - Sell yourself in 10 words or less

Up for the challenge.  Does exceptionally well in tough circumstances.

DAY 12 - What (or who) do you miss the most in life?



I miss my grandparents so so much.  My grandparents were such a HUGE part of my childhood.  My grandmother babysat me while my mother worked.  My grandfather picked me up from school.  My grandparents were two of the best people God has ever planted here on Earth. I have so so so many fond memories of my grandparents.  Homemade snacks after school, sleepovers, my grandfather taking me grocery shopping while we complained about all the stops and lists my grandmother had made us. 

My grandparents were old in comparison to my friends' grandparents.  And they were definitely more oldfashioned.  Big bunned hairstyles, white fluffy hair, big lincoln towncars and the pink cadillac my grandmother drove.  My grandfather was born in 1918 and my grandmother in 1920 (I think).  I LOVED to ask them about their lives growing up and what life was like back then.  I loved shucking corn and stringing green beans on their back porch.  I loved when my grandfather, with his liberty overalls and no shirt underneath would give my cousins and me a ride in his wheelbarrow as we rode to the garden in the hot Georgia summers.  I loved that my grandmother's purse smelled like spearmint gum and kleenex tissues.  Sigggghhhhhh.....

My grandfather passed away just days before my wedding day.  And my grandmother passed away 11 days after Brooks was born.  She held him before she passed and told me how beautifully shaped his head was.  With both of them passing so close to major events in my life, it still hits me like a ton of bricks sometimes that they are no longer here.  Like the day the hem came out of my dress at work and I thought I'll take this to Maw. Nope.  She's not alive Jess.  Siggghhhh..... my eyes are burning and my heart is aching now....

DAY 13 - A public apology

Hmmmm.... a public apology.... well there are probably so many things I should apologize for - ha!

But I'll take this opportunity to issue an apology to my children:

Dear Will, Brooks & Tessa Rutledge,

When God gave me each of you, he gave me the greatest gift of all.  Your father and I were trusted by God to take great care of you, love you, nurture you, teach you about life, and raise you to be responsible, God-fearing, honest human beings.

Your father and I take that endeavor so very seriously and so while it may seem that Mommy and Daddy are not your friend today, I can assure you that we love you more than anyone has ever loved another person.  We will inevitably make decisions that you will not appreciate and although I won't apologize for making those decisions, I will apologize for how those decisions make you feel about us. 

There will be events you won't attend, things you won't be given, clothes you won't wear, friends you won't hang out with, places you won't go and other various things that will surely mean the end of your popularity.

We will discipline you, instruct you, and continue to encourage the values that we feel are important.  We will also embarrass you, call you out, punish you, and more than likely make your life miserable at many uncertain times in your lifetime.  I hate it.  I hate that life is hard and that there are so many hard lessons for children to learn.  I hate that we won't always see eye-to-eye (like this morning, Will, when you thought mommy was a "dummy" for not letting you watch cartoons.  I hate that you spent all morning crying in timeout.  Surely you will understand the reason I do not allow that behavior soon enough.)

We love you more than you will ever know.  Until you have a child of your own, you will never understand how beautiful you are in my eyes or how much my heart swells with pride when you accomplish something new.  You will never know how many times I've watched you sleep or held you in my arms until you are doing the same with your children.  You will never know how hard it is to make sure we get this right until you are staring into your own child's little stubborn face.  I love you so much and I am apologizing for all of the things I'm sure you'll see as unfair along our journey.  I hope that in 20 years, we'll meet up on the same side of understanding. 

Yours Truly,

Mom

DAY 14 - 10 things that make you happy

1. Smiling children
2. Naps (for me AND them)
3. Coffee
4. Pedicures
5. Date nights (or any interrupted time with the hubs really)
6. My friends
7. A clean house
8. A fridge & pantry full of good wholesome food
9. A beautiful yard
10. Random emails/texts from my friends

I'm trying to catch up a little at a time without bombarding you all at once.  Come back soon for more :)



Day 10 - Most Embarrassing Moment

Yeesh.  I've had many many *many* embarrassing moments, but there is one that sticks out the most in my mind.  It actually happened just recently.... at work no less....

So maybe you haven't heard, but I had my tubes tied after the birth of our 3rd child this past fall.  It certainly wasn't an easy peasy thing.  It was incredibly painful for someone who did not have a ceserean.  Anyway, there are lots of other not so widely discussed side effects from having your tubes tide.  For me, I have had incredibly heavy cycles.  TMI I know, but it does effect the story quite a bit....

While on my period a few months ago, I was at the bank working away.  It was about 11AM and I had already been to the bathroom to regroup about 5 times since I had been at work.  Like I said, NOT pleasant.  That particular day I was relieving our tellers for the lunch hours.  When you are on the teller line, you are on your feet and on that particular day, it was a steady flow (haha - pun intended) of customers.  I knew I was in trouble, but I had no where to run ya know?

When a middle-aged gentlemen walked in and asked for my branch manager, I had to go look for her (she was eating lunch in the break room).  I walked past him and found my branch manager.  As I was walking away from her AND the male customer, a coworker informed me that I had blood all over the seat of my tan colored pants.  To make it worse, the customer also pointed it out.  Oh. My. GOSH.  I literally ran with tears in my eyes out of the bank, with no explanation. 

I went home and changed pants, got my game face on and came back to work.  As soon as I walked in, our Vice President (also a male) says "Did you just change pants?" sigghhhhhhhh.....

I was MORTIFIED.  I felt like a 13 year old girl.  Let me just tell you - I have invested in many many many pairs of black pants since that day ;)

Blogging Challenge - Days 8 & 9

Day 8 - My Best Piece of Advice

Gosh - I hate giving advice.  Mostly because a) I don't feel like my way is always the best way and b) so very few people actually follow the advice they are given.  But maybe my advice today will be of help to someone who needs it.

Baby Advice - teach your baby how to sleep.  No, they aren't born with the understanding that it's nighttime and that's when we sleep.  It's up to you to teach them that.  Don't complain when they are up 3-4 times a night at 3 years old if you aren't willing to show them how to sleep.  I have 3 good little sleepers.  Feel free to ask me if you need more specific advice in this area.

