Full Disclosure

The many, many notes I mentioned getting from Ella before, well, they officially aren't all sweet anymore.

After a recent "try night" at our house, (what we call a night when the girls are being served a meal they may or may not like, but are expected to try 2 bites of everything on the plate regardless) I received this little note from my oldest. I only know for sure what it says because she used the words and said it to me moments earlier at the table. :EVAPORATE FROM THIS HOUSE : Yes, she told me she wished I would just evaporate from this house. She then used some rather curt words with sweet Maggie, so I sent her to her room to write sentences about using her words to love and not hate.

She did eventually turn things around because she wrote "I love you" at the bottom of her sentences list and informed me in a second line "I have gon to upologis to Maggie".

I just didn't want the blogosphere to think it was sunshine and roses here all the time.

Complete and Total Randomness

Busy, busy, busy, and a stomach bug.... that's how I'd describe our previous week. We are currently on kiddo # 3 with a stomach virus that has been hanging around here on and off since Saturday. It goes away and then comes back again. It's pretty yucky, but at least this time around Scott is home and if I succumb to it as well I won't be parenting all by my sickly self from a quilt on my driveway while the girls ride their bikes in circles around me!

We hung out with Amanda and Chris and their boys on Saturday along with some other friends of theirs from their church. It was fun, but that was where the virus first reared it's ugly head. After showing absolutely no signs of illness previous, Kate was suddenly sick there at the gathering. We headed immediately home with only one pit stop along the way.

On Sunday Kate and I stayed home from church while Scott and the others went ahead. Unfortunately Ella came home not feeling well and continued to be sick for the next 24+ hours.

When not ill and home with the sickies, we are enjoying spending time at the campground with our family and friends.... small groups of us, that is. Because we thought all was finally well, I took all the girls to the first children's program at the campground this morning. They made and planted flower pots and had a great time.

By the time we got home for lunch today, I could tell Maggie was not well. She and I have been on the couch all afternoon. She's pitiful.... and that leaves only Sarah. Who knows if she'll get it now, a few days from now, or never. Of course, we're all hoping for the latter.

Now as I read over this long list of people and places whom we've exposed to our sickly crew, I have to think that any sane person in my position would have simply kept the entire family quarantined until a couple of days after the last vomiting episode so as not to expose all their friends and family with the bug. Sorry if you happen to be among that crowd.... double sorry if any of you comes down with the bug!!

Meanwhile, Scott has finally found and purchased a new truck. We sold his before he left for Iraq and since he's been home he has been anxious to get some new wheels. Happy to have that done!

On a completely unrelated to anything note, our town is finally getting a Walmart... grand opening is tomorrow! Woohoo to no more driving 20 minutes to a yucky old one or 35 minutes to a newer one in another town when we need something from wally world.

Camp meeting continues all week, so provided we all get well we'll be spending the rest of our week and weekend there. I am so looking forward to it! It sure beats watching repeated episodes of Little Bear on Noggin between cleaning out the bucket.

Even still I wouldn't trade this job for any other in the world!

Long Summer Days

I took the girls for haircuts this morning. They are looking especially adorable these days, and it's a really good thing because they are otherwise driving me nuts.

Thankfully this afternoon Kay, Doug, and Brian had the girls over for a play date including playing in the sprinklers, pancakes for supper, and a bath while I got a little reprieve.

Before leaving them for their couple hours break from their mean old mama, I took a few pictures... new haircuts can't go undocumented as they don't happen often enough! Unfortunately Maggie and Kate didn't keep their hair bows in, and they both really need them as you'll notice in the pictures that follow.

I should have gone to the grocery store while I had time to myself, but instead I got a pedicure and then visited a neighbor.

I was blessed by my time off, and my ears aren't ringing quite as loudly tonight since I wasn't listening x4 all evening long.

I know the girls had a great time also... they were just getting warmed up in these pictures while I was still there. They kept saying, "You can go on now mama", "Have a fun time!", etc.

We are in the home stretch for Scott's deployment, and I spend a great deal of time thinking and daydreaming about what it will be like when he's finally home. The girls have changed so very much. Ella has grown 2 inches taller, 5 lbs heavier, and it feels like she has matured several years' worth emotionally. When Scott left Maggie, Kate, and Sarah were all in diapers and baby beds, and that is no longer true for any of them ... they are little ladies now with all the chatter, attitude, and independent thoughts that come with it.

