Just Another Typical Day (Part 2)

So, first stop, Car Wash. Why you ask, well if we going to get all this stuff done, we're going to do it in a clean car! So off we go.

Stop #1:

As we approach, the tween says, do we have to get out, it's so cool to sit in the car while it's going through and getting washed. Hmmm, right, good thinking. Yes, we can stay in the car. Easier on me. So in we go and everything starts off ok. Then we hit the brushes and spinner things. OH MY GOD, IT'S ARMEGEDON! The tornado twins finally meet their match. They go nuts and get all hysterical in pure panic. I'm not sure, but I think I have permanently warped them with car washes now. So we finally get done with the car wash, twins are catatonic at this stage. Do I have the heart to go on? You betcha!

Next stop, pet store! Ok, so here's the plan. You stay in the car and lock it as soon as I get out. I'm gonna run in and get kitty crunchies. Get it? Got it? Good! Break!

I run out and hear the tweener lock the car. Good, private education really had paid for itself. I run in and grab the kitty crunchies. Now mind you, it's 10:15 am. I'm thinking I should have the run of the store right? WRONG! My luck there's a line and a trainee. GREATNESS! I finally get my purchase done and run back to the car. Thinking that my kid is watching out for me would make sense, however, my child decides to get totally engaged into a stupid pokeman game and doesn't realize that I'm banging on the door. LET ME IN!!!! Finally, he looks up and unlocks the door. Good.

Tweener: "Well, that was a success, can we go to grandma's and grandpa's now?"
Me: "No! That admits defeat. We can do this."

I look back and the twins are still catatonic. Good, on to the next stop. This is possibly the most important stop.

Stop #3: I look over to the tweener. Once again he's totally into that stupid pokeman game.

Me: "Hey, you...."
Tweener: "Huh?"
Me: "Same plan as before ok?"
Tweener: "yea, sure, ok."

So off I go. This time, my theory is correct. I've got the run of the store! Woot! I grab my fuckitall and I'm in and out in a flash. This time, the tweener didn't have time to loose himself in the stupid pokeman game. Since I got done with that quick, I'm gonna be nice. We're going to get in an extra stop.

Extra stop is: So once I pull in and throw the van in park I think this may not have been a good idea afterall. Darren has the claim ticket. Damn it! Ok, so I'll just play the dumb wife thing and say that he's out of town and has the ticket in his wallet. Technically this is correct, however, I think he actually lost the claim ticket.

Theory still holding true. Store all to myself. This is good as I stumble through my excuse as to why I don't have a claim ticket. Finally I convince the slightly older then my tweener counter boy that I'm not some pyscho woman and he gets me Darren's suit. Whew. Still good on time though. I run back out to the car and this time I'm not so lucky. The tweener is into that stupid game again. BANG! BANG! BANG! "Hey, open up!" I get the suit in and back into the driver's seat.

Me: "OK, are we all accounted for?"
Tweener: "hmph"
Me: "Twins ok?"
Tweener: "hmph"

I glance over and it looks like their starting to come back to earth after their traumatic experience of the carwash monster. I better get a move on.

Next Stop!: This is the most critical of all stops. This is the reason why I got myself in this situation. This stop right here! Ahhh, bliss, nirvana, this is the garden of eden! I finally made it.

Me: "Hey, you...."
Tweener: "Huh?"
Me: "Same plan as before ok?"
Tweener: "yea, sure, ok."

