Just a regular Tuesday

On this regular Tuesday I told myself that I was going to "relax" after the morning breakfast rush, try to drink that cup of coffee and just unwind for a minute.....and today I actually did! Well, I should clarify that by "relax" I mean that at 9am instead of unloading the dishwasher, cleaning the kitchen and folding that first load of laundry I decided that while the twins napped ( yes, they wake at 6am and nap at 9am...lucky luck babies) this regular Tuesday I decided to not do the above (well I did fold laundry, but really that's like breathing to me now) I made a command decision that could of had serious repercussions, but I was up for the challenge....so I did it and I changed the TV from Treehouse ( gasp!! oohh aahh) to watch some actual adult, grown up, mature mind stimulating TV......and I found the Cosby show! They are on at 9am on preachtree tv! Can I get a woot woot!! So I settled into my comfy chair with my morning coffee ( that by the way I had to microwave TWICE because mornings are so crazy that it was still left sitting from 6am when I made it...but thats another blog...) and so I began my relaxing...how sweet it is...the twins are asleep, Mia fresh from the washroom without my help to boot is playing with Ariel and Coy is quietly and happily playing with blocks, I only wish that someone could come over right this instant so that I could give off that " wow she totally has it together" impression.... While I was congratulating myself on a job well done and having that first sip of reheated coffee... I hear the central vacuum turn on? Odd? Do I have a ghost? A friendly and clean ghost sent to help me out?! no no, its Coy....you see, currently his favorite thing in the world is to turn on the vacuum ( which if you knew me you would know that the vacuum is plugged in and at the top of the stairs at all times, never does an hour go by without some kind of vacuuming emergency and it just easier to have it handy and ready to go)
Oh, yes, just my boy, Coy.....he likes to play and vacuum his belly, his hair, his toes, his diaper ( I pretend not to know why he likes to vacuum his diaper..*shudder*....) its fun for him and I could really care less, hes not hurting anyone and its a good way to entertain himself for 5 minutes. But then again..... hmm...he sounds far away and I cant see him? So sadly I stand up and put my coffee down and try to find Coy...which is not hard as I just need to follow the vacuum hose....I stop for a brief, VERY brief moment to shake mt head to make sure I am seeing what I am actually seeing.... today the hose has led me to a place that I never thought it would, a place its never been and a place I hope it will never be again.....yes ladies, the vacuum and Coy were in the BATHROOM.... someone have the Tylenol ready....now the best case scenario would have been that he was vacuuming the bath toys or possibly the toilet paper off the roll....but nooooo, thats too easy for Coy, he needs to be unique and find a new way to give mommy her daily heart attack...and so Coy, my first born son, was vacuuming up some nice fresh unflushed poop in the potty, courtesy of Mia....eyes close... body shakes.... and into mental mom mode....now......
Now really after it was all said and done my husband says that I should feel lucky that Coy never electrocuted himself doing it ( and then I received a lecture on child safely in where I gave Chad his very own blank stare/ nod combo) So I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear all the fun tid bits after this revelation but lets just say that poop,water, and a central vacuum system were never really ment to go hand in hand and it is my hope that you all never have to get poo poo out of the vacuum box.....and this was the beginning of my regular Tuesday.