Personal Advice - if you find yourself constantly feeling down or downright depressed, take a look at the people you are spending your time with.  If you are surrounded by people who are negative all the time, you will eventually find that you become a negative person too.  Don't let others do that to you.  I'm not saying cut them out of your life completely, I'm just saying to know your limits - if you find yourself getting down and out while you're with this person, it's time for a break.  I went through this at work and although I couldn't get these people completely out of my life, I certainly made it a point to limit our break room conversations ;)

Marriage Advice - never. ever. ever. badmouth your husband to others.  ESPECIALLY your mother.  Because while you love your husband and will inevitably forgive & forget and move on, your friend isn't in love with him (let's hope) and won't forgive him as easily.  And your mother is the worst person to do this with because at the end of the day, she loves you more than life itself and will certainly not be able to overlook something your husband is doing to negatively effect her baby girl.  There are exceptions of course - abusive relationships, venting to a girlfriend, but keep it light!

Work Advice - if you aren't happy, move on.  I don't care what the circumstances are, if you WANT to move on, you can make it happen.  You might have to take a pay cut.  You might have a longer commute.  You might not have the title.  But if you are truly unhappy - it isn't worth it.  Promise.  Been there.

Day 9 - A Moment From My Day

I chose this picture as a "moment from my day".  This photo was taken at 6:55 this morning (before work).  I am rushing to get all of our laundry done before we go out of town this weekend and that means waking up at 5:30 to do laundry... sighhhhh....remember when you just had to think about yourself and you could throw a few outfits in one shared bag with your husband, jump in the car and go?  Yeah, me neither....

Day 7 - What Are You Most Afraid Of?

There really isn't too much that I'm afraid of.  I don't have a fear of heights, darkness or spiders (although I do immediately turn into a ninja if I walk through a spider web!)

The things I am afraid of are more emotional:

I'm afraid that one day Brandon's cancer will return, or that he will have some other residual effect from the chemotherapy he was given (he has an increased risk of leukemia later in life due to this).  I don't want to go through this life without him.

I'm afraid that something traumatic will happen and we won't have enough money to get us through it, i.e. lost jobs, sickness, etc...

I'm afraid to quit my day job and open my own business.

I'm afraid that one of my children will run out in front of a car and get hit.

I'm afraid of my children being one of those children on the March of Dimes radiothon.  Those poor families break my heart and I simply cannot imagine what it's like to have a child with cancer or some other serious illness.  I will be honest - I turn the radio off because otherwise, I would just be a crying blubbering mess.

I am a worrier by nature.  I tend to worry over things that I cannot control - like my kids getting sick, the housing market returning enough for us to sell our house, my children always being close to one another.  Those are all things that I do constantly think about, but I wouldn't say I'm afraid of.  To be honest, I feel like God has spent a LOT of time over the last couple of years teaching me how to let go of some of my fears.  Maybe that wasn't his goal for the trials that have come our way, but it happened that way nonetheless. 

For tomorrow's post, I get to give you a piece of advice.  Hmmmm - I'm not sure what kind of advice to give because I *try* to remind myself not to give advice unless asked.  So maybe y'all can help me - does anyone want any advice?  What kind of advice would you like to hear from me??  Surprise me!

Day 6 - What Do You Do?

In today's post, I am supposed to answer the question "What Do You Do?" without answering with the simple answer of my job.

Hmmmm - so here are some things that I do on a daily basis:

I mother - I feed people. I wipe noses, bottoms and tears.  I fix broken toys. I explain why Santa only comes once a year and why we can't fly to Heaven in an airplane to meet Jesus.  I referee fights over the only stick pony in the house. I put people in time out.  I read stories.  I tuck people in.  Basically, I'm an all-knowing super hero in 3 little people's eyes.

I work, but that's boring.

I drink coffee.  I'm either late or really early - never on time.  I skip breakfast except on the weekends.  I make lists (and then forget where they are).  I procrastinate.  I pop all over - all of my joints make noises.  I eat a lot of Mexican food.  I burp a lot (just being honest).  I read - newspapers, blogs, books, the back of the deodorant bottle.  I shop online but never "check out".  I call my mom.  I get too excited at t-ball games.  I sneak sweets when my kids aren't looking. I'm constantly picking up the house.  I put my kids to bed early so that I can have a conversation with my husband without being interrupted.  I try to get in at least one nap on the weekends.  I have funny conversations with my friends.  I constantly keep home improvement projects in the works.  I have vivid dreams.  I laugh when people fall (after checking to see if they're okay of course.)  I miss my grandparents.  I love my husband.  In general - I live a pretty simple life.  And that's MORE than okay with me :)

Come back tomorrow - I get to talk about the things I'm most afraid of.

Day 5 - Blogger Love

Before we get started on Day 5 of my blogging challenge, let me just tell you about the WORST trip to Target with a child I have ever experienced.  I had to run a few errands today in preparation for our upcoming beach trip (YAYYYYY) and decided to take my usually well-behaved oldest child with me for a little one-on-one time.  I generally really love my one-on-one time with Will because I just LOVE to hear what he has to say.  His little mind never ceases to amaze me :)

So today, we had a few errands to run and our 2nd stop was Target.  He has just started really asking for a "toy" when we go somewhere - I thought we were doing so well to go 5 years without this happening, but alas... anyway- I told him in the car that we were not going in for toy shopping - only to get a few things for our beach trip.  He agreed.  That was all fine and good until we passed the toy department.  He asked to look.  I made the mistake of agreeing to let him look as a treat for his behavior.  That did us in.  He asked for a toy car.  And I can't just get one - Brooks would want one too, so I said no.  (Like we need another hot wheel in this house anyway).  That was when the wheels fell off.  He surprised me in the worst way.  My usually well behaved child LAID DOWN IN THE AISLE IN FRONT OF THE CART.  He cried.  He screamed.  He threw the biggest tantrum EVER, which is not like him at all.  I got down on his level and talked quietly to him.  Didn't work.  I tried to put him in the cart, just to get him out of there faster.  He spread his little arms and legs out and wouldn't budge.  I spanked him.  Nope.  Not working.  This went on for at least 20 minutes.  Finally, I just pushed my cart, with him hanging off the side to the check out counter.  I saw at least 3 people I know and grinned through my teeth to each one of them (sorry if I was rude!).  I was SO embarrassed. I was that mother with the screaming, bratty child today (not that I haven't been before but this was the worst).  At some point while I was checking out, I began talking to the two older women behind me.  Both gave me sympathetic smiles and told me that he would outgrow it.  They were so sweet to assure me that both of their now-grown children did exactly as Will was doing.  Will decided to calm down while I was talking to those sweet ladies and sobbed quietly until we got the car.  He apologized for his behavior on his own in the car, but later told me that he wasn't upset over the car - he was upset because I was being such a "bossy pants".  siggghhhhhh......

Those sweet little boogers can really throw you for a loop sometimes....

