A fine Monday

I should be folding towels or doing something productive. But I'm not. It's Monday. As far as Mondays go, this one was actually okay. Chewie went to bed at 8 last night and I didn't feed her until 4:30. It was miraculous. And for most of today she was right on cue--feeding every 3 hours, napping when she should, and smiling instead of screaming. We all went outside and she took her first wagon ride. SkyWalker was not nearly as crazy as he has been. He's definitely still testing me, but he actually listened a lot better today. There was no big drama. Both girls took naps at the same time, just long enough for me to use the treadmill. So all in all, not a bad Monday. 

I did the first run of the first Week of the Couch to 5k program. It's meant to slowly work you into being able to run a 5k so you don't do too much too fast and then burn out and give up. I have no intentions of actually running a 5k anywhere, but I like the structure the program has instead of me just walking on the treadmill for an indeterminate length of time. I downloaded the free podcasts for my iPod (which plugs into the treadmill) so it's easier for me to know when to walk and when to run. I managed to do a mile and a half in less than half an hour. I'm sure it will take me longer than the 9 weeks to complete it since I may not be able to do it as often as I'm supposed to. But that's okay. My goal isn't actually running a 5k. It's getting off the damn couch. 

I'm pretty sure if I go to bed now Vader will get home from shopping and the dogs will go nuts and wake me/Chewie up. And while he will put away all the fridge & freezer stuff, I will get up tomorrow morning to find all the pantry stuff still has to be put away. I'd rather just do it tonight. 

But. Yawn.

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Monday Monday

It is 8 pm and all of my children are sleeping. This would not have been shocking 7 weeks ago, but today it is. Perhaps it was because Chewie got all of her screaming out between the hours of 5-7 that she was able to fall asleep nicely tonight. The other two were upstairs in their beds at 7. Yeah. 7. It's Monday.

Mondays are always so hard for us. Vader goes back to work. He goes food shopping after work. The jedi and I are left alone all day long and by the end of the day we are not very nice. Today was better than most--we had a playdate this morning with a mom & toddler we had never met and both of my children were nice and sociable and well, normal, and that started the day out well. I managed to use the treadmill during nap/quiet time and did a whole mile. It took me a whole 17 minutes to do that mile, but hey, that's more than I've done before. And I ran some of it again. Just to see if I could. Not a lot and not fast because I'm really *not* a runner. I am lucky I can put my feet in front of one another just to walk. Anyway, I got a total of 20 minutes on the treadmill and that was good. After that it all kind of went downhill. Chewie started screaming, woke up the Princess, SkyWalker left quiet time after less than an hour. They all bugged me. Chewie needed another nap as I was making dinner but cried off and on through most of it. SkyWalker mashed up his hot dog and vegetables instead of eating them and the Princess quickly followed suit. When I was feeding Chewie right after dinner the other two were messing around in my bedroom and ran out with Chewie's pacifier--the Princess has been stealing them for weeks now--but what really annoyed me was that they went under the bed with it and probably got it all dirty so I now have to sanitize it. Again. And once again SkyWalker just went NUTS and refused to listen. At all. I put Chewie down when she was done and dragged SkyWalker up the stairs (yes literally) and threw him on his bed (once again more for his attitude and behavior towards me than for anything else) and told him he was going to bed. He laughed and then realized I was serious and started crying. Chewie was screaming by that point so I got her and the Princess, gave them a bath together while SkyWalker asked "Am I going to get a bath?" I completely ignored him. Completely. He didn't listen to me, I didn't listen to him. The Princess answered him "No, you're not" (yes that is a direct quote). It seemed to finally sink in and he started to speak in a more calm and respectful manner and we all read books together before bed at 7. 

I think he is getting bored to a certain extent--while Chewie is doing a basic routine, it's not quite as predictable as it will eventually be. Sometimes she wakes up early and that throws things off. Particularly if she wakes up because of sibling noise and then gets overtired. I've been giving her the first nap in her swing in the kitchen but I think I need to move her to the crib so she starts the day out with an uninterrupted nap. If she gets overtired from the get-go, we're in for a crappy day. Anyway, so because I am often tied to Chewie's needs, I can't just drop everything and do whatever SkyWalker wants me to do. And even though we had a playdate and spent time outside this morning I guess it just wasn't enough. I'm actually thinking of scheduling some after-nap playdates since that seems to be the worst time for us. 

