This is the tale of three tots who were all tucked in
But then started to make quite a loud din
To the room I rushed as they giggled with glee
And what to my wondering eyes did I see?
Three little fellas bouncing up and down
No longer wearing pjs and acting like clowns
Their clothes were off, thrown to the floor
Little did I know what was in store.
On the ground with their pajamas were their blankies and their toys
Chattering and laughing were my little boys
"I have POO POO!" exclaimed one and then another
As each pointed a finger at another brother.
They were still wearing onesies so I wasn't too alarmed
In fact they were cute, working their boyish charms.
I took the first guy out and changed his diaper quickly
When suddenly I noticed something that looked rather sickly.
It was another little fella with a smudge under his eye
"What do we have here?" I thought as I picked up the little guy.
"Poo poo!" he said as he grinned from ear to ear
And I let out a howl that I'm surprised you didn't hear.
"POO POO!" he once more shouted, quite proud of what he'd done
As I wondered once again "who ever said motherhood was fun?!"
"Oh SH*T!" I thought to myself as I took a closer look...
It was under his nails, on his arms and legs and stuck in every nook.
It was on the crib, on the sheets, on the changing table too,
This was not the night I had in mind, I don't mind telling you!
After a bath and a stern little chat back to bed my boy did go,
I think he was bragging to his brothers but I suppose I'll never know.
I do know this and I'm not afraid to admit it,
These guys are really funny -- even when covered in sh*t!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Recipe for a snow day
Is it just me or has this January had more snow days than school days?! I know that there are some solid meterological explanations for the record-setting snowfalls but, after eavesdropping on some kids at the bus stop yesterday, I think there may be more to it. Namely, I think our local grammar schoolers have come up with a fool-proof recipe for a snow day. There are four simple steps:
- Flush an ice cube down the toilet
- Put a spoon under your pillow
- Wear your pajamas inside out
- Do a snow dance (Note: this is a free form dance event; no scripted steps. I know because I asked the six year old in charge for specifics!)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
No "typical" day in the Lyons Den
Last week I had the good fortune to organize a girls night out with a bunch of local moms. Some I knew, some I didn’t and all seemed to have the same question: “Tell us about a typical day. What is it really like with all of those kids?”
One reply would be that there is nothing “typical” about any day in the Lyons Den. While routine reigns supreme, much like our rules, our routines are quite often broken. We do our best to just roll with it -- something that does not come naturally to me! With that in mind, here’s a glimpse into a recent day… let’s call it Tuesday… a Tuesday when the sitter and I both had the day off from work and I was the full-time LyonsDenMOM that I love to be!
5:45AM Wake up. Reluctantly drag sluggish self out of bed, bundle up for run, stagger to turn on coffee pot on way out.
6:00 AM Meet friends for cold, dark, icy morning run.
6:45 AM Return home feeling great and ready for the day ahead. Unload dishwasher, consume large cup of coffee.
7:00 AM Drag 1st grader out of bed. Poke, prod, prompt him to get dressed, eat breakfast , brush teeth, comb hair and bolt for bus.
7:30 AM Put boy on bus; take dog for walk.
8:10 AM Return from dog walk. Peek in at Princess PreSchooler; urge her to get up and get dressed
8:15 AM Greet boys bouncing in cribs. Literally. Two year old triplets are catching air as they greet me enthusiastically and in unison alternating between “How are you today?!” and “GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!”
8:30 AM Husband leaves. Early. Thought he was going to drop off Princess PreSchool but he can’t. Panic. Only have a half hour to get four kids fed and dressed and out the door!
9:15 AM Missed the deadline. Drop the Princess off. Late. Again.
9:30 AM Back home. Cubs still need breakfast and are due at “Stepping Stones” in fifteen minutes. Devise a quick game of “Pass the Banana” to get some nutrition in them before bolting out the door again.
9:45 AM Cubs class starts.
10:00 AM We arrive. Hang three coats, gather three hats and six mittens. Wash six hands. I depart amid sweet protests of “No Go Mama!"
10:10 AM Home. House looks like a tornado went through it. Time to make beds, tidy cribs, clean kitchen, thrown in laundry and take a shower.
