Last night we were all cuddled up in the girls' room as they were going to bed.

Dan let out quite a loud, um, fart.

After a minute or so Anna leaned over to Dan and whispered (in that kid whisper that's audible across a room), 'Daddy, did you just poop your pants?"

He said no, and she responded, "it's okay if you pooped in your pants"

Oh yeah - my girls retro

Yesterday we were in the car and Julia was singing along with the latest Chris Brown song. I was surprised she knew the words.

I asked her if she knew who the singer was.

She said she didn't, and then asked me if I knew who it was.

I told her that it was Chris Brown. Her response...........

"Is he Bobby Brown's brother?"

Wha????? How does an almost 7 year old know Bobby Brown? It's not like Dan and I have ever watched "Being Bobby Brown"

Yes - It's Dance Dance Revolution.

Still funny

Hello?

Hello!!!!!!

I'm here.

Barely.

I am studying like a mad woman. My licensing exam is Saturday afternoon.

I'm hoping for the best - but it is 300 pages of highly specific, technical info broken down into a test of 150 questions.

I think I'm doing pretty well - it's just a lot to absorb. So if you need to know anything about insurance - lemme know.

Happy Turkey Day

Me: I'm thankful for you girls, and you Dan. I'm thankful that we live here in Maine and that we're happy and healthy.

Julia: I'm thankful for my grandparents

Anna: I don't know yet

Me: It can be things you are happy about - like your family, this food, your sisters

Emma: Yeah. (nodding her head)

Me: You are thankful for your sisters, Emma?

Emma: Yeah (nodding her head enthusiastically

Dan: I'm thankful for my wonderful wife and my beautiful girls. I'm thankful for all that we have and for all that we don't. And I'm thankful for Lexapro and Zoloft.

Me: That's a good one.

Anna: Thanks for coming

So we had snow

Dan called the other morning and asked if I was excited about the snow.

"Oh. There's snow?"

I looked outside and a faint dust of white was on the grass.

"Oh. There's snow."

It's on. Bring it winter.

Whatcha paying for milk?

Milk is insanely expensive in Maine right now.

My favorite grocery store had milk the other day for $4.89 a gallon for 1% milk. This wasn't even the pricey organic milk we normally drink (that's $3.49 a 1/2 gallon right now) - or even branded milk.

The other grocery in town had it for $4.99 a gallon.

I'm thinking my dreams of owning a dairy cow one day might not just be a dream - but a necessity. We go through 2-3 gallons a milk a week. Sometimes 4. That means that $60 of my monthly shopping bill is just milk.

An article in the local paper said that right now the dairy farmers are making $1.99 on a gallon of milk. so $2 a gallon is going right out of my pocket into the grocery stores'. Nice.

I'm glad I'm a water drinker.

Fluidity

Guess how many different fluids I had on me by 9am this morning?

1-snot
2-vomit
3-breastmilk
4- cow milk
5- urine
6- poop (which normally wouldn't be classified as fluid - but this certainly was)
7- water

Unfortunately some of these were multiple exposures.

Did I mention that I did not spend my morning as a healthcare professional? This would just be what the Doughkids can bring when they've got game.

Blog worthy

Seriously, I think of 20 things a day to blog about, yet when I sit down to write any of them it just isn't there.

I'm dealing with some insomnia and the effects are always so ugly. It affects so many different parts of my life. I'm fine - just tired and grumpy. So really - same old same old.

I'm still studying for my exam - which has been scheduled for December 1. I can't wait.

We're getting ready for Christmas already. We won't be doing a whole lot of decorating this year. Maybe a fake wreath on the door, some candle lights in the window. Nothing exciting. We're trying to get most of our shopping done before December so that we can have the smaller stuff shipped to AZ for Christmas morning. The girls will be exchanging their gifts (we're letting them give the big gifts to each other this year) here before we leave. Our neighbors will be taking care of our place while we're gone.

Smarty pants

I've alluded a couple of times that Julia is a smarty pants. Tonight was Julia's Parent/Teacher Conference.

Whew. She's a smart duck.

80% of the class starts 1st grade reading at level 4 on their evaluation scale. Julia just leapt over level 16. So - the last test they did put her firmly in the 3rd grade reading level. They don't test much higher since it isn't placement testing or standardized testing - it's just their in house evaluation to make sure she's challenged.

She's doing great in Math and Science and is doing a lot of work with the 2nd graders in her class.

We have the option of having her tested formally but for now we have chosen not to. We're happy with the education she's currently receiving, and wouldn't change anything right now. Her teacher is aware of her needs and is addressing them.

I was thrilled and a little freaked to hear all this - but we were so happy to hear that she's a good helper, a good listener and very highly regarded by her teacher and other staff. I guess she thanks the janitor on a regular basis for helping out - and he singled her out to the front desk attendent for it.

Thanks for letting me brag on my youngun. She's amazing!!

More fun than lead paint...

I'm thrilled to hear that the latest recall of a product made in China is not a lead paint recall. Really - what is the fun in toys that only cause nervous system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, speech, language and behavior problems, decreased muscle and bone growth and hearing damage.

We can do better than that - I know we can. Lead poisoning has been around for a long, long time. How about we find a more creative and 21st century way of harming a kids with cheap toys?

I know!!!!!!! How about make toys that essentially melt down into date rape drugs when swallowed. Oh - lets also make them in the shape and color of fun little candies.