For the 5th day of my blogging challenge, I am supposed to profess my love for a "blogging friend."  I have lots of blogs that I love and read (a later challenge day I think), but I haven't really made real life connections with those women.  As far as a "friend" blogger, I would have to go with Abby over at Homebirthinmomma.  Now let me just tell you that Abby and I are about as different as night and day - but I have lots of friends that are different from me ;)  The world probably couldn't handle too many people like me anyway.

I love Abby because she is completely, 100% steadfast in her beliefs and lifestyle.  She has home births, home schools her kids, is a devout Christian and prides herself in their clean eating habits.  While I could never see myself having a baby in the bathtub (unless by traumatic accident) or homeschooling my children, Abby does both without batting an eyelash.  She is also a great mom and a good friend.  Abby always steps up to the plate to help a friend in need.  If her husband would let her, I imagine Abby would be the next Mrs. Duggar :)  Check her out!

Day 6 of the blogging challenge poses the question "if you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the questions 'what do you do?'"  See you then!

Another Blog Challenge

I recently discovered a new blog through Natasha over at Hello Happiness.  Natasha was a sorority sister from way back in the good ol' college days.  Anyhoo - Jenni's blog Story of My Life is a fun new blog to me and she has started a blogging challenge, Blog Every Day in May.  Because I sometimes need things other than my crazy kids to talk about, I've decided to hop on the blogging train.  We'll see how it goes - if I miss a few days, I'll try to make them up to you ;)

DAY 1 - Story of my life in 250 words or less

Born in the hot summer of 1984 in Cartersville, Georgia, I am the much younger sibling in the typical 4 person family.  My dad was a minister.  I grew up taking my naps on church pews.  My mom owned her own business and worked as hard as anyone I know.  We were the family that lugged the fax machine on vacation.  I was a rough and tumble tomboy - passing up barbies for soccer balls.  I decided I wanted a boyfriend somewhere late in middle school finally ended up dating my husband Brandon in our senior year of high school.  I graduated at the top of my class and ran away (from what I'm still not sure) to Knoxville at the University of Tennessee.  I changed my major at least 5 times, broke it off with Brandon, and lived the wild and crazy college life for a couple of years.  After Brandon and I both tried to date other people, we eventually settled back down together and have been inseparable ever since.  He asked - I said yes and we were married in May of 2006.  We bought a house, and almost two years later, welcomed our first son Will into the world.  His brother Brooks was born less than two years after that and I quit my hell-hole of a marketing job to work for cheap at a bank less than a mile from our home. Brandon was diagnosed with (and treated for) cancer in 2011, and we were told we wouldn't have any more children. One week after I sold all the baby gear, I was pregnant with our 3rd - a sweet girl named Tessa.  I believe in God.  I believe in family. I believe in friendship.  I believe in hard work. I am the picture of blessed :)

(That was actually 300 words but I'm long-winded and not good at following directions either)

DAY 2 - Educate Us On Something You Are Good at or Know a Lot About

Hmmmmm - what do I know a lot about??  Not a lot.  And I don't think I have a "talent" like most people do.  So many of my friends have a very obvious talent - painting, playing music, graphic design, photography....  I don't have any of those things.  

I'm a decent writer, a certified grammar police officer, and an awesome procrastinator ;)  But I guess the thing I am the best at is story-telling.  I love to tell the story of an event.  I love to tell all the details and captivate the audience.  One thing I am NOT good at is listening to someone who is NOT good at telling a story.  It makes me jittery as I try to sit still and concentrate on not taking over and telling the story for them. 

DAY 3 - Things That Make You Uncomfortable

Ohhh man - so many things make me uncomfortable.  But it's not the typical things that make me uncomfortable.  I can discuss gross things with no problem.  I can even DO gross things with no problem.  Things that make me uncomfortable:

• Confrontation.  If I confront you about something - you better believe that I am (1) absolutely pissed off or (2) have a lot on the line - my kids, my job, etc...
• When other people are confronting someone else in front of me.  I will find an excuse to leave.
• When other people are doing something dumb.  I get so embarrassed for them.  A good example is the early American Idol auditions.  I HATE seeing or hearing others embarrass themselves.
• Prank calls.  I cannot STAND when radio DJs prank call people on the air.  I have to turn it off.

DAY 4 - Favorite Quote

There are soooo many quotes floating around that are good.  I love seeing a good quote come up on my feed on Pinterest.  But if I had to tell you an absolute favorite, it would be "If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou.  This can be used in soooooo many different circumstances.  If there is anything I have learned in the last few years, it would be this lesson.  If something isn't making you happy - change it.  If you can't change it, adjust your view.  I truly believe that adjusting your attitude can completely change the world around you.  Trust me.  I've had to "adjust my view" many many times, especially in the work place.  

Alright friends - tomorrow is Day 5 of the blogging challenge - where I get to profess my love and devotion to a blogging friend.  Hmmmm - I'm still not sure whose blog I will choose.  There are so many that I love to check up on.  I'll also be back soon with Tessa's 9 month update and a fun field trip to the Tennessee Aquarium.  Good night!!

What Do You Want For Your Children?

There are so many things in life that I would love to give my children - extravagent vacations to Disney World every year, new cars on their 16th birthdays,  a big huge farmhouse to run and play in, with plenty of beautiful farm land to inherit one day, trust funds from grandparents.  But lets face it, the chances of any of those things happening are probably slim.  And more importantly, what would my children really gain from that?  I mean - what do any of those things mean in the big picture?? 

More and more lately, I've had to take a step back and look at the "big picture".  Forget my immediate desires to give my children everything their hearts desire - what I really need to be doing as a parent is preparing my children for life.  The Big Picture.

I want my children to know that being honest is NOT the easiest way, but it is much easier than carrying the burdens of a liar. 

I want them to know that their parents love them.  And we love them enough to let them learn how to pick themselves up. 

I want them to know how to appreciate simple things - a Saturday afternoon with nothing to do, a birthday party without a blowup bouncy house and catering truck, quiet alone time.

I want them to be unafraid of new adventures.  Befriend the new kid.  Take an uncharted road trip.  Accept the new job. 

I want them to work hard in all that they do - building tree houses, hauling hay, fixing a fence, at their first job and in their careers, marriages and even childraising.

I want them to know the effort that goes into earning their own living, making a marriage work and being a parent.

I want them to experience the satisfaction that comes from helping others in their time of need.  We all have times of need and one day, it will be them.

I want them to know how to be a good friend.  I hope that they can witness my friendships and know what a good friend looks like.

I want them to know what it feels like to be surrounded by people who share different views and desires, yet stand firm in their beliefs. 

I want them to know that although the world is a scary, twisted place, life is exactly what you make of it.  Let it be a good life.