11:35 AM No time for shower. Again. Arrive to pick up Cubs (5 minutes late); wrestle them into hats, coats and mittens; begin walk to pick up Princess PreSchool. Realize we will never make there on time. Again.
11:55 AM Shortcut turns into long-cut due to ice and snow. Barely survive nature’s slip & slide as I make three trips to get triplets up and over snow bank. Thankfully, Princess PreSchool and her teachers are forgiving as we literally slide in the door. Late. Again.
12:00 PM Sun is shining, kids are bundled up, this Mom is feeling game and decides for some outside playtime before stopping for pizza on way home.
12:30 PM Pizza and juice boxes followed by the resistance and rebelliousness one might expect from a trio of tired two year olds and their feisty four year old sister.
1:15 PM Head home. Ten minute walk turns into 45 minute crawl with avid attention given to Con Ed workers, snow plows, dump trucks, even delivery trucks. My curious Cubs stop to take it all in. Tedious, yes, but so far this still beats a day in the office!
2:00 PM Home at last. Already well past nap time. Need to quickly bathe triplets and tuck them in so I can bolt back to bus stop for 2:30 pick up. I can’t be late; if I’m not there, they will return my 1st grader to school and that would really screw up my afternoon!
2:35 PM 1st grader flies off bus and into my arms with a huge grin. I love this day.
2:45 PM 1st grader and Princess PreSchooler brawling as triplets scream from cribs. I hate this day.
3:00 PM Snack time for “big kids” as I sort mail and consider what to do for dinner. Roast chickens (yep, we need two of ‘em!) sound good. Plan to put them in at 4:00.
3:15 PM Can’t stand the bickering anymore. Turn TV on and sort through hurricane of hand-me-downs as big kids absorb mindless drivel courtesy of Yo Gabba Gabba and Wow Wow Wubzy. Who comes up with this stuff?!
4:30 PM OMG! How is it 4:30?! Why are there piles of clothes (2T, 3T, 5T Girls!) covering every surface of my living room?! What about the chickens? We’re supposed to eat at 6:00! Must put chickens in oven NOW!!
5:18 PM Chickens are in. Took longer than expected. Big kids finishing another snack. Little kids up from nap; angry and demanding “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” They no longer ask “How are you today?!”
5:20 PM Bath time for big kids; diaper change for little guys. All are singing and jolly now. I love this day.
6:00 PM Chickens not done, five kids hungry and screaming. I am exhausted, aching and ready to tear my hair out. I hate this day!
7:00 PM Feed kids cooked bits of chicken as they polish off another gallon of milk. They tell Dad about playing “Pass the Banana”, going out for pizza and how cool it was to see me at the bus stop. I love this day.
So, that’s it! Nothing "typical" about it beyond the prevailing chaos and frequent ups and downs that I’m sure are familiar to most moms. As for me, well, I admit that sometimes it's a break to go to work but, I relish my time at home and truly do love these days.
One reply would be that there is nothing “typical” about any day in the Lyons Den. While routine reigns supreme, much like our rules, our routines are quite often broken. We do our best to just roll with it -- something that does not come naturally to me! With that in mind, here’s a glimpse into a recent day… let’s call it Tuesday… a Tuesday when the sitter and I both had the day off from work and I was the full-time LyonsDenMOM that I love to be!
5:45AM Wake up. Reluctantly drag sluggish self out of bed, bundle up for run, stagger to turn on coffee pot on way out.
6:00 AM Meet friends for cold, dark, icy morning run.
6:45 AM Return home feeling great and ready for the day ahead. Unload dishwasher, consume large cup of coffee.
7:00 AM Drag 1st grader out of bed. Poke, prod, prompt him to get dressed, eat breakfast , brush teeth, comb hair and bolt for bus.
7:30 AM Put boy on bus; take dog for walk.
8:10 AM Return from dog walk. Peek in at Princess PreSchooler; urge her to get up and get dressed
8:15 AM Greet boys bouncing in cribs. Literally. Two year old triplets are catching air as they greet me enthusiastically and in unison alternating between “How are you today?!” and “GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!”
8:30 AM Husband leaves. Early. Thought he was going to drop off Princess PreSchool but he can’t. Panic. Only have a half hour to get four kids fed and dressed and out the door!
9:15 AM Missed the deadline. Drop the Princess off. Late. Again.
