Author: Melissa

I was leaving a brunch hosted by one of the moms in Grace's class. Almost all of the other moms were there, which was fun and it was hosted at this gorgeous house in an incredible neighborhood. Not that I was coveting or anything ;-) We had a great time chatting, eating scones and drinking Starbucks to go coffee. (Did you know they did this? I didn't!)

I walked out the the car, chatting away, trying to balance Colin, the diaper bag and my coffee while digging around for my keys. I just can't find them. I drop my diaper bag on the ground, balance my coffee cup on the roof and squat down to rummage through my (incredible messy) diaper bag. FINALLY I manage to locate my keys. I strap a now screaming Colin into his car seat, grab my purse and prepare to zoom off, as I am now late to pick Ellie up from school.

Clunk!

A glance in the rear view mirror shows my coffee cup bouncing down the street.

Way to make a suave impression on the other moms, Girlymama.

And, to add insult to serious injury, my coffee cup was gone. Filled with delicious Starbucky goodness. In the street. Spilled all over. Gone. I almost never get Starbucks anymore, what with the economy being a disaster and all. And I didn't even get to drink it. On a day when I clearly really needed the caffeine!

Sigh.

And my life will never be the same.

 
SITTING UP!

Well now I know where to go for parenting advise! Thanks, ya'll!

I decided to try the mixing formula bit by bit into breastmilk route and trying some serious pumping. Yesterday I got Colin to take 2 ounces of breastmilk in a bottle (Yay!) and today I'm going to try mixing in an ounce of formula to 2 ounces of milk. We'll see how that goes. We went to the pediatrician for his 6 months check up yesterday and she recommended I wait a bit before trying a cup. She also laughed and said it was very unlikely he would just take straight formula at this age, since he is much smarter than that now 😉 No fooling him! Especially when it comes to food!

Did I mention he weighs 20 pounds? At 6 months? That's like 90th percentile. CLEARLY this child takes eating very seriously.

**********
I'm placing an Amazon order today. I need some good parenting books, seeing as I am in WAY over my head here. I'm buying this one, which was highly recommended by ladies in my Bible Study. Apparently it focuses not just on outward behavior, but on heart issues. That's what my kids struggle with. They'll generally obey, but their attitudes and stuff are MUCH to be desired…
   

And I'm thinking about this one:
  

What is your favorite parenting book? Any other recommendations?

I AM Supermom this week.

I've volunteered in classrooms, baked muffins, been to parent's meetings and back-to-school night, been to the park, been to the library, cooked yummy dinners every night, done daily crafts, built an entire city of legos, cleaned, laundered, driven children to ballet and doctor appointments and playdates, planned fun activities for the weekend…. and its only Thursday.

I'm pooped, ya'll.

And I'm done.

How do people do this all the time? I need things like sleep and downtime and enjoyable activities and sleep and a life and stuff.

A few videos and chicken nuggets once in awhile never hurt anyone.

The Smithsonian is sponsoring "Museum Day" this Saturday. You can get into hundreds of museums across the country for FREE!! Just pick your museum and download a free admission card.

Go here to search for participating museums near you!

***WARNING! This post is about nursing. So if you are my brother, for example, you may want to skip this one.***

Colin will not take a bottle.

Correction, he will not take a bottle from anyone but me. And, really, isn't the point of a bottle that I don't have to be there. In the past few weeks, I have developed the inability to pump, which means he hasn't had a bottle – even from me – in about 3 weeks.

So I decided to try giving him formula, since the pumping wasn't going anywhere and I was seeing myself sitting at home every night for the next year or so.

It is not going well.

He refuses to take formula. He makes the most dramatic, disgusted faces when a drop of it enters his mouth (which happens purely by accident, since he is actively avoiding the bottle at all costs.)

Any ideas? Should I bypass the bottle completely and try a cup? Should I try mixing formula with breast milk? Am I using the wrong kind of formula? Should I give up and resign myself to not leaving him for the next 6 months? Does anyone out there have experience with this?? Help!!!!!

This weekend, we decided to go to the National Zoo in DC. Neither of us had ever been there and Ellie wanted to see a panda, so we figured why not? It is technically free after all, if you don't count the $20 for parking (seriously?) and the fact that we, you know, pay taxes.

Then, Husband had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea: lets stay overnight and use some of those gazillion Hilton points he's earned traveling the country! So we did. And it was so fun!

We went to the zoo and the aquarium, the Natural History Museum, saw the Washington Monument and the White House and walked along the Mall. (Which thoroughly confused Ellie. "I thought you said this was the mall?") 

The hotel we stayed at was amazing. I'm 90% sure that our suite was as big as our first apartment and had a view of the capital building and the monument to boot. The hotel was, of course, the "most funnest part" due to the pool, elevators and huge tray of fresh Krispy Kremes at breakfast. Seriously – if you go to DC, stay here. The Krispy Kremes alone are worth it. Mmmmm….

It was great to get away – just the five of us – even if it was just for a day. We had a great time on our "Family Fun Weekend." No laundry, no Blackberries, no yardwork, no schedule – just spending time together. Our kids were great – they were so excited just to be there and were thrilled to get to go on a trip.

If you can, I highly recommend running away from home!

I was sharing yet another misadventure of mine, fueled by a mixture of three children, sleep deprivation and mommy brain.
And Husband says, "Babe, you need to blog about something other than how crazy you are."

Oh, if he only knew the crazy I hold back 😉

I want to do things. And go places. And sleep. And have freedom. And finish this book I'm reading. And work out. And use my new sewing machine.

But instead I'm running errands, picking up kids from school, sitting outside ballet lessons, taking them to the park, taking them to the library, cooking meals, packing lunches, getting drinks, cleaning up messes I didn't make, listening to little people talking to me constantly, dropping whatever I'm doing to nurse a baby when he decides he's hungry… and doing most of this while holding a baby who refuses to be put down.

Its really, really frustrating.

Sometimes it so hard to serve my family with a joyful heart. I love them and I want to serve them. But sometimes it feels like I am pouring myself out for them and there is nothing left for me.  When I finally have a bit of time for myself, its late at night and I'm falling asleep or sitting down thinking of all of the things I really should be doing.
I know this won't last forever. Right now, with three small children…this is just life. And its exhausting.

I am reminded of one of my favorite verses:
We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me. Colossians 1:28-29

I'm praying for God to fill me with HIS energy, since mine is sorely depleted. I'm praying for him to fill me joy. I'm praying for patience as I do the seemingly mundane everyday tasks that drain me. I'm praying that I would bust out of this survival mode and get back to my main task of training my children and loving and serving my family.

I'm praying that instead of just surviving, I will treasure this time when they are little, because it is rushing by too quickly as it is.