And I almost forgot...my 16 year old is testing for her license tomorrow. Am I ready for her being out on the road? She thinks she is! Give me strength...!

...and the toddler is having night terrors. 20 minutes of gut wrenching screaming feels like hours. Anyone wanting to add to my stress?

My dad is in the hospital...in Sweden. He is there for observation and some tests. He has a chronic lung condition with only 50% capacity. I'm worried sick!

Post Christmas Thoughts

This week went by in a blurr, and before I knew it Christmas came and went. Maybe it had something to do with me having a bad cold all week and having slept extremely poorly since it started, or time really is moving faster after 40.
Last week I couldn't wait for Christmas eve and to enjoy all the good food. But, since this cold started last Sunday I haven't been able to smell or taste anything. All this delicious christmas food was wasted on me. Didn't enjoy anyting, and now there are 362 days until next Christmas.

A noisy but happy christmas

After a week of stressing to get everything ready for christmas we survived christmas morning with our sanity intact. Everybody was happy with their gifts and the toddler more than anyone. As you can see we got him a drumset. However, after a day of constant drumming I realized I forgot to get earplugs for the rest of us...did I say we made it through with our sanity intact? Well, let see how long it will last. Merry christmas everyone.

Feeling like crap. Have a bad cold, but I'm in the park with Hayden. The poor thing has to get out and run off some steam. Not fun when mamma's sick.

n't helped me yet. My bad luck!

We have a christmas party to go to tonight, and I have a cold. Was trying to cure myself with a coldbuster from jambajuice with extra immunity boost. Has

Went driving with the 16 year old today. It's crunch time. Her behind the wheel test is in 2 weeks...a little scary for mom.

s last bit of christmas shopping without loosing my sanity. God give me strength...

perative toddler who had a total meltdown in the store. Did I mention that I didn't bring the stroller. I should have my head examined. Got to finish thi

Was just about to wrap a sportsbra for one of the girls when I noticed that the plastic alarm was still on. Had to go back to the store with a not so coo

Standing in line at the post office. Another government run institution. There are about 50 people in line and only two people working. Very efficient...not.

Stood in line at the DMV for 45 minutes. Had to register the Ford Taurus in our name since the 16 year old will be driving it...soon.

Holiday Parties

I am tired today. We had a christmas party here last night, and we didn't go to bed until 2 am. We started at 8 pm after the little one had been put to bed, and the party ended around 1:30. Not too long ago, 1:30 am would have seemed very early, but having been sleep deprived for the past two years certainly takes its toll.

We had fun though. There was a lot of food, and I had bought a lot of wine and I had also made homemade "glogg" which is a Swedish spiced wine that you drink hot. I thought, well, so what if I bought too much alcohol. It will last us through the holidays...not so. We pretty much drank it all. We had some fun discussions around the table, and we all laughed a lot. I love having people over sitting around the table eating and drinking and having wild discussions. Nowadays it's kind of hard for us to go places because the little one gets tired around 8, so I prefer putting on the parties at home. And of course one doesn't have to worry about driving home. That's a huge plus.

The little one woke up at 7 am, so there was no sleeping in...well, at least not for my husband who was a sweatheart and got up with him to let me stay in bed longer. Not that I really slept, but I stayed in bed for another hour. It's interesting how we adapt and learn to get away with less sleep. We even went christmas shopping in the afternoon with the toddler in an insanely crowded mall. And to boot, I took my 16 year old out driving afterwards. She is testing at the end of the month and need all the driving practice she can get. Oh, what don't we do for our kids?

Moms' night

Had some girlfriends over for drinks and appetizers last night. We had so much fun. Everybody talking at once...one could tell we don't get out much. And we didn't even drink that much...I was surprised. We had leftovers. As a matter of fact I just came home from a grueling pilates class and I was going to make myself a cup of tea when I remembered the leftover bubbly from yesterday. I just poured myself a glass and it's still good....aaahhh. I think we are going to make this a monthly thing. We could all use it.

So I'm sipping my champagne as the rain is pouring outside. This is southern California, so this is a treat for me. We don't get much rain. It did rain on Monday and I took the opportunity to take the two year old to the park, so that he could jump in puddles. Who knows when he'll get to do that again. I did take a couple of pictures...he was so excited "Drinking rain, drinking rain" he exclaimed with his tongue out of his mouth. It sure did bring back childhood memories of Sweden.

Forgot to mention that the car/laptop drama resolved. She opted for the car. We ended up having a nice birthday dinner after all.

Rain, rain, rain...I love it. Took Hayden to the park. We jumped in puddles and got all wet. Hayden had a blast...

Im screwed.

Exhausted today. Didn't sleep much due to yesterdays drama. The sixteen year old is all mad at me. Thinks I want to deprive her of the laptop. Either way

Not so sweet sixteen

My youngest daughter is turning 16 on Saturday, and almost ready to pass her behind the wheel driving test. Appointment is set up for December 31...I know, got to squeeze it in there. Have to have it before the end of the year. Well, in her mind anyways.
So we thought we had worked out a deal with a car. My oldest daughter just bought a new car, and was nice enough to gift her 2002 Ford Taurus to the 16 year old. Well, the car needs $1,700-$1,900 worth of repair. I specifically told my youngest that if we're going to help her out with this car she has to ask her dad to help out with the repairs too. I told her that she needed to tell him that's what she wants for her birthday. I just had my car fixed for $622 and christmas is around the corner. I am not going to do it all. She said, "but mom, I can do it. I'll pay you back", Well, this kid does not have a job, and has not done much trying to find one. I got her a baby sitting job, but half of the time she is asked to baby sit she has other plans. So, there you go. "Well, I have my allowance!" was her reply.
I made it very clear to my daughter that I really needed her dad to help out if this deal was going to take place. I told her to call her dad and explain the situation. This car is way below blue book value and once it is fixed it will easily sell for $3,000. So, I figured her dad would see this, and realize if we wait until next summer getting her a car will be a lot more expensive. I even sent her dad an email giving him a heads up. He didn't get it unfortunately. Instead he calls my daughter up and asks what she wants for her birthday, and she briefly tells him about the car. He says "I don't think you really need a car. How about a laptop?" The girl freaked. Of course she wanted a laptop. She wants it all. So, the idea of getting her dad to pay for half of the repair flew out the window. Instead she calls me all excited, "I will babysit a lot. I can still get the car and pay you back."
I told her that it wasn't the deal we made, and that she is going to have to choose. I am not paying for all the repairs. I will let the car go. Now, I am the evil mom who ruined her birthday. I called her dad and asked him to reconsider. Not only because of the car, but also due to the fact that I have already bought my daughter a laptop. It's her christmas present. It was supposed to be a huge surprise. I bought it a month ago, so that I would have time to personalize it. I had already envisioned her and her sister's shrieks of joy when opening their presents. My exhusband asks, "Can you return it?"
My daughter lives with me 100%, so I feel that I really know what she needs. God forbid he should have called and asked me about what she could possibly need for her birthday. Why didn't he realize that maybe I had already bought her a laptop. But no, he goes ahead and promises her a laptop without discussing it with me. So, I am screwed either way. I am big on principles, so I will not let this one slide. If she wants the car bad enough she has to follow through with the original plan. Her dad said he would pay for half the repairs, but is afraid that our daughter would be very upset with him if he doesn't keep his promise about the laptop. So, we're both screwed. Either way she will be upset. I do not look forward to this coming Saturday. And to add to my frustration she invited her dad (did I mention we don't get along) to her birthday dinner which I'm cooking...arrggghh.

