2012 February – Mama In Motion™

Staying Sane: Learn something new

February 19, 2012 by Mama K 1 Comment

As working mothers I think we can all say that we’ve been guilty of diving too deeply into the roles of worker and / or mother and have lost ourselves at some point. Sometimes it’s hard to recognize and when a pattern is established, it’s hard to pull yourself out. It’s the same thing, day after day after day. But it doesn’t have to be. Just look at our children. Their days can be routine as well – in fact as we know, they typically thrive on routine. But what is it that fills their days (besides eating and pooping). Play. Learning. Exploring. Developing an understanding of the world around them. Over time it’s easy to forget the excitement in learning something new. Some people reject the concept altogether. But I love looking at wonder in a child’s eyes as you teach them something – it can be something simple. How does the clothes washing machine work? Where does food come from? What makes cars? Oh my goodness I can crawl… walk… run… jump… ride a bike… read…..

There has been a lot of learning in our household recently –

Big Bro’s fascination with MLK and Abe Lincoln, their assassinations, the size of the bullets…./li>

Big Bro learning how to ride a bike, learning how to read

Red’s activities at preschool – clean mud, taking care of her babies, her younger brother and sister

Twin Crazy’s efforts at the potty, dressing and undressing herself

Twins efforts at buckling by themselves

Taking trips to museums and zoos and learning about fish, dinosaur bones, moon rocks, alligators, painting, coloring, using scissors, seeing frogs jump, brushing goats, singing happy birthday, balancing on balance beams….

I think I have stayed in my profession as long as I have because it is something new — with every project and every year. Traveling to far away places to see different ways of living and experiencing new worlds has always been a thrill for me. I have always loved and admired people in much older generations that still embrace learning – embrace the internet, find a purpose for each new day, and continue to seek out new experiences. As people we need this. What comes so naturally for children becomes more difficult and maybe we have to try harder to push ourselves into the new and different – but how else do you grow? Or maybe some people don’t need this? It is OK to stay the same? Be content with where you are and what you know? Seek comfort in the safety for not striving for something more?

Where do fall along this continuum?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently since I will have some new found time freeing up in my life in the near future due to divorce. The time away from my children saddens me, but I am slowly starting to anticipate this time as a time for me. And part of that time I will invest in learning something new. I thought about music classes, cooking classes, …. but have settled on art. I think I’m going to take a water color painting class — we’ll see how these thoughts progress over time.

What about you?
What do you do to live more like your children and learn, explore, and discover the world around you? Does this make you happier and more balanced?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts –
Thanks for listening –
Mama K

Filed Under: Staying Sane Tagged With: balance, class, discovery, exploring, parenting, working mom, working mother

February 17: Getting ready for bigger and better

February 17, 2012 by Mama K Leave a Comment

Friday – a day when I’m usually at home with the kids but instead had to have a meeting related to the divorce. So, the kids went to daycare; Big Bro did not have school today so he spent the day with Twin Crazy and Twin Husky.

Some Highlights:

Following up from Big Bro’s fascination with the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, this morning he asked me to research how big the bullets were that killed them. I couldn’t help but laugh. He starts his thinking and it goes further and further and he needs to know. Google is amazing.
Big Bro has been complaining about bottom tooth pain so I called the dentist last night; they returned the call this AM and they had time to slot him in, first thing in the AM. We went, and low and behold, there were those big fat new adult teeth trying to work their way up through his mouth. The good news is that we know what the pain is about. The bad news is that it will take several more months for the new teeth to come through. The dentist said that these pains come and go, and for now we are doing the right thing giving him ibuprofen and they even suggested soft foods like ice-cream (and mushy vegetables).

I dropped off Big Bro to Twin Crazy and Twin Husky’s daycare provider. He was so good with this. He obviously didn’t want to go. But we packed up some Lego sets and books for him for his day there. I asked the twins if it was OK that Big Bro stay with them. They said yes. I asked them if it was OK for them to make sure he was OK and for them to show him around and take care of him and make sure he knew where everything was. They said OK. So then I asked them to take care of Big Bro and for them to give him some hugs and they did. I love how they all take care of each other. I love how they empathize with each other.

