The End of the day is like mile 23 of the marathon

On April 24, 2014 By JillIn I need a glass of wine, Mommy Musings, Uncategorized7 Comments

The end of the day is like mile 23 of the marathon…so so tired, not a lot of fans (at least that’s how it was for me in the Marine Corps Marathon, Washington D.C.) and just craving the finish line (in this case, it’s bed- for them).

It’s six pm and I am weary, like the muscles in my shoulders are sore and tense from picking up little one, picking up toys, and being on my feet all day, simply tired of battling every step of the way – hearing the ever constant favorite saying of a two year old- “NO!” – the groans and moans, hitting each other, and the constant repeating “no,” by me.

“Can we please stay at the park?”

“Can I have more cookies, more fruit, more popcorn, more, more, more!” They always want more.

“Can I eat ice cream for lunch?”

“Can I eat on the couch?”

NOOOOO!!!

Then there’s the bringing them to gymnastics, the park, and the usual madness that occurs in my house.

I look at the clock- three hours to go…as I am serving them dinner, – oh great, another mess to clean up as little is up and out of her seat every two minutes, touching the chair, spilling on the floor, and running to the family room- I swear she has food ADD, she cannot sit and finish her food- she takes a bite or two and then runs around…

OH NO! She gets this from me, I cannot sit and eat either, I take a bite, and then I’m up cleaning something, but that’s because I am just trying to multitask and get everything done – it’s kind of like a game- that I never win!

I feel that if I can be on top of the cleaning and the clutter, I can score a moment to myself, to go sit on the stairs and take a breath.

But, they always find me…take today, for example, it was 4pm and I was finally eating lunch, and I sat down with my yogurt and strawberries, and within 30 seconds, Ari was like “Oh strawberries, can I have some, can I have some yogurt?”

Ugh- I don’t want to deny my children food, especially when it’s healthy, but she just ate…but then my mind starts thinking, Well, what if she is hungry? But it’s so close to dinner- but she doesn’t eat very well anyway, might as well make her a yogurt snack.

Ok, get up to make her yogurt mixture, dollop of the honey, shake of cinnamon, handful of raisins and strawberries. She takes one bite and is off and running. Sigh

Snack less

On March 23, 2014March 24, 2014 By JillIn Health eating, I need a glass of wine, Mommy Confessions, Mommy Musings, Sugar and Snack Less, Uncategorized4 Comments

Gather the horses, sharpen the swords, get all your man power together to guard the castle door. Hold it strong and steady— I am starting to wage a war against the SUGAR MONSTERS and other offenders like the SALT SNATCHERS.

This mom is sugared out, chocolate out, and frosted out…the circuits in her brain are firing as fast as firecrackers… “marshmallows, oreos, sprinkles, cookies, treats…”

Its been bad, Ari has been talking in her sleep saying “I want chocolate,” and waking up saying M&M’s. Gia wants a donut practically every time we leave the house, my closet is jam packed with junk, and my car is so crunchy with crackers, the bugs have been salivating at the idea of getting in!

Ok, that was gross. But seriously, I don’t know how it’s gotten to this. I used to be the healthiest person. I was a Health Science major in college, I taught spinning classes, and I used to annoy the hell out of friends and family by talking about food and nutrition.

I think it started when I began going to play dates and I saw all of this junk food in people’s houses. I remember this one mom who fed her daughter a chocolate frosted donut for breakfast. Other moms had closets full of cookies and sugar cereals…their kids seemed fine, and I slowly slipped away from my strict dietary rules (I just had one child at the time as well). Month by month, I slacked more and more and found it easier to just say “yes” rather than deal with the howling.

Get out the violins…oh sorry story, poor Jill, swept under the sea of sugar and never battled the waves of whipped cream! So here we are, my kids are 4 and 2 and I need to fix this. Snacky nanny 911 to the rescue!

One other embarrassing secret I need to admit. I am struggling with the snacks as well…oh wait, that’s no secret! I write about this all of the time…I think I have eaten the past…um, really embarrassed about this, like twenty…thousand bags of goldfish and of course Cheez its. I always buy them for the kids and end up on the couch with my wine, munching away! I am such a cliché! Doesn’t every health and fitness magazine say, don’t eat on the couch, in the dark, mindlessly watching TV or when you’re tired and stressed.

Ok, so it’s me and the girls starting fresh, and trying to get better at eating better, like less snacks, more meals…I will be brainstorming ideas to get us on the path less traveled by Mr. Goldfish, Mrs. Donut, and Ms. Cookie. Stay tuned for my weekly report of snack less, smile more…and please no judgment people, I am a work in progress. Not striving for perfection here, like last week when I endured the MOST HELLISH trip to the pediatrician’s office with my little one who screamed and thrashed like a scene from my bloody Valentine…we got a donut after and I had a BIG GLASS(s) of wine.

Cool as a Cucumber on a Manic Monday

I. will. remain. calm.

Even though she is jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean.

Even though she screamed and carried on during Gia’s dance class, where she wanted “in, in, in.”

Even though she tried to bash Gia’s head with the broom quite a few times.

I will be calm, cool, and collected.

Yup, going to try this, not going to raise my voice today, will get a boot camp booty (Lord knows I need it) workout running up and down the stairs to put G in timeout when she is sassy, rather than yell. I’ve been raising my voice quite a few octaves in the past couple of weeks, and waking up with a sore throat and a sorry heart. Plus, it’s not working…I know this. I was a teacher. But, still, sometimes, I just can’t help it.

Ok, it’s noon and kids are eating each other like a scene from National Geographic- let’s get creative before one child gets eaten! Keep calm and carry on (why is it I feel they created this saying for me and it’s also EVERYWHERE NOW!)

First we devise a scene that is slightly disconcerting if you think about it, kind of like the way I feel about that nursery rhyme about the blackbirds. Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie

It gives me goosebumps thinking about these birds in the pie!

I can’t explain how excited they were to do this…running to get bowls and their furry friends to cook them up. Strange, I know, but it occupied them.

Then I rummaged through the closet of crappola and found the second box of Christmas cards from last year that were sent by mistake from Shutterfly.

What can we do with these? Spend an hour cutting out the pictures and make a scary, OCD looking sort of collage, like the apartment wall at Carrie Mathison’s from Homeland.