He is going to be amazed at how they've all grown and changed! Have I mentioned how grateful I will be to have my partner in love, life, and parenting back here to share in these long summer days and all the ones that follow?!? The four silly sisters and their one nutty mama are so looking forward to having this year behind us.... what a wild ride it has been!

Bring your best ear plugs and get home to us soon Scott!

Unsupervised

I am thrilled that the girls are finally at a stage where they can play together unsupervised for short periods. In times past I was not too certain this day would ever come.



The only trouble with happily playing, unsupervised children is that they are almost always up to something... at least we find that to be true here 99% of the time.

For example:



Saturday we were at Nanny and Pop C's house around lunch time. After the girls finished eating and asked to be "scused" from the table, I let them go upstairs to play for a few minutes. I remember playing up there when I was a kid... it was great fun! I could hear from my comfy seat at the table with the other adults that the girls were playing well together. There was lots of laughter, some bossing from Ella, and a tiny bit of quiet. The quiet always makes the mother in me nervous, but I was too lazy to go check it out. When it was time to go home I trudged up the stairs to bring the girls down. They were none too happy about going home, but they didn't appear to have been into anything they shouldn't. I was grateful.



After naps were over we went to a birthday party for our friend Brody. The kids all had a great time. While the older kiddos went on a fantastic scavenger hunt, Brody and his young guests had an Easter egg hunt. By this point all my girls were pros at egg hunting. They headed out with the small crowd and found dozens of eggs each. After all the eggs were found the kids all sat out on the front porch steps inspecting their goodies.

It was while all the kiddies, mommies, and other adults were sitting out on the front porch that Sarah started whining about having something in her shoe. I took her shoe off, and when I went to dust off the bottom of her foot I happened to notice a sizable letter "S" there on the bottom of her foot written in ink. She said "Ella wrote it for me." After a quick inspection, there in front of a dozen other giggling adults, I discovered that each of my younger three had their initial carefully printed on the bottom of their feet.

Mystery of the quiet moments upstairs at Nanny and Pop C's solved!

***

This morning I had the audacity bravely decided to take a shower after feeding the girls breakfast, while they were all awake and playing happily in Ella's room.

When I turned off the water and opened my bathroom door I immediately suspected trouble. For one thing, no one had even one time burst in on my quick 5 minutes of peace to tell on someone else. For another I could not hear any crying, fighting, or whining. Instead, I heard the sound of water running in the girls' bathroom.

I quickly dressed and ran down the hall to find three quarters of my kiddos completely naked. They were all surrounding the sinks in their bathroom.... one of which was completely full of water and in the other the water was running full blast.

Apparently they had been taking turns "washing" their hair in the full bathroom sink because every one of them had a soaking wet head. There was about an inch of water the length of the bathroom counters, several more inches of water on the floor and dripping down into the cabinets, and being slowly absorbed by all the discarded pajamas and bedtime diapers lying all over the bathroom floor.

I immediately drained the water from the sink, ordered them out of there, and started to sop up the water..... then I thought and grabbed my camera to get a picture of the mess.

They all ended up in Ella's closet where she doled out some incredibly cute dresses and crocs for everyone to wear today. Thankfully it was just water and the clean up was so simple that I think the shower was totally worth the extra effort I had to go through for it.

Just another day in paradise.....

Normal Again

I took Scott to the airport for his return to Iraq today so now I shall attempt to catch up. I shouldn't run out of anything to blog about for weeks, and that is if nothing new comes up between now and then. Just a fair warning, I am going to pace myself. I have rather enjoyed the seriously diminished Internet time that I've allowed myself while Scott has been home!


We had an absolute blast during the last 17 days. We've celebrated birthdays, taken a trip to the beach, and done tons of other things. The break wasn't without it's challenges, but none are I'm sure. For one thing, Scott is used to operating autonomously for the most part over in Iraq, only taking care of himself. Here he constantly had 4 little people and one big person following him around. We sold his truck and stopped his cell phone service before he left, so he was without wheels and communication device unless he used mine. Thankfully Nanny and Pop loaned him a vehicle when he needed one to take the girls out on their individual dates and I didn't mind sharing my phone.





I really can't imagine how difficult this return must be for Scott. I'm certain he would rather be here squished under a heavy pile of little girls than somewhere over the Atlantic tonight, and I'd much rather have him to snuggle up to than my big pile of pillows!