Making Ahi tuna salad for dinner...yummie. The non fish eaters get spaghettios. Sorry, I'm not cooking two meals tonight.

Why can't I send photos from my phone?

Enjoying a beautiful morning in the park with Hayden. But a word of advice to myself. Always carry wipes and diapers in the stroller.

" It is the Season "

Couldn't wait til tomorrow. Had my husband drag one of the trees

from the attic and some other christmas stuff. We decorated our tree with the "help" of a toddler. The rest of the kids will do their tree tomorrow. And check out my santas...!

On to the next Holiday

The toddler is sleeping, my husband is out playing raquetball, and the teens are out and about. Ahhh, peace and quiet...what a scarce comodity in this house. I am enjoying this moment to the fullest.Well, thanksgiving came and went, and my fall decorations have been put away...phew, we survived yet another holiday. I think I will take a day off before trees, lights, and santas will take over our house for the next six weeks or so.

Don't take me wrong. I love christmas and the whole decorating, gift buying and giftwrapping craziness. I feel like a kid in a candy store. Can't wait to get my trees (yes we have two) out of the attic and have the kids decorate one and my husband and I do the other. I realized we had to have two trees the first christmas we celebrated together as a blended family. Just imagine having christmas decorations from two households being placed on one tree because all the kids had to put their favorites on. And when I, to my horror, saw some of the decorations that my sweet bonusdaughters had accumulated I knew I had to do something. We're talking all disneycharacters and strange looking pig ornaments. Didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. After all the ornaments came from their late mother who had a huge pig collection. I could live with the pig teapot. That was cute, but I couldn't come to terms with a christmas tree full of pigs. So, hence the second tree came in to play.

So, now the kids can happily put whatever they like in their tree, and I can have mine beautifully decorated in gold and burgundy. Simple, tasteful, and elegant.

Thanksgiving reflections

So, another thanksgiving has come and gone. We spent all day cooking, and I mean all day. I believe we started around 9 am. My husband and I chopped ingredients for stuffing, we peeled regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, we prepared green beans for two different kinds of green bean casseroles, we stuffed the turkey and got it in the oven on time. And the night before we had even prepared a pumpkin cheesecake that was to die for. In between cooking we cleaned pots and pans used during cooking. It was like a never ending process. Finally at 6 pm the turkey had been carved, the potatoes were mashed and all other food were out on platters waiting to be served. We had quite the group around the dinner table, and yet we hardly made a dent in the amount of food that had been prepared. And yet it was all soo delicious. We will have days of left overs. When will I ever learn? Maybe it's time to stop stressing over the holidays and order in some pizzas instead.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Time to start cooking...

word of advice to myself, don't ever take Hayden anywhere during naptime.

n the stroller. Not so...instead we had a huge tempertantrum where we threw ourselves on the ground when we couldn't have big sisters coffee drink. So, a

Went to the mall with teenagers, grandparents, and a toddler during naptime. Thought the little one would wear himself out and then nicely fall asleep i

Thankful for relatives

We have company that arrived last night. My bonusdaughters maternal grandparents are visiting from Colorado. They are staying with us for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving and just hang with the kids. They are absolutely amazing. I love them! My own parents are so far away, and they only come every 3-4 yars. So, I have adopted my husbands former in laws as my parents. They treat my children as their grandchildren too, so it is great. Our toddler has really warmed up to them and is bringing all these books for "grandpa" to read. So this year I am thankful for relatives.

Pool project

We finally started our pool project. It's going to be a total renovation. We thought we should have it ready by Christmas. They just started the demolition, and Christmas is 4 weeks away. What do you think? Are we fooling ourselves? All the bricks need to go too.

Blogging via cell phone

Please bear with me as I am learning how to blog from my phone. I meant for it to be one post, but it posted like two posts. Oh well, at least I will be able to update my blog since I am on the go a lot.

I got when greeting them. Who is the parent now...?

My 20 year old and my almost 16 year old just walked in the door at 11 pm! They had been to a concert. "What are you doing awake so late?" was the reply

Car Troubles

I wonder if we are cursed by some evil car fairy. Today our 20 year old came home from school saying her car is making a terrible sound and the "check engine" light is blinking, and "it smells". My husband test drove it and said he could smell an exhaust leak and yes the car was definetily rattling. My husband who, unlike me, knows a lot about cars said it could be the catalytic converter??? That doesn't mean anything to me. Give me some numbers! What are we talking about here? Probably$2000 was my husband's reply.

We sent our daughter to our mechanic who confirmed my husband's suspicions. Basically the car is driveable for a week or two. Our daughter has some decisions to make. By a "new" used car and take on car payments (because she spends every dime she makes, so she has no savings), or put $2000 into the car she has? That's the million dollar question. If she buys a used car she may run into other mechanical problems before she knows it. And if she spends it on the car she has now who knows what will break next. What a dilemma. Sad thing is we can't fix it for her. She is an adult, and she needs to take the consequences or she will never learn. She lives at home for free. She works almost fulltime and makes good money. She has made some poor choices regarding her finances and shopping habits. If we bail her out this will never end, so we have to stick to our guns and do the tough love thing. We've been around the block with her a few times, so we have learned a lesson or two. It's tough being a parent. You want to save your kids from all their problems. Part of me wish I could buy her a car and put the keys in her christmas stocking...but I'm not gonna!

I'm Back

My sleep deprivation took the best of me, so blogging became a luxury I couldn't keep up with. So, I decided to put it on ice for awhile. Now I have come to the realization that unless I am willing to wait until the toddler graduates from highshool I should just write regardless. A very good friend of mine pointed out to me that I have to carve out some "me time"...and writing is just that. Time for me to reflect on my day, share thoughts and ideas, vent, and to let my friends and others catch a glimpse of pieces of my day.

So, what happened with the car drama??? It all worked out in the end...$375 later our 17 year old got her car fixed. Guess who footed the bill? We took it back to our mechanic who replaced not just one hose, but several and did a tune up. The con car salesman never pitched a dime towards the repairs. So much for a 30 day warranty. And before we know it we may soon be in the same position....looking for a "new" used car that is. My 16 year old will soon be taking her "Behind the wheel" test. She's had her permit for almost 6 months now...so come December... Watch out everyone! Actually she will be driving my car in the beginning because we have a policy in this household. You need to have a job to afford the privilige of owning a car, and secondly you need to help pay at least half the cost of the car. I know, we're evil parents. My 16 year old daughter does not have a job except for some occasional babysitting job...and she is not busting her butt looking for one either. So, she'll be in for a reality shock soon. It'll take many babysitting hours to buy even the smallest, cheapest car...