I want them to know that a good life is not measured by the brand of your clothes, the amount of home runs you've hit, the number of weddings you're invited to, the size of your home, or the newness of your car.  A good life is measured by the laugh lines on your face and the memories that make YOU happy.

What are you doing to prepare your children for the real world?  What kind of foundations are you building for your children?  Because at the end of the day, Under Armour will go out of style, they will grow tired of their new cars and trade them in (or worse yet - wreck them), they will grow too old for their prestigious little league team, and you won't always be around to homeschool them or control who they spend their time with.  Tell me - what are you doing?

Randomness

Whew.  It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks here in the Rutledge home.  We've had a lot going on and I'm not even sure I can remember what all we've been up to.

Up first - Will is playing t-ball again this year.  He's really enjoying himself.  Similar to last year, he loves to run the bases & bat.  His swing has improved quite a bit this year, and he does at least attempt to go after the balls in the field.  Most importantly - he's having fun and that's what counts.

I also did The Color Run Atlanta with some friends a couple of weekends ago.  It was fun.  Traffic was HORRENDOUS and for that reason, I'm not sure if it's something I am dying to do again.  I had "color" EVERYWHERE.  

We've also been making a few changes around the house - we've painted our kitchen (no photos yet) and we also took to painting our interior doors dark (Pinterest inspired).  My walls are not green at all - more like a dark toffee brown.  Poor lighting I guess.  I do love the look though.  I'm happy with it.  My husband, the painter - maybe not ;)  We used Benjamin Moore's Dragon's Breath.  It's really a charcoal gray.  It looks black in the hallway, but gray in the kitchen on the pantry door where there is more natural light. 

We also had Will's class pet at our home for spring break.  Hermie the Hermit Crab had many adventures while he was here, including attending Easter dinner at my parent's home.  Will was very enthusiastic about the crab but let him go back willingly to school (which was surprising).  He had to write about Hermie's adventures while at our home.  He wanted to write "Hermie slept in my room while mommy was painting the kitchen."  (For the most part, I kept Hermie in the kitchen on the bar-top table to avoid the hands of one very mischievous 3 year old, but moved him to the boys' room while we were painting.)  But Will eventually decided it would take far less time to write "Hermie is shy."

And we've also been enjoying lots of time outdoors with our neighborhood friends since Spring finally decided to join us Georgians.  

And just because we need ANOTHER something to feed in our home - daddy brought home our first pet yesterday - a baby turtle.  He found it in a box under his desk at work and knew the boys would love it.  I prefaced our conversation with the boys by saying "if this turtle gets too big, we may have to return him to the pond."  I'm hoping they remember that if this thing bites the dust and/or gets huge.  They are very excited and are brainstorming names - so far they've suggested "crabsy, heidi, and kermie."  I think its cute that Will is trying to make it rhyme with "hermie" from school.

And just because I didn't include any pics of Tessa - here is a recent one of her playing in the playroom with a toy that we just unearthed from her pile of Christmas gifts that we never opened.  The boys usually steal it from her immediately.  Why is it that the older kids want to play with baby toys when they see them??

I'm sorry for the long post - we've just been crazy busy lately.  Next week is both Brandon and Will's birthday and I haven't even THOUGHT about what to do for them.  sigghhhhh.....

An Evening In My Shoes...

I've always said that my hardest job starts after I leave the bank.  The hours of 6PM - 9PM are "go time" in our house.  I mean - it is a real zoo at the Rutledge house in the evenings.  I'm not so sure that people always take me seriously, so today I am giving you a recap of my evening yesterday.  Brace yourself.

5:20PM - I walk in the door, check the mail and change clothes.  Brandon hasn't gotten home with the kids yet, so I breathe in the quiet air and put on my tennis shoes.

5:30PM - I meet my neighbor on the sidewalk for one of our usual walks.  I really walk for my mental health more than my physical health.  It's a total sanity saver.   Have I mentioned to you all that I'm doing The Color Run this Saturday?? Yea - not ready for this one at all.

6:20PM - I am done with my walk and my family is home.  I walk in the back door to Brooks who meets me with a big happy smile and yells "We're cuttin' the gass momma!  I go with Daddy!" Brandon confirms that he's taking the boys outside to cut the grass.  Tessa's crying in her exersaucer because Brandon walked out of her line of view, so I go to pick her up.

6:23PM - Brandon asks the boys to go change pants before cutting the grass.  Brooks immediately goes to change clothes.  Will simultaneously starts whining that he loooovvvvveeeessss his current pants (pj pants) and doesn't want to change them.

6:25PM - Will is pitching a royal fit and still in pajamas.  He's literally crying so hard you would think his leg has been torn off.  (I'm going to let you in on a dirty little Rutledge marriage secret - the biggest source of angst in my marriage comes from Brandon saying one thing, and me saying another.)  So even though I couldn't care less if the child wears pajamas to cut the grass, Brandon said change clothes and I am sticking by him.  Will has to change to go outside.  I tell him that he has to stay inside with me until he can calm down, stop whining and change pants.

6:35PM - Tessa is in high chair with a Mum Mum (I really don't know what that is other than to say it looks like a disgusting baby rice cake - but she loves those things!)  Will is still crying.  I get all the ingredients for meatloaf out.  Brandon has been asking for meatloaf every night for at least a week and this is my late attempt to please him.

6:40PM - I put Will at the table with crayons, scissors, pencils and a few workbook pages.  He's still upset (and in his pajamas) and this is my feeble attempt at distracting him long enough to get the meatloaf in the oven.

6:41PM - Will is crying because he can't cut straight on the lines of his workbook page.  I remind him that he picked that page (not me) and that he can choose another page if he likes.  I still haven't touched the meatloaf.

6:45PM - Will has decided to practice handwriting rather than cutting, so I give him a new page & throw away the one he gave up on, give a crying Tessa her second Mum Mum and move back to the meatloaf ingredients. 

6:50PM - I have my bowls all ready to go - measuring cups are out and I'm about to get elbow deep in the ground beef when Will starts crying because he's noticed that I threw away the old sheet and he was "going to keeeeepppppp itttttttt."  I put on my best patient face and get down on his level - I explain that we can get a new sheet, but that he needs to calm down so that he can go outside with Brooks and Daddy.  He remembers that Brooks and Daddy are outside and goes storming off to his room screaming at the top of his lungs.  I try think about all the things that I love about him, instead of the fact that I want to strangle him.

7:00PM - Before I get all messy with ground beef, I decide to move Tessa from her high chair to the floor so that I don't have to worry about giving her snacks with ecoli hands.  Will is still crying in his room.  I shut his door to block out the noise.

