Category: This and that

Dec. 1st: This isn’t just a post, it’s your present.

~ Lenore Diane ~ 1 Comment
Triplet Mom's sister, Me and Triplet Mom (pre-kids) in the Spring of 1988. Oh, it's Triplet Mom's sister's birthday, too. They are twins. Funny how that works - sharing the same birthday and all.

My dream? To be featured on WordPress’ Freshly Pressed. The dream of others? To be featured in my post. Huh? What? Is that wrong? Your dream, I mean? Well, I was hoping at least someone I knew wanted to be featured in my post. Because, Ms. Mom to triplets and a singleton, this is your post!

No, I’m kidding. I won’t talk about you throughout my entire post. However, on December 1st, I always remember two things: 1.) World AIDS Day and 2.) your birthday, which happens to be your 40th one. So, remember, Ms. Mom to triplets and a singleton, AIDS is preventable. If you have sex, practice safer sex; and, if you use needles, don’t share needles! Oh, and happy 40th birthday!

World AIDS Day 2010 - Take Action and Tackle HIV/AIDS

In other news, the end of this month marks a full year of blogging for me. I am certain all of you are thankful for the words of wisdom I have posted over the 2010 year. My faithful and loyal readers are too many to thank personally. Okay, that’s a lie, and you know that’s a lie. So, I say “Thanks!” to my few, but loyal, fans: Crazy Puppy Lady, Tortey, Triplet Mom, Betty (or is it Veronica?) and Andrea HT. And, I will get around to paying the five of you, I promise.

I am working on my last post of the 2010 year, and I am looking forward to writing during the 2011 year. Whether you feel I’ve junked-up the blogosphere or added quality posts, I’ve enjoyed myself. And, assuming this is not your first time visiting my blog, I further assume you’ve enjoyed yourself, too. A little? Maybe?

With the start of December, a list reviewing the highs and lows of the year start popping up all over the place. The year in review seems to begin the first day of the month, as if there aren’t an additional 30 days to follow. Among the year-end lists comes a list of famous people we’ve lost during the year. Added to the list this week: Leslie Nielsen. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” “I’m a locksmith. And, I’m a locksmith.”

What are some of your top memories of 2010? What are some of your highs and lows from this year? And, if you’ve read several of my posts, which one was your favorite? Which post was your least favorite? If you don’t mind sharing, I’d really like to read what you have to say.

To date, I have received the highest number of hits during the month of March, totaling 901. And yet, the busiest week was in September, with 335 hits during the 37th week of the year. The busiest day took place that week, September 13th, when I received 167 hits. Supposedly, WordPress doesn’t count me hitting myself – hitting my own blog, I mean. If it did, I’d break 100 every day!

Now, I realize me talking stats about my blog may not make for good reading, but I am amazed that I’ve received any hits at all. I mean, aside from the five folks I mentioned earlier, I didn’t expect to break 5 hits in a day, let alone 30. And yet – I get an average of 30 hits a day. OK. Don’t laugh. I am small potatoes, I know. I may not even be a potato. I get that. Still I write. And I will continue to write – for the five of you or the five hundred of you. Hmm… I wonder if I could get five hundred hits in a month. Something to shoot for in 2011, perhaps.

Happy birthday, Ms. Mom to triplets and a singleton! Happy 40th birthday! Have a super dooper day and a magnunderful birthday week! And again, even in your 40s, if you have sex, remember to practice safer sex, and if you use needles, don’t share needles!

The Crazy Behind the Curtain

~ Lenore Diane ~ 5 Comments

Getting up and heading to church on Sundays is something we do more often than not. The morning pace is slow, but we manage to make it to the church on time. The boys go to their Sunday school classes, and Rob and I go to our Sunday school class. This past Sunday was different. We were given the task (honor, really) to light the first candle of the advent season. We were to light the candle during the 9:30 am church service.

Our morning routine was a little more rushed, wanting to look our very best for the congregation. I wanted to make sure the boys wore their pants without holes, and shirts/sweaters that actually matched their pants. On this particular Sunday – socks and sandals would not be acceptable. We were rushing around in an attempt to look like the ‘perfect’ family.

As we were heading to church, I noticed several other cars on the road. And, from what I could see, many of the cars had folks dressed in their ‘Sunday’ best. I reflected back to Thanksgiving, when my niece took a picture of me, Rob and the boys, because the holiday season typically brings with it greeting cards. Many greeting cards. And, many of the greeting cards include a picture of the family. Most pictures show a happy family, smiling beautifully in their best holiday clothes. Or perhaps, the picture was taken at the beach, and they are donning similar outfits – white tops and blue bottoms. Regardless of the pose or the clothes, taking the perfect holiday picture is a ritual for many families. And, wanting to include a picture of our perfect family in our holiday card, I made sure our family took part in the ritual.