9:30 AM Back home. Cubs still need breakfast and are due at “Stepping Stones” in fifteen minutes. Devise a quick game of “Pass the Banana” to get some nutrition in them before bolting out the door again.
9:45 AM Cubs class starts.
10:00 AM We arrive. Hang three coats, gather three hats and six mittens. Wash six hands. I depart amid sweet protests of “No Go Mama!"
10:10 AM Home. House looks like a tornado went through it. Time to make beds, tidy cribs, clean kitchen, thrown in laundry and take a shower.
11:35 AM No time for shower. Again. Arrive to pick up Cubs (5 minutes late); wrestle them into hats, coats and mittens; begin walk to pick up Princess PreSchool. Realize we will never make there on time. Again.
11:55 AM Shortcut turns into long-cut due to ice and snow. Barely survive nature’s slip & slide as I make three trips to get triplets up and over snow bank. Thankfully, Princess PreSchool and her teachers are forgiving as we literally slide in the door. Late. Again.
12:00 PM Sun is shining, kids are bundled up, this Mom is feeling game and decides for some outside playtime before stopping for pizza on way home.
12:30 PM Pizza and juice boxes followed by the resistance and rebelliousness one might expect from a trio of tired two year olds and their feisty four year old sister.
1:15 PM Head home. Ten minute walk turns into 45 minute crawl with avid attention given to Con Ed workers, snow plows, dump trucks, even delivery trucks. My curious Cubs stop to take it all in. Tedious, yes, but so far this still beats a day in the office!
2:00 PM Home at last. Already well past nap time. Need to quickly bathe triplets and tuck them in so I can bolt back to bus stop for 2:30 pick up. I can’t be late; if I’m not there, they will return my 1st grader to school and that would really screw up my afternoon!
2:35 PM 1st grader flies off bus and into my arms with a huge grin. I love this day.
2:45 PM 1st grader and Princess PreSchooler brawling as triplets scream from cribs. I hate this day.
3:00 PM Snack time for “big kids” as I sort mail and consider what to do for dinner. Roast chickens (yep, we need two of ‘em!) sound good. Plan to put them in at 4:00.
3:15 PM Can’t stand the bickering anymore. Turn TV on and sort through hurricane of hand-me-downs as big kids absorb mindless drivel courtesy of Yo Gabba Gabba and Wow Wow Wubzy. Who comes up with this stuff?!
4:30 PM OMG! How is it 4:30?! Why are there piles of clothes (2T, 3T, 5T Girls!) covering every surface of my living room?! What about the chickens? We’re supposed to eat at 6:00! Must put chickens in oven NOW!!
5:18 PM Chickens are in. Took longer than expected. Big kids finishing another snack. Little kids up from nap; angry and demanding “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” They no longer ask “How are you today?!”
5:20 PM Bath time for big kids; diaper change for little guys. All are singing and jolly now. I love this day.
6:00 PM Chickens not done, five kids hungry and screaming. I am exhausted, aching and ready to tear my hair out. I hate this day!
7:00 PM Feed kids cooked bits of chicken as they polish off another gallon of milk. They tell Dad about playing “Pass the Banana”, going out for pizza and how cool it was to see me at the bus stop. I love this day.
So, that’s it! Nothing "typical" about it beyond the prevailing chaos and frequent ups and downs that I’m sure are familiar to most moms. As for me, well, I admit that sometimes it's a break to go to work but, I relish my time at home and truly do love these days.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Nothing beats a happy kid
Today I thought I’d share a simple little picture; it's a Liam Lyons original and as far as I’m concerned, it says it all:
As parents, we feel so much pressure to push our children to achieve, to do, to excel… and if you ask me, it starts at a frightfully early age. Liam is only six and we’re feeling it already… the pressure to sign up for every sport under the sun, to take music lessons, to get good grades, and so on and so forth. For crying out loud, he just turned six!
Does it really matter if he masters dribbling, plays the violin and gets “4s” (that's the best you can get in first grade) in everything? I feel like we've lost sight of what’s really important. Generally speaking, we've forgotten that all we really need – or should hope – for our kids is for them to be happy. As far as I can recall, childhood is supposed to be a happy time, right? Because if not then, when? If you can't summon up some simple joie de vivre when you're a kid -- perhaps because you're too busy being shuttled from playdate to music lessons to sports practice -- how ever will you find happiness when you're faced with a mortgage and bills to pay?! I say happiness starts early and it's up to us as parents to nurture it and keep it growing.
