Losing My Mind at Chuck E's Crib

So my friend decides to have her 4 year-old daughter's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese on a Friday night (5 PM start time).  I thought, "Hmmm...can't be too bad, right?  And I have friends visiting from out of town with kids, so we should definitely go."  Seriously - what was I thinking?!?  Chuck E. Cheese on a Friday night in Greenville?  That is like the only kid-friendly place to go during the winter!!!  And our town only has only one Chuck E.!!!!  Yeah...wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be.

Between my family and my friend's family, there were 9 kids to look after.  I'm glad Chuck E. Cheese has a child-protection system in place - giving each child and parent the mark which can only be seen under their super-duper special light - but honestly, that still doesn't make me feel safe enough to let my children roam aimlessly from game to game.  I am naturally a distrusting person when it comes to my kids which means that wherever I go, I am constantly keeping my eyes on them to make sure no stranger takes them or touches them inappropriately.  So Chuck E. may give each of us special little stamps, but he still has restrooms and who knows which awful pedifile is lurking and waiting to help my children go potty?  I shudder at the thought.  Now you can see while I am on edge at place like Chuck E.'s crib.

On a Friday night there were a TON of children and strangers!  I was losing my mind trying to keep up with everyone.  That already gave me a bit of stress but add loud music, strobe lights, and an extremely warm temperature in the building, I was ready to vomit and scream at the top of my lungs - anything to create extra space around me.  For goodness sake, I had an 8 week old child strapped to my chest (I use an Evenflo carrier) so I was already feeling closterphobic!!!  Someone get me outta there!!!!!!!! 

Don't think I'm a Chuck E. hater, but on a winter - almost spring - Friday night, it is pure insanity to bring your children to that place!  The food was good - or so I thought until this morning when the toilet became my best friend for an hour - and the games are extremely entertaining for young and old (like my husband) but I don't think the stress is worth the entertainment I strove to provide for my children.  The little girl had a fabulous birthday and I'm glad we were able to help celebrate but from now on, I make a vow, a solid committment NEVER to enter Chuck E.'s crib again on a Friday night.  Maybe a Monday night or some time during the day but never, ever, a Friday night again!   Here's to Chuck E. - thanks for the headache and memories!  And cheap prizes!  All children went home happy and all parents went home with migraines - priceless!

Just Call Me the Laundry Bunny

I am trying really hard to motivate myself to dive into the rubble of clothes that lies in different mountains in my laundry room.  And I'm trying to muster up the energy and strength that is needed to sort the mountain of clothes.  But, I don't want to.  Who cares that my children do not have fresh underwear to put on.  I learned from a movie that you can acutally put your underwear inside out and wear them again - maybe I'll teach my kids this trick - might as well teach the husband too!  If I spray Febreze on the underwear, it should still smell OK, right? And what if I put the dirty underwear into the dryer - should feel softer, right?

It's not that doing laundry is a pain it's just that this family of eight creates too much laundry so really I need to do roughly 3 loads per day in order to stay on top of things and to avoid the disaster that is awaiting me in my laundry room.  But, life happens, right?  I mean, I'm not always home 24/7 to do 3 loads of laundry and the thing that really impedes my progress is the dumb old dryer.  That thing makes me dry each load of laundry twice in order for clothes to become really dry!  What a waste of my time!!!  I guess I could start hanging clothes up outside but that requires more work!  My husband always tells me to work smarter not harder so I guess that means I will just continue to dry each load twice :)

I think we're reaching the point where we need at least two dryers.  I'm envisioning a laundry room similar to that of the Duggar household.  You know the family - 19 kids living with parents under one roof.  If you don't recognize their name, check them out on TLC (http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/duggars/19-kids-and-counting.html)  It makes sense to have more than one dryer if mine is currently getting used at least six times a day!  Maybe I'll have the kids help dry clothes by using a hair dryer.  Something has got to speed the process up and save me from this mountain of clothes.  Or maybe I'll spare the dryer and have the fam use my new underwear trick and apply it to all their clothes.  If only my infant would stop pooping through everything, then he could learn the trick too!

A Name to Love

There are days when I wish I could change my name because all I ever hear - almost 24/7 - is "Mommy!  Mommy!  MOMMY!!!!" 

My almost 2 year-old child is constantly saying my name from the moment her eyes open and her feet hit the floor.  Almost ceasingly, she goes throughout her day yelling my name while she roams around, seeking to find me.  Sometimes I wonder if she even knows another word or recognizes the fact that someone else in the house - besides Mommy - can help meet her need/want/desire!

Just this morning my little toddler said my name EIGHT times in a row while she sat in her high chair and watched me prepare her breakfast.  She wanted to eat and she wanted the food NOW.  Obviously in her mind, saying my name repeatedly, each time with increased volume and fervency, would prod me to work faster in getting her meal ready.  

One would think that as a mother, I would love to hear the sound of my name being repeated over and over again - that the very utterance of my name would be as a melody in my ear.  That simply is not the case.  All I wanted to do this morning was to muzzle my child!  I jokingly asked my husband if there is a surgery - similar to that of taking away a dog's ability to bark - that could be performed on my toddler until she broadens her vocabulary.  Sadly, there is not, and although the very idea is inhumane, I wonder why it crosses my mind so frequently?

Before you judge, you have to remember that I have SIX children at home with me - all day long - who also love to say my name.  So, add five other children into the mix with the toddler who is always shouting my name and you can better understand why I am beginning to loathe my name! 

Ah, "Mommy" - I do love my name and I realize that the day is coming when I will want my kids to utter my name more frequently because they will be in that stage of development where Mom is so not cool but for now, I could stand to hear my name a little less.  Well, at least having a child say my name in a quieter tone and not so demanding!  :-)