It's a Wrap

No really. It's a wrap.

I should have been doing just about anything BUT sewing this afternoon. My house is trashed. Ellerie is MISERABLE (apparently it is harder to fall back asleep at 5:45 when you no longer have your UM). The boys have been fighting and are now glazed in front of PBS kids. I have limited (by which I mean cold cereal) supper plans.

But it's a cute wrap! And a standing snack baggie! And my kids are EXCITED about them, which makes me excited. And they are cheap reduced price fabrics (yes, fabricS. More to come) And they're reusable so yay for my checkbook and yay for the environment! Anybody want one, cuz they're kind of fun and easy? I've got time.

You know, ahem, sort of.

Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracles

See this baby girl? She is no longer. Oh, she'll always be MY baby, but she has officially become a "bigger girl." (her words)

Her long and deep-seeded love and need for her paci (known in our house as the Um or Ummie) has been relinquished.

ALL. ON. HER. OWN.

Or mostly. At three, Ellie is a full year older than Cal was when we took his away. But it has been harder for me this time. Harder because she is my baby and she seems, you know, little. Harder because it's, you know, easy to give it to her for sleeping. Harder because with three busy ones it never seems to be a good time.

But we finally admitted there was no more putting it off. And we've been talking for weeks now very specifically about the Ummie and how it isn't good for her teeth and how only babies need Ummies and that none of the big girls use them. We've talked about how if you leave your Ummie in a basket at night, the Ummie Fairy will take them and leave you a present instead. And, then we picked a date, the 27th, with the promise of a pink frosted cake the next day.

But it's only the 23rd, you're thinking? How could this be?

Oh, she surprised us all asking to do it at bedtime last night, dropping them in the basket without hesitation and not even mentioning them again. HUH?

OKAAAAAY....

And these guys? Pinky and Lollipop (her choice) dropped off by the Ummie Fairy at her request. A pink unicorn for her and a blue one (oops) for SB (AKA Sleepy Baby, her nighttime lovey).

She is happy as a clam and not even a MENTION of the UM. Just when you think you know your kid, I swear.....

Although, admittedly I can't even explain the 3-D glasses.

Keeping It Together(ish)

Really, I'm still around, just not doing anything all that exciting. Trying to keep the cogs turning when the kids are all buzzing around me. Trying to play catch up while they are away at Nana and Papa's. (Cleaning with my "new" homemade scrub...just a grated half bar of Dr. Bronner's peppermint and some Borax are now leading me to shiny sinks, tubs and toilets! Smells heavenly and refreshing and almost makes me WANT to clean. ALMOST.)

Sorting clothes, back to school shopping (online mostly as who wants to drag three little ones to stores and then actually give them CHOICES about things?? ), trying to organize, trying to purge, trying to stay cool in between.

And the real reason I haven't been in this space, or done much of anything beyond laundry and cooking (if you can call it that), is that I've been reading. I have to admit, for a girl never to be without a book as a child and a former English Lit major in college, I don't read much as an adult. (Yes, I use the term "adult" loosely, especially when it comes to literature. You'll notice all my books are "juvenile" fiction) But there is a reason for me not reading much these days and it stems around the fact that once I start,

I. CAN. NOT. STOP.

My compulsion is to live in the world of my books. You kids need to eat? Be disciplined? You want to leave the house? Sorry, Mommy's busy with a book. You'll have to go trouble someone else. Oh, there is no one else? Drat, I shall have to put down the book and I am certain to be crabby or depressed because of it.

Hey. Some people have soap operas, I have kids' fiction.

But I'm going to have to pull the bookmark at some point here or nothing will get accomplished. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my reading adventures while I'm on a roll. The toilets will wait, right?

Camping

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that it's been awhile since I've been camping. Growing up, camping was pretty much what we did on vacations until I was in high school. The boys have been on our family men's trip a couple times (REAL camping...by which I mean, no toilets) but I haven't gone since before children. I've just not been keen on tenting it pregnant or nursing or with a babe in diapers, so this seemed like a good summer to try it as a whole crew. It was.............. not bad.

The kids did well, for the most part. Mike and I managed to not stress out, for the most part. It was dry, for the most part. You know it had to rain when we were either setting up the tent or taking it down. I thought taking it down was the better end of that bargain, so I'm glad for that.

I have likely increased my skills at being a low maintenance chick. I have increased my ability to just roll with it for sure. However, I have not increased my ability to make it all night without needing a trip to the loo. Good news, I'm not as freaked out about walking through the woods by myself with a flashlight.

I had a nice reminder, from the camping neighbors that our kids befriended, that other people's children actually can be more annoying than my own. Still, I was also reminded that it's likely that nobody's kids are louder than mine.

It was only a few days, but we packed a lot in and by the end we all pretty much felt like this:

I still feel a little that way, actually. Only, with a sunburned lip. So I'm going to chill with a movie or a book for awhile and an iced coffee. I'm so glad for our trip, but it's good to be home.