My husband and my ice cream

My Chad...he is a really amazing guy, and ever day before I go to bed, I think " wow I really am a lucky lucky girl" ( no sarcasm, I swear) ...he was raised well with good morals, hes stable, funny, kind, and good at pretty much anything he does. I love him with my whole heart...OK, that's enough of the sunshine and candy, now here's the dirt. There is one teeny tiny, itty bitty, teensy weensy thing that I'm pretty sure will cause me to one day smash my head into that always trusty brick wall. OK, here it is, I like most married woman have the same complaint so its not news, my husband doesn't listen. Well to rephrase, he doesn't listen, TO ME...... EVER......ok, ever is a bit of a stretch, he does hear things like, " Supper!" and " The game started" and " hey huny, I shaved my legs today..wink wink" but for the most part, I get courtesy nods, blank stares, the occasional " uh-uh" and for kicks he will sometimes burp as some kind of acknowledgement.
This shouldn't really surprise me given I did know what I was getting into when I married him. When we were dating Chad worked up in Fort McMurray and I lived in Edmonton and so we spoke on the phone a lot those days that we was away. I thought it was so sweet that he would call me every night, and he was always to interested to hear about my day etc, what a guy, what a guy!!
Then there came that fateful day, the day you realize your relationship has entered a new phase. The " comfortable" phase. I had been telling Chad a story and he didn't seem to into it...so I stopped my story, asked him a question and waited for him to reply...and waited...and waited....oh, but don't you worry, there was none of that awkward silence, no no no...you see every few seconds for about 3 minutes of me NOT SAYING A WORD Chad would say, " oh yea" um hmmm" aaah" yea, yea" and yet I said NOTHING....good lord, he was fake listening, oh but he must be tired ( or so I tell myself at that moment)...so I called him on it we had a good laugh and went to bed...cut to about 6 years and 4kids later. Not so funny. I have all the regular examples of not listening but I wont bore you with them as I'm sure you have them too, but here is my freshest one just for fun. This Friday Chad says, "Hey, lets call Jamie and Krista and go to the lake!" ok GRrrrreat!....we call them and then " WE" get packed up...and by "we" of course I mean "ME" no surprise. I pack swimsuits, swimmers, sunscreen, bug spray, diapers, wipes, sippy cups of all kinds of things, juice boxes, towels, blankets, bottles, formula, bumbo chairs, sand toys oh yea and lunch...really the list just goes on, but I don't want to bore you please don't stop listening to me too, your all I've got :)
....moving on...we are at the lake 2+hours, its 31 degrees, Chad is in the lake with Mia and Coy, the babies are too small at 4 months for sunscreen etc, so I sit under the beach umbrella for the 2+ hours melting away, trying to keep the twins from losing it....but lovingly watching Chad, Mia and Coy splash around in the water. Then everyone is too hot and tired and so" WE" pack up all our things and head for home. I suggest to Mia we should get an ice cream!!
" yea mommy yea!"
So I say to Chad, " lets get an ice cream cone on the home, McDonald's give free baby cones away!! Free!!" ( oh yea, Chad is really" thrifty" so I throw in the part that the kids will be free to boost his enthusiasm to go)
So we are coming into town now and Chad changes lanes and by passes our first possible stop for ice cream...ok maybe he wants to hit the one a little closer to home? mmm nope... No discussion on his end as to why no stop, no comment from him on my multiple questioning looks as to why we haven't yet stopped, and then sadly we arrive at home...we are here at home, no ice cream. He turns off the van, looks at me and says " yea?" I look at him and smile and say "ok" so he takes the twins inside and I take Mia and Coy. Everyone goes downstairs to cool off and " WE" go out to unpack the van...here I am a grown woman, who has just sat in 30 degree weather for over 2 hours, 2 HOURS trying to entertain 4 month old twins, A grown woman who really can decide for herself if she wants to have an ice cream cone and DESERVES an ice cream cone... A grown woman who may like an explanation as to why she didn't get an ICE CREAM CONE!!! humph. Now I am ticked off, and it usually takes a lot to tick me off, but here I am...ticked! Either he didn't actually hear my request for ice cream, (which is likley but I doubt it), didnt want to stop? and didn't want to say he didn't want to stop because then he knows I would have made him stop anyway...so in his mind its easier just to avoid all conversation on this matter and go home as fast as possible. Regardless...I want an ice cream. I am already outside alone, with the van keys unpacking, Chad is in the house with all the kids, so I say " I am a grown woman, I want ice cream and you cant stop me Chad Frigon! I decide when I will and will not have ice cream!!" So I get in and drive to the store ( I didn't even tell Chad I was leaving...ooh I'm a rebel I know, I know!) I get an ice cream for me and Mia and Coy and NOT Chad. Spiteful you may yes, absolutely! He has to learn, I ask for little but when I do ask, I mean it. I am not just suggesting it, I am SAYING it. Next time listen to me or I will do more than write about it on the Internet :) Love You :)
And that is that. Never stand in the way of a cranky hot mommy of 4 who all she wants to make her day a bit better is a sad ice cream cone. It could be worse, it could be worse.

