I Want My Mom ...

I've always considered myself pretty good when it comes to a crisis.  Put me in front of  a car accident, or anywhere that someone is hurt and needs help and I'll know what to do.  I know that I'm not afraid of blood, and because I'm one of those 'get it done' types I will jump in and take the lead if need be and do what needs to be done to straighten things out.  I'm proud of times when I've been able to help someone in a scary circumstance, or even a not so scary one, because I'm good at organizing things and people, and I'm not afraid to get dirty or bloody.

I'm capable of sympathizing and empathizing and giving people all the mushy stuff they need when they need it.  But if I don't think they need it?  Well then I'm one of those "suck it up" and move on types.  If you're not bleeding out your eyeballs or throwing up small internal organs, you can probably manage to go to school, work, etc.  My mom was a hard ass when it came to that kind of thing, and I've apparently inherited that trait from her.

But then I caught a really bad cold this week ... and apparently all my organizing and 'get it done'-ness, and 'suck it up'-ness FLEW out the window and all I want is my mom.  Even though she probably wouldn't have believed me anyways.  My house is a mess, I'm behind on laundry, and there is barely enough food in the cupboards to get thru the next 3 days.

But let me be REALLY clear here ... this is a REALLY bad cold.  Like EPIC.  Like I've gone through 3 boxes of kleenex in 3 days kind of cold.  If I was a commercial I'd be asking Pam to call my mom kind of cold.  Sneezes that involve all 4 limbs and scaring the crap out of the baby kind of cold.  And if I came across that chick in the Advil Cold commercial who pops a pill and goes for a run in the rain, I'd probably punch her in the throat...if I had the strength.  I look, and feel, like a sack of shit.  Just take a moment and really think about that ... that's pretty bad isn't it?  Sacks of shit are nasty.

I pushed out a 10+lb baby in 5 minutes, I've broken 2 feet and an arm and got right back on the horse/mechanical bull/party wagon, and I've had major surgery that involved removing over 4 pounds of ME before, and I was totally fine with it .... but I am SUCH a wimp when I'm sick.  I want hugs, and sympathy, and Lipton chicken noodle soup.  I want someone to bake me cookies, and make me tea and cinnamon toast like my grandma used to do when I was a kid.  Doesn't the world know how rotten I feel?  WHY ISN'T ANYONE RUBBING MY FEET?!

However, all this time I've been battling my EPIC cold, my two young sons have also been sick.  Middle Child (he's 3) brought the lovely germs home and he's battling a cough that makes me cringe and wonder if TB is making a comeback in 2013.  Last Child (he's 3 months) sounds not unlike a very tiny baby seal coughing and barking and squealing and blowing snot bubbles at me.  So I've channelled all the 'suck it up' I can and tried to pretend I'm sick so I can snuggle and console and bounce and rock and wipe noses and suck snot out with the little rubber bulb thingy.  (Which is super gross but kind of fun too)

Funny thing is, I actually feel better when I'm keeping busy taking care of them.  I haven't had too much time to feel sorry for myself.  Enough to keep the self-pity fires burning low, but I'm managing.  I know there are people out there who are fighting real problems, big ones, and doing alright.  They couldn't possibly feel as awful as my EPIC cold, but I'm sure to them they feel like really big deals. 

And I may not have my momma here to make me soup, or Grandma to make me tea and toast, but I've got my big hurly burly husband who comes home every day after work, gives me big hugs, takes the baby and feeds and cuddles him, plays with the middle child, and washes the dishes ... and that's a pretty close second.  Now if I could only get him to rub my feet ....

Have a happy day.  :)  *sniff*sniff*cough*ACHOO!*

Resolutions for a New Year

This is a bit late ... but whatever. 

I LOVE the new year.  I love having a brand new frame of time to try out new things or start a change.

This year, my resolutions are different though.  Sort of.  I still swear this is the year I will not be embarrassed to wear a bikini, blah blah blah.  I have some newer ones though.