I run out and hear the tweener lock the car. Good, private education pays off itself again. I walk in and I find the stock guy and ask "where is the ...." It was if the angels from above shone a light on the shelf on which my beloved ingredient is located. "Sour Apple Pucker?" "Nevermind" I quickly jog to the shelf. What? This can not be? Where is the BIG bottle of this stuff? So I hunt down the stock guy again, excuse me, but tell me you have a bigger bottle of this stuff? And I shove the bottle in his face. "HMMMMM, this stuff is mighty popular this week. I don't know, but I'll check for ya little missy." "Little missy?" Is he joking? Little missy's don't come into a liquor store while her three kids are sitting in a parked mini van waiting and praying there is a bigger bottle of Sour Apple Pucker somewhere in this building. I'm thinking this and wandering around and the this guy comes up to me. He's dressed rather nicely. Huh, familiar? It's the stock guy. Oh my! "Sorry to disappoint you little missy. We're fresh out and that's all we have left in your hand. Tell you what, I'll give you a discount on your entire purchase for the inconvenience." I'm starting to like this guy. So he follows me around, suggesting this and that and I find my way to the Vodka aisle. Hmmm, getting a discount, going to hell anyway for leaving my three children parked in a mini van so what the heck. I grab a couple of bottles and head towards the check out. Meanwhile, stock guy is getting on my nerves at this point. I'm just smiling and nodding and he continues to hover over me. I get through my check out and he tells the checker "it's an F10 on me." The checker just raises an eyebrow and yes sir boss! Cool. Whatever and F10 is, I got it and this stocker guy isn't that bad and weird after all. I smile and thank the stocker guy and run back out to the car. This time, tweener is on the look out for me and he quickly unlocks the car.

Tweener: "Mom, what took you so long?"
Me: "Uh, they had to check on something for me, why?"
Tweener: "I'm starving, and the twins are getting restless."
Me: "Starving, how could you be starving. Didn't you eat before we left the house?"
Tweener: "Uh, hello, no good food remember?"
Me: "Oh, right, ok, on to the next stop then."
Tweener: "Oooooooh mom, it hurts. Can't we just got to grandma's and grandpa's:
Me: "Ask me that one more time and see what happens!"
Tweener: "Ok, Okay! I get it. But can't we stop and getting something to eat?"
Me: "No! We're on a plan. No time for this eating nonsense. Buckle up."

I glance over and it's now apparent that the twins are officially out of their catatonic state of minds and look rather.....judgemental perhaps. I don't know, they just looked at me funny like. No time to analyze this. Gotta stay on task.

Next Stop Is: So I find a rather close parking spot considering it's getting close to noon and run down the plan with the tweener.

Me: "Stay here, I'm gonna get two carts, you unbuckle the twins, I'll meet you next to the car."
Tweener: "Two Carts, do we that much food?"
Me: "Hello, brother, sister, meet your older brother?"
Tweener: "Oh, I forgot"

Maybe the private education hasn't paid itself off just quite yet. So we get out with and manage to manuevour the carts in the hurricane force winds and get into the store. At this point I now know why the tornado twins were looking at me funny. They were plotting their revenge for the car wash incident. Needless to say, I managed to get the grocery shopping done with only two major tantrums and one ripped bag of chips. Not bad! Let's head to the check out lanes. OH MY GOD! No wonder why I was able to get my shopping done so fast, everyone is standing in line to check out. CRAP! This may be cause to break open the diaper bag and see what's in there. Naaaaw. Let them scream. That tends to part the crowd waves so that we can get through. It actually worked. It was like I had my personal Moses and together they parted the waves of people standing in line. Some cashier took pity on us and opened a lane just to get us out. It was awesome! We finally get done and load up the car and I ensure that everyone and everything is present and accounted for.

Next stop you might ask? After all that, instead of going home and eating some of our recently purchased good food and snacks, we stop at Chick Fil A. Yep, I know when to give in. Made for some happy tater tots and a happy tweener and have to admit, made my tummie happy too.

Lessoned learned from all this. I'm pretty sure that I just gave my tweener a good lesson on birth control, I know that I've managed to severely traumatize the twin tots with the car wash incident, and I know that I miss and love Darren more than words can say. I won't ever underestimate how much he does for us and how much he helps in keeping us all together and running smoothly. It took one weekend of chaos to reaffirm what I should know all along. Darren is my rock of gilbralter and partner in crime. Together, we can accomplish just about anything.

Just Another Typical Day (Part 1)

Just your typical day right? Wrong! There is nothing right about having to be a bachelorette with a tweener and twin toddlers. I must have been hit with temporary insanity when Darren asked if I would mind him going up to Deer Camp with our next door neighbor to help build a bridge over the creek. "Sure, go ahead, have fun!" This said as my tweener was in a PSIA competition, I'm stretched out in a cafeteria table reading a book. (yea, his timing is perfect right?) This said as my tornado twins are causing havoc at my parents house. "Sure, go ahead and have fun!" What a freakin' idiot I am.