Would you tell?

Lets just say that when you showed up to the gym with your 4 kids you were told that ( sarcastic eye roll inserted here) " Kiddie Kare" was full and you had to wait. Ok. No prob. Been there, done that. BUT as well, you are asked to wait over by the front desk and not in the " Kiddie Kare" room, as its just too noisy with all 5 of us there...ok....will do...( happy fake smile inserted here) So we go and wait over by the play pit....by the way getting Coy and Mia directed to this other play area while carrying the twins in the car seats was just awesome, piece of cake..LOVED IT. So we get there, I settle the babies, Mia and Coy are climbing this monstrous play thing and low and behold Mia is Waaaaaaaay at the top " Hi mommy!!"...and this play thing is like 50 ft high.... Not sure if that's right or not, but it goes from the floor to the roof of the YMCA, it is pretty cool actually...however when your 2 year old is at the top and you are feeding two babies bottles whats not so cool is when you hear this "momma...I have to pee" Seriously! I cant catch a break! I try propping bottles up with my sweater to feed the starving twins while they themselves are propped in the carseats so the people on the workout equipment don't roll their eyes at me when they cry, Mia is trying with all her might to maneuver out of this play thing and down the 50+ feet to me...Coy is....well Coy is somewhere? oh I see him., running in circles actually, so hes ok, just dizzy :)
And so, Mia makes it all the way down and you guessed it, her "water breaks" just as she reaches the bottom. Its all a blur from here...I run and grabbing my towel wipe her legs, wipe the floor, grab disinfectant from nearest treadmill, douse floor, wipe with towel again and promptly throw towel in garbage... ok, She had a dress on, so the dress is still dry, underwear not so much...take off underwear, throw out and luckily I have a pair in my bag from the last time when she removed them...did I mention she hates to wear underwear and I find them all over the place? I quickly glance the room and I don't think anyone noticed....sooooo...now what?? To tell or not to tell? It was a small mess....clean and smells fresh now? Do I bother telling? hmmm.....Yea, nope, not today. If I was able to stay in kiddie kare she would have made it, so I blame the gym for this accident and I dont tell...poo poo me if you wish, but I'm sure that play pit will see worse :) And like I need another reason for the YMCA to hate me. Whatever.

A day in the life

Well today ( Tuesday) I decided I would take it easy, not go to the gym and just see where the day takes us...haha, foolish me. By 10am the natives were getting restless and the back yard just wasn't cutting it. Ok, I need creamer for my coffee anyway so how about a nice little run to the grocery store?

"ok, we're going to the store! Lets get ready!"

Lets Begin:
Chase coy around the island two and half times ( this guy is fast given his bulkiness) tackle him to the ground, using "gentle" force pry his pj's off ( mental note, buy Coy bigger PJ's that actually fit OVER his head) dress him. One down 3 to go...using my master negotiation skills I must now convince Mia that during the day its best to wear her special " morning time dresses" and that the Dora one with the rip in it is only for nighttime and even though its so much more liberating for a 2 year she absolutely positively MUST wear underwear..good no tears today and given this takes some time and Patience my efforts pay off and in a mere 15 minutes! Mia is now changed. The twins, ah, the twins.... they are literally the easiest part of my day, they cant argue, they cant run, they cant even roll over for goodness sakes, they are thrilled that I am actually having some one on one face time with them, I could be changing them into frilly dresses and matching bonnets for all they care, because at that moment as I dress them they get my undivided attention for about 45 seconds and we both love it :)

Ok! We are dressed! oopsy, I am still in my " nighttime dress" 30 seconds later We are NOW all dressed...ready to go, oh but I must pack our little going out bag..this includes sippy cups for Mia and Coy so they dont try to rip open the juice boxes in the store, two bottles with powder formula already in them, hot water in my Starbucks insulated coffee mug ( ps. Its so sad to me that what used to house Delicious star bucks coffee for my pleasure now houses hot water for my babies bottles, how times have changed) 3 soothers, 3 diapers, wipes, Mia's teddy, god forbid he stays at home...Coy's blankie, if Mia gets her teddy Coy needs his blankie...car keys, ( I stand corrected, Mini Van keys, cause I have to be one of THOSE people now) my wallet, two bananas, and some gum and a re usable shopping bag. phew.