Car trouble part 2

It's not my day....We may have bought a real lemon for the 17 year old. Had it towed yesterday to our mechanic who believes the headgasket may be blown. There is oil in the radiator. He won't know until he takes the engine apart, but according to the agreement we signed, the car has to be repaired by the sellers mechanic or the warranty will not come in to play. Our mechanic thinks we're looking at $1800 worth of repairs. My husband, poor thing, who has to deal with this stuff from out of town, called the dealer and had them pick up the car from our mechanic. A few hours later my husband gets a call from the dealer saying the car is fixed. It was "only a hose" that had broke. Hmmm.....somebody is either blatantly lying or doesn't know shit about cars. I guess we'll find out tomorrow how this drama will unfold.

Car trouble

So, my husband is out of town. He left yesterday to San Diego for a convention. He'll be back Wednesday. Today, my 17 year old left the house to go visit her boyfriend who lives 15 minutes from here...by car. We just bought her car a little over a week ago...a used 2003 Hyundai Sonata. She called me 15 minutes after she left and said "My car just died"!!! Well, did you put gas in it? I know....stupid question maybe, but trust me; in this family one has to ask these sort of things.
She told me she had a 3/4 tank and that her boyfriend was on his way to take a look at it. Meanwhile my almost 16 year old texts me and ask to be picked up from babysitting, and almost instantaneously the toddler has climbed up on the tall kitchen chair and proudly announces that he needs a new diaper...(like I couldn't smell it). I took a deep breath and counted to 10. Of course the car had to break down today. My husband, who is the mechanically inclined one, is out of town, so if something is to brake, this is the time. Last night the dishwaher broke!
Almost everytime my husband leaves town somebody has car trouble. I can honestly say that no one in the family has ever broken down while he is at home and would have been able to fix it. No instead we've had to call AAA and we've had cars towed to the mechanic more than once. So, now I had to delegate.
First, I called the husband to notify him and get the number to our mechanic, then I gave him the number to the person whom we bought the car from. I wanted my husband to talk to him about paying for any possibly repairs. Supposedly we have a 30 day warranty on the damned thing. Secondly I called my friend whom my daughter was baby sitting for and asked if she could bring her home since I had some stuff to deal with. Third, I dealt with the toddler and the diaper. By now, the kid with the car trouble called back and said her boyfriend diagnosed the car with over heating. He put coolant in it... (guess the level was too low) and halleluliah the car started. We're still going to have our mechanic look at it, and also notify the seller, but at least she can drive it home...for now.

You mean I have to say thank you?

I have teenagers and a toddler. My toddler says "thank you" all the time with no prompting. Not so with the teens. Last Friday I spent all day helping the 17 year old find a car. I spent two hours on the online auto trader, and then I drove her to the valley and we looked at some potential buys. We found something we both could live with, of course out of her price range, but, being good parents (or stupid, take your pick), we told her we'd help her out with the difference. My husband and I agreed to gift her $1000 towards the car and lend her another $1100 at no interest. She had herself $1600 in her savings. We didn't buy the car right there and then because I am not mechanically inclined, and I wanted my husband to look at it before we made a purchase. So, that evening we left the toddler with the 17 year old and my husband and I went back to look at the car. He testdrove it and decided that it was a good buy. So, we bought the car upfront and brought it home to our daughter. We walked in the door and said "Guess what? You have a car!" She didn't turn away from the TV when she asked "Which one did you end up buying?". She did not run out of the house screaming with joy that finally she had a car. We never even heard a thank you. She just asked how come we picked this one over the other one of the potential cars we had looked at earlier. All weekend she showed no excitement over having a "new" car....well it's a 2003 Hyundai....silver color with a sunroof. Did I tell you that my first car was a grey (not silver) 1985 Ford Escort station wagon with no airconditioning and no radio, and I was damned pleased to have some wheels (I was 25).
Yesterday, I was in a god mood and the kids were out of the house and the toddler was sleeping, so I decided to clean the teenaged girls' rooms and do their laundry for them. I am working up a sweat doing this when I get a text from the youngest teen "Be here at 4:40 at the latest to pick me up"....??? Hello, what happened to please and thank you? I have created monsters!!! But at least, once at home, the youngest teen noticed my work in her room and said "Thank you for cleaning my room". The 17 year old, however, did not. I physically took her up to her room and asked "Do you see something different about your room?" Her reply "You cleaned my room!" .....and.....??????? She gave me a puzzled look. How about a simple thank you, I replied. And I do take hugs as payments. In her defense I have to admit that she gave me a hug, But, what the hell, why is it like pulling teeth when it comes to get these kids to see that showing gratitude is a basic human response to kindness. How did I fail so miserably?

Milkshake Cravings

It's nice having kids that drive when you crave a strawberry milkshake after 10 pm at night when hubby is out of town and you don't feel like driving. And no, I am not pregnant. Ahhh...I can hear the door. It's them...my milkshake is here. Halleluliah.

Night time thoughts

My husband is out of town, Hayden is sleeping soundly, the girls are in their rooms watching TV in bed while texting their boyfriends, and I...am alone in my bedroom, not taking advantage of my newfound solitude. I should have a steaming bath filling and a coctail with an umbrella sticking out of it...or at least a glass of red. Or I should be laying in bed watching all the soaps and reality shows that my husband would never suffer through no matter how much he loves me. What a bore I am....

Sleepless in T.O

Went to a party last night. Didn't drink much and didn't stay late because I knew I had to work the next day. I went to bed at 22:30 and was sound asleep in 20 minutes. So, when I woke up a couple of hours later I thought, no big deal, just turn around and go back to sleep. Hell, that was easier said than done. I tossed and turned all night long. I looked at the clock with dismay...first it was 1:22 am. I had slept a total of 2 1/2 hours. Then it went downhill from there. The clock turned 2 am and I still couldn't sleep, at 3:30 am I was getting a little worried and annoyed. My alarm clock was set for 5:30 am. Did I mention that I work a 12 hour shift in an ICU caring for critically ill patients. It doesn't take a science degree to figure out that one need to be sharp and on the ball in such environment. At 4:30 I still hadn't slept and, pathetic as I was, I woke my husband and said "What do I do?" "I haven't slept all night"....Call in sick was his reply. So, I did! I felt like a looser because I had called my work the day before and told them I was available to work if they needed me. Now, I felt like I left them hanging with one nurse short. So, in hindsight, don't go to a party the night before work if you know you really need that sleep. I should have said no to the party or no to work. Trying to do both messed me up. ...$450 went up in smoke just like that! Sorry kids, back to school shopping will have to wait!