Perhaps, if you peel back the curtain in our family you may find: the rushing around the house; the bickering and snapping over this and that, because of this and that; the pull in the pantyhose that leads to a run, because of an attempt to chase the dog off the bed and out of the bedroom, while also trying to get dressed; the grape jelly that falls off the toast and lands on a clean Sunday shirt, as a 4yr old eats while also bouncing in his chair; the glitter glue picture that had to be completed by a 5yr old and ends up in his lap – leaving globs of glue behind on his Sunday pants; etc.

Then again, you may find a perfectly composed family, clean and neat, with freshly washed and pressed clothes, brushed teeth and hair, all smiles and ready to please. Though, as I shake a Magic 8 Ball, I’m not at all surprised to find, “Looks Doubtful.”

What follows is a series of photo mishaps, in the effort of getting the ‘perfect’ shot. Starting with my boys, in a series of pictures where one realizes he is tickling the other to the point of no return. And, I am not including the perfect shots, because really, there is more fun to be had while living in the crazy.

Look. Charlie is a little ticklish.
Charlie is ticklish, Mom.
This is kind of fun!
And, we're done!
While positioning the kids, my friend (and photographer) saw a chance and took it.
How many more pictures do we have to take?!

Be kind, take care of yourself and each other, and make sure you have fun while living in the crazy!

Just another day at daycare

~ Lenore Diane ~ 1 Comment

This is the third year I have put together a calendar for our daycare provider, Ms. Suzann. I ask the Moms to send me pictures of their kids to include in the calendar, and I have one or two photo days at Suzann’s house during the school year, catching the kids in their element. Because I didn’t have any good holiday pictures of the kids, I decided to head to Suzann’s house for an impromptu photo session.

To my delight, all the kids had on festive clothing! It was as if someone had contacted the parents, asking them to put their kids in holiday clothes for daycare. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t an impromptu photo shoot. One thing is for certain, I did not tell Suzann what I was doing, yet she donned a red shirt! Honest!

The plan was for me to drop Charlie off at Suzann’s in the morning and linger a bit, while the other kids arrived. My lingering gave me a great opportunity to see the kids enjoying their time. I watched as they sat at the table, all eating cereal. I watched, as they decided to gather on the couch, and Charlie helped Riley take off her shoes. And, I watched as Ms. Suzann popped in a yoga DVD and gathered the kids for morning yoga.

Charlie and Caitlyn

After their morning yoga, I decided it was time for the photo shoot. Ms. Suzann and the kids came outside on the front porch, and did a great job following directions and posing for the pictures. Everyone had a great time. When I was done taking pictures, I went home. Shortly after returning home, Ms. Suzann called to say Lacy had just arrived. And, I assured Ms. Suzann that I would return in the afternoon to take some holiday shots of Lacy with her friends.

Going back to Ms. Suzann’s house in the afternoon gave me another chance to see the kids in their element. I soon learned their afternoon was an exciting one, because the four bunnies at Ms. Suzann’s house ‘broke free’ from their pen. Actually, the bunnies had broken out of their pen earlier in the morning, but the excitement didn’t pick up until the afternoon. The kids had successfully corralled two of the four bunnies, but the two other bunnies were still hunkered down under a nearby barn.

While I was visiting and waiting for Lacy to wake up from her nap, I watched the other kids keeping their eyes on the windows. The kids were watching for any bunny sightings. I listened, as the kids chatted, and I was amazed at how they encouraged each other with every word. And, when Lacy woke from her nap, I watched as the kids greeted her – so excited she was awake.

Lacy and Charlie

Once Lacy was dressed in her holiday attire, I gathered the kids for another photo shoot. Again, the kids did a great job of listening and posing. The kids listened so well, I was done taking pictures within five minutes. And, because it was the end of the day, I gathered Charlie’s things and was ready to take him home with me. However, Charlie wanted to stay; he wasn’t ready to go home. So, with Ms. Suzann’s permission, I sat in the corner, watching the kids have fun.

I enjoyed watching the kids play. I smiled, as Lacy reached into one of the bunnies’ crates, grabbed a carrot and started eating it. The bunny just watched, clearly willing to share. I welcomed the opportunity, when Riley and Lacy came to me and asked me to read a book. Shortly after I started reading, others joined us on the couch to listen to the story.

Today, Joe gets to spend the day with Ms. Suzann, because he does not have school. Charlie was excited to have Joe back in the classroom. And, this morning, Charlie said he was slow to wake up because, “I was dreaming about Joe loving Caitlyn and Riley.” Joe heard Charlie and he said, “Yeah, I can’t wait to play with Caitlyn and Riley.” The boys were so excited to spend the day with Ms. Suzann.

Riley and Ms. Suzann

“What do we call Ms. Suzann’s again?” Charlie asked. “Do you mean ‘daycare’?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied. “Daycare.”

As we went to get into the car, Joe was bouncing along saying, “Today is a special day at Ms. Suzann’s house.” And Charlie said, “Joe, every day is a special day at Ms. Suzann’s house. We always do special things.”

Ms. Suzann’s house is more than daycare. Ms. Suzann’s house is special place the kids love visiting. I’ve sung Ms. Suzann’s praises several times. It seems fitting that I write this post a day before Thanksgiving, because Suzann is high on my list of things for which I am thankful.