There are some things that I am fairly certain about in life and I can't wait to share one of them with you. I'm pretty sure that there are certain comments that you should not make to a family with 2 or more children who are all the same sex. Parents who had boy and a girl out of the gate might not completely understand this, but, those of us who's family began with two boys (myself included) or came from families of three girls (me again!) can be extra sensitive on this subject.
'Are you trying for a boy?' is probably not a great question to ask someone who is contemplating a third baby and has all girls. This is especially true if the parents' girls are present. Their therapy bill may one day show up at your door if you ask this. In addition, how exactly you try for a certain sex is beyond me. I've heard of certain positions or certain diets all of which sound a little bogus. Maybe this mom and dad are just trying for another baby and I'm sure that they have a lot of hopes for a possible future child which may or may not include a sex preference.
'I hope that you have a girl' is not the best thing to say to a mom who is pregnant and has even one boy. I heard this so much during my second and third pregnancies that if charged everyone who said it a dollar then I would have had money to pay for my unborn child's college education – at Harvard!
'Oh no!' is also not a good response to a mom who had just told you that she is having her fourth son. I once overheard a conversation between two moms where one mom told another mom that she was having her fourth son any day now. The other mother responded with the good ol' 'oh no!' with a look of pain on her face. Let's just say that that is not nice.
'Are you hoping for a boy?' is also not a great question. If a mom or dad is hoping for another gender than what they already have then let them tell you that. Some dads don't care if they get to play catch with their sons and some moms know that their children can be a lot of fun without the color pink being involved. If you don't believe me then just ask Olivia Manning.
All boy or girl families can be beautiful too! So if you need to say something the next time you see a family with all pigtails remember that a simple 'that's wonderful' will suffice.
So, I'm sure you're wondering what the sex of my third baby is. She is a girl, and as cute as the day is long. But rest assured, I still remember the joy of having just boys.

It seems that we are becoming a world of busybodies. Everyone that I talk to these days is busy. The first sentence that comes out of someone's mouth when you ask how they are doing is, “We're just so BUSY!”
So, what in the heck are we all doing out there? Something major? Is it true that we are overbooked and over scheduled? What I've found when talking to my mom friends is that every family falls into a different category of busybodies. Read on and you may find one that describes your family.
Lots of Tots Busybodies – These families are so busy due to the large amount of children in their home. Any family of 4 or more automatically falls into this category. Even some families of three can claim lots of tots if their children are spaced close together. These families are busy just getting through the day. Getting everyone dressed, teeth brushed, fed, shoes on, diaper changed, bathroom break and out the door can take two hours in of itself. And that time is only within reach if you don't have a major catastrophe such as a blowout diaper or meltdown from one of the tots due to what they are wearing or (not) eating. The unfortunate reality for these families is that by the time that you've completed all of these necessary tasks it is time for another meal, diaper change or nap.
Socialite Busybodies – These families love to party. They love to attend parties, throw parties or just hang out and invite anyone on the street over to their house for an impromptu party. They are the family in the neighborhood that is always sitting out front with a cold beverage in their hand. If you are even remotely acquainted with them you have been invited to one of their parties celebrating Memorial Day, the 4th of July or Groundhog Day.
Indy Busybodies – These families have one or both parents from the Indianapolis area. They have lived in this area for all or most of their whole life. They have so much family living within 30 minutes that not only is dating tricky, but weekends are jam packed with Aunt Trudy's 80th birthday, or cousin Jack's christening. Did I mention that these busybodies usually come from large families? Even larger than their circle of family in the area is their circle of friends. These are the same dear friends they've had since Kindergarten and they all want to get together with the Indy Busybodies.
Keeping Up With the Jones' Busybodies – These families are busier than you are. They say they are busy just because that is what everyone else is saying. If they are truly not busy, then they will find something to do to make them busy. While this family complains about being busy, they actually love it because it makes them feel more important than the other busybodies.
Joiner Busybodies - This busybody family loves to be a part of the action. The dad of this family coaches his children's', sports teams. A lot of time for this family is spent driving to and from extracurricular activities. The children always want to join a playgroup which has formed outside in their neighborhood. The mom of this family is on the PTO Board at school, has a weekly workout group as well as a monthly card playing group . . . . .
Sorry, I'm going to stop writing about this family because they are sounding an awful lot like mine!
I'll have to end this blog here, because, you guessed it, I'm busy!