Getting back to normal

It's been a few days since my sister and her family left. It's been quiet and the house feels kind of empty. How the hell that's possible, I don't know, with two teenage girls and their boyfriends, a 20 year old with friends that come and go, a toddler, and my husband and I. I guess I miss them already. Not that I'm in any way disapointed to have my house back, on the contrary. Finally the toddler is out of our bedroom after sleeping with us for three weeks. The girls have their rooms to themselves and no longer need to share with cousins. It's just that for three weeks I was in Sweden and lived in close quarter with my parents and then I came home and 4 days later my sister arrived. So, I have been accustomed to a hectic and crowded schedule, so now when it's quiet I don't know what to do with myself.
I have kept busy since they left last Thursday...I spent the whole day on Friday cleaning house, on Saturday I did some more cleaning, some laundry, and yes I spend a few hours resting by the pool. On Sunday I worked for the first time in 2 months...that felt weird. I had gotten used to the lazy lifestyle. And today I had organized a playdate for Hayden at our house. I had 6 other toddlers at my house, with their mothers of course. We swam in the pool, we played with sand, we colored and played with playdough. And of course we ate... and after the last two guests left Hayden begged me for his nap. Was I ready or what?

Hot tubs and alcohol

My sister and her family are visiting from Sweden. They have been here for almost three weeks. Last year they were here for three weeks in the summer as well, and not once did we go in our jaccuzzi. Don't know why it never happened. So, we said they definetily have to try it out before they go back to Sweden on Thursday. Well, our jaccuzzi is old and takes some time to heat up, so when my friend invited us to come and soak in their jaccuzzi, which by the way is a rolls roy of jaccuzzis, we didn't hesitate one bit. Of course we'll come. So, last night we had some wine with dinner and then headed over to my friend's ouse. Over there we had some more wine before going in the tub. Finally, we all went in and had a little Bailey's to make a toast. We had a great time talking, laughing, and listening to music. Then all of a sudden my sister is starting to look a little cross eyed. I had forgotten to warn here that alcohol goes to your head a lot quicker when you're sitting in a hot tub. Did I feel bad or what? Long story short, we got her out of the tub and she fell asleep in my friend's really cool massage chair. Don't know if she remembers much of the jaccuzzi experience.

Going Places

I had a couple of busy days. On Sunday we went to Santa Barbara. It was a gorgeous day, and my husband, the toddler, and the youngest teen took my sister and her family to show them something other than our backyard pool. Santa Barbara is such a quaint little town with a lot of ambiance. Us adults had planned to walk around for a while and then find a cozy place to have lunch. The kids however, as soon as we got out of the car, "We are hungry"! Hello, that's why we told everyone to eat a good breakfast. But, of course, like good parents, we didn't want our poor children to starve so we found a small Hawaiian Grill which served burgers and salads. It was ok, but not great. Then we walked down State Street down to the pier, and there were so many nice places we could have stopped at. On the pier itself they had a couple of seafood places. Next time I will not listen to the kids. You didn't eat your breakfast, tough, you'll just have to wait.
It took us 45 minutes to get to Santa Barbara, but 2 hours to get home. We got stuck in the worst beach traffic ever. I will never go in that direction on a Sunday in the middle of summer. Everyone goes to the beach on Sundays....why didn't I know this after living here for 20 years? Next time we'll go up on a Saturday or midweek.
Monday we realized we were low on food and other neccessities such as toiletpaper, so we went to costco to stock up. Well, did we ever...! Our cart was full to the brim and $415 later we were on our way home. But, we're a big crowd, so the food goes quickly.
Today I took my family to the beach and then I took Hayden to a playdate...a lot of driving but it was worth it. I think everybody was happy with their day.
Tonight all the young girls are going out for some Thai food and then our oldest daughter, the 20 year old, is taking them all to Hollywood for milkshake at some famous milkshake place!!! What do I know? I have no clue where all the hot places are. Us adults are staying in our backyard for some barbequed steak and potatoes and of course some wine...we're so boring.

Going out for Sushi

Went out for sushi last night. Oh my God it was sooo good. I didn't have any sushi the whole time I was in Sweden, and I had this crazy craving. We brought my sister and her husband and of course the toddler. Just to make sure we could eat our sushi in peace I had brought my I Touch with Nemo and Bolt downloaded. I mean the complete movies. It worked wonders. The other people in the restaurant must have thought this kid was the most behaved child ever. I feel so smart. Well, we're going to have to do this soon again. This night out did not clench my cravings for sushi even though we ordered a whole bunch of stuff. I will definetly have to go back in a few days.
Today we took the swedes to the Ronald Reagan Libray and Museum which is very close to our house. It was really neat. We got to go into the Airforce One that Reagan used during his administration. Got some cool pictures. And now I think we'll do a little pooltime while the little one is napping. Until next time...

Vacation

Just put Hayden down for a nap. My sister and her family are all in the pool. They absolutely love the sun, the beach, and the pool. I get bored, so I sneak away to my bedroom to check my mail, maybe read a little, or just relax. I know in Sweden the weather can be very unpredictable, so I understand they want to take advantage of the sunny days here. But, I get them almost 365 days a year, so it gets a little old for me. I really want to clean my house, but that seems kind of rude when you have visitors. So, I pretend that the hairballs the size of a beachball in the corners don't bother me a bit. I pretend that the dirty dishes in the sink will be taking care of by the non existent maid, and that the laundry that's piling up will somehow find itself to the washer. My poor husband is working his tail off in the office, and I am just on an extended vacation. I'll have to make it up to him. I am going to make a nice dinner tonight at least.

Spending money

Went to Santa Monica Pier yesterday with Hayden, the youngest teen, and my sister and her family. The kids wanted to do rides. We bought them the unlimited ride wrist band for $22 a piece. Then of course we had to buy food and ice cream. Before the evening was over I had spent almost a $100. Didn't plan to...just happened.
I just spent 3 weeks in Sweden, and let me tell you those tickets weren't cheap. And of course I spent a few hundred dollars just doing absolutely nothing in Sweden. I honestly have no idea how that happened. I'd better start working....

Wild and Crazy

Today I saw that I had a few facebook messages, so I went to my page to check them. I almost choked on my coffee when I saw that an old friend of mine had posted a picture of me and her from the mid 80's. I guess this middle aged part time RN part time house wife living in this white middleclass suburb was a pretty wild child at one point. Since my kids and all their friends have facebook I wonder how long before I'll be bombarded with some stupid ass comments. Oh, well...guess I can't hide from my past. At least I had a pretty interesting life...