Oh wait. I'm too late. Our good friends, the masters of quality toy production have already created such fun - also known as the aqua dots. This powerhouse of fun can lead to seizures, coma and even death. Now that's a product I can get behind.

Order me three!

Friends

Can I just tell you how different my life is right now compared to a little over a year ago?

Therapy and meds helped tremendously, and I'm so thankful for making that choice to see the doctor for my severe depression.

More than those things though (wow - that was some serious alliteration), letting myself have friends has been a literal lifesaver. I have a real friend across the country, but someone that I wouldn't have a problem calling at 3am if there was a crisis. Someone I don't worry about just going away and ending our friendship. Someone I have4 allowed myself to trust and care about.

I've also allowed myself to have friends here too. Another family where we like both the husband and wife - AND the kids!! Other women that I don't mind being stuck talking to at the playground and on playdates. I still haven't found a local Target shopping buddy... but I will continue to look.

So - here's to friends.

Failure

Motherhood seems to be a series of failures. I know it sounds like a horrible way to view something that should be full of such joy. Don't get me wrong - it is full of joy. It is what fulfills me more than anything in this world ever has.

What I think makes me a good mom is that most days, I'm OK with being a failure. Some would say that failure isn't the right term, but after almost 7 years in the trenches - I know it is.

My days consist of laundry that is just waiting to be flung from the dresser to the floor, dinner that is lovingly made that gets thrown on the floor (Emma) or critiqued more harshly than a fine dining establishment, vacuumed floors almost instantaneously covered in Cheerio crumbs, sinks sparkling clean just waiting for a coat of blue mint toothpaste, beds made to be unmade, windows waiting for fingerprints, toy boxes full just waiting to be emptied. Seriously - my day is about doing things just to have them undone.

It's easy to get caught up in this cycle, and I feel particularly susceptible to it now that I have three to look after. Some days I have to forcefully remind myself that it's not about this. That every day is not just another day of working hard and not accomplishing much.. everyday is about getting another start - about getting a clean slate to do better.

I'm not sure what the answer is. For me it's to involve the kids more and more in helping me with these labors. I have to also concentrate on the successes. The giggles, the hugs, the challenges. It's easy to lose sight of the big picture when there is ANOTHER pile of laundry waiting, but cuddling up at bedtime with three squeaky clean girls IS the prize. Listening to their voices sing "You are my sunshine" and beg for another round of "Golden Slumbers" makes me forget the mac and cheese clinging to the carpet.

Could she be any more beautiful?

NO. Just No.

Here it is...

Remember that employment opportunity I was so vague and covert about a couple of posts ago? Well, I need your help with support in getting through the next two weeks as I prepare to take the licensing exam.

What might I be doing? Well, I'm getting my P&C license. Yes, that's right, I'm going to be dealing in insurance. I'm not planning on working as an agent anytime soon, if ever. I'll be doing some work for another agent, and will be her backup when she has to be out of the office.

So there it is. It's not as exciting as real estate or as crazy as really setting up any number of the business ideas I have, but it's something else for me to do. I'm hoping to sit for the licensing exam in about 2 weeks and I need help having the mental clarity to study for two weeks. I'm out of the habit, and my brain hasn't been taxed with such dry material since my last foray into Chemistry (which we all know ended very ugly). After I pass the exam (fingers crossed I pass it on my first attempt), I will be doing a two training for the agency I'd be representing.

Please think of me as I study!!

A+D Ointment = Lots of shampoo

While I was cleaning up the dining room after lunch - Anna was apparently decorating her little sister with an entire tube of A+D Ointment. IN HER HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you not familiar with this product - think Vaseline. Thick, petroleum based gel that apparently is impervious to any kind of soap/dish detergent/shampoo combination. After 20 shampoos (of both Anna and Emma) with various cleaning methods I still have one very greasy headed child and one sort of greasy haired child.

So a more in depth search was required. We will take a new crack at the hair tomorrow....

So for those wondering how to get it out.... I have found this info online.

FROM HAIR EMERGENCY: If you apply a little cornstarch to the hair and carefully pat it into the hair, it will absorb some, if not all the vaseline. After you apply the cornstarch you can shampoo it out with a good clarifying shampoo and it should be removed. If the vaseline is not completely removed in the first treatment, it will be removed to the point where one more treatment will remove all of it. Be sure to use warm to hot water in the shampoo. Cold water makes the vaseline worse. Or you can try putting about 1 teaspoon of baking soda and mixing it with a regular baby shampoo and this should help. Unfortunately Vaseline is petroleum based and can be almost impossible to remove. If the clarifying or baking soda does not work, try using soft tissue to blot the hair and see if that removes some of it.

Ok - from wikihow:
Soak your hair completely in olive oil.
Scrub the olive oil into your hair with your hands.
Apply dish-washing liquid; it should cover your hair. Don't use dish washer type, use the kind for manual washing.
Scrub the dish-washing liquid into your hair.
Wash your hair out completely.
Apply conditioner to your hair if you like.
Enjoy your petroleum-jelly-free hair.

Let's just say our water bill is going to be high this month. UGH.

Boogie Down

Today Dan and I visited Anna's last dance class for the parent participation portion. All of the little kids were boogying down with their parents... except for Anna.

She wanted nothing to do with either of us. She just danced with her friends, her teacher and the other parents.

When I asked her tonight why she didn't dance with us, her response, "because I dance wif you every day. I only dance wif miss. holly at class."

ahhh. sure.

Trick or Treat!