Right now, I’m feeling pretty good that at least one of my kids has made the declarative statement (and accompanying self portrait!) that he is indeed happy. I hope he stays that way; it’s what I hope for all of our little Lyons Cubs. Happiness. Plain and simple.
I also hope that I don’t get swept up in the madness, as I know I’m prone to do; I hope that when my kids are feeling the pressure and being pushed and pulled and shuttled about, that I remember to pause, take stock, and assess how they are really feeling. That I remember at the end of the day, the most any of us can hope to achieve, to do, to excel in is happiness. Plain and simple.
As parents, we feel so much pressure to push our children to achieve, to do, to excel… and if you ask me, it starts at a frightfully early age. Liam is only six and we’re feeling it already… the pressure to sign up for every sport under the sun, to take music lessons, to get good grades, and so on and so forth. For crying out loud, he just turned six!
Does it really matter if he masters dribbling, plays the violin and gets “4s” (that's the best you can get in first grade) in everything? I feel like we've lost sight of what’s really important. Generally speaking, we've forgotten that all we really need – or should hope – for our kids is for them to be happy. As far as I can recall, childhood is supposed to be a happy time, right? Because if not then, when? If you can't summon up some simple joie de vivre when you're a kid -- perhaps because you're too busy being shuttled from playdate to music lessons to sports practice -- how ever will you find happiness when you're faced with a mortgage and bills to pay?! I say happiness starts early and it's up to us as parents to nurture it and keep it growing.
Right now, I’m feeling pretty good that at least one of my kids has made the declarative statement (and accompanying self portrait!) that he is indeed happy. I hope he stays that way; it’s what I hope for all of our little Lyons Cubs. Happiness. Plain and simple.
I also hope that I don’t get swept up in the madness, as I know I’m prone to do; I hope that when my kids are feeling the pressure and being pushed and pulled and shuttled about, that I remember to pause, take stock, and assess how they are really feeling. That I remember at the end of the day, the most any of us can hope to achieve, to do, to excel in is happiness. Plain and simple.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A Slow Saturday = A Stroll Down Memory Lane
Last Saturday we did something we rarely do: nothing. There were no birthday parties, no sporting events, no family obligations and no errands that couldn’t wait for another day. As we lounged around our living room, something high up on the bookshelf caught my eye. It was my baby album and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to share it with my kids.
They had a hard time believing I was ever so small and I had a hard time believing my Mom had committed so much time and energy to putting this album together. In addition to all the expected inputs (locks from my first haircut, pictures of my first bath, first Christmas and, alarmingly enough, at ten months, my first beer!), it also has some unexpected inclusions.
For starters, this album commemorates far more than my first year, or even my first few years; it chronicles the meaningful moments of my life until “September 1984: 13 years old: 5 feet, 1 ½ inches; 86 pounds.” I imagine the documentation stops after this because I was driving my mother crazy and my antics were better not memorialized! In any case, my Mom meticulously tracked my birthdays, Christmases, my growth and my “medical history” with some interesting notations including “January 1978: the flu, I think!” and “November 1978: Impetigo (UGH!).”
The majority of my accomplishments are captured, ranging from “January 31, 1972: Kerry rolled from her stomach to her back, and was very pleased with herself” to “June 10, 1976: Kerry graduated from kindergarten. It was so enjoyable for us to see — she had the only feature part in the ceremony.” Of note, I was the valedictorian of my kindergarten class; sadly, I peaked too early as that was an honor never to be repeated!
As we strolled down the memory lane of my childhood, my kids were fascinated… the matching outfits and funny hair-dos left all of our little Lyons Cubs longing for more. And so it was that another hour passed swiftly by as I showed them our wedding album, my husband supplied the narrative for our honeymoon album and last but not least, we stumbled upon an album entitled “Ireland: Summer 2000.”
