Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .
. . . Daniel pushing the emergency call button in a store elevator today. I immediately pulled him away from the panel, whereupon he hurried over to the other one (why are there two??), and pushed the alarm button. The staff just took it in stride; they say it happens all the time. I'm not sure whether to find that reassuring or unsettling.
Today's favorite moments included . . .
. . . attending the adult session of stake conference with my sweetheart.
. . . hearing how much fun the kids had with Pink Grandma after we got home tonight.
And another thing . . .
. . . one of the banes of my existence is recipes that say "add salt to taste" without specifying an amount. I never add enough. Tonight's Chicken Paprikash recipe was a case in point, but at least when we discovered the sauce was bland I could stir a little more salt in and fix things. If you roast undersalted potatoes there's just not much to you can do for them once they're out of the oven and on your plate.
. . . we took our kids to the park today, and as I watched one child while Phillip followed the other around, I thought, "Hmm . . . what are we going to do when there are three kids and only two parents? And for that matter, what will happen when I bring three of them to the park, and have to keep track of all three on my own??" I'm sure I'll figure it out, just like I've learned to handle one and then two, but I'm beginning to see why some people say the third child adds exponentially more chaos to your life.
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2 comments:
Second attempt at a comment google decided to eat several days ago:
One strategy that usually works is delegating some of the watchcare to the oldest child. That way, they can help by quasi keeping an eye on the next one whilst playing with them too! Small children can be very responsible at caring for others.
On the subject of three at a time...I swear I aged a year the day I decided it would be a good idea to walk along Chicago's lakefront with my three, aged approximately 4 years, 20 months, and three months at the time. I suggested the idea to the kids (as an alternate to going to the Shedd Aquarium) before I realized I only had a single stroller. I stuck to my plan even after the realization sunk in. I didn't want to go back on what I told the kids we'd do, right?
Gwyn was fascinated with the water. Now, the lakefront where we were walking is artificial, created by fill from building Chicago's freight tunnels and also some old-fashioned garbage. There is no gradual slope to the water. Rather, there is a concrete walking path, heavily trafficked, that borders on a 4-6 foot sheer drop to boulders and the cold, greasy waters of Lake Michigan.
My dilemma? Gwyn wanted to be close to the water and seemed continually on the brink of falling in. Morgan was adventurous and trying to go everywhere. Baby Theo was in the stroller. If I tried to chase after Morgan, Gwyn could fall in. If Gwyn fell in, would I be there to rescue her? Even if I could rescue her, what would happen to the other two in the mean time? Add in lots of people, bikes, roller blades, and Canada geese on the grassy verge, and you will begin to understand the potential for disaster. It was just bad.
I think I may have called you while you were at the lake that day. That probably didn't help.
This morning I visited a friend who's a recent inductee into the threebie mom club, and she more or less echoed your thoughts. She said in some ways three is easier than two because the oldest can help out, but going places is exponentially more complicated than it used to be.
At those point, Joy loves to remind me how much she likes to help out, and I hope I can help her cultivate that in a way that doesn't make it feel like a chore. And I'm sure I'll have more than my share of "lakefront" experiences, because four years into this mom thing I still forget to bring diapers half the time.
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