Shiflett Six Antics

Sometimes life can be frustrating and difficult. When you stay home with four kids under four, it can be even more so.  Well, at least that’s my own personal opinion! Not sure if anyone noticed, but I did not blog last week. It was a rough week. Monday started like Friday usually ends – with mommy texting an “I quit” message to daddy before 10:00 a.m. The rest of the week just followed suit.

I tried doing school, crafts, reading, and having play dates. None of it worked for long. School lasted about half an hour rather than an hour and a half. They just didn’t pay attention or if I was working w/ one of them, the other two would be throwing things at one another. Crafts lasted about ten minutes – I even tried setting the timer to get them to sit longer but to my chagrin, it really didn’t help much. They just kept asking if it was going to beep yet. I can only read so many books before they just stop listening and our play date was almost embarrassing - they just did not listen!

On top of it all, my lovely baby boy was getting teeth and was just SO grouchy. Every time I put him down or walked out of the room, he would scream. Or I would hold him and he would be inconsolable or mad. Ever notice that when a baby screams non-stop that it just makes everything else more frustrating and grating? In short, last week was a major trial.

There were triumphs in the midst of it all, though. B knows all her letters and the sounds they make. She learned how to write her name and is progressing on writing all her letters and putting their sounds together. She also told me that she loves our family so much and that J and M are her best friends!

M told me that I’m her best friend and even hugged and kissed me of her own accord – unusual for her as she is my least snuggly child. J is completely potty trained! He even goes all night w/o a diaper or a pull-up. We still have the occasional accident, but overall it’s going well.

As for Mr. S, he’s still teething, doesn’t sleep through the night yet, and really always needs his mommy. But he’s such a sweet and cute boy that it’s okay. I love him so much.

So, no matter how trying the day or the week, there are always little triumphs on which to focus. It may be hard to weed them out in the midst of it all, but I’ve learned that you just have to take the time to find them.

Laundry is the number one household chore I detest the most. I can handle cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, dusting, and vacuuming. Laundry, on the other hand, makes me want to sit in a corner and cry OR run screaming from the house – depending on the day.

You see, there is always laundry. Even if there is nothing left the the washer or dryer, it is all put away, all the socks are sorted and in their respective drawers, and the laundry basket is empty – at the end of the day, I am most likely going to put at least four-six shirts, two-three pair of pants, 6 pair of socks, and six pair of underwear in the hamper. It is never finished!!! There is no sense of accomplishment and it makes me nuts! And, quite frankly, I don’t ever get to the point where everything is done and put away.

Speaking of putting it all away – to me, it’s the worst part. I have TONS of little tiny people clothes that need to go on hangers or be folded and put away, plus the household stuff, and my own clothes (I do not put away my husband’s clothes and it takes him three weeks to get his away, but that’s a whole other blog). Turning on the washer and then transferring to the dryer is not such a big deal (except for the spraying of all the spots/stains), but folding and putting away…ugh!

Then there are the socks. I currently have a mound of socks on the bed that need to be matched and folded and then put away. Problem is, my kids take off their socks in random places so they are either lost until we move again or they do not have a match. I buy them new socks all the time b/c I can never find the socks I bought last time. It’s really quite annoying. On top of that, my chihuahua, Mona, has a thing for socks. She steals them and sleeps with them, chews them, and plays with them. So, they are either gone or they have major holes in them by the time I find them. Oh, laundry, how I hate thee (but am thankful that we have clothes to be washed)!

Then, almost as bad as laundry, but not quite (only b/c it has an end) is potty training. It’s no fun. These people who make it into a game and have their kids done in two days – whatever. There is a difference between knowing they have to go potty and doing it in the toilet (for the most part) and accidents. My first daughter was pretty much fully day and night trained in a week. Then she had a week of accidents and then later, when the twins came home, some regression and bed wetting, but it didn’t last too long. M did really well for a while but she still has accidents A LOT, and I have had to resort to nighttime pull-ups b/c she won’t stop wetting the bed.

Now, there’s J. My first experience w/ training a boy. He’s doing pretty well. We have both #1 and #2 in the potty for the most part. Have had accidents. Goes by himself when he’s ready. The main issue we have had is that he forgets that he has to point himself in the direction of the potty. We have had pee spray everywhere – including twice in his own face. (That was hilarious!)

The problem w/ potty training? Pee. I hate cleaning up pee. It’s on the sheets, on the carpet, on the tile, on the clothes, on and in the little potty that has to be emptied and cleaned out. It’s gross. It stinks. It inevitably ends up on my hands. Did I already tell you it’s gross? And, it’s even worse when you discover it later. When they’ve been walking/sitting in wet pants, there’s a wet spot on the floor, and it’s really starting to reek b/c it’s been there for an hour.

Worse than that? IT CREATES TONS MORE LAUNDRY!!!!

Life has been busy. So busy in fact, I haven’t blogged in almost two months. When things get hectic, blogging is the first thing to go. But we are settled now (at least until June), the holidays have passed us, and the new year is here. So, in this new year I am going to attempt to blog once a week, for those of you who read.

Also, in the new year I am hoping to grow more as a person. I want to be more kind, patient, loving, joyful, gentle, peaceful, good, faithful, and self-controlled. For those of you who know me well, that means a lot of effort and focus. It’s important for us all to embody those qualities in our lives, but they are especially valuable in a good mother.

The love mothers have for their children is irreplaceable, without doubt. In order to raise one’s children to be good people who are admirable in all they do, I believe it’s necessary to love them AND to instill these attributes so our children embody what it means to be kind, patient, loving, joyful, gentle, peaceful, good, faithful, and self-controlled.

So, in 2010, my goal is to grow in these qualities myself so while teaching them to my children, I will also be a better example. Hopefully,  it will mean that I will be a better person and my children will grow to be the best people they can be.

With that said, I’m also going to begin to homeschool this year. So, I will need be more patient and kind in order to keep my wits about me. I’m also teaching an online class this semester, which I enjoy very much but it is time consuming. And, we’re looking for a house as we’ll have to move from our beach condo in June. All great fodder for the blog!

It’s going to be a busy year, but a good one. One in which we’ll grow and move forward and learn to love more. I’m looking forward to this year and all it holds. In fact, my mantra for this year is “Keep moving forward”!

So, see you next week.

So, I haven’t posted in a while – again. My excuse has not changed. I’m just so busy these days. This move has been particularly difficult on all of us. Trying to fit our lives into a condo and decide what we need to keep with us and what needs to be stored, is the easy part. Getting everyone settled, getting back into some semblance of a schedule, and trying to do it all while still unpacking is a bit of a chore.

My kids have been off, way off. There’s been fighting, fit throwing, major disobedience, and a very, very frazzled mommy. In fact, today is my birthday and I dealt with bickering and fits all day long. It has been a pretty crappy day, to be quite honest.

Each kid has had their own troubles. B has been talking back, arguing with me, and straight out ignoring me when I speak to her. J just starts screaming every time he’s corrected or sent to his room. M is into everything, screams and throws fits, and just does the opposite of what I say. S has been way off his schedule – still isn’t sleeping through the night. It’s been hard on all of us.

I feel like I’m constantly frustrated and annoyed. All I do is correct and play referee. When I woke up to J & M standing beside my bed w/ red lipstick all over their faces and hands, I almost hit the ceiling. Even my poor dogs are suffering. Living in a condo isn’t exactly ideal for them either.

But it’s just another thing we’ll get through as a family. We will stick together and just keep on working it out. As parents we’ll put our own stresses aside and help our kids get back on track. I pray for patience and grace every day.