What a Difference

What a difference time makes. The last few weeks I have trudged through life, bogged down by its weight and responsibility. Today is Friday and the weight has lifted, why? I do not know. The minor problems of the past have been handled, the problems ahead do not seem to so bad and I feel Good!

We are having a party tonight, Heidi is playing matchmaker for Auntie Shannon, the lucky guy doesn't stand a chance. He has a good job and is responsible, those two characteristics are like kryptonite to Shannon. We are going to have fun, a couple is coming that I have never met. They are friends of Shannon's and the girl likes Arbonne. I take that back, I have met her, the first time I met Shannon I spent the night trying to get the attention of this girl, or so I am told.

Merry and David are going to spend the night at Grampy's, leaving us with only Thomas. One child to care for is a walk in the park when you are use to three. No offense to any parents of one out there.

Shannon was over last night to watch Survivor, when she walked in I learned that my 15 month old son is experiencing his first crush. Thomas kept her in his sights and every time she made eye contact with him he put his hands up and roared at her like a monster, he learned this move from David. When Shannon responded to his show of affection, Thomas, breaking into laughter would turn and run keeping a constant eye over his shoulder to make sure Shannon was still interested. Next thing you know he will be kicking her in the shins. I am so Proud.

Wednesday, pink sand and mopeds for Heidi and I. No kids to feed, clothe or put to bed. No diapers or bums to wipe. Naps in the afternoon and uninterrupted reading, it is no wonder my mood has shifted. Here is to our first vacation without children since we set out on this journey called parenthood.

Good Morning Power Walker

As I was jogging this morning I tried to conceive a post for today. All I can think of when I jog is to remember to breath. Then as a made my way through the mean streets of my small town I realized the only people who do not say hello are the power walking women.

There are a surprising amount of people out at 5:30 in the morning, some walking their dogs, some jogging, some running, some on their way to the train. Most of these people are very cordial, except for the woman in their workout outfits, arms pumping, chins and noses high in the air, legs maximizing the length of each stride.

I work hard to gasp out a "good morning" in between breaths and they march by. This happened twice this morning and I am not sure why. The woman walking their dogs say "hello", the woman walking, not seeming to be concentrating on their form say "hello", it is only the power walkers who ignore the greeting.

Maybe they are concentrating so hard on their form that they don't notice the big mess (me) passing them on the street. Maybe their ipods are turned up and they can't hear my greeting. Maybe they have a lot on their mind. It just seems to be more than a coincidence that the power walkers ignore my "good morning".

Routine

We have a bedtime routine at The Old Blue House that seldom fails. The entire clan marches upstairs around seven, I put their pajamas on, brush their teeth, put the boys in their beds, say their prayers, sing a song or two and then leave. Merry gets in her bed, we say her prayers, instead of singing we make up a story. I start, then Merry takes a turn, then me, until the story is over. I am back downstairs by seven thirty, clockwork.

Not last night, I got stuck at work and did not get home until almost seven. Heidi had the kids fed and in their pajamas. I came in went straight to work brushing teeth. Everything was right on track, David fell asleep before we finished the songs. When I got done with Merry, Thomas was still crying. He cried and cried, Heidi eventually went up and got him. Then Heidi went out and the boy continued to cry, I went up and patted his back, as soon as I would stop, more crying.

I decided to just sit in the rocking chair and let the little fella work it out. He fussed until almost eight thirty, he didn't have a fever, his diaper was dry, I don't know why it was as if he swallowed a fly, boy did he cry. David slept right through it. Not six feet away in dreamland, not bothered in the least by the sobs of his baby brother.

Sitting in the chair, I wondered what was going on. Why had the routine failed? Not being totally aware of his day or more importantly his nap schedule I pinned my hopes on that. He either slept late or missed it entirely. With three children either is possible. Then more sinister thoughts began to seep in. Was Thomas trying to changes the routine? Was he trying to get dad to pat his back to get him to sleep?

The reality is he had a rough time getting to sleep last night. Happens to all of us.

The Other Side

I have been down in the dumps lately, the weight of responsibility holding me down. Bills, bills and more bills messing with my head and more importantly my attitude. Time to make a change, it is time to change my perception, things like preschool bills, Detroit shopping sprees and getting passports have turned my once rosey approach to life into a field of dandelion's where I want to see grass.

Dandelion's are pretty, just ask Merry. I am going to base my perception shift on how my children see the world. Mortgages, painting the house, mowing the lawn, fixing the car and so on have not yet to tarnished their view of the world. Life through their eyes is swell, full of surprises and wonder. I need that, wonder and surprise.

I am tired of being annoyed and anxious, I am tired of worrying about what lies around the corner. I want to look forward to the surprise behind door number one, not fear it. Heidi and I have not met a challenge yet that we have not overcome and in the big picture these challenges are more of an inconvenience than insurmountable.