7:05PM - I start dumping ingredients as fast I can into the mixing bowl.  I mix the ground beef in with my hands. 

7:06PM - Will is now kicking something in his room.  I swear under my breath and put everything back in the bowl.  I wash my hands, dry them off and walk to Will's room.  Tessa sees me walk past her room and she starts crying too.

7:10PM - I ask Will why he's crying and he says (while crying) that he doesn't know.  He's been crying for almost an hour now.  My mommy senses make me think something else is going on.  I check for fever - no fever.  I finally get him calmed down by giving in and telling him he can go outside if can change clothes and put his shoes on.  I put some blinky noisy toys in front of the crying baby and head back to the meatloaf.

7:15PM - Still mixing the meatloaf and Tessa is crying so hard that she's holding her breath.  I look at the raw ground beef in front of me and seriously consider licking it, in hopes that a good case of ecoli would mean I could lie in bed alone for a few days.  I wash my hands again and go pick her up.  I put her back in her high chair and give her another pack of baby rice cakes.  I wonder if too much rice will make her tummy hurt, but I'm too stressed to think of another solution.  She takes it, and eats it still crying.  It's her bed time and at this point I consider the time and the fact that the meatloaf takes more than an hour to cook.  I make the decision to let her cry and hurry through with getting dinner in the oven so that we can eat before 9PM.

7:16PM - Will comes into the kitchen and asks for help with his shoes.  I don't want to set him off into another crying fit, so I wash my hands and agree to help.  The baby is still crying.  And because I've washed my hands about 10 times in 30 mins, my skin feels like it's burning off when I rinse them off.  I want to cry.  I want to take the meatloaf and stick it up Brandon's nose.

7:17PM - Will finally has his shoes on and I say something funny to get a smile out of him.  He laughs and snot flies from his nose into his mouth.  He immediately starts crying AND gagging.  I hurry to get the snot out of his mouth before he pukes.  That is the last thing I need.

7:18PM - I send Will outside, put the meatloaf mixture into the baking dish and wash my hands again.  I'm pretty sure I see my actual skin peel off and go down the drain.  Tessa is still crying, so I go to her first.  Brandon walks in for a drink and I make a smart comment about how much I hope he loves his meatloaf.  He shoots me a look and slams the door as he goes back out into the yard.  That didn't go well.  Siggghhhhh.....

7:30PM - I sit down to feed Tessa.  She's as happy as a clam now that I'm holding her.  I immediately forget about the hell I've just been through and snuggle up to my sweet girl.  I think about how I was just at work 2 hours ago.  It was only 2 hours, but it feels like a lifetime ago.  I think about how different my life is from anyone I work with. 

7:45PM - The boys come in and head for the shower.  I apologize to Brandon for smarting off and he not-so-graciously accepts.

8:15PM - I lay Tessa in her crib and turn out her lights.  One down, two more to go.

8:20PM - The oven timer goes off and I put the topping on the meatloaf and put it back in the oven for 30 minutes.  The boys come bounding into the kitchen asking for their supper.  I consider the time and my energy level.  Knowing Will won't eat red meat anyway, I pop a few corn dogs into the microwave, throw some cheese puffs and applesauce on their paper plates and call it dinner.  Hey - it could be worse. 

8:35PM - The boys are done eating and beg for me to read to them.  We brush teeth, get vitamins, and head to bed with our latest (and first) chapter book - The House in the Big Woods. 

8:50PM - From the boys' bed I hear the oven timer go off.  I hear Brandon get out of his recliner and get the meatloaf out.  He sits it on the stove top.

9:15PM - I finish another chapter of the boys' book and tuck them in.  Two more hugs.  One more tuck in.  Night light on, then off, then on again.  All three children are now in bed.

9:22PM - I walk into the kitchen to find that Brandon has already cut himself a big piece of meatloaf.  There's only one problem with it - the inside is still red.  I ask him if he ate any, because obviously it needs to cook longer.  His answer "I was going to ask you about that.  How much longer does it need?"  I want to cry.  I put it back in the oven, and set the timer for 25 more minutes.  I think about how hungry I am, but also how chubby I am.  I think that the last thing I should do right now is eat meatloaf at 10PM.  So I go to bed.

At 9:30PM I walk into my bedroom, finally take off my sweaty walking clothes, brush my teeth and go to bed.  I don't shower.  I don't take my makeup off.  I feel defeated.  I feel like a crappy mom because 2 out of 3 of my kids cried all evening.  I feel like a cruddy wife because it's late and Brandon hasn't eaten dinner.  And I'm hungry.  So I just curl up in my unmade bed and go to sleep.

And THAT my friends is what a pretty typical evening in the Rutledge house looks like.  Not always - but often.  Does it make you jealous?  Yea - I didn't think so.

Something On My Mind...

A few months ago, I began to see a lot of my friends pinning things like 40 Ways to Pray for Your Husband and 8 Tips for Being A Better Wife.  After I read a few of these, I felt so angry and I didn't know why.  I couldn't really say that I don't want be a better wife - I do.  I also couldn't say that I don't pray for my husband, because I do that as well - just not in the ways that these posts were suggesting.   One highly repinned post suggested that I pray certain prayers for my husband.  Some of them sounded logical enough - pray for his relationship with God - okay, sounds good.  Others had me wrinkling my eyebrows - pray for him to continue being a good provider for our family.  Pray for him to resist temptation from other women, etc, etc... huh?  I'm confused - am I praying for my husband or am I praying for ME at this point? Why am I supposed to be spending my time in prayer with Christ keeping my husband from temptation, when I need to be praying that I keep MY OWN head on straight.  When I finished the post, I felt like I was expected to carry the burden of my husband's indescretions.  Like - if he cheats on me, is it because I didn't pray for him enough? OR if his job doesn't allow me to stay at home with our children, is he an inadequet husband and father?  OH CRAP!  What does this mean about me if I sometimes LIKE working outside of the home?? In the post titled 8 Tips for Being A Better Wife, the writer suggested "Don't make your husband ask you twice - if he asks you to do something, do it then and he'll know he can depend on you." Ummmmm - so does this mean that if I have to ask him 25 times to take the trash out that he clearly can't be trusted to feed the children if I have dinner with my girlfriend??  Or do I even get to have friends anymore??  I'm confused.

