winter

It's soon over, right? Please? I really can almost not take anymore being stuck in the house with lots of kids any one of which could be crying, whining, melting, or mess-making at any time.

We have had TWO days of sun in a row and it is staying lighter longer which is helping my inertia slightly.

Certain small things have been threatening my sanity lately and I'm not sure what the solution is yet. Move faster? Wait for my 18month-old to grow out of the phase where she enjoys emptying out a drawer and climbing inside it? This as we are trying to get out the door to drop two off at preschool so I was zipping three other zippers!

Or perhaps taking the two seconds to put the chocolate mix away before going to put the baby down for a nap since the 3 year old promised to stay in room but did this instead...

And then she said, "That's what children do when you leave chocolate milk out." She was eating it with a spoon!!

I am prescribing 20 minutes of sunlight, afternoon caffeine, and a huge dose of humor for myself...

Tomorrow is a new day with new messes to clean

CAMPING - Cowanesque Lake 2009.

What I really want for my birthday is... a bullhorn!

It's true - not because I want to yell at my kids (or my husband) but because with 4 girls I am pretty much always trying to be heard over 2 or 3 or even 4 people! Ok, so I guess I can't really count Piccina, but she does babble (dada, of course) and occasionally cry. I just think it would be SO handy when I have to yell from the porch to the backyard,

"Stop standing on the ice",

"Don't run with a stick",

"GET OFF HER HEAD!"

PLUS, it has that cool buzzer sound that I could use for questions that I just don't want to answer or requests that I don't want to fill,

"If you said it was the warmest part of the day, how come I can't wear shorts outside to play?" (39 degrees yesterday) - press bullhorn buzzer while smiling

"I need you to pour the milk out of the green cup into the pink cup because I'm not Tinker Bell today, I'm Rosetta" (makes perfect sense right?) - press bullhorn buzzer while smiling

"If you say I can't have dessert I'll just freak out again like I did about the high heels" (please, no!) -press bullhorn buzzer while smiling

Seriously, this could be THE new baby shower and gift registry item.

But, they are kind of big and bulky and I do mostly have a baby on my hip...

So I will be more than happy with the usual:

crazy pink lipstick and very red nail polish with glitter picked out by my girls

my mom bringing over dinner so I won't have to cook ;)

my husband watching the kids on Saturday while I go get a facial

AND sitting in front of the fire while the baby is sleeping and everyone else is at school - online shopping anyone? :)

BABY HAIR

Round head with hat

Hair after hat

Uncle Alex with the same hairline, right? :)

What happens when you live in a flat neighborhood, have 4 kids with cabin fever, and feel desperate to take advantage of one sort of warm day after a thaw?

A note to my girls for when you say that I NEVER let you do anything: I let you do this even though it cost me giving 3 showers and a load of pre-rinse in the tub laundry afterwards (when I was supposed to be getting ready to go to a cocktail party for once!) and even though Migi didn't go out in the mudpit, but you thought it would be funny to touch her with your muddy, monster hands!

And what was our Piccina doing? She is so sweet!