Did I say that I had hubris? Strike that. I have mad parenting SKILLZ. Or at least I really lowered the bar regarding my expectations for this weekend. Of course, it’s only the second day… But I have to say – this really isn’t that bad. SO much easier than last year when Oliver was two and the twins were one.
Now they all play together and I can actually leave them unsupervised for short periods of time while I get things done around the house. Whether I should be leaving them unsupervised or not is a completely different story – but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. And this girl has to do some cleaning.
We started the day around 7:00 a.m. when Eleanor wouldn’t stop yelling “Mommy where are you?” for five minutes straight. When she takes a breather or two I choose to pretend I can’t hear her – but with that solid block I knew that she meant business. Please don’t think I’m a neglectful parent. I’m just encouraging her to problem solve and learn to get out of her crib without my help. It’s more of a teaching tool – this neglect. And a rather short sighted one since I don’t particularly want them to know how to escape their cages.
George doesn’t demand my attention the minute he wakes up, but he does require that I hold him in my arms at all times. You see, George and I are madly in love. We cannot be separated. Such a breach would only result in earth shattering screams that rupture all canine eardrums within a mile radius of our house. Of course that is a slight exaggeration (very slight) so I do have my hands-free moments throughout the day.
Sometimes I try to remember if Oliver was like this too. He is also quite pathological in his need for my attention. But I suspect that my enormous stomach (full of the twins) when he was a year old helped to reduce the amount time he spent attached to my body. Which is a good thing since he was twice as heavy as George when he was two (George just barely clears 25 lbs. – he’s such a pee wee!) Oliver didn’t require as much babying as George does, but he was prone to impromptu leaping into my arms from counter tops or the top of the staircase. Who am I kidding? He still does that. Those boys would hang on me all day if they didn’t take breaks to climb on furniture and torture their sister.
I don’t have a lot to report on our morning at home. Too much TV was watched (by them), too much diet coke was consumed (by me), too much rough housing around sharp corners took place (obviously them)… I was able to clean the kitchen and make some headway in the fourth Twilight book, so I felt it was a win-win.
We did not go to the At Play Cafe as I had planned since I saw that they open at noon on Sundays. We needed a morning outing, so I had to come up with another destination that offered shelter from the winter wind, a pleasant atmosphere, and bright shiny objects to keep us entertained. So off to Target we went!
One challenge I faced was how to transport them around the store. When Chris is with me, we put the twins in their stroller and Oliver sits in the shopping cart seat. But pushing both a double stroller and the cart would be impossible. And I couldn’t just forgo the cart and have Oliver walk with me. I would have no way of making him stay with me or walk in the direction I preferred (this whole “will of their own” thing leaves a lot to be desired). So here was my solution:
Luckily we didn’t have to buy anything in bulk. Just a few odds and ends – some staples like Little Einstein DVDs and some Play Doh. This ate up a good hour of time – which was my main concern. As the Einsteins like to say, “Mission completion!”
The only part of our outing that caused me a little bit of a headache was the drama of Eleanor trying to decide which car seat she would take. At one time, we had an assigned seating arrangement, but lately, Eleanor has decided that she wants options. Luckily – George could give a crap which seat is his, but I could do without the fun of getting her buckled into one only to find that she has buyer’s remorse and simply MUST move to the other one. Particularly when it’s freezing outside and we’re all anxious to get the car started so we can crank up the heat. Girls.
After some lunch and about 372 laps around the house, the twins were willing to take their nap and Oliver and I spent some quality time watching TV. Actually – I did a little reading. Damn those Twilight books and their inexplicable power to take precedence over more important activities like child rearing.
Oliver did get a little bored at one point and put on his coat, claiming that it was time to go out for pizza. Thankfully, I was able to distract him with another activity after explaining that we had just eaten lunch, that the twins were sleeping upstairs and that it was far too cold to go outside in nothing but Kung Fu Panda underwear and a coat.
The evening brought more of the same, and this little report is a bit longer than I had intended. So I’ll just leave you with a couple of pictures I took at bath time.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for further tedious details of our day!
I don’t know which I like better – a tub full of kids or a shopping cart full.
It sounds like you have had a very good day!
We went to Sams Club as a family today which I hate. My husband drives me crazy because he buys a bunch of crap we don’t need. But I do love their carts….they hold two kids!
Kate, those bathroom photos are darling – They look like very happy, relaxed children, and I’m pleased this is working out better than you expected – I only ever had one child, Grizzler, to look after, but found the days were far easier (and he was more tired – he was a wee whirlwind every day!) if we got out and about to softplay and so on – More distractions/diversions than at home, I guess. I wish we’d had Target here!
I love Oliver – I’m w/him – it’s time for pizza. so cute. interesting to look back a year ago and see how much they’ve changed!
I’m glad you are surviving so far. Heck taking three kids by yourself to Target means your are eligible for a medal.
Love the bath pictures. We too have a lion towel. Bunny gets mad when its in the wash. “I don’t want to be a butterfly, I want to be a lion.”
Sometimes we need our space, too, otherwise we will not be able to give to our kids. :-)
I usually leave my kids when I grocery shop (if I ever do – I try to procrastinate as much as I can) but when I do by myself I take twice as long.
So even though it’s easier, in some ways, not to take them, I actually think it’s better so I don’t fritter the whole day away at Wal-Mart :-)
When you had all three of them in the cart at Target did at least two people say, “Phew! You’ve got your hands full”? Because that’s what happens to me when I have three in a cart at Target, which I just recently stopped doing because Sam is too big to lift.
Had to just check in with you for Day 2. I cart my kids around with me all the time in the shopping cart but now I fell like I need my head to spin round constantly at 360 degrees as my 2 year old can unbuckle and climb out.
Glad to hear day 2 was survivable.
Kate – it is Maureen again. I am impressed, you are doing well into day 3. I am impressed everyone was in the tub and no one had their clothes on.
Such cuties!! Bravo on getting through so well!!
Target is always fun. We go there at least twice a week. Sometimes I think I purposely forget items, just to have an excuse to go back.
the pictures are so cute! you are a brave target shopper, i’ve not been that brave yet with only 2!