Lighting Fires -- The Last Week in Review

I've gotten a bit behind with blogging -- well hell -- with everything including maintaining my private practice and moving it forward -- except I have been more present for the girls.  I've been boycotting technology lately and turning the computer on less and less.  I have not figured out how to stay caught up with everything in life and I am still trying to do too much in one day, which then makes me feel like a grumpy failure.  You'd think I'd move on and quit this power struggle I have going with myself and focus on the things I HAVE done, such as:

• Setting a small fire and burning my thumb while making headband holders for the girls:  (Do not try heat setting a ribbon so it won't fray while your hands are trembling from too much coffee -- ribbon is highly flamable, as are thumbs) 

I'm not bitter about paying more to make them myself than buying them off Etsy because -- getting back to the stuff I HAVE done --

• I got a new set of pots and pans for $26.  Original Price:  $300.  Thank goodness for finding the last set of pans in the discontinued line, having a 30% off coupon, a merchandise credit, and $60 in Kohl's cash from when I spring shopped for the girls clothes. 

•  Finished the classes for my parent coach certification.  Two more papers to write then I'm done.  In instituting the Family Meeting last night, I had to wonder what the girls were thinking.  Turns out Ella liked it.  Today she requested another, "Let's have a family meeting tonight."  She then turned to her playmate and explained what a family meeting was.  Her playmate stood and stared at her.  It can be an odd concept to get used to, so I can't blame the vacant stare. 

• Cleaned the house.  Which meant I wasn't watching Andi.  I walked into my room and found her jumping on the bed.  "Don't watch me!" She commanded as she did a seat drop onto the bed. Such a sneaky little girl.  

• Watched the girls in their first two sets of swim lessons.  We switched swimming schools and so far it is going better. This time the instructor hasn't turned her back leaving Ella in deep water, fully submerged and scared for her life.  

• Gotten a little bit of sleep.  On the final day of antibiotics for Andi's ear infection, she started running a 103 degree fever.  She ran it for 3 days, then came the coughing/congestion and visit to the pediatrician -- which, by the way, involved her throwing a tantrum that included
• kicking the metal exam table rapidly and repeatedly
• screaming so loud that it echoed off the metal exam table
• falling to the floor in limp-noodle fashion when the doctor offered her a sticker -- the S.O.B. -- and resuming her kicking and screaming
• Happily galloping down the hall when I told her we could leave.  I wish I could switch moods so quickly and easily. 

A 103 degree fever did not keep her from climbing and scribbling on her own face.

• Made Goldilicious cupcakes while simultaneously getting ripped off by the plumber who charged over $500 to replace my disposal.  When I told the girls the plumber was on his way, Ella let me know that she had overheard my opinion of our last plumber, "Mommy!  He's going to take all your money!"

• Took all three girls spring shoe shopping at Stride Rite -- as did every other mom on the face of the earth -- which would not have been such a problem except that Stride Rite only had ONE EMPLOYEE WORKING.  This was a problem on many levels:
• The girls are all shoe whores and need to try on multiple pairs
• Andi has the patience the size of an ant, as do I.  
• Ella picked shoes with laces (oh for the love of God, really?)  which left me having to tie them which left Andi to her own devices which included:
• Running out the door multiple times shouting "let's go mama!"
• Pulling her pants down while I wasn't watching, "I have go potty. I have go potty."
• In the end, we left with 2 new pairs of shoes that light up and Andi's blue sandals.  The twins forced me to take pictures of the shoes -- which flash -- and wanted me to capture the lights lit up.  Luck smiled on me and I got both pics on my first attempt:

 

• Took the girls mini-golfing for the first time -- as did every other parent in the twin cities.  BTW, did you know that children 5 and under can mini-golf for free at MOA?  So when Ella asked me after the game if we could go everyday, but for the sweat and tears I shed, it really isn't a bad idea.
• Sweat.  I say sweat because when you are playing golf in the top level of MOA surrounded by a lot of other bodies, it is hot as hell.  At one point, both twins were laying on the green, "I'm hot."  "I'm tired."
• Tears.  I say tears because I had a flashback to my oh-so-painfully-awkward childhood phys ed days. Attempting to speed things along, I tried to help Ella and turned around to find the 35 year-old jock-dad behind me laughing his ass off.  By "help" I mean swung at the ball numerous times and missed.  Then, finally, hitting the ball so hard it flew threw the air, pinged LOUDLY off a metal grate and boomeranged back to me. 

•  And last, but certainly not least, burning a total of 1500 calories between the two zumba classes I attended.  I have now grown used to the gyrating, chest pumping, hip-hop-latin dance and might just be forming an addiction.  But who cares.  It makes me smile -- most of the time with embarassment, but still, I'm smiling.  Which is something given that winter is like a stalker -- it just.won't.go.away.