July 19: My son, the father of twelve bird hatchlings

This is my second daily journal posting. Hopefully these are the kinds of things you are interested in reading so I’ll keep this up until folks say it’s no longer interesting. But with four little kids in the house in the AM while both parents are getting out to work (and getting the four out to daycare/pre-school), there is almost always good content to write about. So, here I am on the ferry during my commute to work. Hair still wet, no make up on. Recapping from this morning:

Highlights of the morning and commute:

• I wake up at 7 AM to Red, who asks if I can help her put her “curly spray” on her hair. She is really beginning to become a diva. In my eyes she is stunningly beautiful with her red curly hair and deep brown eyes. What a wonderful way for me to wake up.
• While getting ready, Red plays quietly in our room. She decides to play with “bath letters” (the spongy things that stick on the sides of the tub during play time). She says she’s matching colors and building towers of letters based upon color. Red: “Mommy, there’s only one yellow.” Me: “Awh sweetie, he must be lonely”. Red: “And there’s only one red.” Me: “Well, maybe they can be friends.”.
• I gather the kid clothes for the day – Big Bro, Red – before heading downstairs. I put a cup of water in microwave for instant coffee immediately – I’m feeling a bit slow today.
• It’s CHOCOLATE TUESDAY!!!! A couple months ago I was struggling trying to figure out how to get more protein into these kids who are very picky/predictable in the morning. I stumbled on Nutella which because a HUGE hit. So much so that I really think the kids became addicted to the “chocolate”. They demanded it daily. Hubby put a stop to it and declared that only one day of the week should be “chocolate day”. We asked Big Bro which day he thought it should be and he proclaimed “Tuesday”. Of course on that day we had the conversation it was a Tuesday so I thought that was pretty clever of him
• I come downstairs and Big Bro and Red have chocolate all over their faces. Think handlebar mustaches of Nutella chocolate. They are so quiet though. I love Tuesday mornings because of this. They tend to cooperate more with us since the Nutella puts them in a good mood.
• Twin Husky is busy with bread crusts and eating Hubby’s cereal. Twin Crazy is walking around with a banana, very proud that she holds it like a big girl. We then start on applesauce with the Twins which quickly turns into a disaster since they really want to self feed. There is apple sauce all over themselves and the floor. I’ll worry about that clean up after they’re done.
• Some issues / fights between Big Bro and Red, but they are mild.
• Big Bro has a ‘silly shoe day” at school and I know this will be a problem. He is very sensitive to tactile things (e.g., like tags on his shirt, bunched up socks, etc.) and I suspect that wearing two different shoes will be a problem. We talk about it and come up with four different pairs of shoes that could be similar enough to feel OK. He rejects all, so I suggest bringing his favorite sneakers and another pair of shoes as back-up, in case he feels pressure once getting to school. For some reason as well he is asking to bring his Toy Story play tent. He claims they are doing “camping” at school. I question this but pack it up anyway.
• Twin Husky and I wind up playing a game where he takes a step backward, I kiss his head, he laughs. He takes a step backward, I kiss his head, he laughs. We did this all the way into the living room where we started doing diaper changes.
• Diaper changes for both Twin Husky and Twin Crazy were uneventful. However during Twin Crazy’s diaper change, Twin Husky kept “head butting” my body for me to give him kisses. It was so cute. Even Twin Crazy was laughing at this. He manipulated lots of kisses from me this morning.
• OK, it’s 8 AM!!! Time to go!!! WE shuffle out, and with the normal shoes, jackets, favorite toys, I also have a Toy Story tent, sleeping bag, and extra pair of shoes.
• I am doing drop-offs solo this morning since Hubby has to drive in for a meeting.
• First drop off: Red and Twins. Went smoothly.
• Second drop off: Big Bro; lots of kids with crazy shoes. Different pairs, but some have decorated one pair of shoes with strings, stickers, etc. This will work. I ask the pre-school teacher if he could work with Big Bro to get his sneakers “crazy”.

This was another great morning. There were only a couple of mild fights but they were really tame. Now on the ferry but it is very grey. Oh shit! I forgot to bring a jacket for myself. This happens frequently. One morning I left the house wearing my slippers. Not good. For work today I will need to focus on:

• Continuing the selling efforts of Phase 2 of our last project.
• Starting to refine the Executive presentation for our meeting next week
• Getting those legal files downloaded and start to review – to prepare for internal meeting tomorrow.
• Attend status meeting for big event we are hosting later this year – communicate the traction I’ve made in securing client participation and membership. I’ve secured ~5 additional participants and am excited to report on this.

That’s it for now. Hoping the day goes well and that I get in good spirits. I might need extra caffeine today.

Highlights of my Working Day:

• The normal routine…. In the ladies room I transform into career woman – makeup, pull wet hair back in clip. In office, I grab tea, water, and a cup of trail mix. Boot up computer and check website stats. Read emails to see what I need to accomplish quickly. Check the news. Now I’m ready to begin.
• I had a good time today working with a team building a “business” inside our company – the big meeting in October. I felt good about the progress made with selling potential clients on the idea and getting them to agree to come to the meeting. We still have more work to do, but I’m having fun with it and like the group I’m working with.
• Finished up the thinking for potential Phase 2 project for our last client; just need to tweak and then we’ll send it to the client tomorrow. I worked on the Executive Presentation but did not finish. So unfortunately I will need to work on this tonight after the kids go to bed. That is the problem with this profession…. Client work means working after hours and traveling. That’s just what is required to be successful at this job.
• Got some flack from a director for not being able to download files from the secure server for our other client project just starting. She will blame this on me (she already has). I’ll have to deal with her tomorrow.
• Also did some business development to secure a small project as a subcontractor to another consultancy. I like the relationship-building aspect of this job.