From the very first day that Scott was home the girls have been more content to play and just be at home. They have really had a wonderful imagination burst lately, and they all p-tend Kindermusik, kool (school), babies, and hours and hours of other imaginative, creative, play. They have played together wonderfully these last 2 weeks... maybe it is just the age and they'll still be content and play nicely tomorrow as well?!?!

I know Scott was ready to get back and finish up in Iraq so he can come home to us. We've made wonderful memories in the last couple of weeks to get us by until July, and we have approximately 700 pictures to show for our adventures. Much, much, more to come, but I'm pacing myself... remember?

Little Black Cloud

The big, gray clouds that brought our area all kinds of wind and rain throughout the day paled in comparison to the little black cloud that entered our house late last night by the name of the dreaded stomach virus.

Sarah woke me at 4am; she had been sick in her bed and was crying for a towel to dry her pants. Turned out I needed it for more than just the pants. After getting her changed and her non-separable lovie dried as best I could, I put her back in bed, hoping it was a one time thing.... and blessedly for Sarah it was.



Unfortunately, it wasn't over for the others. At 5am I was awakened again and beckoned back by Maggie. She had been sick all over herself and her bed. I changed everything and comforted her back to sleep quickly realizing that this could be a very, very long day. By 6:30 Maggie was sick again, and the whole pint sized crew was up for the day. Sarah was moving a little bit slowly, but perked up in no time. Maggie didn't fare quite as well. She was sick every half hour or so until about 10am. Then she slept for a couple of hours and appeared to be getting over it. She was only sick once more and that was because she had the audacity to eat a cracker... stomach virus didn't like that.

Meanwhile, because Kate was healthy and not getting nearly the amount of attention she deserved, she was taking every opportunity to jump on my frayed nerves. Jumping on her sickly sisters while they were lying in the floor, driving the plasma car over their toes, pulling everything out of one of my bathroom drawers.... the list goes on and on. I hope and pray that she got her "sickies" out on Monday when she had a random throw up incident in the parking lot at the Middle School with KayKay. It's really hard to say though, because I'm afraid she's inherited her father's just looking at a plate of broccoli makes him gag sensitive reflexes. Regardless, my plan is to shower her with love and praises tomorrow to make up for her being deprived today of all positive attention while I took care of the sick ones.

Ella was the last for the day to succumb to the virus. She tried to beat it out, but it finally got her. We headed to preschool this morning for our Pastries with the Parents Valentine's Day Celebration, but about half way there she started complaining of stomach pains. Needless to say, we spared her class and teacher the exposure (should have thought of that before driving half way there) and headed back home. Tonight when I was tucking her in, after prayers I told her that hopefully she would be able to sleep through the rest of the sickness and wake up feeling much better tomorrow. She promptly told me to get out. She was ready for the sick to be over with and the sleep to happen!

So, to recap.... it rained mostly all day, but it didn't matter because we were inside being sick. The little gals each have 2 sets of mattress protectors and sheets on their beds now and there are waterproof pads by their beds in case of unfortunate incidents during the night. At least they are resting. I've washed 10-12 loads of laundry today, but I won't have the pleasure of folding and putting all that stuff away until tomorrow because as of right now no one is needing my assistance, and I'm going to bed. Even though it doesn't sound like it from the tone of this post, I'm going to bed with a very grateful heart for four little girls that are actually in very good overall health, and for the fact that thus far I've been spared inclusion in this little episode..... well, unless you count cleaning up after it.

A Few Rays of Sunshine

While the two sick little gals, Maggie and Kate, are still not completely well, there was marked improvement in today over the previous few. For one thing, Ella was a charming little girl almost all day long.

She helped me while the girls were napping, ever so briefly this afternoon. I swept, and she mopped. She delighted in "gettin' all that yucky stuff up off our floors."

And I'll admit, she's not half bad at it. Perhaps I should make use of her mopping skills more often. She did tire out near the end, but I kept hearing her chatting to herself saying, "Mom does this for a real long time, mom does this for a real long time......"

Maggie's fever is down today, but now she is pouring snot (sorry that's probably way too much info) like crazy! Kate's fever was up around 104 this afternoon, so I guess if she is still feverish tomorrow we'll be headed back to the doctor in hopes of being well, or at least making sure it is just a virus, by Christmas.

I've got enough Things I've Heard Lately for a new post, but I'll save them for another day and get myself to bed before the crew starts their night waking games!