Sleeping with a toddler

Hayden is in our room for the next three weeks...!!! I have a full house already, but now it's even fuller. Picked up my sister and her family from the airport last night. I gave her and her husband Hayden's room and her girls are sleeping my youngest teen's room. So, Hayden is still a little off from our return from Sweden, and now he's schedule will be a little more off. But, that's okay. I don't have visitors that often. Just wish he would sleep a little better. After he woke up for the 3rd time at 5:30 I gave up on sleep. The first time was 1:30 and I had slept for 1 hour. Then he woke up at 3:30 and wanted to come to our bed from the little mattress I had placed for him on the floor. And anyone who has had the joys of sleeping with little children knows that they are not still. I had feet in my back, in my face, and in my stomach. Thought my son had turned into a milliped. It's now a little after 9 am and I can hear everyone stirring in their beds. They're all ready to wake up, and I am ready for a nap. Goodnight.

Parenting...sigh...

Being a parent is a double edged sword. You want to be understanding and give them the benefit of the doubt, but you also don't want to be taken for a fool. Because most teenagers, by nature, are very egotistical, and they will try to turn any situation to their advantage. The younger teens want to be older when it comes to priviliges, and they want to be catered to as far as responsibilities are concerned. They older ones who are of legal age want to be independent and "do their own thing" without parental control, but they don't want to carry the financial responsibilities that come with such independence. So, being a parent to 4 such kids and also to a toddler can be a very challenging task. I like to take care of and do things for my kids, but I have to be careful not to enable them to claim ignorance and incompetence when it comes to basic shores. It is a very fine balancing act. I asked my youngest teen to clean her room for two days since we're having family from Sweden arriving tomorrow and two of them will sleep in her room. Her reply is "I'm gonna do it. I haven't forgotten" "I'm doing it after the gym". Well, it's after the gym, and I can hear her in the pool with her boyfriend. I have also asked everyone not to put their dishes in the sink, but to put them in the dishwasher. If it's full then empty it good damn it. If it's full but still dirty; then start the dishwasher, and wash your dishes by hand. But, this very simple concept is too advanced for these kids. So, I end up doing it all...not happily, I might add.
The other thing that really bothers me is that they think we are fools. They think we buy all their explanations or denials of incidents that have happened throughout their teenage years. Not so..., been there, done that, got the t-shirt so to speak. I'd rather they tell me the truth than have them believe they can lull me into some false sense of security. Ain't gonna happen kids. They may think we're from the stone age, but we really do know what's going on.

Glad to be Home

Finally I have the privacy, the time, and opportunity to come back to my blogg and write. Three weeks in Sweden went by in a blurr. I can't believe I'm back already. Thank God...I wanted to kiss my driveway as I stepped out of the car from the airport. I love my parents and the rest of my family, but I had absolutely no privacy. Not that I have any secrets, but I like to check my emails and I do enjoy writing in my blogg without having anyone looking over my shoulder or bugging me about wanting the computer. Yes, we all shared one, and my kids wanted to be on 24/7. It was a little tiresome. It was like they never left home. They talked to their boyfriend respectively girlfriend several times a day. Hello, we're in Europe...maybe you guys should try to go out and "do something".

Childhood friends

Yesterday I had a girls' night out. It was so much fun. I have known these two girls since forever. We grew up in the same boring suburb and we all went to school together. Well, then in our teens we all kind of went our separate ways. But we never completely lost contact. Now when we see eachother we won't stop talking. We met up around 6:30 pm and before we knew it it was midnight. One of us didn't drink because she was driving, but the other girl and I shared a bottle of wine and then some...But, I feel great today. No wine hangover whatsoever. I guess being in good company and reminiscing about old times is therapeutic. I laughed a lot....I really need to get out more.

Out on the town with a teenager

Yesterday I took my son out for a beer in Stockholm. He is 18 plus. He'd never ordered a beer before since back home you have to be 21 to drink alcohol. We had a good time. We just had one beer at a bar with outside tables. It was a beautiful summer evening and there were a lot of people out and about. So, we're just sitting there talking and people watching. We had a really good conversation. It dawned on me that my son is really growing up....today he is out all day with friends. He gets around like a native here. Mom is feeling a little old....

Östnora Beach

The weather was beautiful today, so we went to a beach I used to go to when I was a kid. My 20 month old Hayden had a blast. He was running around like crazy and was splashing water everywhere. His shoes and clothes got wet. I wasn't fast enough in removing them before I turned him loose on the beach. We stayed there for a few hours and he even napped on the beach on a towel. I took the opportunity to eat an icecream while he was sleeping. Wanted to avoid the mess which undoubtedly would have happened had he gotten an icecream too. Mean mommy...I know. We had a good time, but then it was time to leave, and Hayden does not understand that all good things come to an end. Needless to say he fell apart. He is at that stage when tempertantrums are the way to deal with no's and other rejections. Can't wait for this stage to pass...

Waiting in line for the computer

I have been in Sweden for a week now and today is the first time I could sit down by the computer and write. The reason is that my teens have been monopolizing my parents computer. They both have a girlfirend respectively boyfriend back home, and therefore they just "have to talk to them all the time". They're on facebook, skype, msn messenger, aol, my space and God knows what. And the few times I could have been able to write something then I have had people looking over my shoulder "Are you almost done?". Did I mention my parents appartment is pretty small, and the computer desk is facing the kitchen table where everyone is sitting. I am about to get just a little bit claustrophobic....
So, my first week went by in a blurr. Had jetlag for a few days and the weather wasn't great, but now it seems like it's turning around. Went in to the city yesterday. Took the train. My 20 month old Hayden was so excited to go by train that he got upset when we had to get off. Oh well..the poor thing is used to go by car door to door everywhere we go. Anyway, bought a pair of cute shoes in town and had a swedish "tunnbrodrulle" a swedish junk food dish made with a thin tortilla lika bread filled with mashed potaotes, a hotdog and shrimp salad!!! Sounds pretty awful, but it tasted god at the time. Until next time......

Grad party

Tonight my ex is having a grad party for my son. We're all invited. It's going to be awkward, but I am determined to go. It's my son's graduation after all. But, my son doesn't really want to have a grad party at his dad's. I asked im why. Well, he didn't want all these people (girlfriend's parents and friends) meet his relatives on his dads side. He didn't want anybody to know that he is genetically related to these people. I couldn't help but secretely snicker.

Highschool graduation

Yesterday was my son's highschool graduation. There were 600 students in the graduating class. Needless to say it took a looong time to go through all the kids' names. And we were sitting on very uncomfortable bleecher seats. I think we all have pressure ulcers on our buttcheeks after the two our ordeal. I know, you're not supposed to say that. We're supposed to be all excited and happy to be there. But, come on, even my son was bored to death. I saw him from a distance sitting in his cap and gown texting on his phone. At least they had backrests on their chairs. Well, he did look very distinguished in his attire, and I am very proud of him. He's off to college in the fall. We'll have to go through this again next year with the now almost 17 year old. Can hardly wait!

