wet weather

Another day, another adventure for my 3 little monkeys - this time to the library. I try to take the kids to the library at least once a month. We often attend story time and I shake my head in embarrassment as my kids hurtle around the library shouting at the top of their lungs while all the other kids sit quietly and listen to the story or participate nicely in song time. Why is that my kids seem to be the only ones misbehaving, every single bloody time?

I try to encourage reading and book love. I am a book worm and believe it's important for kids to be into books. I remember as a child I would say I was going to bed and wait til everyone else was in bed before shutting my door and turning the lamp on to read 'just one more chapter'... hours and chapters later it was be stupid AM and I'd be buzzing from finishing a great book but heading to school exhausted. I look forward to the day when my kids love books for more than their use as a weapon or for how quickly they can hurl them off the shelves. or at each other. I fear I may be waiting a while.

All 3 are at a stage where they want to walk rather than be in the pram which is great fun. I'm constantly chasing them out of shops, off fixtures and out from under furniture. If they're not dragging their feet and slowly walking behind me, they're racing off on me. Do the maths. 3 of them, one of me. My chances of catching them before they pull all the apples off the stand, or before they knock down that table of nicely folded jumpers, well they're slim to none. Heading out at the moment with all three is stressful and blood hard work.

We went to a couple of shops before we tackled the library which was probably mistake number 1. Quite simply, my three can only handle one activity or outing per day. Two birthday parties in a day? Forget about it! Going from one shopping centre to another? Not a chance in hell. Two lots of visitors in one day? Are you freaking mad? We should have gone straight to the library as we normally do but I mistakenly thought maybe today would be different? After chasing them out of a department store, listening to screaming tantrums as I wouldn't let them have every single toy they saw or every bloody chocolate or lollipop they wanted I was feeling very flustered. I decided it was time for a donut break. Mistake number 2. Should have withheld the donut and milkshake offering until after good behaviour was demonstrated or at least until we'd completed our errands. Milkshake was spilt everywhere, donut sprinkles and icing were in places I didn't think possible, and somehow Little Miss managed to sit on and smoosh donut all over her bum.

Off we went to the library with all three on a sugar high. It was technically sleeptime for the girls so I believe by now they were delirious. Mistake number 3. Attempting to go out ANYWHERE at sleeptime is bloody suicide. All 3 ran around the library like wild animals. There was a trail of books everywhere they went and shrieks of laughter mixed in with brawling screams as one snatched a book from another. To all the uni students there trying to study for upcoming exams, well, I apologise for my children profusely. I chose their books for the month as they clearly weren't interested and tried everything to get them to calm down. I was getting close to a meltdown so decided it was time to admit defeat and head home.

Monkey Man decided, of course, that he needed the loo. We borrowed our books quickly and headed into the disabled public toilet - the only one that would fit the pram plus 4 of us. He did his thing. Missy Moo was attempting her turn but needed help with her jeans so I was helping her while telling them not to touch anything. Public toilets are grose, for real, like for really real. It was at this moment that a normal outing for us became, well more normal. . . .

Little Miss turned the shower on, hard. on Missy Moo and I.

In seconds she was soaked through, my jeans were wet and the entire bathroom was flooded. It was a freezing cold, rainy day outside and we both looked like we'd been standing in said rain for hours. Missy Moo screamed for ages. Little Miss got screamed at locked in the pram quicksmart - safe from temptation and naughty choices. She screamed alot. Monkey Man kept telling her she was a naughty girl and she had to stay in the pram now. She screamed some more. Missy Moo kept screaming at me that she was 'weeeetttttttttt' as if I'd somehow missed it. I used paper towel to try and dry her off. I put Monkey Man's hoodie - a size too big but dry - on her and put the newly purchased batman hoodie on him. I'm surprised no one called the cops on us given how much noise would have been coming from that public toilet. He then ran through the shopping centre with his hoodie zipped up over his face, 'kapowing' everyone he saw and jumping over every crack in the footpath. Missy Moo cried that she was wet. Little Miss kept crying and screeching that she wanted out of the pram.

Another day, another scene. When does it get easier?

Oh and in case you were wondering, Monkey Man's hoodie has a zip up face mask thing on it, so he was fully masked while he zoomed through the shops as I pushed two screaming girls behind in the pram. sigh, where was my frigging batman mask??

no more babies

oh yes, it's birthday season!! In a less than a months it all begins, mine, then Monkey Man, then Missy Moo, then Little Miss and we end with hubby.... To add insult to financial injury one of the cars is also due for rego and insurance, rates are due and well, bah humbug its just so expensive! Mine and hubby's birthdays are pretty much forgotten about for the time being, we do something in August for both of us, and we concentrate on the monkeys - and the car and the rates etc etc. Being a grown up seriously sux balls at times, doesn't it?