I then did some work since I had the time, we had our meeting, and I immediately got the kids afterwards. I felt emotionally drained and I needed a dose of them to lift my spirits. It worked. We ate, we played, they ate ice-cream.

So now we play the waiting game. Waiting until the teeth come in and in the meantime eating ice-cream to make us feel better.

That’s all I can write for now.

Have a great 3 day weekend everyone.

– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: abraham lincoln, adult teeth, martin luther king, tooth pain

February 16: Spring cleaning

February 16, 2012 by Mama K Leave a Comment

Thursdays – my days with Twin Crazy and Twin Husky. Today I had an extra special day since I had Big Bro straight after his Kindergarten and picked up Red after her nap. I am sitting now in a bed with clean fresh sheets, thinking over the days events, and feeling very relaxed and at this point happy with where I am and the kids.

Some Highlights:

All kids were going crazy for vitamins. They are like a pack of wild animals after those vitamins.

I strolled with Twin Crazy and Twin Husky as Big Bro rode his bike to school.

I enjoyed the stroller ride back. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the kids were in great moods. Very talkative, and acting silly with me looking up and making faces.

At home I cleaned up a bit but we had fun eating snacks, listening to audio-books from Pop-Pop and Emmy, running around and getting tickled, sharing my cream of wheat breakfast, playing in the pretend kitchen, eating more yogurt snacks, and coloring.

I started to make dinner – I browned some beef cubes and added spices and threw everything in a slow cooker. There. Nothing more to worry about for today.

I fed them lunch, and then had to kill some time before going to pick up Big Bro. So I decided to do some Spring cleaning. I vacuumed my room and pulled all the sheets off the bed. I hung up a clip frame to hang up the kids’ art. And then it was time to go.

For the stroller ride to school, I pulled back their seats into a recline position and they fell asleep since it was their naptime. I took it easy and went slowly during the walk. I was enjoying the day. Enjoying the sun. Loving the sound of birds and seeing all of the lemons hanging on the trees along the way. It took some time for them to get to sleep. I had to tell them that it was OK to close their eyes. The air was not too cool and not too hot. I breathed in deeply. I listened to the sounds of the stroller as it went over the cracks of the sidewalk. I walked with my eyes closed looking up towards the sun. It felt good on my face. It felt great to be walking – and be walking with my two little ones on my way to get my biggest one.

Big Bro was excited to see me so early. It was only 1 PM when I arrived. Everyone was sortof surprised to see me so early. I asked him if he wanted to ride his bike home and he ran like a bat out of hell; outside of the building and down the sidewalk all the way to his bike. He even wanted to ride it past his aftercare building so his friends could see him. He was so happy riding home and I was happy to be sharing it with him.

I tried to get the twins to sleep in their cribs when we got back but they just wanted to jump and play. I heard them on the monitor and I let them do their thing. I eventually brought them down and rocked them for a bit to rest. I love that time with them.

We went to pick up Red at 3 PM. Twin Crazy and Twin Husky love to go there. They like the attention and we were talking about their birthdays and about them just turning two.

At home we played. We colored. We played with stuffed animals. I did more laundry. We snacked. We did puzzles. We stacked blocks. I finished dinner.

The kids all ate like teenagers, except for Big Bro who is still complaining about tooth-aches. They asked for small bowls for the beef sauce and dipped their beef cubes in the sauce. Between the 4 of us (no Big Bro – he did not eat a thing) we polished off the entire meal.

The kids were happy – in great moods. We cleaned up toys and sat to watch some Spongebob. Big Bro was the only one really watching – the rest were acting giddy and running around and acting silly. They were so ridiculously happy. That’s what full bellies will do I guess.

Bedtime was somewhat normal; Twin Husky was ready and climbing into his crib.

Big Bro came downstairs and had a lot of questions about Martin Luther King and now also Abe Lincoln. Who killed them? With what guns? Do people still have guns today? I was busy looking up answers to his questions on my phone and he demanded to see pictures of the guns and of the people. He gets his mind on something and you can’t shake him of what he is thinking about – he gets totally absorbed and fixated. And not satisfied until he gets his answers.

I was also visited by Red, asking me to read her the “No David” book. We had a good time reading, talking about the pictures and about David’s behavior in the book. She is so sweet. She has fun telling me about the story and talking about what David is doing.

