Life with Three Kids

Featured Photo Credit Lavon Maiersperger. Aren’t they cute??

Since having Maeli 6 weeks ago I’ve been frequently asked what it’s like to have 3 kids.  This was my day today-

Woke up to get Sam ready for school. Laid out all his clothes and then went to get myself ready. Came back 10 minutes later to find Sam still with no pants on just wandering about his room. Get him dressed. Downstairs for breakfast. Sam wants a smoothie and oatmeal. While I”m making his food, Danny wanders downstairs and says he’s going to stay with Eric while I go to my doctor’s appointment. Just as I’m about to walk out the door he changes his mind and wants to come with me. Run through the house to find him some pants, a fresh diaper, shoes and a coat. Put all three kids in the car, race to the bus stop – we’re too late. Also, the van is almost out of gas and I don’t have my wallet. Run back to the house, get my wallet and some other things I’d forgotten.  Get back out to the car and Maeli is screaming because she hates being in the car when it’s not moving.

Take Sam to school, drop him off just minutes before the bell rings. Head over to Smith’s to fill the van with gas. While pumping notification on my phone pops up that my doctor’s appointment is in 10 minutes – I’m at least 15 minutes away. Finish fueling, hop in the van.  Maeli is screaming again.  Drive to the doctor’s.  Arrive about 15 minutes late.  Have my appointment – everything looks great and I’ve lost 18 lbs since the beginning of the year! Best. diet. ever. 😉 Finish at the doctor’s, Danny keeps asking why they were shining a light on my bum.

Go out to the van and fight to get Danny into his carseat again. Waffle for a little bit and finally decide to be brave and finally take some returns from Christmas back to Macy’s (by some I mean about $200 worth of clothes from Black Friday sales). Danny won’t go through the door I open and insists on opening his own different door. Sales lady comes out to help him and looks at me like I’m being neglectful or mean. Go to take the returns back and find out that I have to take the specific items to their department. I only have items from 2 departments, but still, not the easiest to work with. Make my returns. As we’re leaving Danny insists that we go get french fries. I decide to make that deal with the devil… I mean, my son… and we head out to the car without too much more problem. Hit up Burger King on the way home and get a large order of fries. As soon as we’re through the drive thru he starts saying “no! I want a soda too!” Too late kid. Then the plea is for ice cream. *sigh* Finally about half way up the mountain he’s figured out that he’s not getting anything extra and asks for the french fries. Give him the french fries. Reaction? “No, lots of!” Good heavens! Tell him to suck it up.

Get home. Realize that Danny’s still in his PJs with his cowboy boots on. His sweatpants have made their way up to his knees. He looks like an orphan. This is how we’ve been out in public all morning – awesome. Also find that Sam drank about 3 sips of his smoothie. Danny proceeds to carry the smoothie around the house. Tell him to take it back to the table. He goes back… but then decides to walk around the kitchen with it. Slips on the floor and gets smoothie all over the floor, the back window and the curtains. Exactly what I was trying to avoid.

It’s time to go pick up Sam. Decide it’s a nice enough day that we can walk to the park. Leave Maeli with Eric and let Danny ride Sam’s bike to the park.  Carry Danny’s bike so we don’t have the problem of Sam not having a bike.  Get to the park just in time to see Sam get off the bus.  Confiscate Sam’s bike from Danny so that Sam can ride it.  Give Danny his bike.  Huge fit.  Tell Danny I’m going to ride his bike instead.  Go back and forth between me threatening to ride the bike, Danny riding the bike, Danny walking the bike, Danny throwing a fit for about a block.  Finally Danny decides to ride the bike.  The boys want to go to the scenic overlook on the way home.  Danny insists on riding in the mud close to the edge of the dropoff – just to give me gray hairs.  Get home.

Tell the boys we’re going in for lunch.  Danny is adamant that he’s still riding his bike.  Threaten to put the bike in timeout.  Argue with Danny.  Danny keeps faking me out that he’s coming in, and then whines again.  Danny falls off bike and is very mildly hurt.  Carry bike into garage while Danny is still sad about the bike.  Have lunch.

Get the last few forms to finish off our taxes.  Let the boys play on the tablets while finishing filing taxes.  Taxes filed – WOOT!  Realize it is now 4pm and still need to go to the grocery store.  Take another hour to finalize list, and decide that Danny is coming to the store and Maeli and Sam are staying with Eric.  Move carseats so we can take the Corolla instead of the van.  Danny fights over whether I buckle him or if he buckles himself (he says he wants to do it but won’t).  Run in for something I forgot.  Come back out and Danny is furious that he can’t reach his door handle.  Re-engage child lock on his door.  Drive as far as the park with him mad at me.  Put state returns in mail box and get mail.  Got the CD of proofs from our recent family photos – yay!!