My nephew is home from the hospital and his prognosis is good. The passports have been secured and will be picked up tomorrow. These two items were the biggest drains on my state of mind. Now that they are handled and I have decided to change my perspective the future looks bright.

Proof reading this is annoying the hell out of me. Here I am crying about my problems when my children are healthy and thriving. My brother's son is home from the hospital that is what matters most. This little boy is going to grow up and be big and strong.

I worry about paying for preschool and getting my ass to Bermuda, big deal. Heidi and I will figure out how to pay for school. We have more businesses running than some third world countries. The passports required money and time, made the investment and now it is handled. What my brother's family went through and continues to go through is a real problem. A problem which you have no control over, a problem that lingers. Every time the child hiccups there is reason for concern. The unanswered question, the unknown, there is not always an answer to why. Sometimes I wish there were.

Anniversaries and Life

Heidi and I have been married for ten years, today is our anniversary. With all of the nonsense circling I completely forgot that today was the day. I remembered yesterday and mentioned it but today, nothing. Then I checked my cell phone and Heidi had left me a wonderful message telling me that she still loves me and is happy we made the trip down the aisle.

Her message lightened the load on my shoulders. The past few weeks have been very stressful, full of anxiety and tension. The moment one crisis is resolved another seems to arise. I have that sick to your stomach feeling that I used to experience when I did not prepare for a test. Knowing I failed and waiting for the sad results always left an empty pit in my stomach. That feeling in the pit of my stomach is the feeling I have been carrying around for two weeks now. The grade is never going to come.

I learned a long time ago that no matter how bad the situation or circumstance is, with time and constant movement forward the situation or circumstance will change. So that is what I do, keep moving forward, tackle one challenge at a time and try not to bring the people around me down.

This is not the doting tribute to my wife that it should be, a post of that nature needs time and careful thought. Our partnership operates on understanding and the desire to reach common goals. We love each other and more importantly she really turns me on. We have three children that are special. These three little souls that Heidi and I have brought into the world are more wonderful than I am able to express. Princess Merry who honestly believes she is the smartest and prettiest four year old on the planet. "Wrongside" Dave whose moods and mischief keep us on our toes and smiling and now there is Thomas. This little boy is going to be a devil. He loves to mix it up with his big brother and sister, he can not be deterred. Thomas even jumps in and wrestles with the dogs when they are going at it. We face challenges but in the big picture we are very lucky.

I love you Heidi and look forward to celebrating anniversaries with you for the rest of time.

Superstitious? Bad Luck?

I guess I should not have broken the meme that Emily tagged me with. Since I took that bold step there has been a string of not so good luck. My nephew is experiencing infantile seizures. The prognosis is good but the unanswered questions are many. The little fella is still at Children's Hospital in Boston and is due home soon.

We need to get passports quickly to get to Bermuda. This is a hurdle we can get over, however it requires time and we do not have much of that.

When we arrived home from alumni weekend I went to the cash machine, checked my balance and found out I was -$500.00. I called Heidi and asked her what was up. She did not know and immediately checked the account online. Turns out somebody in Detroit, MI has been buying all of his friends gas for the last couple of days.

I got home from work last night and Heidi's car had a flat tire. Terrific!

On the bright side I did get up and jog this morning. It had only been 8 days since my last excursion. I felt great and went the furthest distance yet, just over three miles.

What is Up

As for Alumni weekend, we can sum that up with out much effort. I am not twenty years old and this old body takes a minor beating much worse than it used to take serious beatings for days. Sunday was miserable, Bad Yager shots, Bad!

My brother Fred and his wife are having a very difficult time and I ask all of you out there to think of them in your prayers and quiet times. Their second child is is struggling to get his life started, we have not experienced anything like this before in our family and your prayers/thoughts are appreciated and may even help. A little positive energy can go a long way.

Turns out you need a passport to get into Bermuda, who knew? Heidi and I misplaced ours when we moved into The Old Blue House all those years ago and never replaced them. Heidi has found a place online where you can get them in 4-6 days for fifty bucks each. Sounds good, like we just avoided a disaster. Bermuda is the plan for our ten year wedding anniversary.

I am less than proud to report that operation lose weight / lower blood pressure was set back in the third week of the campaign. Work has demanded some early mornings and life owns the evenings. All excuses, do you know what they say about excuses? No. Well I will tell you. Excuses are like assholes, they all stink and everyone has got one. As I said more often than I liked back in the days of Rookdom at Norwich. "Staff Sergeant Westerhuise, this recruit, has no excuse, Staff Sergeant Westerhuise!"

