Goals and accomplishments.

I have attempted to start this blog like five times tonight, all in the last ten minutes. Unfortunately, the kids are sitting right next to me and won't be quiet.

As I type they want grapes, water and blueberries.

We just ate dinner.

I guess I'll just keep going backwards, since that seems to be working today.

I made their dinner and introduced them to fried eggplant, the way my mom used to do it in breadcrumbs and Spanish Adobo. The baby ate half of it. I think I ate the other half while cooking it. That's the trouble with fried foods...

T took the two older kids to the museum today so I spent the entire day cleaning things. It never gets old. Is there anything more satisfying than seeing the massive dust bunny on the bottom of the stupid Swiffer and the nice clean, shiny floor?

I'm battling another wave of ants so I disinfected the entire kitchen and the playroom from top to bottom. I've broken the kids of eating breakfast in the playroom, but we're still working on dinner. T insists that it's the only way they'll eat.

I'm trying to prove otherwise.

While reorganizing a book shelf in the playroom I came across a LARGE collection of classics that they inherited in the purchase of this estate. There are some early edition Salingers and Kissingers. There's a slew of Jewish books, which I intend to read despite my non-Jewish heritage. There's one entitled "Exodus" which looks especially intriguing.

I also put a good share of their cursed stuffed animal collection up on a shelf and another third into a big red canvas bag to hide underneath everything else in the playroom. I HATE STUFFED ANIMALS.

PLEASE, if you love me at all and I ever bear children, do not buy them stuffed animals. I will have a stuffed animal roast and rue the day you walked into my life if you do.

I cleaned every floor on the second story and changed the baby's poopy diaper three times. What is wrong with his butt?

After the last load, I made him a banana pureed with honey beacuse that is the only way he will eat them and I desperately wanted to do something besides powder his rear end today.

First thing this morning after breakfast and as T was leaving I took Baby out for a walk and worked up a good sweat with a nice view of the bay. I found a street that runs along it for a while, appropriately named Bayview. I even got to make a phone call that lasted nearly ten minutes before my phone dropped the call!

This day has been all over the place but I got a lot done and I feel accomplished. I felt good about everything until the fried eggplant forced its way into my mouth.

Which leads me back to right now.

These kids have definitely grown on me but I just want to offer some unsolicited advice to all the parents out there.

Giving your kids what they want all the time, even when they're whining, especially if they're whining, turns your kids into little mouthy annoying monsters that no one wants to babysit.

So do the world a favor, and learn how to tell your kids no. Just say no. Say it early, say it often.

R is doing better at asking me for things and saying please instead of demanding things. But tonight right before dinner she wanted scrambled egg. When I explained that we were about to eat dinner and she couldn't have one, she ran out of the room crying. T was upstairs getting dressed and immediately contradicted me. R came back triumphant, with permission to have an egg.

As I scrambled it I went to my dark place. But I bounced back quickly when I remembered how much I make to put up with nonsense like that.

It's definitely worth it.

Well, I distracted the kids this long with an Elmo DVD, but I dont' expect it to last much longer. Time to be getting some blueberries and grapes and drinks and meeting other demands and concentrating on pay day.