Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

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  It's no secret that I live in a wild and crazy house. Between the screaming kids, teething baby, escape artist dog, cat that sounds like an infant crying and a husband that works a ton to grace our house with everything it needs, all piled on top of preschool drop offs and a side business and crafts and cleaning and diapers and gardening and daydreaming.....by the end of the day I am wiped. Half of the time I have no idea how I am still awake when its time for the kids to go down, but then I remember it's my favorite part of the day.
   And no, its not because the kids are going to sleep, ok... well not entirely because they are going to sleep, which affords my day a sliver of sanity, cleanliness and a brief moment off my feet, but because every night when we tell our kids its bed time in a few minutes they get ready and then ask Ian to take them.
   And every night he wisps them off to bed on his back, followed by a long secret hand shake (Five, Boom- fist bump-Pinky tap, Thumb tap and kiss) and he lays in my daughters bed and reads to JT and Ellie. Sometimes I secretly turn down the background noise and listen as he weaves a magical world of talking kitties and Dr. Suess, or reads them stories from their Bible books and talks to them about Jesus, and then when its all over, just before they drift off, he tucks them in and prays with them.
   Nothing makes me love my husband more than watching him be the Man and Daddy that I know he can be. Nothing makes me thank God that we worked past our issues and fought for a great marriage like knowing that I get to listen to the man I love pour into the children we created together every night. I can't wait for Porter to get a little bigger and climb on in for night time stories. I can't wait to see the most important parts of me all piled in one bed sharing the last moments of their day together.
   Nothing makes me realize that even the toughest of days are worth it like walking upstairs to grab something and peeking in on this

Fluff Mail

   I am willing to bet that most of my readers have no idea what the title of this blog refers to. Let me enlighten you;
   Fluff Mail is a term used in the cloth diaper community referring to mailed goods. For instance, sending and receiving diapers, clothing that matches your diapers, diaper inserts and accessories etc. And its FANTASTIC.
    I have done my fair share of online shopping. . I own an online retail business I should be used to packages showing up at my house.. but few of them get me as excited as the Fluff Mail I received today (except perhaps when I am out of a product and I have to wait a few days for it to come in.. I am not a happy person when I run out of my cleaning products, and the kids get real mad when we are out of twist tubes and meal bars.) that was my brand new, just released Great White Shark GDiaper and matching CleanWater Tee. I have been tracking this package like it was one of my children, knowing exactly where it was at all times, and knew that the mail had come simply because I got the email notification that my package had arrived.
   This baby is pretty, and my favorite part is that the proceeds go to helping clean the beaches, which in turn is good for the sea animals and us, and I like the environment. I find that I am more likely to buy products that help animals and nature and can justify spending a little more there for that purpose. . Which is exactly the excuse I gave to Ian when I gave in and told him I ordered the shirt too.
   I vaguely remember a discussion about me having a diaper addiction, and a look of "how much?" To which I quickly responded by throwing some of my online friends, as well as my dear friend Krista under the bus, and sharing their stash photos with a hint of some of the amounts of money they have spent on rare and hard to find diapers..
   Did you even know such a thing existed?? But all of this was to share with you MY NEW PRETTIES!!!

 

My shark loving soon to be ONE year old is going to rock this outfit.

Talking to the Wall

   I remember hearing parents ask their children this while I was growing up. . . "Are you listening or am I just talking to the wall?" I know darn well I am not the only one who heard this, but I also remember thinking why do they say that? Of course we can hear you, what a dumb question.
   That was until I caught myself saying it today.
   I am pretty sure the wall would have been a better conversationalist today. If it could talk it would probably tell me that I have a horrible scream face, and that I should cool my jets before I scream loud enough to pee myself again. ... Don't judge... welcome to post baby bladders... It also would have told me that my hair looks fabulous today and I should really wear bangle bracelets more often.
   We are off to a pretty good friendship; in return I would have told it how nice of a color it was, and it would have reminded me that I picked it.
   Seriously, I think my children woke up on the wrong side of the bed, maybe the house in disarray is as bad for them as it is me, or perhaps they just decided its been a while since I was reminded that some days having 3 is enough.
   I had a nice chat today with a lady who had a nostalgic look on her face when she saw all the little kids running around being too loud. I apologized that they almost ran into her and she said she would take it any day over dealing with teenagers this week. Hers are now 14 and 17, and both girls. Hormones are running rampant in her house.. I laughed and told her that I was pretty sure my 3 year old could give them a run for their money this week. Between the attitude and the blatant not listening she decided that dancing in the middle of the mall was not only completely acceptable, but downright necessary. She started singing very loudly in the car and her off tune squeals were fabulous music to my ears. Its hard for me some days to reconcile the sweet little girl who would rather give her food to one of her brothers than see them be sad about dropping theirs with the little girl who looked me square in the face this morning and told me " I'm not going to get my shoes, that's your job"
   To throw a wrench in my day JT took to a poor attitude and a mouth worthy of soap today. Suddenly my sweet little boy, the one who is always polite and generally exceptionally behaved was back talking and yelling at me like he was raised with a bunch of ding dongs.  IT seemed today that every time I picked up the phone today he all of a sudden had an emergency that could not wait.. like he needed the toy he left outside 3 days ago. . . or to wear the shoes that we bought even though I told him no. . . or to tell me that there was poop in his butt.. SERIOUSLY?!
   The icing on my cake of a day was that Porter started digging his nails into me every time I nurse him and my chest and face is all scratched up. But he also crawled up into my lap and waved bye while rubbing his eyes. . That I take it is the new sign for its nap time.. I will let you know for sure when Ian gets home and I try it though.
   I am greatly looking forward to the ride to North Carolina tomorrow while the kids are home with a sitter since I will actually have a face to face conversation with him for the first time this week and the first conversation at all this week that was not interrupted by my yelling at one of the kids for being naked outside or jumping off furniture or slamming doors or swinging a curtain rod around the house like a sword from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Oh Hallelujah.

   Back to the walls though.. It just told me it needs a good wiping down. . And on a good note for my week today I watched AmVets pick up 6 bags of my things and carry them off to the new homes.