So that was the day. I am sitting here now quite tired but at peace; it was a long day but honestly one that I would not want to trade-in. There were lots of hugs, and talking, and conversations, and sunshine, and good food, and interaction between the kids.

Gotta go – Red is crying. This is really rough on her. Now they are both laying here with me – Big Bro asleep, and Red looking at my typing, clutching my arm. It’s going to get a lot harder for them before it gets better. I have to be there for them to get through it all.

Til tomorrow –
– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: divorce, parenting, part-time, spring cleaning, spring day, working mom, working mother

Recipe: The trick to a good marinade; Mojo Marinade

February 16, 2012 by Mama K 2 Comments

I was going through an old Bon Appetit magazine on a recent flight and I came across a great series on marinades – essentially including a number of great marinade ideas that you can use to marinade meat in for 3+ hours or overnight, while reserving 2/3 of the creation as a sauce after the meat is grilled.

I thought this would be a great combination with the Mama K Flat Meat recipe. Also, most of these marinades can be mixed in the evening and you can marinade your meat overnight (the recipe below calls for an eight hour marinade, so it may be possible to mix the marinade the night before but don’t put in your meat until the AM). So I thought this would be great for working mamas.

I’m going to give you the formula below, and a sample marinade to follow. I will follow up with a series of other marinade recipes over the next several weeks. Enjoy!!

*****

Essentially, the article says that all good marinades are built upon the same general formula:

+ Acid (citrus juice, vinegar, or wine tenderizes and focuses the flavors)

+ Salt (Kosher salt – or soy or fish sauce – allows seasonings to penetrate)

+ Alliums (garlic, shallots, or onions are a must for a muscular marinade)

+ Sugars and & Syrups (Used judiciously, sweetness balances all the flavors)

+ Chiles (where there’s smoke there should be fire)

+ Herbs (fresh, summery herbs – like cilantro, oregano, and basil – work better than dried)

*****

Mojo Marinade

Makes about 2.5 cups, enough to marinade 2 lb. of pork (tenderloin, shoulder, or bone-in-chops) or fish (firm, white-fleshed fish such as sea bass; shrimp or scallops).

Ingredients:

1.5 cups fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup corn or vegetable oil
10 garlic cloves, minced
3 jalapenos, sliced into rounds
1.5 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until salt is dissolved.
Reserve 2/3 cup marinade for sauce. Put pork or seafood in a glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with remaining marinade and cover.
Chill for 3 – 8 hours.
Remove pork or seafood from marinade, pat dry and grill.

source: Bon Appetite, July 2011

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: fish, marinade, marinade recipes, mojo marinade, pork, recipe, working mom, working mother

February 15: Jamming!!!

February 15, 2012 by Mama K Leave a Comment

Happy Hump Day! I think I’m empathizing too much with all of you couples out there. I woke up with a horrendous headache, actually feeling like I was hungover from too much wine during a Valentines dinner. So far from the truth, I know. I was moving so slowly today until I popped some Advil. Today was my 1/2 work day, from home… I got so much done, it was a great day.

Highlights of the Morning and Commute:

Twin Husky was playing with a balloon, throwing it up, and watching it fall down, and throwing it up, and watching it fall down, over and over….

The rest of the morning was standard, I think. Breakfast, changes, getting ready….I was going with Big Bro along with the stroller and Twins so had to move quickly to get myself together.

It was cold outside. Twin Crazy and Twin Husky were bundled up. They enjoy the stroller rides. Big Bro rode as part of the Motley Crew and I even saw him try to grab pole position a few times off of the stopping points along the way. Go Big Bro! He’s feeling brave and gaining confidence.

I was set up to volunteer at Big Bro’s lunch today, but he asked me not to come. In fact, he kept asking me not to come. He’s not good with large crowds. It’s OK if I volunteer inside of his classroom, but in the big cafeteria is too much for him. So I was disappointed, but decided to honor his request. I’m set up for next week too so I’ll try again then.

I dropped the Twins at their daycare, and gave them big hugs and kisses goodbye.

My walk home was fast and brisk. It is damn cold outside. The sun is out and I’m feeling good about what I need to do today for work.

I get home, refill my coffee, eat a bagel, straighten up the kitchen, load the dishwasher, and throw in a load of laundry. I set up my computer, and get my phones nearby. OK. I’m ready to work.