I'm an author!

OH MY! I was just chosen as an author for WonderDads! I will be published soon and how exciting is that? SO busy now but will blog later!

The grass is always greener . . .

It's true that the grass is always greener on the other side. I know this but sometimes you have to experience it for yourself, right? I definitely will appreciate being "just a mom" more now after a brief fling with a kind of job. A fling that left me feeling used, abused and lied to!
Anyway, I love hanging out with the kiddos and having nothing more in life to do but take care of them. Who needs money anyway? I need to suffer with the others in this piss poor economy! So, look for more funny blogs from me :)

The difference in raising our children
There is an old Chinese proverb that describes how a mother reacts when her child drops their pacifier on the floor. (Okay, so it's not Chinese but that makes it sound more appealing than saying some random mom at the park said it). Anyway, the saying goes like this - when your first child drops their pacifier on the ground you pick it up, sanitize it properly and hand it back to them. No germs for your pride and joy! When your second child drops their pacifier on the floor you pick it up, run it under some water and hand it back to them. You're pretty sure the water got most of the germs off. By the time your third child drops their pacifier on the floor you pick it up, spit on it and rub it on your pants to dry, and hand it back to them. Germ scherm! Who's got time to worry about such trivial things!
Those with only one child, please stop your 'it will never happen to me' thoughts because, well . . . . IT WILL!. Most moms change their parenting style the more children that they have. We get more laid back and relaxed than we thought that we ever would.
The first change in our parenting style occurs with our children's milestones. With our first child we read our official 'First Year' books which are placed prominently in our bookshelf where they are easily accessible. We look ahead at every month to make sure our child is exactly where they are supposed to be. If they are walking, talking or even blinking ahead of schedule we tell the whole world. We're bragging to grandma, our friends and even the clerk at the grocery store! If they are even a week behind in what they are supposed to be we are in a panic. By the time we reach our third child things have changed a bit. That official 'First Year' book is now buried behind an “Us Weekly” magazine. You have no idea when your child is technically supposed to roll over or sleep through the night but are smart enough to know it's somewhere between three months and a year. And (thank goodness!) you are so much more relaxed when your child grows at their own rate and not little Jack's down the street.
Following milestones by a close second are naps. Your first child always slept in their crib. Your entire day was planned around their nap schedule. You left the zoo in plenty of time to get home and place them in the crib before they would drift slowly off to sleep. Your second child was a little different. You might leave the zoo a little later, so they fell asleep in the car. If you're lucky, they will stay asleep as you transfer them from their car seat to their crib. And if they wake up during this transfer, oh well, they just had a shorter nap today. Now, by the time your third child comes around your trip to the zoo does not include nap plans. Your third child will take their nap in the stroller for thirty minutes without missing a beat and you will not think anything of it.
Another way us moms get more relaxed is with what tv programs our children are allowed to watch. Your first child probably only watched one or two of those 'Baby Einstein' videos to enhance their brain development. The ones and twos were spent watching the educational Sesame Street or Blue's Clues. By the time your third child came around they quickly skip over all of those younger shows. They want to watch Sponge Bob and Hanna Montana from the age of 9 months. It's not that you've planned it that way, but seeing their big sister or big brother watching those cool shows makes them want to watch them also. And the house is so quiet with all of your children watching tv that you don't see the point in arguing.
Moms, don't fret if you see yourself in any of these situations or have many more of your own. It is these relaxed ways which make our subsequent children more adaptable. I, for one, (a second child) am a much better person for it!

