Category Archives: Random

October 26, 2012 · 8:35 pm

The “Day” I Survived …

This week I’ve been battling a terrible cold.  I don’t do very well when I get sick … just ask my mom how much fun I was when I was sick as a kid :)  The triplets didn’t quite get the memo that “mom is under the weather” and have refused to nap this week – PLUS they have just been getting into everything!  Here is what Wednesday looked like in my house:

I KNEW it was too good to be true when my house was quite for a full five minutes!  I went to check on the boys and found them playing in a tub of Vaseline!

Just look at those boys looking at each other – they were SOOOO in on this together!

Here you can see just how greasy Logan is – his entire face was shiny!  The white in their hair and on Logan’s shoulder are GLOBS of Vaseline!  And that doesn’t come out in the bath … They have been running around like little grease balls since then.

Here are the globs of Vaseline they were spreading all over their cribs.

Following the Vaseline, my grease monkeys got into my Tupperware – which really wasn’t a bad thing – they were having a blast and it wasn’t like they were breaking anything.  It was just a HUGE mess and Weston had a breakdown in the middle of the lids … then it was “nap” time.

I use the term “nap” loosely when referring to Wednesday.  It was more like baby gymnastics when they were supposed to be sleeping.  And with this cold, I was so fed up and so irritated, I just had to get out of the room for a few minutes to clear my mind.  So I closed the door behind me and called my mom for a quick pep talk.  (NOTE: their room is totally baby proof, outlets are covered and all things not baby safe have been removed so it was completely safe for me to walk out of the room)

This is what I came back to … clothes thrown all over the room, naked babies and a TURD in the middle of the floor!  This was five minutes people!  The boy’s clean diapers were laying in the corner of the room & they had strategically pooped in the middle of the floor.  

UGH!  I had had enough for one day!  THANK GOODNESS my very good friend Mandy walked in the door just at that very moment!  She had popped over to borrow something and saved me (and the boys) from a REALLY ugly “mom moment”.  She was able to get the triplets back in their diapers and to sleep within a few minutes.  I call her Nanny McPhee for this very reason!

My cold still hasn’t really let up – in fact I started to unravel again tonight at bedtime.  Thank goodness the boys went to bed fairly easily tonight!!  I’m in need of a glass of wine and my DVR :)  I also need to sew on a few more snaps onto the triplet’s Halloween costumes.  Trick or Treat is tomorrow!!!

I survived the week…thanks heavens for the weekend!!!  Next week has GOT to get better … right?!?!?

Love, Mel

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October 14, 2012 · 8:25 pm

2012 WSMA Marching Band Championships – GO NORTH!

I attended the WSMA State Marching Band Championships tonight – my little brother is marching his senior year in the Waukesha Northstar band.  With the rain today, the competition was held in the field hours, rather than the football field.  There was only a tight hallway for the parents and bystanders to watch from over a railing.  The hallway was too hot and crammed with anxious supporters – and it was almost impossible to see.  I wiggled my way so that I was standing on the top row of risers that had just be brought out.  With the lens on my camera, I was able to get a few good pictures.

Watching my 6 foot baby brother become such a leader is soooo cool!  I remember back to my senior year and remember the magic I felt – the bond of being in the band was strong and there was this heaviness of the day.  The season was coming to an end and, for many of us, it would be the last time taking a field in competition.  Everything we said that day felt like it would mean something forever.  While watching Jake perform, a girl standing next to me said “gosh I miss this so much.”  I thought to myself, “I do too – wow, it’s been 10 years since I marched and I still miss it!”  I miss being apart of such a large group – feeling like you were changing the world with your marching style.  Thinking that if I caught all of my tosses, I was on the top of the world!  (looking back it seems kind of silly but it was so real when I was seventeen)  Now to think how much more there is to life – bills, world poverty, raising children, the meaning of life  - I sometimes just wish it was as simple as band practice and flags again.  I wish I could find the words to express just how awesome it was to be apart of the Northstar Marching Band … or any marching band for that matter.  We were like one giant purple family.  The freshman had mentors in the upperclassmen.  The long hours of practices bonded the group of 200+ kids.  Just to go back and have one more year in the marching band …

Every competing band has put in hundreds of hours of practice – they can all be proud of themselves!  North took three caption awards – best percussion, best visual experience and best color guard.  They were named state champs of 2012!  While it was such a bummer that Jake wasn’t able to perform on the football field for his senior year – it was pretty awesome that they took first place!  I’m so proud of my baby brother :)

He’s just growing up so fast – I remember the day my parents told us they were pregnant – I thought we were getting an in-ground swimming pool and Rachael thought we were getting a bird.  Little did we know we were getting the greatest little brother ever!