Highlights of My Working Day:

I had a sales meeting with our internal team.

I sent out invitations to both of our forums for the special meeting we will be having in April to potentially launch a new forum. I’m excited to see the response I get back.

I set up some meetings with my team on Friday to get them to complete some deliverables in advance of our client meeting on Tuesday.

I started to think through some consumer research that we will need to develop for one of the meetings in April. We have time to execute on both but I need to gather the previous survey questions and analysis so I can build something with trending data over time. I found help to gather the materials and set up a meeting with a partner of the firm’s for Friday to map out a go-forward plan for the research.

I touched base with a colleague in London for some work that I will help him with – it involves some market interviews that I will need to set up, perform, and document. I think I’ll have the time to help him.

I started some sales outreach to get some more “guest” organizations to one of our forums in April. This is a way to sell memberships with new clients – invite them as guests, and have them see the value of the meetings and membership. I need to start the outreach which will become easier once I get the agenda put in place.

I reached out to some potential speakers for the events in April. I will have a lot more of this to do between now and then.

The Rest of the Day:

I went to pick up Big Bro at 3:30. He had fun riding his bike in front of the kids at his aftercare program. It is so strange to see your own child in those “peer pressure” kinds of moments… I feel like my own childhood was not that long ago… and I can see myself in him; I can easily imagine how he must feel to be riding his bike around his school, riding his bike to one section of the school, and just by chance seeing his aftercare class going to the playground although it was likely on purpose…. and riding in front of the kids, with all of the kids calling his name…. and he was riding around smiling and laughing and riding his bike in front of his friends. I wanted to take more pictures but I didn’t want to embarrass him.

Together we picked up Red, and we just happened to interrupt a science experiment where they were making “clean mud” out of soap shavings, water, and pieces of toilet paper. It was cute to see Red involved in her science experiment and I thought to myself how happy I am that she is in this type of learning environment. I just wish it didn’t cost so much! Now I feel guilty for Twin Crazy and Twin Husky.

Off we went to Trader Joe’s for food for tonight, oatmeal in bulk, and snacks that we are running low on. I can’t believe how much food we go through. I can’t imagine what feeding 4 teenagers will be like in 12 years time….

We then picked up Twin Crazy and Twin Husky. While at home I had them set up with play dough as I cooked dinner. I sat with them as they played play dough as I folded clothes. And then I just sat and played with them.

After dinner came and went quickly. Bedtime was rough for Twin Crazy since we lost one of her sleep blankets. Hopefully it is at daycare. Big Bro is sleeping on my floor again tonight. He was complaining all night that his mouth hurt, and I’m wondering if his teeth may be coming in… he fell asleep so quickly and is deep in sleep now… it makes me feel good to know that he is getting extra sleep.

It was a really good day. I feel like I was able to be there for the kids and also had a very, very productive day at work. I really think that working several hours while at home is the ultimate of both worlds. I was able to cook for my family, get the house straightened up a bit, get some laundry done, but still be there for the kids. In the morning. In the afternoon. And I was so busy during the day for work. It honestly is working so well – I have something I need to send out that I forgot about (and will do that next) but tomorrow will be a free day for me. I am loving this.

I’m smiling now and gearing up for tomorrow –
Til then –
– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: divorce, flex time, parenting, part-time, working mom, working mother

February 14: Valentine kisses

February 14, 2012 by Mama K 2 Comments

Double fun! Chocolate Tuesday AND Valentines Day! Our morning was fun.

Highlights of the Morning and Commute:

I left out Valentines Day stickers for each of the kids along their breakfast area.

Big Bro woke up early and got all ready – dressed, ate, packed…. to be ready in time for his bike ride to school with the Motley Crew. He gets ready now so quickly and has time leftover to spare.

Twin Husky was whining about a lot of things this morning – his balloons, his tigers, his bagel, etc. He started to smile when he was finally given some toast with chocolate Nutella.

Twin Crazy was loving her toast and Nutella. So much so that it flipped out of her hands and landed on top of her balloon and stuck there. Everyone was cracking up. It really was a funny sight to see.

Vitamins were a hit. All kids excited about the round of vitamins for all siblings now that the twins are two years old.