Under the Weather

We have all had head and chest colds for a couple of weeks..... probably since this picture was taken at the first of December when we had our first little snow.

However, we've had an extra helping of sickness for the past week. Ella was not feeling great and didn't go to school on Monday. Tuesday she had a fever, but by Wednesday she was feeling well enough to go to school for the Happy Birthday Jesus party. We all went.

On Thursday Maggie started running a fever. It has been in the 103, 104 range pretty consistently since then, so I took both her and Kate, who woke up with a fever, to the doctor yesterday morning. Their chests and ears were fine. Neither of them has strep or the flu. So it must be just a terrible virus. This afternoon Maggie's fever reached 104.7, and that was with an ear thermometer and just in time for her next dose of alternated Tylenol or Motrin.

They feel terrible and are not sleeping great, to put it mildly. I told folks today that I think I've been sleeping in 20 minute increments all over the house at night whenever I can grab a little shut eye for the last 2 nights. Thankfully Mimi and Donna took the girls this morning after I dosed them up with their fever reducers so that I was able to sleep for 2 continuous hours.

The worst part about it all is that I remember being sick as a child. All I wanted was my mommy. I am sure that is what the girls want too, but they are having to share. Nobody wants to have "just a leg", they want "the whole lap". And Ella and Sarah, the two most demanding of attention, are really suffering because of the lack thereof they are receiving since they are not feverish. They have been aggressive, pouty, and just plain grouchy.... much like their mother, I suppose.


Here's hoping this will pass soon as I'm not sure how long one can survive on caffeine and the kindness of others!!

On the bright side there's a little giveaway over on our review site for $10 Bear Bucks card to the Build-A-Bear Workshop. Check it out!

A Failed Mission

For the last several months... probably 6 or more, Maggie, Kate, and Sarah have only used their pacifiers when they are in bed. Recently when the 2 year molars were coming through they got into the habit of asking for them more often. In my weakness, I sometimes gave in. I discovered yesterday that two out of three of their pacis were becoming worn out and somewhat dangerous. Hence the mission.

After naps and a stop by the church playground so that we could see Election Day at our precinct and Mimi in action there, we stopped by the dairy barn to give the baby calves all our pacis. We were down, so I thought, to the last 3 in the house and everyone had a favorite. Sarah's was the "purple fower", Kate's was blue, and Maggie's was orange and green. If any of them was ever given the wrong one they would tell you in a hurry, "Eww, that's not my fa-brit".

They each handed their own paci over willingly. I had hoped to take just one last picture with them all together with their beloved pacis, but before I knew it Sarah had thrown hers in.

Maggie and Kate were right behind her, each giving theirs a good toss into the pen.

The cows and random stray chicken looked at them as if to say, "Now, just what are we supposed to do with these things?!?"

Satisfied that our mission was complete, the girls all turned and prepared to leave.

Maggie was the only one to question her decision right in the moment. She hung back after everyone else had turned to go and said she wanted her paci back, but Ella and I convinced her that the baby calves needed it....reeeeeal bad.

Then when bedtime was upon us they all started asking for their fa-brit pacis. I explained that we had given those to the calves... don't you remember, girls?

But after quite a bit of pitiful crying over lost pacis, I remembered a secret stash that I had and decided that if there were enough pacis there to go around I would just tackle this project another day. Very selfish and weak, I suppose, but I was assuming I'd be up with Ella on and off all night with her cough (like last night) and didn't want to add random crying over lost pacis to the evenings' festivities.

We'll get 'em next time... and I'll be sure to have the girls help me search the house for any strays or hidden stashes before we head back to the barn so that they won't t think they can just cry and make new ones appear. For now there are three little gals happily sleeping with pacis somewhere near their heads and one who is already starting to cough so I best go to bed myself!

Recent Happenings

I've got about 10 posts already written and on hold in my drafts box... lots of stuff to write about and finish up and post, but tonight I just wanted to play catch up with the little things and a couple of pictures because that's what Scott is missing from Iraq. He's not necessarily as interested in the latest item we've reviewed or the giveaways and the like. He just wants to know about his girls, so here it is:

Sunday evening we had what will likely be the last impromptu cookout for the season by the pool at Mimi and Pop's. Of course, it was too cold for swimming and the pool's already covered, but the weather was nice enough for us to hang out in the cabana while Pop Dickie cooked on the grill. It was a completely spur of the moment gathering, and I think that made it even more fun!


