The perfect move

I haven't posted in a while because we just moved. My past week was spent packing, cleaning, driving, then unpacking and some more cleaning, and there's still more to do. With 3 kids, conducting the perfect move is quite impossible. If it were just me, I would have everything packed in 1-2 days, spend a day cleaning, a day driving and resting, and then about 2-3 days unpacking and putting everything away. That's a total of 7 days. Yes, I think the perfect move could be conducted from beginning to end in about 7 days. But with 3 kids around? Kiss that dream goodbye. My kids unpack things faster than I can box them up, and when we arrived in our new place they rummaged through stuff until they found the toys and in a blink of an eye had them scattered all around the house, not to mention the winter clothes which my son had to find in order to dress up as a ninja or a polar bear or whatever he was thinking of at the moment. I love my children, but I wish I could pawn them off to someone for exactly 7 days while I conducted the perfect move. Wouldn't that be nice?

No Matter What Happens

Recently my kids started repeating a line to me over and over. I'm not sure where they got it from or why they started saying it, but the message always brings me back to the present. It reminds me of what matters most. It fills my soul with gratitude for what I have, right now, in this very moment. The line is, "Mom, I wuv you, no matto wut happens."

No matter what happens. What could happen? My mind immediately wanders to the worst and suddenly I'm grateful to be able to give my child a hug, kiss an owie better, make a peanut butter sandwich, change a diaper, or read a story. My perspective changes and I cherish that one moment. This is the fuels that keeps me going. These are the moments that make motherhood worth it.

Here's why the answer is "NO"

When you tell you husband you would like to go to the store without the kids and he says..."can't you take them with you?" Here's why the answer is "NO".

I've been yearning for weeks to visit the Quilt Shop and buy some fabric for a project I've been wanting to do. I've exercised much discipline to wait until I find a time to go without the kids. That time has not presented itself, so today I couldn't wait any longer. I ventured out with 3 kids in tow and the mindset "it won't be that bad". Not more than 2 minutes after arriving my 2 oldest decided that playing tag amongst the maze of fabric was really fun. Not wanting to overstress the shop caretakers who are clearly beyond childbearing years but yet trying to maintain a realistic expectation of my 3 and 5 year old, I calmly asked them to "walk" instead of run. That worked for about...mmm... 5 seconds.

With no stroller (this is a small shop) I held my squirming baby on my hip which was tying up the second hand I needed to search through fabric bolts not to mention the knots I felt quickly swelling in my back due to prolonged flexion from fighting his squirmyness . I looked at the floor, it looked pretty clean, so I set him down to crawl while I quickly rummaged through the fabrics to find what I needed (well, how can a fabric lover really look through fabric quickly). The next thing I know, my kids are trying out the oh-so-soft quilt on a twin bed display and my baby is pulling fabric off the shelf. It's time to go.

Just as I'm paying for my stuff I hear one of the employees say..."Eeewww! He just left something behind." I run over to investigate and find a pile of throwup from baby's breakfast. Honestly? My first thought was "Whew! At least it's not poop." I can tell the employee is clearly disgusted so I quickly grab my burp cloth and clean it up as best as I can. With bag in hand I ask older kids to put their shoes on (which for some reason they decided needed to come off while they play) and please follow me out the door. As I'm waiting for them, I suddenly feel a warm wet sensation underneath the little bottom that is perched upon my hip. Oh crap! After how grossed out these ladies were about seeing spit up on the floor, I really don't want pee to start dripping all over.

I leave my kids behind and head for the car, trying to save myself and everyone else further distress, and the next thing I hear is my daughter crying and the store clerk helping her out to the car. "Thank you" I embarrassingly say and turn my attention back to leaking baby. After further inquiry I found out C let the door shut on her while she was leaving. Man, they must think I'm a horrible mother. I leave my kids unattended in the store while I get head to the car and they have no idea that I'm trying to save them from a very messy mess.

That's why the answer is No. Does this happen ALL the time? No. But the potential that it will probably happen much of the time is reason enough.