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland yesterday. Had to take granny and our 7 year old niece visiting from Missouri. What a nightmare. It was so overpriced and overcrowded that I never want to set foot there ever again. So, any Swedes visiting...you're on your own. I let you borrow my car though...anything, as long as I don't have to go. I might add that I have been to Disneyland many times. Everytime I have visitors from Sweden they always want to go to Disneyland. It didn't used to be this bad, but now, it's like a freeway with bumper to bumper traffic. But, instead it's shoulder to shoulder traffic. Imagine having a 20 month old who does not want sit in the stroller, and on top of that does not want to hold our hands. We had quite a few tempertantrums throughout the day, and I was almost to the point of killing someone...dangerous place that Disneyland.

Busy Week

I try to find some time to go on my laptop to check mail, check my facebook, write in my blog, etc, etc, but for some reason or other this week has been just crazy. I worked Saturday, and when I do it's a 12 hr shift and I am good for nothing afterwards. So, I thought I would catch up on Sunday, but it didn't happen. My mother in law was coming to visit for a week, and she was bringing her 7 year old granddaughter. Needless to say we had to clean house, go grocery shopping, and set up the guest bedroom. So, there was my weekend. On Monday we spent the morning together with granny and then I had to take my 15 1/2 year old to the DMV for her permit test. That was a nightmare. We are waiting in line and finally it was almost our turn when the power goes out. I couldn't believe it. So, the clock is ticking and I know I had to get my daughter back to school, and get myself back to my visitors. Nobody has any answers as to why the stupid power went. I try to ask the "the not so smart" government worker if my daughter can take the test while we wait for the computers to come back on and do the actual paperwork afterwards. Mind you, the test is done the oldfashion way by bubbling in the correct answer on a scantron. God forbid we should try to be creative and save time. The lady told me that "No, we can't let her take the test before the paperwork. She has to pay first and be entered into the computer."
" Well I understand, but this is an unusual circumstance, and there are so many people waiting. Why not try to get some things done that can be done without the computers running.?" No such luck. We waited for an hour and finally the computers were up and running. By the time my daughter finally received the test, she was so stressed out the poor thing, but she passed. So, watch out everyone. Tighten your seatbelts and get out of the way for here she comes.

Hiking in the Mountains

Went out hiking today with a friend and our toddlers in jogging strollers. When we were almost at the top of this long steep hill, quite a workout I might add, a big rattlesnake crossed our path. We stopped dead in our tracks and just watched it slither by. Hayden was quite mesmerized. I don't know if he got it, but I told him "Hayden, you have to watch out for snakes when wer'e out on the trails". He just kept staring at the rattler. Our mindless dog Daisy, on the other hand, kept barking and pulling on the leash thinking she could play with this venomous creature. I'd better take her to the vet and get her that preventive rattlesnake vaccine afterall.

Presents

My husband is good at buying presents. Sunday was our anniversary, and I had bought him some clothes because he never buys anything for himself. I got an Ipod Touch!!! It's absolutely amazing. I've alreay put a bunch of songs on it and some audiobooks (Curious George for Hayden), and quite a few photos. I'm going to download a couple of movies on it too to have for Hayden. We're going on a long plane ride in a couple of weeks, so I have to keep him entertained. But I am technically challenged, so I am happy to have two teenage girls at home, who of course already have this device and are pros, to help me out. I have 179 songs on it, and they laughed. "Is that all you have?" was their comment. They have about 5000 songs on their Ipods. I can't even imagine...Who the hell knows that many songs?

A Good Day

Today was a good day. I hiked in the mountains with my 20 year old bonus daughter, and my 20 month old son. My youngest and my oldest...aaaw....they are the only ones, except for my husband, that will hike with me. My oldest daughter is my rock. I know I can always depend on her when I need to. The two teenage girls spend all their free time on the computer, on their cellphone, or watching TV. God forbid they would volunteer for any physical activity. My 18 year old son is mostly hanging out with his girlfrind or at the gym when he is not at school, so I don't see him much, but when I do we always have a good time. He is off to college in the fall, so I am getting used to letting go. It was hard at first, but he is an incredibly good kid, and very creative and smart. I have high hopes for him. But, I guess to be fair I have to give the other two girls at home a couple of more years to mature. I'm not throwing in the towel just yet.

Teenagers for adoption available

If anybody out there wants to adopt a couple of teenagers I am willing to give mine away. The 15 year old spent most of the weekend lying on her bed, with the boyfriend next to her, watching TV and sleeping. She skipped breakfast, ate crap all day, stayed upp all night Saturday painting (on a canvas in her bed) and of course ruined her bed spread and sheets. Come 8 o'clock Sunday morning she declares "I am going to bed now because I have been up all night painting and now I am so tired. I told her she could have a 2 hour nap, but then she needed to stay awake or she would not sleep again on Sunday night. By 10 am her boyfriend arrived and she had to wake up. They stayed laying on her bed "watching movies" but really falling asleep again. This is how hey spent their Sunday. I make her leave her door open when the boyfriend is over. That's our house rule. No closed doors when boyfriends are over. No hanky panky in my house.
Of course she didn't sleep well Sunday night and was soooo tired when she had to go to school Monday morning. She texted me from school wanted me to pick her up. I told her absolutely not. Then she called her dad, and he called me asking why I couldn't pick her up. I told him, so he decided he wouldn't pick her up either. Now she is mad at me.
So, not only did I have to spend my anniversary dealing with an obstinate 15 year old, but our 16 year old totaled her car. She rear ended a lady in a van at a trafficlight. Hello....how could you miss that? What about paying attention? Her excuse? The brakes didn't work!!! My husband checked the brakes afterwards...and they worked fine. This is going to be expensive.
All of a sudden having a 20 month old with poor sleephabits and tempertantrums seems like a walk in the park in comparison.

Happy Anniversary

Tomorrow is our anniversary...six years. It went by so fast. I guess it's true what they say that time flies when you're having fun. Maybe six years doesn't seem like such a long time, but I was married before for 13 years, so all in all, I have been a married woman for a long time. A total of 19 years of married life. Two very different married lives. All of a sudden I feel very blessed. Tonight we're going out to dinner to celebrate. PF Chang's...my choice. Great food! But now I 'd better go out and buy hubby a nice little card and a present.

Wake Up

I know I have been one..., a teenager, but I can't remember acting the way teenagers do nowadays. They screw up and they get mad at you or someone else. It's never their fault; the list of excuses go on and on. My daughter tells me she wants to get her driver's permit before going to Sweden on June 14th. Legally, she can't obtain a permit until June 5th (6 months before turning 16). And before she can get a permit she has to complete online driver's ed, pass the DMV test, and be signed up with a certified driving school. So, she is taking the online driver's ed classes, but ever so slowly. There were a total of 22 sections, and I believe she has completed 13.
If it was me, I would have completed the darn thing in a weekend. She is dragging it out, and when I ask her how the hell she thinks she is going to complete everything before Sweden, she has all these dumb excuses. I said, "Listen, the last test will be cummulative and so will the DMV test. If you take too long, you will have forgotten what you learned in the first sections, and you won't pass." She wants to drive so bad, but she doesn't want to do the work. When I remind her that she is the only one that can make it happen, and it is all in her hands, she gets irritable, and I dont understand how much she has to do. Hello..., you barely do your homework, you fake cleaning your room, you spend hours on the phone and the computer everyday. Don't have time...yeah right! You ain't driving my car unless you know the rules of the road and mine.