We have a busy week ahead of us and I'm hoping to tire them all out into behaving! The Princess is so ready to be potty trained but we're going to LI soon and she has her next ultrasound the first week in August so I think I should wait before I take the diapers away. But she is so ready. Potty training with pull-ups is just not the same. SkyWalker continues to stay dry--we continue to have dinner before 6--and have Daddy help him pee at 10. It would be so nice to just have one baby in diapers. Although the Princess will be in them at night for a while. Actually, who knows with her? She's always surprising me.

I should really go to bed now but I'm kind of waiting for Vader to get home. I have a hankering for an ice cream sandwich. I have to replenish the calories I burned running/walking on the treadmill.

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Roller coasters

This Monday started off better than the last one. I got my lazy ass out of bed at 7 and was in the closet getting dressed when SkyWalker came in. Unfortunately he did not get himself dressed which is what I've been telling him to do. But he was still sleepy enough that he was compliant and we went upstairs and got dressed without incident. He had a little bit of play time and we left only slightly later than I had wanted to. Unfortunately when we got to preschool I couldn't leave because it was my day to be the parent volunteer. Oh. Joy. We brought in corn muffins and apple juice for snack. The Princess did everything the big kids did, except for listening and sitting quietly. Other than that she painted, drew with markers, did puzzles, played with the kitchen set and out on the playground. SkyWalker did not play with one single kid inside the classroom. His teacher said he never does. But she said he does talk to them and interact, he just doesn't do cooperative play. But then out on the playground he ran around with a hula hoop chasing the "bad guys" and shouting and playing with the kids. The teacher said it was a first. I only hope that he's okay on Wednesday when I'm not there. 

We had an okay day after that, including riding a virtual roller coaster with Uncle Rye-rye, and then it all went to hell after dinner. He refused to listen to one single thing I said! I threatened to take his beloved bike away--his inside bike that he rides everywhere--he said "take my bike away." I said "no books before bed." No biggie. We all went upstairs and I brushed his teeth for him and wound up throwing his pajamas on the floor and telling him he could sleep naked for all I cared. I shut his light out and put the Princess to sleep and he put his pajamas on. She SCREAMED at the top of her lungs. I still don't know why. He went to bed. Got up. I hear "Mommy. See my poopy." So I had to go up there to congratulate him on his poopy (I have no choice with that) and as I'm up there the Princess starts screaming again. I pick her up, she points, I bring her to the bathroom, she smiles at herself in the mirror. I bring her back to her room, she points, I put her on the changing table, she has nothing. I put her back down, turn her clock radio off and she turns it back on and lays down fine. What the dilly-o?

I have the kitchen organized and cleaned and that's all I'm doing tonight. I'll need to get the bathrooms done tomorrow. The wallpaper removal guy/painter is coming on Wednesday. I have no idea where he's starting but I should at least try to clean the damn toilets. 

I think, yes, it is. My daughter is listening to Pantera now. Classic. My son likes the Beastie Boys but she seems to like the heavier stuff. Excellent.

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I hate Mondays

I hate Mondays. 

I'm not in school anymore. I don't work full time anymore. But still I hate Mondays. Vader goes back to work and even though he's usually so busy on the weekends, it's nice having him around. He spent all morning with SkyWalker yesterday and then SkyWalker went outside with him later in the afternoon and helped him dig holes. It was nice. But Mondays he goes back to work and we go back to being by ourselves. All day. Vader goes food shopping after work so he doesn't get home until very late. Which means we have dinner by ourselves, I have to feed the dogs (he usually does), and get the kids to bed by myself. They often go to bed early because after 12 hours we're fighting and they're misbehaving and get sent to bed early. But really, the reason I hate Mondays most of all is because the dogs don't SHUT THE HELL UP. As soon as it gets close to the time when Vader would normally be getting home they start expecting him. And barking. But he doesn't come home, so then they go on high alert and bark at every single noise-real or imagined. They are locked in my bedroom now in a feeble attempt to keep them from waking the sleeping children. 

I hate Mondays. 

We used to have the distraction of dinner companions each Monday evening so that we were not alone and yelling at each other to do this or that. If it wasn't such a pain in the ass (and expensive) I would just take the kids out to eat each Monday. But alas, it is a pain and it is expensive, so each Monday we just muddle through it ourselves and hope that Tuesday is better. 

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