Drive to Smith’s with Danny mad for most of the way.  Park in the parking lot.  Danny fell asleep – crap.  Unbuckle him and stand him up outside the car.  He’s still mostly asleep.  It’s pretty funny to see.  Make him walk into the store half-asleep.  There are no more shopping carts with cars.  Let him grab a small cart and walk towards the other entrance to check if there’s a car cart there.  Try to direct Danny’s cart.   Danny is mad that I would dare touch his cart.  Stop at the pharmacy to get a prescription.  Continue to other entrance still praying there’s a car cart – there isn’t.  Boo.  Go through the store with Danny with a little shopping cart and me with a big one.  Feel like a broken record.  “Danny, stay near me.  Watch out for other people.  No we’re turning down this aisle.”  Have lots of coupons and random items on the list.  Takes longer than usual.  Heading towards checkout and realize it’s after 6:30pm and we haven’t had dinner yet.  Grab a rotisserie chicken for dinner.  Checkout.  Danny keeps trying to go through cashier’s station.  Find out he wants stickers.  He gets some.  Puts one right on the top of my leg.  Decide not to fight it.

Out to the parking lot.  More pleas for Danny to stay near me.  Put all the groceries in the car.  Danny still has his cart and is spinning in circles, just to give me a panic attack.  Get groceries into car – probably have smashed things that don’t want to be smashed but mostly want to get finished so Danny isn’t in the parking lot anymore.  Remember there are plastic bags in the trunk.  Take them back to the store when we return the carts – win!  Out to the car again.  Danny fights over buckles again.  Drive home.

It’s after 7pm.  Send Sam to get ready for bed.  Bring groceries in.  Try to get perishables put away before dinner.  Maeli is hungry.  Sit down to feed her. Turn dinner prep over to Eric.  Eric finds missed perishables – doh!  Maeli’s done eating.  Eat food quickly while she swings.  Finish just before she starts to be mad.  Hold her while continuing to referee boys.  Eric has an important business call.  Trying to keep the boys volume down while holding Maeli and trying to get them to finish their food.  Eric retreats from his downstairs office up to the master bedroom – we failed.  Boys finish eating.

Sam gets a story for bedtime.  Read it to the kids while Maeli is angry at me.  Finish the story.  Danny wants another.  Send him up to pick one out.  Try to make Maeli happier.  Realize Danny’s been gone for awhile and that Eric is still upstairs on his call.  Dash upstairs. Find Eric reading the story to Danny.  Danny came in just as Eric’s call finished – phew.  Time for scriptures.  Sam reads 3 verses on his own – his reading is getting pretty impressive!  Read the rest of the chapter aloud.  Eric has put Maeli to sleep – hooray!  It’s Danny’s turn to pray.  Debate with him about whether he’s praying or not.  Danny finally prays… or something.  Prayer involves lots of random stories about imaginary friends.  Decide to go with it and just say amen.

Time for Sam’s pre-bed game.  Sam plays one level with Eric and then up to bed.  Go lay down with him.  He wants to play a couple levels with me.  Start the levels.  After the first level Danny comes in, throws lightswitch rave.  Finally disable wall switch by pulling cord on the light from the fan.  Take that Danny.  Boys get rowdy.  Threaten remove Danny.  Boys settle down and snuggle for 8 seconds.  Danny is getting rowdy again.  Take him downstairs much to the dismay of both boys. Eric’s turn to snuggle Sam.  Danny follows with promises of piety.  They finish snuggling.  Danny comes downstairs with Eric.

Maeli’s mad again.  Give Danny the option of snuggling with Mom or Dad while watching Olympics – Dad is chosen.  Strap Maeli into BabyBjorn – still mad.  Take her out.  Change her diaper – it’s slightly wet.  Feed her a little more.  Back into the BabyBjorn.  Still mad, but less so.  Watch Olympics for about 30 minutes.  Eric decides it’s time for him to go to bed.  Eric takes Danny up to bed with him.  Watch some Men’s Figure Skating.  Maeli asleep-ish.  Eat a snack.  Write this post.  Time to collapse into bed.

I’m sure that sounds super negative, it really wasn’t a terrible day.  I got lots done!  I went to the doctor’s, made some returns that have been hanging over my head for a long time, filed our taxes, made a huge grocery run, got our meal plans figured out for the next week and wrote in my blog!  And all that on top of my normal basic tasks – getting kids to school, feeding everyone, getting kids to bed.  Honestly, it was a pretty successful day.  But I’m definitely tired, tomorrow will be much less ambitious for sure 🙂  So, that’s sorta what it’s like to have 3 kids.