WHY in the world are we doing this to ourselves?  Why are we becoming so obsessed with proving ourselves to be the most loving, self-sacrificing, all-encompassing wives and mothers on the planet??  I mean, is it not enough that we work hard, whether in the home or at the office, raise our babies and have loving relationships with our husbands?  Why are we not satisfied with that?  It seems these days, it's not enough to pour your kid a bowl of cereal and drop him off at school before a long day at the office.  You're not doing enough if you're not hand sewing your child's halloween treats for pre-k (and lord forbid you don't send a similar small homemade gift for each appropriate federal holiday thereafter!)  You obviously aren't spending enough quality time with your child if she's not reading by age 3.  All of this AND you're not being the "best wife" if your husband asks you twice to pick up his dry cleaning.

I am so over it.  I'm over having discussions about homemade baby food.  Let the kid eat cheerios and bananas and mashed potatoes.  I'm pretty sure that's what I was fed.  I don't want to talk about how long it's appropriate to breastfeed.  That's your business and no one else's.  WHY does it matter to anyone other than the two people participating - unless it's your husband and then don't make him ask you twice to stop!  Geeeezzzz ladies - stop the madness!

And when I say I'm over it - I really mean it.  I am typing this to you from a happy and loving home where my husband warmed up his own leftovers tonight and fed the kids cheese puffs for supper as I walked with a neighbor.  I was the dreaded mother who sent store bought valentines to the pre-k this year and I'm happily registering my oldest for PUBLIC kindergarten next week.  Look - life is hard enough.  I have decided to free myself from the craziness of Pinterest-inspired marriages and MOPS group lifestyles.  I love my family.  I love our life.  And if my husband can't resist the temptation of other women without me spending an hour a day in prayer over it, then we've got bigger problems.  Try it girls - let it go :0)

Goals for 2013

To be honest, I've never made a New Year's resolution.  In my whole life.  Ever.  I don't know why.  It's not that I don't believe in them - I'm always supportive of people setting goals and trying to better themselves and their lives.  In truth, I've never been one to set a resolution because I just don't like the idea of putting the extra pressure on myself.  But I do like the idea of setting goals and really striving to meet those goals.  That doesn't seem so daunting.  So I've decided to put pen and paper (or in this case - fingers to keys) to my goals and get them out of my head.  That way at the end of the year, I can take a look back and see how well (or not so well) I did.  So let's discuss:

Get Organized!!
This is something that I generally struggle with.  Not because I don't start out organized, but because I have a hard time maintaining that organization.  When I'm short on time, patience or sleep I tend to let the details slip little by little and then next thing I know, I'm an unorganized mess again.  I plan to maintain better organization this year by:

• Implementing a family organization "bible" if you will.  This will actually be my 2nd year to own one of these awesome little planners.  I LOVE it.  In 2012, this was my only source of organization and I'm building on it this year.  I can't say enough great things about the "life planner".  It's especially well suited for our large family.  I carry it in my purse and take it to work, as well as all of our appointments. 
• Set a weekly meal plan.  Hopefully, these will be written in said planner.  I usually only buy our main supply of groceries every two weeks, so this may end up being a two-week meal plan thing so that I can have all groceries on hand.  At the rate I'm at now, I feel like I am in the grocery store 3-4 times a week buying one or two items that I have forgotten or that we've ran out of and that is the LAST place I want to be after working all day.
• Get the house organized in a more functional way.  Sighhhh - I'm not sure how I'm going to do this one.  I'm not even really sure how to describe what I mean.  We completed the playroom last year in hopes that the Toys R Us showroom would move out of our living room and down to one organized spot.  But we still have things in our living room and kitchen areas that I would like to see in other places - legos, playdough, board games, craft supplies - all things that I don't necessarily trust them with alone in the playroom.  Also up for organization - magazines, kitchen areas (mail/paper dump baskets, pantry, cabinets and drawers), living room bookshelves, etc. 
• I also want to implement some sort of chore/responsibility system for the boys.  Not so much to pay them for (cause hey jack! I don't get paid to do those things either!) but mainly to teach them to be good boys who help around the house.  I also want to start teaching them about saving money too -  I just haven't figured out how to separate the two yet.  If you guys have any suggestions, let me know. 

Update The Kitchen!
Not a full "dream" update (cabinets, countertops and appliances) but most definitely paint, possibly a backsplash, and few other minor updates.  This is the only room in our house we haven't updated in the last couple of years and I HATE seeing the little finger prints on the dirty paint.  The magic eraser thing has gone as far as it can go.  I just have to decide on a color.  I want simple, clean and light, but I have medium cabinets and black appliances.  Who has suggestions - anyone???

Cook More!
We always eat at home (we may eat out 2xs a month) plus we eat at my in-law's once a week, but I feel like we're always eating the same things or taking the easy way out.  I'm hoping my meal planning will help.

Have More Fun As A Family!!
Here's the deal - both parents work Mon-Fri and at least 2 Saturdays a month.  This leaves 6-7 whole days a month for us to NOT work.  2-4 of those off days are spent cleaning the house, working in the yard, or other obligations (birthday parties, family gatherings, etc.)  Soooo when we get a day off, we tend to spend it lounging at home with the babies.  That's awesome and we really cherish those days, but Will's impending Kindergarten entrance has helped me realize that our babies are growing up and I want to spend our days making lasting memories with them.  I want to make more of an effort to take them out for fun.  Could be the park, could be weekly family nights, could be the zoo, could be Alaska... who knows?!  Let's just do it!

Be A Better Wife!
Let's face it - I'm a pretty amazing wife, but I want to be better.  I kid I kid ;)  With three little people climbing over each other to get to me and talking over each other to talk to me, it exhausts me.  I really don't see those things changing, but I do hope to carve out more time for one-on-one with Brandon.  I'm hoping we squeeze in a few "couple" trips this year, as well as make it a point to have more meaningful conversations and time together, rather than just using our time together to discuss the kids and clean the house.  I won't be slaving to pack his lunches or have his playstation controller all ready for play, but I do love him and want him to feel just as important to me as our 3 munckins because he IS.  One day these crazy kids precious babies will move out and it will just be the old man and me.  What happens if we don't nurture and keep that relationship current?  Why do you think so many people get divorced at 50 years old after 25 years of marriage?  They just spent 25 years raising kids and NOT maintaining the one relationship that brought those kids into the world.  It happens people.  I won't let us be one of them.  I love me some Brandon - and I want us to have those same feelings when we're 50.

So there it is... the things I would like to see happen this year.  No definite timelines, but definitely things to implement this year to make me a better person, mommy and wife.  I think I can I think I can I think I can....

What a Turkey of a Day!