Teenagers

Last night I walked in to my 15 year old daughter's room to look for the house phone. She wasn't home, so I didn't knock. It was a pigsty in there. Half of her clothes were on the floor, under the bed, and on top of chairs. There were probably 4 drinking glasses in there, each with a science experiment in the bottom. Then on top of that there were probably 5 bath towels in there, all on the floor...and of course damp. How can anybody live like that? I worked all weekend and didn't check up on her, but I did tell her to clean her room. I distinctively remember that. I am going to wring her little neck...beause I do have a rule. If I am to pay you an allowance you keep your room clean, and you do our own laundry. But, like an idiot, I paid the allowance without checking. Well, shame on me, but if she thinks I will let her get her driver's permit she better clean up her act.

Busy Weekend

On Friday I took Hayden to the beach again. I also brought his 20 year old sister. Thought they needed to spend some quality time together. Sissy is so busy with school, work and life that we don't see her much. I kind of guilted her into coming, but I think she had a good time. I know Hayden did. He loves to hang with his older siblings. In the evening we actually had everyone home for dinner which was unusual, but very nice.
The rest of the weekend feels like a blur. I worked two back to back 12 hour shifts in the ICU, so I didn't get to see Hayden much. He basically went to sleep by the time I came home. I hate that. I know I should go to bed when he does, but of course I had to pour myself a glass of wine and relax. Then I get stuck in front of the TV and go to bed too late hoping that tonight Hayden will sleep through. He hardly ever does....and didn't this time either. So, I got by with 5 hours of sleep each night since I had to go to work. When will I ever learn?

Date night

We went to the movies last night. We saw "Angels and Demons".....great movie. Our 16 year old took us while the 15 year old stayed home with Hayden!!! The 16 year old works at the movie theater and is allowed to bring two guests for free on weekdays. She has been asking us for quite awhile "Don't you guys want to see a movie?", "I'll get you in for free!" Great perks having teenagers when you have a toddler. Not only do we have built in babysitters, but now we also have a "date night" coordinator. And best of all...our date didn't cost a penny.
As we are sitting in our seats, waiting for the movie to start, we're talking about when was the last time we saw a movie in a theater. We looked at eachother, and I said, "I think it was summer of 2007.", "I was 7 months pregnant with Hayden, and we saw Oceans Thirteen."
Our 16 year old stared at us in disbelief, "You guys are pathetic".

Going to the Beach

We're going to the beach today...Hayden and I and some friends. I have so much stuff to bring; a cooler with food and drinks, a beach umbrella, a blanket, towels, sunscreen, and of course sandtoys, and change of clothing and extra diapers for Hayden. Gone are the days when I grabbed a bottle of water and threw a towel in the car and said "beach, here I come"'

My Little Gentle "Giant"

Took Hayden to "My Gym" this morning. We go every Wednesday for an hour. He had so much fun. It's hilarious watching him tumble and try out new things. He is not as coordinated as some of the little girls; they are like little monkeys, but he is having fun. I guess Hayden is more like a gorilla in comparison. Not as graceful if you know what I mean.
Hayden is a big boy, only 19 months, but he weighs 33 lbs (that's 15 kg, for you my Swedish friends). He is not fat, just big and tall. He looks like a 2 1/2 year old. The little girls in the class are peanuts weighing 5-10 lbs less. That makes a difference if you're going to hold yourself up on the monkey bars.
Hayden is the gentle giant, so sweet and goodnatured, and a total pushover. The other kids can snatch something from his hands and he will just look at them in disbelief, but then find something else to do. But Hayden is smart; he can count to 5 in English and to 10 in Swedish. He recognizes about 20 of the letters of the alphabet in random order. And no, we have not been pushing academics down his throat. He has these foam letters for the bathtub, and he loves to hold them up and ask, "What's this?" So, I answer...and he picked it up...like a little sponge.

Thoughts to ponder

My 18 year old son went to his first prom this past weekend. He is a senior, so it was now or never. He has a girlfriend now, and did they look good together? My son in a tux, and the girlfriend in a gorgeous dress....aww...young love. They looked stunning together.
My son is graduating from highschool in less than a month! Where did the time go? All of a sudden I feel old. But, I have a toddler in diapers. Does that reverse the time?
Just wondering...

Busy weekend

Hubby came home from Hawaii on Saturday morning...yeah! He had taken the red eye from Honolulu the night before poor thing. He is so sweet. He brought presents for everyone. And I like presents...He got me a pair of True Religion jeans. Did I mention he is good at picking out things for me? He brought shirts for the girls and Hayden, so everyone was happy.
I knew hubby was tired and needed to sleep, so I had planned to go help a friend paint her living room while Hayden and daddy napped. At 10 am Hayden was yawning, so I put him down, and told hubby to go to sleep, and then I left. Three hours later I came back and they were both up( my husband looking very tired). Hayden never went to sleep!!! Did I feel bad?
So, I took Hayden with me to go grocery shopping, and of course he fell asleep in the car ride over there, and actually so did I...Has anyone ever fallen asleep at a traffic light? Very strange feeling. I was in a long line of cars when the light turned red, and before I knew it I was the first in line to go and the light was green and the car behind me was honking. I actually fell asleep at the wheel for a few seconds. See what sleep deprivation can do to you...or maybe I am trying to do too many things in one weekend. My God, that was pretty crazy.
The next morning the hospital called and woke me up at 5:45 to ask if I wanted to work a 12 hour shift in ICU. Did I feel slightly homocidal?
Needless to say I didn't go in to work. Instead hubby and I took Hayden to the Santa Barbara zoo to spend some much needed family time together. Hayden had a blast, and so did we!

Water play

Yesterday was college planning day, and today we're in toddler mode. Woke up to a beautiful morning, and Hayden wanted to play outside. What can I say, living in southern California is great. I just have to open the back door, and Hayden can run out to play dressed only in a diaper. We had a busy morning; we filled his sand and water table, and we filled his old baby bathtub with water. And then we splashed and splashed until the water was gone. But, we weren't ready to quit just yet. So, we filled it again and again. Yes, I did spray him with SP factor 50, before allowing his little naked butt to run free.
We do have a real pool, and it's fenced in for Hayden's sake. It hasn't really been broken in for the summer yet, but it's sparkling clean since I scrubbed it yesterday and adjusted the chemicals. Hayden really wanted to try it out too. So, we sat on the stairs into the pool and splashed some more. The water actually felt pretty good. Not too cold. So, this weekend I think we'll get in for real. Welcome summer!