Don't get me wrong. Darren deserves to get away. I want him to go and enjoy things he likes to do. I by no means want to be that "ball and chain". I'm so grateful that he even considers to ask me before he plans to go out and do things. That's one of the millions of things I love about him. However, back to me and my insanity....

So it doesn't exactly sink in as to what I agreed upon until after I finally get home at 7:30 pm on a Friday might with a hyped up tweener, and twin toddlers that are about to go postal on me if I don't hurry up and get them in their jammies and in bed.

I look around, and the house is quiet...very quiet. I look around some more and there are mounds of laundry...gasp. A little more looking uncovers dishes piled in the sink...eeek! While looking for food, I realize we have slim pickin's and desperation sets in at this point. The tweener and I settle on feasting on easy mac for dinner.

Tweener: "So Mom, are you sure you don't want me to stay with Grandma and Grandpa?"
Me: "Yes, I'm sure. We can do this."
Tweener: "Exactly what do you mean by WE?"
Me: "You, Me and the twins will survive."
Tweener: "Whatever, survival requires food we don't have any good food."

Right. Point taken. So the pantry is a little bare. And, yes, after cleaning out the fridge, there isn't much left in there either. So, I have this brainiac of an idea that I'll show Darren. Not only will I survive this, but I will have the house clean, laundry and dishes done, babies clean and pantry and fridge full with food. Hell, I'll even pick up his suit AND get the car washed and stop at the liquor store. Yea, that will show HIM! Have I mentioned that I'm just slightly INSANE!

So here we are, Saturday morning and the tweener states the obvious.

Tweener: "We don't have any waffles."
Me: "Well, have some cereal then."
Tweener: "We don't have any of that either, you just gave the rest to the twins."
Me: "Well, get some muffins."
Tweener: "Mom, you gave those to the twins last night."
Me: "Well, shit on a stick!"

Ok, I can do this. Just like the little engine that could, that is going to be my mantra for the day. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. So as the twins tear up the house and run around crazy and screaming like banshees, I map out the master plan. I take a look at it and think, it's doable. I can do this!

So, I slam down my reheated by the microwave left over coffee from the day before and tell the tweener, pack it up, we're heading out.

Tweener: "Mom, are you sure about this? Tell me again why we can't just go to grandma's and grandpa's?"
Me: "Shut up and get you brother in the car." "We can do this damn it!"

I swear I hear him mumble something on the lines of "you're freaking crazy", but I can't be 100% sure at this point. My euphoria of me actually attempting to get all this stuff done is overwhelming at this point and I'm telling myself "You can do this."

So what happens next? Tune in next time for the adventures of a mad women.

Sugar and Spice and Everything.....

What are little girls made of? Well, sugar and spice and everything nice.....but NOT my little girl. Tater Tot #3, who is literally the baby of this family by two minutes, is a reincarnation of my Grandma Medina.

Grandma Medina was a 4 foot 9 inch "tell it as she sees it" type of woman. She survived many hardships in life and was a woman way ahead of her time. She out lived the Great Depression, two husbands, and unfortunately a few of her children, but I was lucky enough to spend a majority of my youth and some of my teenage years with her. She was a very amazing woman.

Anyway, our little Emma Elizabeth is quite the character. She's spiteful, holds grudges, she's manipulative, and as soon as she's able to put words and sentences together, lord only knows how creative she will be with the English language. She will be the reason why Darren and I will worry at 11:00 pm wondering where she is on a Saturday night. She will be the reason why Darren will be breaking out his rifle to "clean it".
Yes, our Emma is our little Diva and she expects EVERYONE to acknowledge her as such. If you told me that there was a difference between little boys and little girls (besides the obvious) I would have rolled my eyes and the psychology major in me would come out and say "Oh, no it's not about nature, it's about nuturing and how you treat them." Let me be the first to say "BULL SHIT!" There is nothing and I repeat nothing the same about boys and girls. Tater Tot #3 is our over dramatic, Joan Crawford tempered, little foot stomping baby girl.