ooookkk...now lets go! I have adopted this routine to make everyone happy however illegal or against child safety rules it is, what I do is I open the front door and Mia and Coy go running like two little Jamaican sprinters to the van. Open the doors, plop them in and let them freely roam the van, the like this....then I go into the house, put the babies in the car seats, grab the bag, turn off treehouse put on my hat and out we go. Once everyone is outdoors the babies get in the van the big kids get buckled in, on comes Dora and we are off for our " simple trip" to extra foods. Jeepers I am exhausted just writing this let alone living it....

Well...to make a looong story short....3 of the 4 kids fit in the cart and my hopes are Mia stays close....we get the creamer, none of the kids names were announced over the PA as "found and at customer service" and we even got strawberries and blueberries on sale! So now we are all safely and happily back in the van and Mia announces we must take our strawberries to the park and have a picnic. In her adventures in the van while I got the babies ready she noticed our beach umbrella and blanket from a prior trip about 2 weeks ago...aaaah do I have the energy? Sure, plus its been two weeks since out last picnic, just enough time to let me forget all the bad parts..( dont ask me the full details but that picnic ended in Coy being rushed to the mini van naked and Chad running to get wipes while a kind stranger kept the other kids off the slide with the new skid mark....*shudder*)
A picnic. I dont need to go into detail for all you mommies, you know the work of it all, and I'm sure you can just imagine the fun for me! But in the end ( and after only a small bribe of ice cream) we all made it home, a little sunburned, a little too many on sale strawberries in our bellies but happy...OH! and did you know, McDonald's gives away baby ice cream cones for free?!! Wow, made my day a little brighter :)

Kiddie Kare

Oh Kiddie Kare, I had such high hopes...I still cling to some of this hope, and still try 3 to 4 times a week to break you but you are still cruel as ever. Yes, Kiddie Kare.....lets just get to the point and say it, they hate me. Yes me, hate me, HATE me. Let me clarify, this is the name of the child minding service at the YMCA here in Fort McMurray. The FREE service, the free drop in service, the free first come first serve, service, and their hate for me. If she only knew what kind of a desperate mom she was dealing with perhaps the "child minder" as she will be known now(although I have adopted a much more colorful adjective for her ) at the kiddie kare would give up her cruel ways. NO, I will not back down. NO, I will keep coming back, and I WILL leave all my kids, so let see whose will is stronger. I have given birth naturally and drug free to four children, I change 8 thousand diapers a day, mostly poopy ones thanks to Coy and his explosive bottom, and I have eaten left over lunch from the floor, I cannot be broken. On my first visit, I was the first one at the gym. Got there at 8;45am, which was in itself a feat to get up, change, feed, ( then hose down) dress and pack snacks and toys for the kids make myself coffee, slap on some yoga pants and get to the YMCA at 8:45 am....I am feeling like super mom here! However the "worker" not so politely pointed out that I had too many children? hmm, ok now I did look into this quite thoroughly before I purchased the membership....she can take 7 at a time, 3 under the age of 2 and 4 over the age of two... So if I counted correctly, with my 3 babies under 2 and my one 1 over two she could take 3 more if she was to be working alone, and she usually has more workers....now granted I am sleep deprived and not that bright at the best of times, but my simple math in this situation seems to add up? So why do I have too many kids? Well she feels it unfair that other moms be turned away because I have taken half the class..hmmm...yea, I dont care so much about the other moms, sorry....so day one of my big exercise regime ended up being 4 minutes long on the treadmill and then the " child minder" came to get me and she was "too busy" and Coy was upset. ok...so I go back, calm down Coy he is fine, just wanted his blankie. Then as I scan the room I note there are perhaps 15 kids here and I think she is still alone. hmm, odd? Then as I am making my way over to here to say that I will finish up my measly 30 min on the treadmill she informs me she is too busy and over her child limit and I have to take my kids and leave....breathe deeply Aleaha, breathe deep.....many things run through my mind, but I do manage to be kind and note that I was under the impression it was first come first serve. My name is the first on the sign up sheet and I do see many more moms have come since me, so I am wondering if these other moms should perhaps be called back to mind their children while I finish up my sad 30 minutes of alone time on the treadmill? This did not happen. I ended up leaving with my kids and vowed to come back. She asked me to " call before I come again" pftttt. Sure, sure, you can bet I'll give YOU that courtesy. Can I say pfttttt again. Anyway I have been back many times since and I have many more stories, but its getting late and tomorrow is Monday and I am off to the gym again :) Did I mention they HATE me....lol!
I will as always keep you posted :)