I'm just gonna go ahead and put this out there - we have the WORST luck with holidays.  There I said it.  It's true.  In fact, it's hard for me to even put much stock in whether or not we will even get to show up at our family get-togethers.  I have even stopped buying the standard "holiday" attire for my kids.  Why, you ask?  Because it seems inevitable that everyone in our family will be absolutely hunky dory right up until the night before/day of the big holiday, and then BAM! someone gets sick and we end up staying home. 

In the five holiday seasons since we have become parents, we have missed THREE major holidays due to illness.  Will's first Christmas - stomach bug for me on Christmas morning.  Brooks' first Christmas - strep for both boys on Christmas Eve and for me on Christmas day.  Tessa's first Thanksgiving - pink eye for Brooks and the nastiest sinus crud we've dealt with in a loooonnnnngggg time for the entire Rutledge clan.  Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that these are all things that we will deal with and then get over but it really stinks to be at home while everyone else in the world is out enjoying their holiday and posting the cutest pictures in the world on Facebook.  Oh welllllll - enough pouting from me...

We have been super consumed lately with trying to get everyone well.  The night before Thanksgiving, as I rushed to leave work on time and get home to take the kiddos to see Santa and his live reindeer, my mother-in-law calls at 5:15 to inform me that she's "pretty sure" Brooks has pink eye.  So instead of going to see Santa, Brooks and I had a date at the local "Little Clinic" as it was the only place open so late the day before a major holiday.  It wasn't too hard to diagnose though - his eyes were pretty nasty. 

 

And because the little fella was contagious for at least the next 24 hours, we got to spend Thanksgiving at home as a family of 5.  I had not bought the groceries to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal, so we had biscuits, eggs and bacon for breakfast and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.  Both mine and Brandon's family did bring us leftovers though.  We were very happy to see those aluminum-covered plates :)

We tried to make the best of it anyway and attempted to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  The boys were sooooo bored and were not at all interested.  After lunch, we dragged the Christmas tree down from the attic and began fluffing out the tree. 

Regardless of pink eye, we have so much to be thankful for this year.  We have a wonderfully sweet little addition to our family.  Miss Tessa has made our family complete in so many ways.  She is absolutely the calm amongst the storm in our house and just what we (especially I) needed.  The boys are happy (except when expected to share toys) and growing.  My husband is healthy and cancer-free.  We have a sweet little home that we love, cars that are paid for and dependable, a pantry full of food (even if I'm not the world's best cook), clothes that are clean, and lots of things that I know are luxuries and not necessities.  I absolutely love our life, our home, our little family.  I am crazy in love with my husband, who has been my sweetheart for more than 11 years and I find more and more endearing every day.  He is a great father, and an even better husband to me.  What more could a girl want??  Thankful - that's me :)

Life With Three

This is the first installment of what I'm sure will be many posts on what our lives are like now that we are playing "zone defense" in the Rutledge house.  I read a paragraph in a book recently (notice I said a paragraph) that said "Having two children is like having one and a half.  Having three is like having ten."  And although for us, adding a third child wasn't nearly as difficult as adding a second, there are still some major lifestyle adjustments that have come our way.  We now have a few "rules" we live by, a "code of family ethics" if you will:

• Rule #1:  Pick your battles.  If you don't - you will spend your entire day arguing, negotiating and nagging.  It's not worth it.  Let the child eat his spaghetti with a spoon.  Let him wear pajama pants with his polo shirt.  Let him wear boots in the Georgia summer heat.  Let the child watch an extra 30 minutes of cartoons.  Depending on how the day is going, you may even need to let him play with the soap dispenser in his bathroom.  Just let the small stuff go.  I promise, once you get over the thought of being stared at by parents of one or two children, you'll feel better and more free.  In fact, you may even like this new existence.  Now if a lady with 5 or more children is staring at you in disbelief, you may need to reevaluate the battles you're picking.
• Rule #2:  You don't just hop in the car and go anywhere.  In fact, "hopping in the car" no longer even exists in our world, because getting everyone into the car is a nightmare.  And I'm not talking about getting everyone dressed, fed, pottied and to the car.  I'm talking about simply getting in the car.  Buckling three children in their respective car seats is enough to make me want to lie down in front of the car as it backs down the driveway.  The baby is easy - we buckle her into her car seat inside the house and click her in.  Good to go.  Brooks, however is where the trouble begins.  He rides in the third row.  Getting him to the third row is enough of a challenge because as soon as the climbs in the car, he's going for the driver's seat.  So I have to hold his little arm and escort him to the rear of the vehicle.  (And please don't assume that you would simply "lay down the law and with better parenting, the child would obey."  Please.  This is one of those times when rule #1 comes into play.)  So now I'm struggling to lift my 38lb 2 1/2 year old into a five-point harness while my baby is crying in her car seat, and my four year old is either playing in the parking lot alone or in the already cramped car with us pulling on my pants, which in effect causes my pants to slip further and further down my backside until my love handles AND my crack are showing.  Awesome.  So now I buckle Will in.  No problem until I realize that I'm trapped in the car by carseats on each side.  I either have to climb over the center console (more crack involved) or climb over the 4 year old without breaking his legs or somehow shoving my boobs in his face.  Ugh.  So yea.  No more "let's get out of the house" trips to Starbucks.
• Rule #3:  Babysitters are hard to come by.  They just are.  People are more than willing to take one child, and maybe two if both are potty trained.  But when you are looking for a babysitter for three little people, all of a sudden things get hairy.  I understand completely.  It's like taking in a whole family.  And because babysitters are hard to come by, so are date nights. 
• Rule #4:  The clothing debacle.  Siigghhhh... My boys used to dress nicely.  Our first was always dressed amazingly well.  And because I had more than enough time to treat stains, keep laundry separated, and then store them neatly once outgrown, our second inherited a lot of amazing clothing.  But with the second child came less time for buying, treating and organizing.  And with the third child came the great clothing debacle.  HOLY crap.  We are swimming in a sea of little people clothing, all of which is wrinkled, most of which is stained, and none of which can be located when looking for it.  We have one boy in size 4, one boy in size 3 and a poor little girl with hair bows, leggings and dresses that her parents have no idea what to do with.  The right size hardly ever gets on the right boy, resulting in a 4 year old with a midriff-baring shirt and a 3 year old whose pants are falling off.  Our middle child changes clothes at least 5 times a day at his own requests and is going through a phase where he insists on wearing gloves (mismatched socks) on his hands at all times.  I'm over it.  In fact - I've come to call it individuality.
• Rule #5: You NEVER have enough time.  Trust me.  If you think you are running ahead of schedule, you are wrong.  So very wrong.  If you see that time has allowed you 15 more minutes than you thought you needed, keep right on full-steam ahead.  Because if you use that 15 minutes to do something crazy like sit down, pour another cup of coffee, or actually put on socks with your shoes, you will regret it.  As you are trying to get everyone out the door 15 minutes later, someone will pitch a fit, have to poop, poke another child in the eye, fall and scrape a knee, or forget their backpack.  I promise.  If time has allowed you 15 extra minutes, it's because time can foresee that you are going to need it.  Trust me.

