Scrabble with strangers...even Zhu Zhu warriors can spell

Full on thanksgiving mom and I decided to rekindle an old tradition of consumerism for black friday shopping.  I work after care at my kids school and have been given an edge on the hot toys of the season.  That being said I have been on the never ending search for Zhu Zhu pets.  These are silly little fake hamsters for those of you who do not have kids of that age yet.  They all make silly little noises and then they move around and you can buy houses, cars, skateboards, balls and wheels.  Its insane.  I have been shopping for months for these.  Most stores only let you buy one to at the most four at a time.  I have waited in line several times with my mother.  I have even wrangled my husband into this endeavor.  I have finally gotten enough for my kids but was missing two of the set for my nephew, we can't have one kid not have as many as the others.  All must be even.  That brings me back to Thanksgiving night.  ToysRus was opening at midnight, my mom and I got there at ten.  We were already almost at the end of the building, 112 people back.  It was a diverse crowd that kept growing and growing.  The staff kept coming out side to check on everyone and finally decided that the police would be needed.  We ended up talking with people around us to women in front of us also waiting on the elusive zhu zhu ended up playing scabble with my mom, yes my mom brought scrabble.  I draped a very tired six year old girl in a sling I had in my car.  I also draped my self and my mom in them.  We did not think we were going to be able to get a zhu zhu but they also had great deals on lego star wars.  The managers came around the crowd and handed out item cards.  We actually got a zhu zhu pet each!!  A woman handed me an extra house so we have everything we want for Damien for christmas, Yipee!  We escaped Toys R us in 30 minutes to a parking lot still full of people.

Excited by our zhu zhu adventure we went straight to Target so i could get a present for my husband and one for my brother and sister in law.  We got there around 1am.  We were only about fifteenth inline there.  The group in front of us was  a bunch of people in their late teens that had set up a T.V. and were watching movies and playing video games.  My mom and i set up our chairs for the four, yes I said four hour wait.  We ignored an obnoxious woman that constantly kept complaining about the kids and had a cop search their area for beer.  It was too much.  It was insanely cold so I ended up going to 7-11 where they had snuggli blankets.  It was a blast we got in quickly and got what we wanted for all of our peeps.  Its crazy what we do for people. 

I have been told that I am out there and crazy for staying up all night to shop.  That's the thing about being broke, you want to be able to do great things for the people that you love but you don't have the money to do just do it.  That is why I didn't sleep.  I need to be able to know that on that morning the important people in my life will have a great smile on their face.  I know that I do not need to but them stuff to show my love but I want to make their lives a little better.  Things are not important but sometimes things can simplify or just make life a little more enjoyable. So I got some things to put smiles on faces and got to spend a silly and great night with my mom.  It was a great way to spend a night.

Jack Daniels and whipp cream...mmm,mmm...Good!!!!

This was our first year not having Thanksgiving at my moms house which is also my house now.  It was a little uncomfortable for me at first.  I was trying to figure out how I fit into the whole day now.  I think others can understand just not knowing where you fit in, well in general.  I think that is my problem in life.  I am living with my mom so I am trying to have my family under her roof.  I have to be the daughter, mother and wife all under one roof and a lot of times those roles are adverse to each other.  I want to be able to do and be everything that people need from me.  So, that brings me back to Thanksgiving.  My sister in law or as I like to say my favorite fake sister(I have another sister in-law and a step sister) made an amazing environment and a fantastic meal.  My mom and I made a lot of the sides.  I made the mash potatoes as I do whenever we have mashed potatoes.  I use the masher that my grandfather Lenton Poole used while a chef in the army during WWII.  There was a beautiful moment when Logan and Ava stood on a chair and each took turns mashing.  They were fighting over who got to mash t e longest and who was the better masher.  It brought me back to my brother and I using the same masher fighting over the same things.  I was realizing at that moment that I did not have to be the hostess or the one taking on everything to belong.  My kids would not have the day without me.  That is where I belong in this line of great potato mashers.  When I got to my brothers and was greeted by my nephew who was so happy to see his Aves and my sister-in-law that looked stunning in classic pearls, I looked at my brother and saw my grandfather watch on his wrist and my fathers necklace around his neck and felt connected again.  The day went fantastic as my worries melted away.  I stared at Naima's home made pies decorating the counters and wanted to skip dinner to eat dessert.  The kids sat next to us at their own table making a hot mess and lots of noise.  They were all crazy but that is to be expected.  They all had so much fun together.  they played together all night until Damien passed out and we took our kids home, where two out of three of them passed out.  But back to the desserts.  I used to think that pumpkin pie was like a good husband you loved it, it made you feel good and it tasted good.  I recently discovered that I was starting an affair with pecan pie.  It is fun to eat and sweet and make me feel fantastic.  Well Naima made me get divoriced from pumpkin pie last night.  She added Whipp cream infused with Jack Daniels.  It had me at first whiff!!!  I don't think I have ever loved a desert so much.  I hope Naima knows that she is not allowed to ever leave the family that she has me addicted to her being in charge of a holiday and her fantasticle baking!!!  I am liking how our family is growing.  We have our growing pains but we are growing, so i guess that is how its supposed to be.  Like I said to start I am trying to figure out how I fit into it all.