I dressed Twin Crazy in a cute red dress for Valentines day. I asked her if she wanted to get changed into clothes or back in her PJs and she definitely wanted to get dressed – and is doing a lot of it herself.

Big Bro was off to ride with the Motley Crew and I dropped of the Twins and then Red. She was clingy, as usual, but was excited about her bag of Valentines.

I parked the van in a ridiculous spot at the ferry parking lot. It fills up otherwise and I would have missed the ferry. I inched the mini-van VERY carefully into a “compact” spot. But the funny thing is that there were two other SUV/Mini-vans that did the same exact thing… the picture was just too funny not to take…

While on the ferry, I talked with a neighbor and joked about the parking situation and also the Valentines delivery that Big Bro and I did last night. His kids got the valentines just fine and they were so polite thanking me for their lollipops this morning. I did not think about work too much – but did think about what I needed to do on my walk to the office.

Highlights of the working day:
I was really, really busy and a bit under the gun. I feel like I’m working on too many things and am concerned that I’m going to drop the ball on our big meetings in April. I think a little bit of anxiety is good in these kinds of situations. It keeps you moving and it gets you to focus and get things done –

I sent out a poll for topics for one of the forums; and drafted the second poll for the second forum.

I had a debrief meeting for go-to-market activities for another forum

I set up my new project team with deliverables for them to work on this week (e.g., draft interview guide, list of available secondary research, status of analysis to-date); this will help to prepare us for the first client touchpoint meeting next Tuesday

I had a meeting with a different client to get up to speed with final stage of the project and expected timing

I sent out an invoice for above project

I was very busy today – both at work and on personal items. Things are moving fast. I like getting things done and moving closer to the end of the line. There are many target dates coming up in March and April so I’ll be very busy from here on out…

Dinner and Bedtime:
I was solo tonight but it was fun, easy, relaxed.

I picked up Big Bro first and he had a great time riding his bike from the school yard to the van.

Twin pickup was no problem, as was Red’s pick up.

At home, the kids were busy looking at and investigating Valentines. They promised not to eat any of the candy until after dinner.

I found Twin Crazy on multiple occasions “washing her hands” which really means that she breaks into the bathroom, turns on the water, and plays in the sink. At one point she had the sink completely filled up and there would have been water all over the place if it hadn’t been for that little drain hole in the top of the sink. She was soaked and complaining that she was wet. I let her feel the wetness and be cold for a little while so she could understand the consequences; but then quickly changed her since I feel bad, she’s only two.

I cooked the tandoori chicken with yogurt sauce tonight. Dinner was so fast. Clean up was so easy.

After dinner kids played, did tea parties, did tattoos, ate some candy, and were really, really, really well behaved. Twin Husky had a hard time when he wanted to put a tattoo on his stuffed animal tiger. He also had a hard time when I saw he was drawing on the wall – but he helped me clean it off so he was sweet too.

Bedtime was fine with the kids; Big Bro is having a slumber party on my bedroom floor – Red decided to go back upstairs to her own bed. I hear Big Bro sleeping – he was out in 5 minutes. I think it’s all the bike riding. He’s been great lately.

I’m feeling reasonably good tonight. I feel like things are going at a good pace at work and also at home. I am moving towards closure which has its ups and downs but overall I know that I am moving toward a finish line and feel good about the possibilities for my future – I am hoping to buy a home, settle down, root, and provide more stability for me and the kids. Start to live life and build a life – not the kind of life I dreamed of this time a year ago, but I can be happy with what life brings me in 2012.

So my Valentine’s Day was filled with kisses and hugs from my kids, and they gave me candy that they collected from school. Not a bad day, all things considering.

Til tomorrow –
– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: bicycle, divorce, parenting, part-time, Valentines Day, working mom, working mother

February 13: My son is in the Motley Crew

February 13, 2012 by Mama K Leave a Comment

It was a very busy Monday. Both at home with the kids and at work. I’m tired now and can’t wait to get to sleep.

Hightlights of the Morning and Commute:

All the kids woke up playing with helium balloons.

Big Bro asked if he could ride with the kids on bikes with our neighbor, and without me. I texted her and she said to send him on over at 8 AM. Big Bro was thrilled and jumped out of bed and got dressed. He was honestly ready to go – backpack ready, helmet on, good breakfast – by 7:40 AM. And was just waiting around to go. When I set him off he was so excited. He is growing up before my eyes. So many changes so quickly.