I’m on the ferry now and it is still sunny out – another beautiful day. Still not excited about the work I need to do tonight. Wish I could spend more time with my children. Have not thought about dinner yet. Why do I continuously do that??!??!?!?!?!? I should know better by now, right??!??!?!?!

We are meeting two potential mother helpers tonight; looking forward to meeting them. OK, signing off for now and getting my keys ready for pick up!!

Dinner and Bedtime:

Pick ups were uneventful, except there was great music on. I took advantage of the good weather and my reasonably good mood and rolled the windows way down while singing “Jesse’s Girl”. The kids were laughing. Hubby was already making pizza when we arrived which was excellent – because of this the dinner was done quickly and we had lots of time to play with the kids. Here are some highlights:

• Twin Crazy was particularly playful tonight. She kept wanting me to flip her upside down. I love when she does this. Her laugh is contagious. Plus I get to kiss her pudgy neck when she’s flipped over. so cute
• At one point things were quiet upstairs and I checked the older kid’s room…. there was Red, Twin Husky, and Twin Crazy all sitting there in Red’s bed. I’m not sure how the twins made it in there. I think Red is carrying them around now.
• Twin Husky constantly picks up balls now and says “ball” in his deep, throaty voice
• We had a great dinner. Hubby made pizza, and we also served leftover mac-n-cheese, broccoli, and sliced cucumbers. The Twins were eating like crazy with their forks. Then Red started feeding them. Then the Twins started feeding Red. It was too cute.
• Big Bro is having “spirit week” at pre-school and they’re doing fun things each day but also doing a camping theme all week. So after dinner he gets his sleeping bag and puts the sound machine on “crickets”. I’m laughing out loud just thinking back on this.
• Big Bro then decides to be a “bird” in a “nest” that he constructed around himself from the sleeping bag. He proclaims that he has 12 eggs. I gasp and say “12 kids???!??!? Oh my goodness how will you ever be able to care for 12 kids? Will you get a job?” He says “No, birds don’t do that.” Me: “But how are you going to care for them?” Big Bro: “I’m going to build a bigger nest. With a roof. And a hole so they can go in and out.” Me: “Well what else are you going to do to care for them?” Big Bro: “I’m going to keep them safe. I’m going to fly around to get them food.” I say, “Oh my goodness are you strong enough to do all that flying for all of that food for 12 kids??!?!?!??!?! What else are you going to do for them? How are you going to make them feel loved?” Big Bro: “I’m going to hug them all. And I’m going to ‘tweet’ when they fly away when they’re bigger so they can come back.” OMG I almost crumbled with this exchange. He is so sweet. He then proceeded to name them (largely based upon the kids in his class): Ryan, Scanlan, Robert, Lindsay, Jin Woo, Eva, Ruby, Dinosaur (our favorite), Elena, Gabriella, Jessica, and Hana.
• Twin Crazy and big sister Red were playing make believe in the play kitchen.
• Twin Crazy then started carrying shoes around, and also shoving her face into fluffy stuffed animals
• Twin Husky was walking up and down the stairs
• Red had velcro play food items stuck all over her socks
• Hubby was falling asleep on the floor – he claimed it was the sound of the crickets. Red ran over the sound machine to get rid of the crickets so hubby would no longer fall asleep
• I started a tickle fit with Big Bro. His trick to get me to stop tickling him is the comment “You’re GREAT mommy!!!!”
• I took a short walk to the mailbox with Big Bro and Red. Twin Husky was hysterical when we returned so I went on a second walk to the empty mailbox just with him to calm him down.
• Hubby brings out peaches and then it’s like “Dawn of the Dead” with all of these kids reaching out to him for peaches
• bedtime! Hubby and mother’s helper work on the Twins – story and singing
• I work with Big Bro and Red. Teeth, no problem. Red decides to go poop. This took awhile. During this time she happens to remember a time when she tried to dump the little potty of poop into the toilet but somehow missed and the poop landed on the floor. “Daddy had to get it“. I started laughing thinking of his expression of doing this task. I guess I wasn’t around that night.
• I say to Red, “Come on man, let’s get these PJs on man”. She responds “I’m a lady. Not a man. Call me Lady.” Isn’t she too young for this?
• We read a Dora book and I start to use funny accents with the characters. Except they wind up in some mangled French accent instead of Spanish. Red laughs at this but Big Bro doesn’t like it. I try to slip them in there but he still protests.

I am in such a great, energized mood because of the time I was able to spend with the kids this evening. Believe me, the cost of a mother’s helper is worth their weight in gold. We don’t have to worry about dinner clean up, laundry, etc. We can just focus on being with our kids.

Speaking of which, the two mothers helper candidates I had lined up for tonight didn’t show up. I need to figure out if we were stood up or if I messed up an appointment. Chances are 50/50 that I messed up at least one of them. I’ll need to work on that tomorrow!!!!

OK, now I have to switch gears and work on that presentation — It needs to be sent to the Director tonight; hopefully it does not take me more than 1 hour. I also have a stack of legal docs to read but I don’t think I’ll crack that tonight.

Thanks for reading –

– Mama K