Monday Night Musings

• Wow! More than 2 months since my last post! I'm hoping that school starting and getting back into a routine will mean more blogging. Hoping.
• Speaking of school, I'm a little nervous for the kids to go back. (This year I'll have one in high school (seriously, high school!!!), one in 2nd grade, one in kindergarten, and one in preschool - I haven't decided if I'm doing preschool myself or sending the crazy one to someone else.) I set unreasonably high expectations for myself, and the return to routine makes me think I should suddenly be able to move mountains on a daily basis. I need to cut myself some slack. We'll see about that...
• I love Kohl's a little more each year. Last year my 30% off coupon came at back-to-school time and saved me big bucks on junior high wear. Today I realized that my 20% expired yesterday, and my new 20% starts Wednesday. I planned to wait until Wed until I realized that Kohl's cash ends tomorrow. So I was bold enough to go in and ask if they'd let me use one today, and the cashier said yes. She had no idea what she was getting herself into! I came back in with 6 kids (my soon-to-be-high-schooler needed his best friend, AKA wardrobe consultant, with him) and returned to her 2 hours later - yes TWO HOURS later - with enough clothes to earn me $100 in Kohl's cash. Please don't do the math or you'll most likely vomit. Needless to say, it was worth asking to use the coupon today!
• Two hours in a department store with an 18-month-old and an almost-3-year-old is enough to make a mom lose her mind. However, watching the other kids bask in new clothes bliss almost makes up for it. The oldest is trying to change his look for high school, and is putting way more thought into it than I ever realized boys do. It's fun to watch him stress out over it. And it's even more fun to watch the middle kids change outfits and run around in new shoes with new backpacks on.
• I'm a better mom to babies than to older kids. I remember Amy saying one time on her blog that she can do babies. And I agree. Bottles, diapers, even teething, are pretty straight forward. Trying to comfort a screaming baby can be frustrating, but a lot of things can be fixed with snuggles and hugs and kisses. I thrive on that physical closeness. But snuggling doesn't fix the problems between parents and older kids. The last two weeks have brought pretty big confrontations with my two oldest, and I don't feel like I know how to handle it. In the end, I stood my ground and tried to be reasonable but firm, and things calmed back down. But I was a wreck emotionally. Will I ever learn to deal with the turmoil of older kids without letting it ruin me inside? I sure hope so.
• I am blessed to have three sisters, and I adore each of them. I got to spend time, as much as we could fit in, with my sister Stephanie this summer while she was here for her husband's summer internship. They've been living in Florida for a year now, and the distance seems impossible. I was so excited to have her back, and we made some wonderful memories while she was here. And right as Steph was leaving, my youngest sister Cassie drove here from Iowa. She saved my life by staying with me for five days while my hubby was out of town. We had a blast, and she helped me start some projects I may never have started without her. She's a sweetheart! And then there's my sister Julie, who recently helped me to organize 2 cupboards in the kitchen that were disastrous, and my sewing stuff in the basement. I'd show you before and after pictures, but you would die if you saw the mess I've been living with!
• Little Caesar's is way cooler than I ever thought. The cashier today gave us little bags of cookies, which I didn't even know they had, for each of my 5 kids, and then took the time to blow up balloons for them. The little ones were tickled, and my oldest and his friend shared the helium in one of them to make funny voices on the way home. I'm probably a bad mom for letting my kids inhale helium, but I purposely didn't ask for 6 balloons because I knew that's what they'd do with theirs. I figured half a balloon each wouldn't hurt my conscience as much as a full one. I know - I'm weird.
• I'm starting to realize that life would be easier if I would just slow down. I could keep things cleaner if I'd slow down and finish each task before moving on to the next. And I wouldn't feel so frazzled all the time. But it's really hard with 5 kids, each of them pulling me in a different direction at any given moment. And I always have a million things I want to get done. I think with the return to school and routine, I'll make slowing down my focus for a while and see if I can make it stick. Wish me luck.