That's Croupy! (And I'm Gross)

Colds and croup abound at our house, which means even less sleep than usual.  I gave Elliott a Tootsie Pop for a snack and slept--more than once--in the same spot where the tiniest of the tribe either puked or peed, or both.  Yep.  That stereotype of the mom who never changes her clothes, washes her hair or leaves the house and people (me included) wonder what she does all day?  That just happened here.

I'm Kinda Gross

Remember when I tried to stop using regular shampoo and totally failed, but said that I would try to find an alternative.? I've been determined to use less shampoo.  My solution has been to wash my hair every-other-day and when I wash my hair, only applying shampoo at the roots.  Then I use conditioner at the ends.

Let me just tell you that the method is not foolproof.  Today was day two and as I took my ponytail down, I found a really greasy and nasty patch.  For real.  So either one part of my scalp produces enough grease in two days to fry an egg OR I am completely inept at washing my hair.  Or both.  Sigh.  I fear that's the real answer.  Feel free to judge me now.

Lazy Bargain Hunting

A bargain is a total rush for me.  But I also really don't love to have to work for a bargain.  I'm lazy.  Lazy and cheap.  Sometimes this works in my favor, mostly by accident.  I'm convinced that the huge consignment sales are geared to me--I'm the perfect customer.

With the impending arrival of Jose (Tres, for some), came the realization we need just a couple of important items--a double stroller and a pack-and-play.  And y'all, it's consignment season.  I hit two today.  Despite my $8 entrance fee ($5 for parking and $3 for shopping), the first stop was a bust.  I had sweet Brook-Brook with me and one look at the lack of furniture and then no stroller that was fitting, along with the line wrapped around the room convinced me to cut my losses.

Enter sale number 2.  Turns out that many were swayed by the lure of the big sale and the smaller one was calm and fully stocked.  Ha!  There it was, the double stroller.  One hundred dollars cheaper than retail.

It has a little bit of wear and tear, the seats need to be cleaned up, but it will accommodate an infant seat and sweet Brook-Brook with no problemo.  Now, it's not the uber-fancy stroller that I took for a test drive today in buybuy Baby, but remember how I'm cheap?  Yeah.  So the price tag of $375 +tax, I had to walk away from that five-foot long dream monstrosity.

To top off the score, I got some adorbs hairbows on super-sale, 3 pieces of work-worthy maternity clothes for $12, 2 cute polos for the Ell-monster for $5, a Hanna Andersson dress for $6 and a couple of other fab spring outfits for next year for B-B.  

It was a successful day. . . until I spent 20 minutes wrestling that damned amazing stroller into my car because I couldn't figure out how to make it fold up.  I kept hoping someone would take pity on me and come to help, but no such luck.  I think I don't look pregnant enough yet.  I mean, because people are much more likely to help a super-pregnant lady, right?

Sometimes the Universe Laughs. . .

and you have no choice but to sit back and grin.  Even when your first reaction was the F-word.  Yep.  That was me.  You see, I'm a planner and when things don't go according to MY plan, then I say the F-word.  A lot.

Well, about a month ago when the pregnancy test showed two lines and then again when the second and third test showed the same, I was saying that word a lot.  A third child was NOT in our family plan.  This is where that 'universe laughing' thing comes in.

I've stopped saying the F-word.  Sure, I'm worried.  Having 3 kids under three and a half is quite a daunting thought, but at this point, I know we'll survive.  What's one more in the chaos, right?

Let's Get Real

I'm all for being honest.  Most of the working moms I know talk about how much of a disaster zone their home is--to the point where we won't see each other in our respective homes because of the mess.  I told two of my friends today that if I'm waiting for my house to be perfect, I may never see them again.  I need to get over my mom's voice in my head that a mess makes it unacceptable to have anyone enter my door.  So here's my attempt at transparency.  It's okay.  You can judge.  And let it be known that my house looks this way and I still choose to do things like write a blog post, take a nap (if it's the weekend) and create a huge mess of popcorn and chocolate for little Christmas goodies.  Smart?  Likely no.  I'm just surviving--knowing there are things more important than folding laundry when I get a scant 2 hours per day with my kiddos during the work week and that by the time they are in bed, I am toast.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not one of those perfect moms.  I know I'm not the only one.  I'm definitely not like a co-worker of mine who told me, quite seriously, that she doesn't check her email or have a Facebook account because those things would have her waste time.  So if you're all for wasting time on the interwebs while unfolded laundry takes over your house, CHEERS!  Now be brave and post about your own unfinished chores.  Let's live a little and show that a little mess doesn't matter in the scheme of things.  

And some baby cuteness.  Actually, I can't decide if I like this squenched up face she is making, but the picture makes me smile, so I'll include it.  

And finally, if you were wondering how Chris and I look gussied up, here's a pic from my company Holiday Party that happened to be on my birthday Birthday Bash!