All the kids were excited about vitamins. Now that the Twins are 2, we are giving them children’s vitamins. It was a right of passage with Red, so I kept up the routine and these kids are so proud that they are now eating vitamins too. Twin Crazy kept talking about it in the AM and also at night.

I dropped off Red and she was happy, but clingy.

Highlights of My Working Day:

I got in and sent out meeting minutes for two planning meetings.

I also made some changes to a Kick off meeting presentation for a client project we are starting today. I had a meeting with the client and our team from 3 – 5 PM today. It went really well. They like us and I think the project will go well.

I spent some time staffing the project, and also getting one of the Consultants started on several pieces of work to get the project going.

I led an office touch-point meeting that we do on Mondays. Everyone is very busy.

I reviewed the go-to-market materials for the meeting we will have in April and will likely start that outreach tomorrow.

Dinner and Bedtime:

I picked the kids up later than usual since I had a meeting until 5 PM. So by the time I had everyone home it was 6:15. Dinner was at 6:45 and kids were tired/hungry.

After dinner we worked on a Valentines card project – essentially putting lollipops through little cards that the kids signed over the weekend. It was cute. The Twins were confused and really just wanted to steal/eat the lollipops.

Then off to bed. But first I stole Big Bro and we both delivered valentines that the kids did for the neighbors behind our house – the “Motley Crew” kids that Big Bro rides to school with. I had so much fun with Big Bro doing this. It was my idea to sneak out of the house, just him and me. And run to the neighbor’s house in our socks and leave the bag of valentines cards just outside of their house. It was Big Bro’s idea to leave the bag by the garage door, where they all leave in the AM — they don’t use the front door since they have their bikes…. so then we decided to find some rocks to hold the bag down so it wouldn’t blow away. As we were running back and forth I said “this is fun” and Big Bro said “Yeah, this is fun”. I loved it. I loved stealing him for 2 minutes and stealing this time with him.

I reminded Big Bro again that he is officially part of the “Motley Crew” and gave him a fist pump. He is happy. I told him how proud of him I am as he walked up the stairs for bed.

Twin Crazy and Twin Husky were counting to 10 during bedtime books.

Bedtime with the older ones was rough tonight. They were both crying for me. I hate being downstairs while they are upstairs. I found out last week that Red has been sleeping with her dad in the middle of the night so I caved in and let them both come down to me. So right now they are both snoring next to me. I might relocate to the couch.

I sent an email message to Big Bro’s teacher – he is stuttering recently and I don’t know if it’s something that he’s just picked up from the kids at school or if there really is a problem that we should be worried about. I might be over-reacting, and he might be doing this for attention, but it still concerns me especially since things are so strange at home.

I made the mistake of checking work email – one email was great; the client kickoff meeting went REALLY well and they are super engaged with working with us. Now I just need to make sure we deliver! But then I saw another email. I completely F%*&^5ed up an outreach that I did for a potential speaker and did not use proper protocol, but by mistake. I sent out an apology tonight and will follow up tomorrow when I arrive in the morning and am fresh. Ugggh. I’m ready for bed.

Til tomorrow –
– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: bicycle, client presentations, parenting, part-time, Valentines Day, working mom, working mother

Staying Sane: Celebrate

February 12, 2012 by Mama K 1 Comment

The days come and the days go but every now and then there comes a day that is special. With young children, the birthdays are special times. I’ve always been very big with birthdays. It is a time to stop and to focus on an individual and celebrate the person and the fact that the person is in your life. I love the days leading up to a birthday – especially the days leading up to a child’s birthday.

Today was one of those days, and it was a double-special day, in many ways. Our twins turned two. Two bodies, two lives, a brother and a sister, celebrating their second year of life. I remember when we found out we were having twins, and then the day they were born (Twin Crazy at 6 pounds 5 ounces, and Twin Husky at 6 pounds 12 ounces), and many of the days leading up to today.

They knew it was their birthday. They would raise their hands when we asked whose birthday it was. Twin Husky has been walking around for several days now practicing his “happy birthday” tune. And the cutest thing is that when I would ask one whose birthday it was, they would say their sibling’s name first. I think that’s amazing. A pair. A set. Two children. Two years.