Who should be cleaning up that pee?

Today was a great day.  We had no real plans, but cleaning the house.  My mom had her ideas of how and what needed to be done and sense we tend to but heads on things like that I thought for the benefit of all of us I should take the kids and jet.  We were able to get the kids and ourselves out of my moms hair.

Eric took Logan to his friend Dane's house.  The men folk played and wrestled and played video games all day.  I took Ava and Beckett to the mall to meet up with some awesome mama's that are into babywearing and such.  It was great.  I had a great time with the other moms.  It makes me realize how much I need to put in the time to cultivate new relationships.  I am not the best at that.  I need people that will almost force themselves into my life.  I just have so much going on.  I am also not willing to scarifice the time my kids deserve to have with me.  I know that everyone says that we deserve time for us but I didn't have kids for them to grow up with out me in their life.  They are in school so much of the week and I work and have school.  Its so hard to balnce it all.

That was not where I thought I was heading with this.  Ava was amazing at the mall.  I felt like such a proud mama.  Ava watched out for her baby brother at the mallplayground.  A newly walking baby could easily get lost in those playgrounds.  Ava was protective and sweet to him without me having to ask her.  She then made sure that she got a sucker from the candy kiosk for her big brother.  The lady offers her a sucker and she lloks up at him and says "You know I have a big brother too, he likes suckers!"  It was so sweet and cute.  She then just says thank you!  We walked around the mall and she was fantastic.  She stayed near me and didn't whine once!!!  It was amazing.  We went home and helped clean.  Ava dusted everything while I cleaned the downstairs bathroom.

Does anyone else think it ended up like a throwback to sexism that the girls went to the mall and cleaned while the boys stayed out and played all day.  I was cleaning the floor around the toilet that my Logan seems to pee on everyday.  I am going to start making him clean the floor after he pees.  I know he can aim, i have seen it but he looks around and his pee moves with his head.  So he played while I was on my knees scrubbing the floors.  So Logan is going to have to clean up his own pee and I paid Ava for her cleaning.  I figured if I paid her it would make it feel less sexist.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I will spend the day thinking of what I am thankful for and planning my black Friday attack plan.

training wheels

So this is my first blog. One more step on my journey to be a better social net worker or to be just plain better. I am a mother of three that fumbles through motherhood on a daily basis. I try my best and am constantly failing and succeeding all based on what kid you ask. I just want to be able to connect with others.
Today was a good day as ice t would say so far no tantrums nothing spilled and lots of laughter. It can all go down hill pretty quickly. I am trying to just make it all work.
I am twenty-eight and live back home again with my mother, step-father, husband and three kids, Logan 5, Ava 3 and Beckett 1. It is never easy but mostly fun. My husband might tell you a different story but he spends most of his time working managing a fast food restaurant and lives with his in-laws.
We are all doing our best. Some moments our best is better than others. So this is me awkwardly fumbling through life, marriage and motherhood oh yeah and now I am a student again. I really do love my life I am just so tired.