YMCA

No no, dont worry, I'm not breaking into some old silly song and dance done only done at weddings, high school dances and when you have had waaaay to much to drink at the bar....I am going to write about my Fort McMurray YMCA, the gym that I have just purchased a membership at. Yes, I, Aleaha Frigon have actually got a membership to a gym! Now dont go applauding my efforts yet, I just got it on Sunday and I will admit there is a hidden agenda...of course ;)
So, after reading ALL the fine print and speaking with multiple sources who are employees at the gym, it is in FACT true that they offer FREE (with a membership) Child minding services while you are using the facility! WHAT!?!?! SHUT UP!! Let me get on board that exercise train now and fast! Ok, as long as you are in the facility they will watch them...well up to 2 hrs....2 hours, do you realize what I could do in two whole hours without kids?? Well exercise yes, that is the intention.....however one could also, (and I'm not saying that I would do this), but in theory one could say, hmm, take a looooong soak in the hot tub? Shower in peace, (I could care less who else is there, as long as they are grown ups and not crying tugging at my leg while I shower) Read a book while sitting in the change room? (again, not that I would do this) oh my the possibilities!!! aaah, finally I may have found a way to get on board with exercise and gyms and all that jazz....so lets see how this goes. I will of course keep you posted :)

Mothers Day

When I was pregnant with my first baby, my daughter Mia, I had grand visions of Mothers day, I was going to be a Mom! So this day took on whole new meaning for me! Here, let me paint my picture for you....Its morning the sun is shining the birds are chirping, and I am still a bit sleepy a bit foggy...as I slowly open my eyes I see my favorite, Gerber daisies , in a beautiful vase placed on my nightstand. Next to this I see a handmade mothers day card, lovingly crafted by the flesh of my flesh, my child, my child that loves and adores me! This is all followed by things such as breakfast in bed, Chad tending to the housework and the children..oh and perhaps a pedicure on the side! Oh, such a day Mothers day would be, after all, I'm sure my mom got such treatment didnt she? hmmm..now that I think of it, I do think I still have my mother is laws Mothers day card tucked away in my glove box still un mailed...in July...whoopsy.....but I'm sure the other kids who live closer did something fabulous for her...moving on.....So lets get back to a bit of reality here. Mothers Day 2009. A day that we shall still say was a treat and a success just not in the way I had ever imagined. By the way its funny how life chips away at your dreams bit by sad little bit and small things really do seem so much more enjoyable. This year Mia is 2, Coy is 1, and the twins Reed and Ryley are two months old. I have worked hard this year, and feel that maybe I would get a little something special. To my dismay Chad has been invited to a stag for a very old and very dear friend, Dave..aka. Korndog. This is in Edmonton, a 4 hour drive from where we live and the Sat night before Mothers day. To give him credit he said he wouldnt go but come on now, would I really want that hanging over my head?? " Sorry guys, I cant come, the wife said noooo" um yea, I'm not gonna be THAT wife so I insist we go, all together. Me and the kids can stay at my in laws and Chad can go out. So we make the trip and it goes well. (Well...given that Chad was out ALL night and Coy fell out of bed, and Mia slept directly on top me whenever I was actually in bed as the twins were still up every 2 hours at this point..so I say it went well...as well could be defined at this point) Now dont ask me why but I still clung to some hope that Mothers day would be special....buuuut after arriving at the LRT station in North Edmonton to pick up Chad at 8am Sunday morning those hopes quickly went up in smoke, and so should have Chads clothes. It still baffles me that after a night out with the guys Chad can go from a handsome, respectable looking man to a scruffy unshaven smelly homeless looking type. If I didnt know who he was I would have locked the doors as he approached) He had circles under his blood shot eyes, donair sauce on his shirt and what we all know as the horrible after drinking smell lingering on his breath..ooohh, the memory of the smell still makes me twitch.... Chad opens the door to the Mini van, briefly acknowledges me and the kids and proceeds to lay down on the floor of the mini van, head curled up by the passengers seat, body stretched down the aisle with feet hugging the back bench. Who knew a 6 foot grown man could sleep on the floor of a mini van? So I shrug my shoulders and figure McDonald's drive thru cold double as my Mothers day brunch this year and so I get mcmuffins for everyone and drive off into the sunrise for home, a 4 hour drive. Now it wasnt flowers and breakfast in bed but what I did get that day is hard to come by and still a precious gift. About 2 hours into the drive, the twins fell asleep, Coy and Mia nodded off and Chad, well he was still passed out holding Mias Tinker bell comforter. And so for the rest of the drive I had peace and quiet. I turned off Dora, turned on my own music ( very quietly of course) re settled into my seat and just enjoyed my moment. I had my family with me, who I love...and love even more when they are all asleep ;) My life is happy, my babies and my husband are healthy ( well, less Chads hangover, hes healthy) and I get to take care of them all and despite my griping I really do love it, well like it...well ok, I love it, just not the poopy parts :) All in all lots to be grateful for and a good mothers day.
Oh and Chad even woke me up to wish me a happy mothers day and felt it special enough a moment to give me a good boob grab just before home...how sweet? Men....