Tomorrow morning I have to be at a meeting that will require me to set the alarm at 5:15am to be on time. The exercise starts Wednesday. Damn, that is lame.

It is a little bit odd what has happened to my blogging. I guess it is not an addiction for me. It seems to be more of a getaway, or entertainment. I have been away from it for longer stretches in the last weeks than I had been since I started and I didn't really miss it. I have been to busy with life and all of its particular challenges. When you don't check into bloglines everyday there are more of your favorite blogs to read. A nice distraction as opposed to an annoying obsession.

Remember Fred and his family.

Where you been? Man.

Where have I been?

Very busy, that is where I have been. My brother and partner has had a new baby, a little boy, so he has not been around. The parents and bosses have been away. The children have started pre-school which has altered their schedules which has altered our lives.

I promised Emily that my next post would deal with the meme she tagged me with. The title of said meme is name five foods you should eat before you die. I am not exact and I am in to big of a rush to look.

1. Peanutbutter, Jelly, and Fluff Nutter sandwich
2. Prime Rib medium
3. Swordfish off the grill with some lemon
4. Baked potato with sour cream, salt and a dash of A1 sauce
5. Ruffles potato chips

I have not given this list much thought and I am going to allow it to die here. I am not sure of the rules but I figure a couple years of bad luck for breaking the chain is worth it.

The family is packing up the truck and heading north. We are going to Vermont for Alumni weekend. I have been out of college for fourteen years, next year is the fifteenth and they have already started looking for dough. I got the mailing last week with a nice little sticker. We shall see, do any of you send your school money? I just got done paying back the student loans.

Thank You Blog

I started this blog to get Googles attention and direct it over to the store. The last month has really proven this strategy to be a sound one. I am not exactly sure how it happens but traffic over there has been increasing steadily and this was the first week that Google was the number one search engine stearing people towards The Tutu Boutique. Yesterday we had 338 unique visitors and over 2,000 page views. Half of that traffic came from Google. That is the biggest day yet. When I first added Statcounter over there the count was 60 visitors and 300 page loads.

Operation lose weight / lower blood pressure has made it through its second week on track. Exercised Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a jog, sit ups and push ups. I added a little bit of distance each day and I am now traveling just shy of three miles. I am feeling a difference, sitting up a little straighter and feeling strong.

I do not really trust the scale at my house but I would approximate a 5lbs weight loss to this point.

Have a great weekend.

Humming Along

Life is humming along at a very rapid pace. Sometimes it feels as though it is spinning out of control.
You know what?
I always liked feeling a little bit dizzy.

There is so much going on with the Tutu business, the Arbonne business, and the Bug business, that I think we need a professional organizer. I get all frazzled in the head and put all kinds of pressure on my wonderful wife, who not only handles the details but keeps the three children heading in the same direction.

Today, I feel as though I want to take my foot of the accelerator and just coast.

Jogging and Dancing

I got out of bed this morning feeling a bit sorry for myself. Who in their right mind wakes up at ten past five in the morning? Then I got out there and low and behold my town was alive. The parking lot at the doughnut shop was bustling, people were headed to work. There is a corner down town where a group of gentleman get their day started, smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee, must of been eight guys standing there. Turns out, lots of people wake up early. Made me feel like a cry baby.

The first week of operation Loose weight / Lower Blood pressure is under my belt. Went really well, the knee is holding up and I am not pushing to hard. Next week I will add some time on the jog and as long as I "Stay the Course" my mission will be accomplished.

Speaking of Missions, Dad Gone Mad has accepted an honorable one and if you have a minute head over and check it out. As if you haven't already.

The next subject I wish to broach concerns naked children and how naked do you let it go. Last night before the kids bedtime the entire family was sitting in the living room. Heidi and I were chatting away and the kids were dancing, I am not sure how it happened but at some point both Merry and David were naked. Being naked does not concern me, what came next left Heidi in a bit of a conundrum.

David started to slap his penis and stomp his feet. With both hands smacking himself he started singing. "Drumming my penis" over and over. Every now and again he would change the verse to "Starting a band and drumming my penis".

Merry thought this was genius and started drumming her vagina and singing along with David, only instead of the word penis she said "vagina". Thank goodness Thomas had his diaper on, but he joined right in, dancing and singing his little fanny off.

How would you handle this situation? Heidi and I sat there looking at each other wondering, "What the hell?" and "Is This Okay?", "Should we stop it?", "They look like they are having fun."

We let it go for a bit, they wore themselves out after five minutes and we went up stairs for the bed time dance/routine. I do not want my kids to have hang ups about their bodies, I want to avoid shame while at the same time have them respect decency. The line for me is a bit blurry, but I will tell you this, a band made up of your own babies drumming their privates is funny.