For the last week Maggie, Kate, and Sarah have only napped about every other day. They are very, very tired and I am right there with them. I have no idea what the key to napping is, but I at least make them rest for an hour in their room. (By rest I actually mean, play like wild indians until someone gets hurt and starts screaming bloody murder, at which point I go in and shoo everyone back to their own beds.) Some triplet moms have suggested separating them for nap time, but with our set up and space it is just not possible. So we are beginning down the slippery slope toward no naps, and I'm not excited about it.... not in the least.

Mimi, my right hand man, left this morning for Memphis to visit Kari for a few days. I've know she was going to be gone, so I tried to plan out our time wisely. Tuesday is our Kindermusik day. The girls love Kindermusik and were therefore not too much trouble for me to feed and dress all by myself this morning. We picked up lunch on our way home. After lunch and a failed attempt at a nap, we loaded back into the car for a trip to the YMCA. Only after we drove the 20 miles there did I discover that the child watch area is open from 8a-12p and again from 4p-8p. So, at 1:30pm it was closed! Hey, I'm new there, so I will get those hours figured out soon!! We ended up just playing outside on the playground for a little while.

After the 48 degree weather became too much for us, what with our summer blood and all, we decided to go on to the nearest mall and ride the carousel. I needed a pair of tennis shoes. I decided that since I am the mother of all these children I am going to have to get used to taking them places on my own eventually, and Lord knows I didn't want to go straight home and face an afternoon full of whining (due to no naps previously mentioned) all on my own. We used the monkey/puppy backpack harnesses, and they worked about as well as they always do. The girls were tripping all over each other, getting into tangled messes every couple of feet, and occasionally one of them would fall while the other three ran in the other direction. However, it was the only safe way for me to take them on my own, so that's how we did it.

We entered near the carousel and found it to be closed. I pressed on to the shoe store. The hardest part was getting past the jewelry that was displayed on open tables in the middle of Sears, I think, for the holidays. Once we found the section of the shoe store that I wanted to check out, I made the girls sit down. I figured if they wouldn't be still I could always stand on the leashes while I checked out the shoes. Luckily I'm the quickest, most easy to please tennis shoe customer in the whole wide world. I picked out a new version of the same tennis shoe I've been wearing since the week after the girls came home from the hospital (yes, that long), tried it on, and that was done. I had the girls each sit in a chair while I waited in line to pay and then we were off.

Back past the jewelry displays and the gawkers in the mall. Back past the still closed carousel. We stopped for a cookie and then made it awkwardly, albeit safely, back to the Expedition. On the way home Maggie and Kate got a quick cat nap.

We had an early dinner, and Donna helped with early baths. Then I put them to bed at 7pm. At 8pm, after lots of screaming, yelling, stripping out of their clothes and diapers (back to their old tricks, had to bust out the duct tape again), and finally about 5 minutes of serious angst because they'd thrown their pacis over the gate, I returned their lovies and pacis, and put them back in bed for the final time tonight. I think the serious crying is what finally made them tired enough to fall asleep!!

Now I'm off to bed myself. I'll get the rest of my back logged posts and a couple of videos uploaded and posted soon... hopefully, if they nap or go to bed at a decent hour any time soon.

Which Is Worse?

I'm working hard on the issues I had a few weeks ago. Getting some exercise is really helping me to sleep better, and I'm making a conscious effort to go to bed earlier so that I get more sleep in general. We've also added a web cam to our arsenal of communication tools for chatting with Scott over in Iraq. I've actually seen his face while talking to him via the computer this week and that has had a tremendous impact on my outlook. All of the above are helping, and I'm feeling a little more empowered. I'm ready to make some positive changes where the girls are concerned.

Starting with their eating habits.

I'm sitting here tonight trying to decide which is worse.... feeding the girls junk and watching them gobble it up, or feeding them a nutritious meal and watching them fidget in their seats for 15 minutes, nibbling only 2 or 3 bites of buttered bread each before asking to be excused?