1. This year I will focus on the people that bring happiness and only good things to my life.  No more breaking my back trying to grow friendships that are obviously one-sided.  No more stressing about approval from people whose approval I do not need.  I will nurture those relationships with the people who are always there for me, who reciprocate my friendship and caring, and who have like minded goals.  Nuts to the rest.  Well not nuts, but no more of my energy either.  There's only so much of me to go around, so I think it's only smart to spread it out to the good peeps.
2. I will be confident in myself and stop second guessing my abilities and my value.  As a mother, as an employee, as a friend, and as an athlete.  I'm good at all of those things, and I am NOT going to let petty people undermine my trust in myself any more.
3. Listen to my husband.  Not in a biblical submission kind of way (sorry Jay) but in the sense that more often than not, listening to him would have saved me from having to make resolutions like #1,and #2.  He's much smarter than he gives himself credit for.
4. I will beat my 2011 sprint triathlon time.  By at least 15 minutes.  Raar.  I'm a fkn triathlete  bitches ... EVEN if I only ever do Sprint distances.  So there.
5. I will shop and eat in a kinder way.  I won't label myself a vegan or vegetarian, but there are parts of those lifestyles that I very much admire and want to emulate for myself.  The commercial food industry and the way it treats animals is disgusting.  I will do everything I can to not contribute to it.  This leads me to #6...
6. I will grow my own food ... as much as I can.  Enter container gardens and backyard chickens.  That's right, I'm growing my own fkn chickens baby!  Can't WAIT.  Bok Bok Bok.

I'm going to stop at 6 ... otherwise this busy brain will forget them.  I've shared them so I can be accountable ... to myself.

Have a wonderful year, resolutions or no, it doesn't matter 'cause you're awesome and you deserve it.

Tara :)

Cloth Diapering and Projects I Will Probably Not Finish

So I decided to cloth diaper (or CD for the cloth diapering peeps out there) third boy.  Got a slammin' deal on a dozen or so diapers to get me started and figured I'd be all good until he was potty trained. 

Then I joined a CD swap group.  That shit is bananas.  I can't believe how many things people buy and how big their "stashes" are! I remember hearing "oh it's addictive!" from other friends that CD their kids, and I would think "what ... shit holders are addictive?!".  They were right ... it is. 

I love the fact that I'm cloth diapering for a few reasons: 

1. The money I'll save (if I don't go bananas).  My first dozen cost me $100 - disposables cost me an average of $40-$50/m for 3+ years if you count Pull Ups for potty training.  That's $1,400-$1,800 JUST TO HOLD POOP.  No thank you.
2. The environmental impact.  I part time CD'd my oldest 13 years ago, but was still bothered by how many disposables we went through and put in the landfill.  Yes I'm doing more laundry, but I can't see more water & soap being NEAR as harmful as piles of disposables.
3. I love laundry.  I know, it's weird.  However, I find the washing, drying, sorting, stuffing etc. to be extremely cathartic.  Who couldn't use a bit more catharticism in their day?  Wait ... isn't that Catholic school?  Whatever, you get my gist.
4. They are so cute.  There is something about third boy's rump in a fuzzy cloth diaper, or woolly cover that is just so so cute. 

Right now I'm using one size pocket diapers mainly.  They adjust to fit babies from 10-35 lbs.  They have lots of snaps, waterproof exteriors, and you put inserts of a material of your choosing inside to soak up the pee.  They are very user friendly and an easy way to break into the CD world.

I just discovered wool though ... even after being warned of it's addictive qualities.  A properly lanolized woollen cover (or 'soaker') over a cloth diaper WILL NOT LEAK.  So crazy.  My little guy can sleep ALL night after a big drink, and will wake up in dry jammies.  I love it.  BUT ... wool is very expensive.

Enter the next project my busy-ass brain has come up with that I will likely not finish but I'm going to try anyways:  Up cycled Wool Diaper Soaker(s).  Me and 2nd & 3rd boys are going to bundle up and head up the street to the 2 nearby thrift stores to find me some old wool sweaters so I can make my own cover.  Going to maybe try this pattern from Born to Love and possibly play around with my own.  There are tons of pictures on line to copy or get my inspiration from.

After that I thought I'd paint the kitchen and research veganism some more.  'cause that's just what busy brains do.

Happy Tuesday.
T

PS:  May I just cover my ass here and add that while I love cloth diapering, I do no judge those who do not.  The CD community can sometimes appear to be a snobbish lot, turning up noses at people who do not exclusively CD their kids .... yes really.  I however, have done both and both have their pros and cons.  So do what you want and don't hate on me for lovin' what I'm doin'.  Cool?  Cool.