So in the midst of day-to-day life, and life’s ups and downs, and endings and new beginnings, it was wonderful for me to stop and take the day to celebrate the lives of two people that have forever changed my life. My goal was to make it special for them – and they both said they had a great day. We had a small party with close friends and young kids – and the cake and ice-cream overflowed and we let everyone indulge.

So to my twins who are growing up so fast, Happy Birthday to you and thank you for these years and thank you for giving me a reason to be thrilled for this weekend!

Love you both dearly –
– Mama

Filed Under: Staying Sane Tagged With: birthday, celebration, parenting, party, twins, working mom, working mother

February 10: A difficult but fun day too

February 10, 2012 by Mama K Leave a Comment

Happy Friday!
I was not working today but had all of the kids in daycare anyway – for two reasons: 1) I volunteered at Big Bro’s school today; and 2) I had a mediation meeting relating to the divorce.
So, it has been an emotionally draining day. I’m absolutely wiped out. There’s some truth to “one step forward two steps back” – although we are getting closer to clarity, rehashing the past and thinking about what could have been is really, really hard for me. Our financial situation and quality of life could have been better elsewhere – I honestly feel that in the depths of who I am. But I need to move forward. And keep my priorities where they need to be.

Like, for example:

Asking Twin Crazy and Twin Husky “who wants to get their diaper changed first?” and then both of them running away from me, Twin Crazy hiding behind Red, and calling out the others’ name. And then I ask, “Who wants to give Mommy a hug??” and then Twin Crazy comes RUNNING and laughing so I change her first.

Twin Husky still wanting to wear Red’s new shoes, even on top of his PJs. Notice his fluffy, clean Tigers in the picture.

Red doing my nails with her child nail polish. I picked two colors (silver glitter, purple) and she alternated my fingernails between the two colors.

The walk/bike ride to Big Bro’s school included Twin Husky and Twin Crazy wearing helmets. They see Big Bro with his helmet and Twin Husky demanded to wear Red’s. Then Twin Crazy wanted to wear a helmet since Twin Husky was wearing one.

Volunteering at Big Bro’s school and all of the kids playing with me and knowing me and calling me “Tyler’s mommy”. I had a lot of fun with them today – they were celebrating their 100th day at school and I was at the activity station where the kids were making stamping books. I love working with the kids, encouraging them, laughing with them… I was joking with them that I was going to eat their cereal necklaces since I didn’t eat enough breakfast and they were cracking up.

We watched TV after dinner and the twins kept climbing on me. They are both excited about their birthdays this weekend.

As I sit here in bed, the kids are singing Valentines songs into the “kid monitor” and asking me after each song if I liked it or not. I say “yes sweetie” but to them, upstairs, what I say sounds garbled so they repeat the garbled sound back into the monitor. I’m cracking up downstairs and knowing that one day I will miss these days, even though they are difficult for me.

So that’s about all I want to write for now. I’m really tired…
Til next week –
– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: child custody, divorce, mediation, parent volunteer, parenting, part-time, volunteer, working mom, working mother

February 9: A hard day’s work

February 9, 2012 by Mama K 1 Comment

I was not working today as a management consultant. Today I was working as a mom. So, the day just evolved and the hours blended into one another. It was a great, but tiring day. Some highlights:

I strolled Twin Crazy and Twin Husky while Big Bro rode his bike to school. We were a bit on the late side but he made it there just in time. He was out of breath when we got there.

I took Twin Crazy and Twin Husky to the park with sand. They climbed on the structure and slid down the slide. They got dirty. They got wet. They ate graham crackers. They looked at dogs. Twin Husky scaled a part of the structure I never thought he would. Twin Crazy held back a smile as she walked across the bridge.

We went back home and had a bath since they were wet and covered in sand.

Afterwards I did some laundry (they helped) and we decided to also clean Twin Husky’s Tigers. The problem was that they are battery-operated and I couldn’t rip out the mechanical parts so we decided to scrub-brush them clean. We had a great time doing that and of course the kids got soaking wet again so that just meant another change of clothes. We put the Tigers in the dryer and Big Bro was fine with that. They came out all fluffy and clean and we were talking about them for the rest of the day.