It's exciting for the kids I know. With all three birthdays within three weeks, a combined party in the middle plus their own little parties at daycare and a mothers group party plus friends' parties - well its just one big long party in their eyes. Once the festivities are over we do endure a period of asking when the next party is.  The questions continue for quite a while . . .

For me, well not only is it super costly, its a time where I actually feel a little sad. My babies are growing up. This year they will be 2, 3, and 4 - not this year, next month in fact!! Hooray to surviving thus far, boooo hiss to them growing up. Before I know it they will be teenagers with attitude as opposed to toddlers with attitude. The house across the road is full of teenagers and I hear them coming and going at all times of the night and I see my future flash before my eyes. Oh how their parents must worry. One of them recently had a birthday as we had a street full of noise on Saturday night, loud music, laughing, chatting etc followed by a jumping castle the next day with more noise and chatter. They were out there bouncing around at 9pm at night, in the rain. I suppose if I was their parents I'd be happy they were safe at home with friends rather than god knows where doing god knows what. Oh the fun times I have to look forward to - 3 kids getting their license one year after the other. I just know I'm gonna worry relentlessly.

Monkey Man is gonna be 4. 4!?!?!? Seriously, I mean where has the time gone? I still remember the first few days in hospital, the first few weeks at home, I remember it like it was yesterday. I thought I knew everything, I'd read the books, classes were just a formality and it was gonna be a breeze. Yeah right! Out came a screaming bundle, larger than life and constantly hungry to a mumma that couldn't produce enough food for him and battled the guilt and feelings of failure on an hourly basis. Why wouldn't he stop crying? Why was this so hard? What was I doing wrong? Eventually I accepted I couldn't feed him, formula was for us and things calmed right down.  I also realised he was a tummy sleeper and oh how things calmed down.

Missy Moo came along just after Monkey Man turned one. Things were hectic but we managed - somehow. I'd been there and done it before so I was a lot calmer the second time around. Breastfeeding didn't work again, despite medication and the guilt was once again a total bitch but I accepted it alot quicker. I just got on with things and soon we were in a routine, life was good. I even went back to work for a little bit for a little me time and of course a bit of extra cash. I then found out Little Miss was on the way, unexpected and unplanned and everything changed. New house, quit my part time job, back to my proper fulltime job/career, 2 kids in full time daycare, intense mother guilt like I've never freaking felt before, knowing I'm doing everything at once but nothing well at all.... oh good times.

Little Miss came along the day before Missy Moo turned one, two weeks after Monkey Man turned 2 and I can honestly say I don't remember much of her early days. Thankgod I took lots of photos as I just don't remember what it was like. One Big Blur. Third time around though I was calmer, more confident and more at ease with my ability as a mum. Things were crazy, feeding didn't work again, three screaming babies at once and often just me to deal with them as hubby went back to work after a short period of time due to starting a new job just as the baby was born. But these were good times. I was a mumma of 3, our family was complete and now we just had to find our groove.

I can confidently say I've found my groove and it's only taken, ummmm about two years, or four if you want to get really technical. I can herd my little monkeys like sheep with fairly high confidence. We venture out, people stare and we survive. I can generally pick a cry and its reason before it gets out of control. I can predict clothing and shoe sizes a season ahead and buy during the sales, saving myself $$ and meaning I generally have clothes ready for those pesky unpredicted growth spurts. Missy Moo is toilet training so very soon I will be down to one child in nappies. One! It's been an intense 4 years of 3 kids in nappies. Little Miss no longer has bottles so we're officially formula free. All three can feed themselves so I'm no longer required to make spoon aeroplanes or wash countless bibs. We're in the middle of a toy cull, getting rid of all the little baby squeaky and soft toys. I'm hoping we'll be rid of dummies by the end of the year at the latest. Disrupted sleep is almost becoming a thing of the past - if only they'd sleep past 6am?

Oh Happy Days ahead! I'm so excited by the next chapter of motherhood; dealing with the tooth fairy and big bikes and starting school and friendships and after school activities and sports....oh my! Who has time to be sad about babies growing up when the next phase is so exciting. I'll get my newborn cuddle fix from friends and family as they have babies and enjoy the little people I have at home. I'll get excited about buying booster seats for the car and maybe even a 7 seater car to transport little friends and cousins given that soon I won't need the boot space for the big double pram. Yes, exciting times ahead as my tribe turn 2, 3 and 4. Can you believe its gone so quickly??