Love, Mel

Here is a shot of all the bands standing together during the award ceremony

Jake and his lovely girlfriend Emma – although if you ask Jaden she’s HIS girlfriend ;)

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July 30, 2012 · 10:06 pm

Only 8 Lives Left

Let me start out this blog post with … I could not have made this up if I tried!

Around 7:30am my phone rang and it was Doug frantically telling me I needed to come outside because there was quote: Something really scary outside.”  In the back of my mind I was thinking “This had better be good.”  Doug met me at the back door and told me that I didn’t close the garage door last night.  I started to insist that I did (because I know I did!) but it’s been acting up a little and so it sometimes opens back up again.  Maybe I didn’t actually watch it close all the way …

Doug goes on to tell me that he closed the door for me when he made his breakfast.  When he was getting into his car to drive to work, he heard something strange.  When he looked up he saw this:

(please note that this is not my garage door … it’s a picture I found on google but this is exactly what I saw!)

I immediately opened the garage door, holding my breath because I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen.  Sure enough, the cat dropped to the ground, still crying, and dragged his behind into my neighbor’s bushes.  I was torn between trying to hold him and just letting him go.  I wanted to help, but wasn’t sure if it would lash out at me if I got close.

I then grabbed the phone and called the Humane Society.  They had to be able to help, right?  I was so flustered and Doug was still talking, I had to redial twice so I could write down the on-call number.  The kind lady on the phone said that she could be out by us in about 25-30 minutes.

As the adrenalin started to wear off, we started to think a little clearer.  We should let our neighbors know about the cat in their bushes,  just in case they come outside.  I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt.  I felt sick to my stomach as I imagined that poor cat dragging his hind legs behind him.  It was awful!  You could still hear the cat cries from the bushes.   Doug had to get to work, but I was ok since the neighbors were going to help me keep watch on where the cat was.

It took a good 30 minutes for HAWS to get to us.  When the car pulled in, we showed her where the cat had crawled to.  And wouldn’t you know … the cat came WALKING out of the front bushes and right into Rita’s arms!  It was a friendly cat after all.  Which then made my heart sink again … this is probably someone’s cat and not a stray.  Doug crushed someone’s pet in our garage door!  I felt sick all over again.  I know that they’ll take good care of the cat and hopefully they’ll find his rightful owners.  The lady from HAWS said she thought maybe she was dragging her hind legs because they were numb from being trapped like that.  That’s a way better outcome from the broken pelvis I thought she had!

So if you live near Sussex, WI and you see a sign about a missing orange cat, let me know … cuz I’m pretty sure it’s only got 8 lives left!

I swear, this stuff only happens to me.

Love, Mel

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March 6, 2012 · 9:41 pm

Belly Buttons

What is with belly buttons?  They are so weird!  I love Sandra Boyton’s “The Belly Button Book” … If you haven’t read it you should … It’s honestly that good.

Well the babies have found theirs!  Logan pulls up his shirt all the way to his chin and will play with his belly button or he will waddle over to show it to me.  I usually poke it and tell him how cute he is.  He laughs and does it all over again.  As soon as Weston catches on that it’s belly button playing time he is right there with his shirt up …. Sticking out his gut so I’ll play with his belly button too.

Here is where it gets weird …. It never fails, after a few rounds of silliness with their bellies, they want to see my belly button!  They start grabbing at my shirt, pulling it up to see what’s under there.  If I’m sitting on the couch, it’s buried for good.  My rolls sort of fold over and hide it.  The babies aren’t smart enough to go looking for it under my high-waisted mom jeans just yet.

When laying flat on my back on the ground one day, I let them hunt for my belly button.  Then they discovered just how much mom’s belly jiggles and wiggles after having three babies grow in there.  It shakes like a bowl full of jelly.  They wiggle it, and laugh and laugh and poke at me some more.  Jaden has even told me it’s like scrambled eggs.  Note to self:  teach Jaden not to compare his wife’s stomach to any sort of breakfast food after they have kids of their own.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this new game of theirs.  It’s so funny when they are playing with their own belly buttons.  I enjoy that part of the game!  I suppose there really is no harm in it really … and to think I had body image issues when I was 16 years old and wore size five pants.  How life changes.  Those belly buttons are just such weird things …

Love, Mel

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December 13, 2011 · 10:23 pm

Xmas Preparations

As everyone else is, I’ve been super busy getting ready for Christmas.  We are celebrating with Doug’s family this weekend … so I really have until tomorrow night to have all my Bissing Christmas stuff done.  It’s making my palms sweat just typing about it.

So I’ve been busy … but there is always time in my schedule for some good music.  Music has brought me comfort in my darkest times and it’s also been there for my best of times.  My favorite one-armed musician, Tony Memmel (also writer and singer of Owen’s Song) just released a new Christmas music video.

Take some time, listen to this catchy tune and enjoy!  Remember to take five minutes a day to yourself. (That might be more of a reminder to myself these days …)

Love, Mel

ps Share the video with your friends and family!