I'll leave you with those things to ponder while I go find my Brooks a new pair of "gloves"....

Back to Work

Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching reality.  Please buckle your seat belts and prepare for arrival.

Isn't it funny how quickly life brings reality back to you.  It's kind of like that beach vacation you take with your kids each year - just when they get adjusted and stop waking up at 5AM, it's time to go home.  Now the time has come for me to go back to work :(  I've spent 8 weeks getting three kiddos adjusted to mommy being at home and now we are all headed back for reality - or in their case, Grandma's.

The number one question I have been asked since having the baby is "Are you ready to go back to work yet?"  I'm not really sure how to answer that honestly.  The truth is, it doesn't matter how I feel about it, because I have to go back.  So even if I felt sad about going back to work (which I do), I have to put my big girl panties on and go back.  And that's fine - over the years, I've accumulated a lot of big girl panties, so I should have some in stock ;)  But I don't live in some sort of fantasy land where I think I am entitled to stay at home because I have given birth to a child.  The major determining factor in whether or not mommy works or doesn't in our home is health coverage for myself in our three munchkins.  Although my husband's company provides his coverage, they don't cover families.  Yes, he could find a job where they did, but he absolutely loves his job and I would never in a million years ask him to leave a job that he loves so that I can stay at home.  I think it's such a true rarity for someone to LOVE their job (not just tolerate or even like) and I'm glad he has that.

And because we both work outside of the home, our family gets an occasional vacation, my son attends a preschool that I love, and my addiction to super cool children's shoes for my kids is not seen as life altering.

I have truly enjoyed my time off with my babies. I got to take Will to school and pick him up, which to you stay-at-home mommas may sound like nothing special, but I have never gotten to do that with him. Brooks and I built lots of forts and he learned how to pedal his bicycle while I was out of leave.  I got to take all three babies on Will's field trip to the apple orchard last Friday, where we picked apples and had a picnic.  Those are all things I would have missed had I been at work.  Of course, Miss Tessa and I have enjoyed lots and lots of snuggles.  She is SUCH a sweet baby and I am truly going to miss having her as my little sidekick throughout the day.  Maybe my boss wouldn't notice if I just put her under my desk in her little bouncy seat??

As you can probably tell, I'm trying to stay positive, but the truth is that for the first time in three maternity leaves, I'm sad to go back.  Not because I think I'm an awesome stay-at-home mommy.  I'm not that great at it actually.  I am usually frazzled before breakfast and counting the hours until daddy gets home by 3.  My boys don't always mind, they may or may not take naps, and I definitely don't do any fun crafts.  Craft time is "let's go outside and play in the dirt".  I'm just going to miss my babies.  Someone once told me that it's easy to go back to work when you're children are infants, but harder as they get older.  I think that is so true.  I think a lot of the reason why I'm sad about going back this time is because I got a little taste of everything I'm missing with my boys.  I'm also pretty nervous about going back to work.  I had a REALLY bad experience when I came back to work from maternity leave with Brooks (with a different company) and as Brandon would say, I'm a little "gun-shy" this go around.  My office is pretty small - only 7 people including myself, and the group dynamic can change so much when one person is out.  I kind of feel like I'm going in blindly tomorrow.  Who knows what changes will be waiting for me :/

BUT - I do want to stay positive, and I want to give credit where credit is due:

To my husband who will probably never read this:  he has been such a help for the last 8 weeks.   Not many dads would tackle caring for three young children like he does.  I'm always amazed at how well he does with them and how well my boys mind him.  I never ever worry about leaving them with him.  I've had a couple of dinners with girlfriends, evening walks with my neighbor, etc.  and he never gives me a hard time about needing some me time.  He is also such a big support system for me.  When I feel crappy about how I look, the weight I haven't lost, or the clothes that I can't get into, he tells me how beautiful I am, he tells me to go shopping, or keeps the kids so that I can get some exercise.  Seriously, every girl should have a husband like him!

To my in-laws:  they have been so helpful with my kids.  If I needed a day with a few less bottoms to wipe, they would come and get the boys for the day.  If Brandon and I needed a night out, they would watch them so that we could go to dinner.  And ultimately, they will also be keeping all three babies 5 days a week when I go back to work and there is not enough time in the day for me to thank them enough for that.  They will be doing Will's preschool drop-off and pick-up too which is not exactly just down the street for them.  I am soooo grateful to have such wonderful in-laws.

To my parents:  although my parents both work, they are always stopping by on their days off to see the kids and me.  My boys looooovvvveeee their Gram and Pappaw and love their spend-the-night dates at my parents.  With three kids to get in the bed, and three kids who may or may not get up various times throughout the night, Brandon and I really appreciate those spend the night trips so that we only have to worry about Miss Tessa for just one night.  My mom also spent her only day off last week with me and Tessa at the mall while I tried on a blue million dresses for a wedding this past weekend.  I know what it's like to just have one day to do everything you need to get done on your day off, and I really appreciate that she chose to spend that time with me :)

For my friends and neighbors who have visited, made suppers, called and offered to help with the boys, you have no idea how much I appreciate each one of you.  If you ever want to find out who your sweetest friends are, have a baby.  They will be the ones who feed you, love on your baby, encourage you, and make you laugh even if it's just over the phone.  I am truly blessed with a great group of friends!

To all my friends out there who, like me, are working moms - I just picked up a copy of a book called Just Let Me Lie Down, by Kristin van Ogtrop.  She is a working mother of three and HILARIOUS.  In her book, she defines a working mom's balancing act:

Balancing Act: a hilarious notion that some feminist (or come to think of it, it may have been an antifeminist) came up with to describe what any working mother must do: that is, bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan.  But the skillet is very, very heavy, and on certain days you don't even feel like you can pick it up.  Other days you'd like to use it as a weapon - and would, if it didn't mean certain arrest, which would have negative playground ramifications for your kids.  On these days you really are just acting, to very little applause.

So I'm back to the balancing act tomorrow.  I'm crazy nervous, pretty sad, but more or less just ready to get back to our reality.  Say a prayer for me - that I'm nervous over nothing, that the day flies by, and that my babies have a great day at Grandma's (that part I'm not very worried about).  Thanks in advance!!