Suprise in my laundry

You may not believe it but I HATE doing laundry, but with as much as I have I cant really put it off , so every day I for sure do a load of laundry and its pretty routine. Dirty clothes in, clean clothes out, fold em up and leave them in the hamper folded for 3 days before I decide to put them away, so no big surprises usually in laundry...( well there was that time I threw the whole hamper of clothes from Mias room in the wash and failed to notice the sippy cup of milk in there, that I then washed AND dried said cup of milk, it was awful, don't ask how it smelled because I threw the whole cup away, I will pay another 5 bucks and not salvage the cup) ANYWAY, on Wednesday I am folding the laundry and low and behold, my favorite most worn, practical, comfortable and yet still sexy enough black bra has literally been ripped in two. I sit for a minute,one cup in one hand and one cup in the other. Now normally this would upset me but let me remind you again, I have FOUR kids under 2 and a half., I dont get out, ever...so where you may see a ripped bra I see a opportunity to leave the house...and SHOP!!! Its totally legit, I NEED a bra, ( well, I probbly dont, I'm not that well endowed, even after 4 kids) but ok, for arguments sake I need one and Chads home, so I immediately jump to my feet, evidence in hand and yell, a little to excitedly maybe, "I Need a new bra!!!" " I MUST go now!"
So I run to my room, grab my purse, check my hair, take off the yoga pants, but on real pants, put some perfume on, smile and I am sooo close to being out the door for some shopping time all by myself when I look up to the top of the stairs and see my Mia girl. My sweet, sweet Mia...how she loves me, she is my buddy she is the apple of my eye...but she NEVER leaves me alone, not to shower, not to change my clothes, not even to PEE for goodness sakes so I begin my story of how mommy must go and dont fret Daddy is here and she can watch Dora, bla bla bla....the tears start to well up and she walks down the stairs and takes my hand and says " Please momma, I want to come too, just the girls" Gosh Darn it all, she knows I cant say no when she says 'Just the girls'.... so in the end she comes with me and we have a good time. I even try not to begrudge her for wanting to watch Dora in the van...even though I was so looking forward to rocking out to some Lady Gaga. You cant listen to words like " I wanna take a ride on your disco stick" with your 2 year old in the van... I guess I will have to wait until those old underwear I have finally give out on me before I attempt to go shopping alone again.....on the Bright side Mia and I were able to share some dessert at the mall which I would have otherwise avoided, it was after all girl time, and whats girl time and new bras without some chocolate cake to top it off.