The Best Advice You'll Ever Get
So, you are a new mom and overloaded with advice? Veteran moms tell you to breastfeed, bottle feed, sleep with your baby, don't sleep with your baby, use a pacifier, don't use a pacifier and we could go on and on. Well, new moms, listen up for just one more piece of advice and it's gong to be the best one that you've ever heard.
Start a monthly girls group! Yes, you heard me right, a mandatory once a month girls night out (or in)! Let me tell you, those friends that you went to college with or grew up with will soon become hard to keep up with. Phone calls will become few and far between. The phone calls that you do have with them will end with 'we'll have to get together', but you may never find the time to do it. Pretty soon, you'll run into Sally (or wait, is her name Susie?) that you used to be so close with and you won't even recognize her. And you'll end that conversation with saying 'We should get together!' But you know that you won't. Y'all know what I'm talking about!
Why do you need to talk to your girlfriends so often? Because they get you. Oh, your husband may be your best friend, but does he roll his eyes when you want to over analyze Meredith and Derek's relationship from Grey's Anatomy? He can be a dear and will listen to you when you tell him how bad your cramps hurt, but does he truly have an idea of what you are talking about? Your mother is great to go shopping with, but can you let go and tell her the nitty gritty problems of your sex life?
Your girlfriends keep your secrets and tell you how life really is. They celebrate with you when you have a baby and mourn with you when you lose a parent. They will always tell you how great you look and share their secrets on how they look so great. They love you unconditionally.
About six years ago one of my smartest friends had the most genius idea to begin a monthly card group. To this day, eight of us get together once a month at someone's house. We leave our kids, husbands and worries behind. We fall off of our diets, eating snacks, appetizers, dinner and a lot of desserts. We drink our favorite wine, beer or drink of the night.
But the best part of our girls nights is the conversation. We talk about our kids, our husbands or our neighbors. We talk about whomever didn't show up that night. We talk about tv shows, current events and a lot of topics that would not be appropriate for a little Blog such as this.
We come from all different sides of towns and don't complain about the long drive. If it weren't for this group, I don't know that I would even see any of these girls. Our joke in our girls group is that someone is always pregnant or nursing. And that trend still continues to this day.
Oh, and I should mention that we play cards too. Euchre, Texas Hold'em or Bunco, depending on how many of us could make it. There is a small pot for the winner and a small prize for the loser. Just enough to make it interesting.
And trust me, if you want to be the best mother that you can be, a girls night out may be just what you need. It is something that you can't get from a book, a class or hear on tv. That's why I love girlfriends.

The Bigger The Better

I'm not sure what happens to us after we have children. Suddenly, size does matter. We want it as big as it can be! Now, get your head out of the gutter because you've got it all wrong!
Our fascination with size all begins while shopping in that ginormous baby store searching for the perfect stroller for our pint size baby. We spot that tiny stroller in the corner that would effortlessly fit into a normal sized doorway. Nope, that won't do. Next we look at that medium sized one with just a little storage. No thanks. Where would we put all of our stuff? But that extra large one that is almost as big as a Volkswagen Bug. We'll take it! That stroller has a cup holder, a key holder, a big storage compartment on bottom for bags, purses and any other random items we feel the need to carry. Not to mention plenty of room for our baby. In the biggest stroller our baby will be able to lay down, sit up, side straddle, stand up, criss cross applesauce and even perform Cirque de Soleil moves!
While we're shopping let's head over to the diaper bags. Before children we carried purses so tiny that we could barely fit a cell phone and credit card in them. These post-baby bags have got to be as big as Texas! Because they're called diaper bags we have to put in diapers and wipes. But that is not all our babies need. They also need bottles, sippy cups, toys, snacks, a change of clothing, diaper rash ointment, books, pacifiers and a partridge in a pear tree!
Next on our list is our vehicle. Just try to fit one car seat into a two door car and you'll know why. Those gas guzzling full size SUVs and Minivans that you always made fun of now seem very appealing. And they can't just seat seven. There at least needs to be an option to seat eight people. Never mind that we only have one child and they don't even have any friends yet. Mucho amount of storage is a must too. The seats have to hide in the bottom or be taken out to allow for even more storage. You never know when you might want to haul a refrigerator.
While we're at it, who can resist an extra-large television? It's got to be at least 30 inches and take up every last inch of the entertainment center. And that's just the one we keep in the bedroom! The t.v. in the family room has to be as wide as we are tall. No, wait it has to be bigger than that. Let's make it wider than the Jones's. By a foot. We want to watch those important reality shows and feel like we are right in the middle of all of that bickering.
Last but certainly not least is our pride and joy. Our home. Before children we were content with our three bedroom, one and a half bath ranch. You could clean that entire house in one afternoon. Ah, the good old days! So, why did we move again? Well, everyone needs their own room and then a guest room is a must for visits from grandparents. You now need a basement to keep all of your toys. The grown-up toys that is. And the kids need a playroom, a walk-in closet, their own bathroom, a play set and a gps tracker so you can track them down in such a massive castle. The garage even has to have places to park three cars to allow room for those big vehicles.
So, the next time that you are shopping for an item, see if you are drawn to the larger option. I bet you will be. And for some strange reason you'll just have to buy it. Because we like it big now.