Graduating highschool

Went over to my ex husband's to discuss college plans for my graduating senior. He has applied to and been admitted to UCSB. It's not a good time taking funds out from his college fund considering it has dropped approximately 40%, so we are talking about additional ways to finance his education. One idea that came up was for my son to take a low interest student loan. He wasn't to happy about that idea. We also talked about him working part time to help cut the costs. He wasn't too keen on that idea either, but is going along with it. The key wording here is "going along with it". What the hell happened with this generation? Or is it just here in California? I am from Sweden, and I can't recall anybody ever offering to pay for my college education. I don't think I know anybody in Sweden who had their education paid for by their parents. In Sweden kids rely on student loans and grants in addition to working part or full time. At least back when I used to live there.....I know, it's been awhile, and things may have changed. But it's this sense of entitlement that really gets to me. It's going to cost us approximately $23,000 a year for tuition, room, and board. Is it just me or isn't that a bit crazy? And it's not like he is the only one. We have three more after him. Well, the last one will give us a few years before we have to stress over college costs, but the other two are just round the corner from graduating high school. So, I think it's just fair that my son takes some responsibility for his own education and help pay for some of the expenses. There are parents out there who will second mortgage their house and work two jobs to put their kids through school. I told my son I will help him to the best of my ability, nothing more and nothing less. Any thoughts anyone...???

Single parent week

Two more days until hubby comes home...can't wait. Did I mention he is in Hawaii for a convention. Not that I can't handle being alone, actually sometimes it's kind of nice, but its hard being a single parent. This week I have had to do all the cooking, driving to school, getting up at night with Hayden, watering outside plants, scrubbing the pool and checking pool chemicals, and of course parenting two teenagers and a toddler. It makes me really appreciate what I have. My husband mostly work out of the house, so we can share a lot of the responsibilities.
But, I am the softie so when he is gone I get over run with requests. "Can we get take out for dinner?", "Can I have a sleep over?", "Can you take me to my friend's house?", "Can I...?", "Can I...?", "Can I...?" My ears are falling off...did I mention Hayden is the easy one.
In addition to being mom, chauffeur, short order cook, maid, therapist, and "the pool guy" I also have a "real job". I am an RN in a community hospital ICU. Not that I am working that much at the moment, only a weekend or two a month. But every little bit helps. It pays for the groceries, and I keep my foot in the door. I've made the decision to stay home with Hayden as long as possible since neither of us are great fans of daycare. . No offense anyone...

Diaper duty

• I was just about to turn off the lights and go to sleep when it dawned on me that I should probably check on baby Hayden, or more like it check his diaper. He has been soaking through the diaper, his clothes and the bed for the past several days. And not only at night, mind you. I have washed his bedlinens and clothes every morning and after every nap for about a week. I was tearing my hair out thinking his still so little I can't restrict his fluid intake. What the heck's going on? Well, finally the lightbulb turned on. In his sleep, he puts his hands down his pants, literally, and stretches the diaper out. So, when the urge is there his "little thing" is pointing straight up and there is no diaper in the world that's going to hold the urine in. So, I made a plan to change his diaper before I go to sleep (while he is still sleeping), and also to use a snapcrotch typ of pajama so that he can't grab hold of his penis. So far it has helped some. It'll keep him dry longer, but I still have to change the sheets in the morning because somehow he still gets the diaper crooked and it leaks. And don't tell me to buy the night diapers...I have already tried. My next plan is to buy depends and ductape.
  

Tech support needed

I am laying in bed contemplating my day. I have come to the realization that I am technically challenged. Today I spent hours trying to figure out how to transfer videos from my cellphone to my computer. I first tried to send as message, but the attachment was too large. I then thought, aha, that's what the USB cord is for. It didn't work either, so I decide to go online to Tmobile's website and see if I can somehow manage my album online. Well, no such luck, I can't even get to my online album because they were redesigning their website. So, I call their techsupport line and was told that the reason I can't transfer the files is because I needed to download something called samsung pc studio..gaaaawwww. So, I spend the next hour trying to download the darn thing, but it fails. Finally at the end of the day I have the software downloaded, but when I plug in the USB cord it still says "not connected". I gave up because I was about to toss the laptop out the window in to the pool, and that would not have been good. Specially since I always tell my 15 year old who has a short fuse not to take her anger out on inanimate objects.

The joys of older siblings

When my first two were toddlers they never watched tv, but then, they didn't have any teenage siblings. My girls come home from school and they want to "relax" with some stupid reality show and Hayden wants to join them!!!
This morning, driving my 15 year old to school, she says: "Hayden, do the gangster sign!"
Whereas my little munchkin immediately held out his fingers in a crocked sideway V sign with his sister approvingly says "Wassup dog?".

Shrinking family

It's weird how our lage family seems small all of a sudden. My oldest bonusdaughter who is 20 now lives with a friend. She goes to college, works, and is totally independent...(well, most of the time). My 18 year old son lives mostly at his dads because over there he has his own private little guesthouse in the backyard, and his girlfriend lives around the corner. He is graduating from highschool in a month and going off to college in the fall. And this week my husband is out of town, so there's only my two teenage girls, the 19 month old, and me at home. The girls are picky eaters and the toddler, well, he doesn't eat much....My grocery bill has definetily shrunk!

Early Birds

I was awakened by a twittering sound at 6 am. It was my 19 month old who was parroting the birds outside. I walk in to his room an he is jumping up and down in his crib excited to start the day. Not like his mama who is dragging her feet. Did I mention he actually slept in since he usually wakes up at 5:30...

Lunch time

If you're smart, don't give your 19 month old a youghurt and a spoon and then turn your back. I was getting something out of the fridge, and when I turned around Hayden was holding the cup upside down, watching the yoghurt dripping out of the container and with the other hand happily "painting" the table with the pink "goey" liquid. Did I mention I had just finished cleaning the house?

A summary of me

I'm originally from Sweden, but have lived in California for 19 years. I'm married for the second time, and together we have five children. His, mine, and ours. My two beautiful bonusdaughters are 16 and 20, then I have a beautiful 15 year old daughter, a handsome eighteen year old son, and together we have Hayden 19 months. He's our little miracle baby, our pride and joy, and constant source of fatigue. When you're past 40 (acually 44), somehow our bodies don't adjust as well to the sleepless nights. I am still waiting for him to sleep through.... Our friends, who also have teenagers, probably thought we were crazy for starting all over. We were all dealing with teenage driving, curfews, "boyfriends", and college planning when all of a sudden we found ourself back in diaper mode. It's been different, but a blessing. My days are now filled with walks in the park, rediscovering nature's creatures, mommy and me classes, and discussing colleges with my teens. It's a challenge at times, but also hilarious trying to balance the gearshifting between toddler and teens. The three oldest are all driving, and my youngest teen is taking her online driver's ed. Phew...We survived the first three, so we are pros now, but I am thankful to having a few years until the last one gets ready for driving and SATs. I wanted to share my experience with others and hopefully get feedback from others having made similar choices.....