I read a great book, How to Get Your Kid to Eat... But Not Too Much, by Ellyn Satter and decided it was time for me to start cooking again. We eat out a ton, and I don't think that will change over the winter months because sometimes going to Burger King's playground is the only outing that I can come up with on a dreary winter day. I would be okay with the amount of dining out that we do if the girls were being introduced to and learning to like a healthy variety of foods when we are eating dinner at home. Per instructions in the book: we don't really discuss the foods on their plates, I aim to have at least one thing they each like available, and I don't push, force, or even encourage them to eat what is prepared. I also don't make anything else until the next meal or snack time. So the hope is that they will eventually be hungry enough to try something new, and at the very least, if I'm only offering basically healthy choices I don't have to worry what they are choosing to eat and not.

I'm just not sure how many nights in a row I'll be able to prepare a meal and then toss out 3/4 of it because they opted not to eat?!? This is definitely something that goes into the "would be easier to do if my husband were here" category because then at least 2 adults would be benefiting from my efforts at making a home cooked meal. Has anyone else out there tried to start healthy eating habits with 3 and 2 year olds? How long will these girls hold out for their junk food? Why, oh why, did I wait so long to get started?!?

When I say junk I don't mean twinkies and donuts (at least not usually), but they sure do love carbs. They would eat waffles, pancakes, or cereal for every meal if I let them. Fruit is also fairly easy to get into Maggie, Kate, and Sarah, but Ella's adamantly opposed to trying anything she knows to be a fruit. None of them like many veggies or meats. Help!

I was looking back over the blog a few days ago and found a post from January that I wrote to my future self. The post Sanity Must Be Realtive still applies to my life today. If you had told me back then that when the girls were "2 and 3 and tearing the house apart" that Scott would be in Iraq, I would most certainly have told you that I couldn't handle that! And yet, again, through God's grace and His strength, I am making it just fine! So even as frustrating as feeding them can be, at least they are not eating off the floor all the time like they were last year! I wonder what 3 and 4 will bring?

Dear Lord, I thank you for yesterday and for the hope of tomorrow, but please help me to live and love well today.

Convicted

Anytime my posting here on the blog becomes sporadic or non-existent, you can bet that I am either not here, sick, or stressed out. Over the last week or so these four precious children,

big sis,

and her little cohorts,

have been making me crazy almost non-stop. I have been so stressed out over their behavior, sleeping habits or lack thereof, and the terrible way that they eat that at times I find it incredibly difficult to take a deep breath.... Can you say stressed out?!?

I have also been coming to grips with the fact that my only connection to Scott is through the internet... oh, AT&T you have me so spoiled. I am used to being able to "reach out and touch someone." That someone being Scott. Now, I have to send an email and wait for him to respond or call. This little frustration is worthy of a blog post unto itself, but it is definitely adding to the stress levels around here. Maybe another day....

Anyway, last night, after a particularly trying evening with Ella and then an unusually difficult time getting Maggie, Kate, and Sarah to sleep, I finally ended up falling asleep sitting in the rocking chair in their room at about 10:15pm. After a couple minutes I woke with a start and looked up to find all three pairs of little eyes staring right at me. In that moment I was convicted.

Convicted because I realized that if they are eating terribly, I am the only one to blame. Convicted because if they are sleeping poorly, it is most likely a result of a mommy inflicted crazy schedule. Convicted because if their behavior is not the kind that makes me proud, I am the one responsible for "training them up in the way that they should go." They look to me to guide and direct them; they feed off of my stress and my fears.

Clearly, the problem is not theirs. They are good, no, great kids! Don't worry, I won't take this pity party any farther. I realize that I'm a good mother. I know that I am incredibly blessed to have four healthy, happy, adorable little girls. I just can't for the life of me figure out why I can't make myself get enough sleep to be able to deal with these turkeys effectively during their many waking hours.

Just like them, I fight sleep even when I know I'm tired. I wonder if I stay up because I require an inordinately great amount of "me" time and don't get much of that during the day? I wonder if I stay up because Scott isn't here to snuggle up to, or alert me to the fact that it is getting late and time to go to bed? Surely these things are minor issues that I could work out on my own, right? Wrong!

I have a couple of different outings coming up that are just for me. I'll be getting out with old friends for dinner soon and have a weekend away with some other triplet moms that I'm looking forward to early next month. I'm also hoping that some exercise will help with both the stress and the sleeping issues. I'm going to sign up at the YMCA next week. But beyond that I don't really know what else to try.

So, I'm asking for your suggestions, not for my adorable girls who sometimes eat, sleep, or behave poorly, but for their mother who needs to relax a little bit and get some sleep herself. How do you other mothers deal with the teeny, tiny amount of time that you have to yourselves to unwind at the end of every day?