We had a quick snack, and then decided to pick up Big Bro early – right after his Kindergarten – no aftercare. So we gathered ourselves back into the stroller with our clean Tigers and strolled to his school. We spied on him a bit in the playground and I chatted with some moms. They asked me how I’m loving my work schedule and they mentioned how they are seeing the difference in my kids. Some have also taken steps back to spend more time with their kids and the changes and impact on the children is noticeable almost immediately. We often talk about why we didn’t do this sooner.

Recess was over and the kids were lining up so I hid with Twin Crazy and Twin Husky elsewhere – Big Bro gets too anxious when he sees us and we were on the early side. So we ran around in a field while we were waiting for his classroom to let out. We had a great time – I was chasing the kids and they were loving running around in the grass at their brother’s school. I’m glad we got there too early so we could have this special running time in the field together.

Big Bro was surprised to see us so early. He was excited to ride his bike home. Our back door neighbor was also there so they rode home together. It was really cute watching Big Bro with his friend. Just the two of them. He does much better in smaller settings. It takes him awhile to get comfortable with someone and this child is so sweet and easy going. It was great seeing them ride and talking and laughing with each other.

At home, we had lunch. Big Bro had lunch with us too so that was his 2nd lunch. Then Twin Crazy and Twin Husky were happily ready for their naps.

They nap for 2 hours so I grabbed the monitor and Big Bro and I went behind the house to the cul-de-sac where the other kids live. They rode bikes and ran through their houses for at least 2 hours. I kept checking on Twin Crazy and Twin Husky and they eventually were ready to get up.

I went with Twin Crazy and Twin Husky to pick up Red. The kids were playing in the playground when I got there. The kids love the Twins and the Twins loved their playground. It was so cute seeing how all of the kids were caring for Twin Crazy and Twin Husky…. showing them around, helping them up their structure, holding their hands. Red was a proud big sister.

When we got back I started to make dinner and the neighbors sent Big Bro over at 5 PM. I made some flat meat pork with a marinade and dinner was on the table really quickly. That is when the problems started. Big Bro just did not want to stop riding his bike. He rejected the backyard while I was making dinner and kept defying me when I told him not to go out front. He refused to sit at dinner, and also took out the toy bins and started dumping the toys on the ground. I’m not used to this kind of defiance so I just told him to leave the room. That we didn’t want him in the room anymore. We went back and forth and he spent some time in his room but he eventually just sat on the floor while we ate dinner. He ate nothing in defiance. I held my ground.

Afterwards he whined that he was hungry for close to 2 hours afterwards and I would not give in. He decided to boycott dinner so I wanted him to feel the consequences. I only offer the kids milk when they decide not to eat dinner (when I know they do like something that has been offered to them). So I offered him milk, he refused, and he went to bed hungry.

He was reasonably good at bedtime. He brushed his teeth, read his books, and cuddled up to me when I read some other books. The poor guy was just exhausted. I think he was riding his bike for close to 4 hours so his body must have really been tired.

So I’m sitting in bed, very tired, but it’s a happy tired. I feel good that I was able to spend the day with the littlest ones the way I did. And I had a lot of time with Big Bro (some great, some not so great) and was thrilled to surprise Big Bro the way that I did. It was interesting to see him interact in a way with his friends that I have not seen previously. Whizzing by on bikes, circling each other, sharing food, saying “that’s cool”. How did he grow up so quickly? I know he’s not even six and there’s so much more to come but my god it just hits you so fast and all of the sudden he’s talking and using reason and laughing at complex situations and just being such a person. I almost can’t wait for a house full of “real” people and the kind of interactions we will have… but yet I am ready and happy to wait… the time will come fast enough and I want this time while they are little and still want me close.

Til tomorrow –
– Mama K

Filed Under: Daily Journal Tagged With: bicycle, growing up, laundry, parenting, part-time, stroller, working mom, working mother

Staying Sane: Learn something new

February 17: Getting ready for bigger and better

February 16: Spring cleaning

Recipe: The trick to a good marinade; Mojo Marinade

February 15: Jamming!!!

February 14: Valentine kisses

February 13: My son is in the Motley Crew

Staying Sane: Celebrate

February 10: A difficult but fun day too

February 9: A hard day’s work

Mama In Motion

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