She is very much a girlie girl. She LOVES getting dressed in new outfits and will reach for anything that is sparkling. She is very much into the details of her outfit and is fascinated with shoes and coordinating hair bows and pacifiers. She loves purses and can not go without her Hello Kitty lip gloss. I will say that she must have obtained her fashion sense and style from the Reeves' side of the family. Mind you, these are not things that she has been taught by me. I'm a minimalist when it comes to makeup, other than my LV stuff, I'm not really big into purses or lip gloss. And for me, I'm more comfy in one of Darren's t-shirts and warm up pants with my hair up in a ponytail or clip. I have absolutely no idea where in the hell she's developed these traits.


Now, as for her personality, I will take full responsibility for this one. I admit, I over indulge her. I ask for her opinion if she wants to wear something, and if I get a "geeeeeesssssh" I know it meets with her approval. I let her play with my cell phone and even purchased a pink pretend one so she can act like mommy with her phone. I praise her "dancing" and "giggle" as she walks on her tip toes like she has high heels on. She is as stubborn as all get out. Just like me and my Grandma Medina. If you tell her "no" she will do it just out of spite to prove you wrong. If she doesn't like something or someone, it is very clear from the start and there is no doubt as to her displeasure in something. She is a little girl that KNOWS what she wants, and will GET what she wants WHEN she wants it. Yes, that sums me up. Now multiply that times 10 and you have the general idea of what Emma is like.


As poor Darren has stated, "now I know that pay backs are a bitch and they come back two fold. I'm truly sorry for all the shit I did as a kid to my bother, sister and parents. I now know what it was like to live you with you as a kid and I don't know how your parents did it." That's why they stopped at one dear. They stopped at perfection. Just like us. :)
Our baby factory has been permanently closed off and dead bolted shut. We had perfection with the first tater tot, took a risky gamble with tater tots 2 and 3. No more "little perfections" are in our plans. I just felt it was my responsibility to put out this public service announcement to forewarn people of what is on the loose in the world.

Tater Tot #1 - The Eldest

So this child is one of a kind. He's bright, he's creative, he's funny, he has an incredible imagination...He's a tweener.

By saying that one was able to co-habitate with a tweener and lived to tell about it, should get a gold medal and ask them exactly how they did it. Don't get me wrong, the eldest Tater Tot is a great kiddo. I'm just not sure of the rules of this game. Probably the best way to put it is that I'm not READY for this part of the game.

It's hard for me to watch what was once a little baby in NICU grow into wonderful little man. It's hard for me to hear "Mom you really don't have to walk into school with me." or "Mom, will you just chillax, I know what I'm doing". What I want to hear is "Mommy, please please please can you take me to the park?" or "Mom,come watch Thomas the Tank Engine with me!"

I miss the way he said "pirrow" because he couldn't pronounce his L's. I miss that the crisis of the moment was when he couldn't find his "pee bear". I miss feeling needed and depended upon by him.

Everyday I look at our eldest in amazement. I become more and more proud of what he is becoming. He's a good hearted kid, makes good choices (for the most part), is smart and funny and most importantly, he's becoming a good, kind and generous person. These are traits replacing the things that I will miss the most. No one ever said that this would be easy. No one ever prepared me for the heartache of watching your babies grow up either.

Tater Tots

Being a mom has certainly changed my life to say the least. What was once predictable, quiet, and irresponsible craziness is now the complete opposite. There are days that I miss the late nights at Starbucks and the 2 a.m. trips to Waffle House. I miss being with our friends until the wee hours of the morning, playing cards,video games or watching movies. I miss the unplanned road trips, the endless hours at the mall and watching "grown up channels". Yes, those days have been gone for over 11 years now. But in looking at what my life has become now, I realize what it means to be a mom.

It means unconditional love. It means a life of schedules in which D and I have to divide and conquer. It means that I will always see a part of D in each child and realize that they truly are the missing part of my life that wasn't there until they were born. With them, I feel that my life and legacy are complete. I can count on each of them making me smile even after a shitty day at work. I can count on endless hours of worry and sleepless nights. I can count of moments of understanding why wild animals eat their young and most importantly, I can count on a life of chaos and lots of humor.

Nope, I wouldn't change my life for anything in the world. Although a weekend alone full of "quality time" with D could be negotiated. . .