This was the year that Des and I met and this was our first big vacation together. I’d flown to Dublin to meet him after he completed a continuing legal education class at Trinity. In the course of just five days and four nights, we hit a handful of pubs in Dublin, strolled the beach in Bray, made a pit stop in Wexford, visited the Lyons family origins in Cork, watched the sunset in Kinsale, kissed the Blarney Stone and, needless to say, each other! It was a fairy tale trip during a fairy tale time in our lives… young and in love, with no worries, few obligations, boundless energy and no idea that ten years later, we’d have five little Lyons of our own.
Reliving those memories as our kids rolled around the couch like the little Cubs they are was the best possible way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It also renewed my commitment to keep up with photo albums and memorializing the moments that matter most… like when Liam leaps into my arms on the rare day I can actually be home to meet him at the school bus. Or the way that Ciara will crawl into my lap and tell ME that everything will be ok on the days I have my doubts. Or the way that Declan jumps up and down in his crib, Cormac asks “how ARE you today?!” or Kevin sweetly requests an “Uppie Mama.”
I might not – ok, I definitely won’t! – chronicle each of my five kids height and weight and, truth be told, I’ve had to fudge the answer to when Liam and Ciara first walked and rolled over on their pre-school forms because I honestly don’t have a clue! But, thanks to the tradition my Mom started, I have a newfound appreciation for these little moments that matter most -- like simply doing nothing at all on an occasional Saturday afternoon.
They had a hard time believing I was ever so small and I had a hard time believing my Mom had committed so much time and energy to putting this album together. In addition to all the expected inputs (locks from my first haircut, pictures of my first bath, first Christmas and, alarmingly enough, at ten months, my first beer!), it also has some unexpected inclusions.
For starters, this album commemorates far more than my first year, or even my first few years; it chronicles the meaningful moments of my life until “September 1984: 13 years old: 5 feet, 1 ½ inches; 86 pounds.” I imagine the documentation stops after this because I was driving my mother crazy and my antics were better not memorialized! In any case, my Mom meticulously tracked my birthdays, Christmases, my growth and my “medical history” with some interesting notations including “January 1978: the flu, I think!” and “November 1978: Impetigo (UGH!).”
The majority of my accomplishments are captured, ranging from “January 31, 1972: Kerry rolled from her stomach to her back, and was very pleased with herself” to “June 10, 1976: Kerry graduated from kindergarten. It was so enjoyable for us to see — she had the only feature part in the ceremony.” Of note, I was the valedictorian of my kindergarten class; sadly, I peaked too early as that was an honor never to be repeated!
As we strolled down the memory lane of my childhood, my kids were fascinated… the matching outfits and funny hair-dos left all of our little Lyons Cubs longing for more. And so it was that another hour passed swiftly by as I showed them our wedding album, my husband supplied the narrative for our honeymoon album and last but not least, we stumbled upon an album entitled “Ireland: Summer 2000.”
This was the year that Des and I met and this was our first big vacation together. I’d flown to Dublin to meet him after he completed a continuing legal education class at Trinity. In the course of just five days and four nights, we hit a handful of pubs in Dublin, strolled the beach in Bray, made a pit stop in Wexford, visited the Lyons family origins in Cork, watched the sunset in Kinsale, kissed the Blarney Stone and, needless to say, each other! It was a fairy tale trip during a fairy tale time in our lives… young and in love, with no worries, few obligations, boundless energy and no idea that ten years later, we’d have five little Lyons of our own.
Reliving those memories as our kids rolled around the couch like the little Cubs they are was the best possible way to spend a Saturday afternoon. It also renewed my commitment to keep up with photo albums and memorializing the moments that matter most… like when Liam leaps into my arms on the rare day I can actually be home to meet him at the school bus. Or the way that Ciara will crawl into my lap and tell ME that everything will be ok on the days I have my doubts. Or the way that Declan jumps up and down in his crib, Cormac asks “how ARE you today?!” or Kevin sweetly requests an “Uppie Mama.”
I might not – ok, I definitely won’t! – chronicle each of my five kids height and weight and, truth be told, I’ve had to fudge the answer to when Liam and Ciara first walked and rolled over on their pre-school forms because I honestly don’t have a clue! But, thanks to the tradition my Mom started, I have a newfound appreciation for these little moments that matter most -- like simply doing nothing at all on an occasional Saturday afternoon.
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