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October 7, 2011 · 8:23 pm

Wipe Out

Here I was getting the kids ready for bed and planning out a whole blog in my head about how we’ve all been recovering from sickness this past week.  Then … the Brewers win!  Doug and I had all the boys in the living room.  We all jumped up and down.  Hollered and hooted.  I grabbed the empty bottles and headed for the kitchen – still jumping and prancing around.  Then … BAM!  I slipped on a rattle, went up in the air, twisted my knee and landed flat on my back.  Ugh!  I laid in the fetal position for a second, taking an assessment as to if I was still alive or not.  Doug even got up to see if I was ok.  If you know my husband (and I love him), this was big.  Then I laughed.  I laughed so hard.  Have you ever done that?  Totally wiped out and then laugh hysterically?  Needless to say the third toe on my left foot hurts, but I lived to tell the tale.

So back to being sick all week.  (Hardly exciting after the rattle incident.)  The triplets had some bad colds this weekend.  They refused to sleep in the their beds.  REFUSED.  We learned to sleep like this:

These are the moments now that both remind me why I love being a mom and why it’s bittersweet to have only two babies.  See, if Owen was still alive, what would I do?  I couldn’t hold all three of them (physically impossible to get all three on my lap without help) … so would I hold only one and feel like I was playing favoritism or would I hold two and leave one by themselves?  That was my least favorite part about being a mom of triplets.  I couldn’t hold my kids without feeling guilty about not being able to hold all three.  Now I can hold all of my babies, but I feel guilty for savoring it because that means Owen died.

I still hold both of them as much as I can.  Or I let Jaden crawl all over me while feeding one of the triplets.  One thing I certainly don’t have as a mom is a personal bubble.  I love cuddling and snuggling.  I think the kids love it too.  :)

Other stuff coming up?  I’ve started planning the triplet’s first birthday party.  I’m SO excited.  It’s going to be an amazing day of celebration and of course remembering Owen.  But I want it to be a celebration of surviving and living the past year.  It’s really going to be a great day.

Ok … off to design some wedding invitations and look for more ideas for the triplet’s birthday.

Love, Mel

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October 5, 2011 · 7:11 am

Crazy House

My life is officially crazy. And I am officially going to the looney bin!

Logan was up at 5am so I caught up on my dvr. (Teen Mom finale). By 8am jaden has had three breakfasts. He is an empty pit these days! Logan was pushing Jaden around the house on the fire engine thing. Then I turned around and Weston had sat himself on top of the laundry basket. These boys are sure giving me a run for my money today!

Now we are off to the bus stop!!

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September 12, 2011 · 9:38 pm

Professional Volunteer?

I had a busy busy day today, but it was a lot of fun too. I helped my mom make golf ball cake pops. For those of you on Facebook, they turned out a lot better than one ones I attempted last week. Here is a pic of how they turned out.

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Then this evening I had a meeting about a future endeavor of mine … The church website. I’ve gotten myself involved with the small group ministries and am working on how to get more information on the website. Anyways what started out as a bumpy meeting couldn’t have ended on a better note. I’m super excited about getting more involved. My only worry is maybe taking onto much. I honestly could be a professional volunteer …. Which sometimes drives my husband crazy.

I’ve also been working with Mandy and Patty to get ready for the Briggs and Al walk this weekend. We’ve got some awesome orange surprises up our sleeves.

In order to help me reach my goal I’ve got an owenge special going on …. If you donate $20 or more using the Donate Here button (money goes to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, where Owen was treated) I’ll send you a free beaded or silicone bracelet. After making your donation please email me your choice of bracelet and the address of where you’d like me to send your gift.

I feel moved to help because the nurses and staff helped my family so much … Through making medical decisions, late night chats and the grief process. Even the small things like tickets to the zoo for jaden or feathers to make a warrior head dress for owen. All of those little things that relieved some of the worry or made me smile … Even a little bit made all the difference in the world. They really helped us through this whole ordeal … I can’t imagine someone else going through this same thing without the same support.

The house is finally quiet and I’ve got another big day tomorrow. I suppose I should try and get so me sleep.

Love, Mel

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September 2, 2011 · 7:54 am

My Birthday Wish

So my birthday is on Saturday.  Doug asked me what I wanted for my birthday and it got me to thinking … I have no clue this year!  Usually I’m looking forward to the big day for a month.  Thinking about all the things I could get.

I would LOVE an iPad.

On a side note – a good, no great, friend, Jamie wrote Apple to see if they would donate an iPad since it brought me such comfort while Owen was in the hospital.  (My sister loaned me hers while I was there.)  They said they were “uninterested in donating to such a cause at this time.”  While it didn’t bother me … heck I’m just another mom like you … I think Jamie will forever protest Apple products.  I love you Jamie.  xoxo

Ok back on track … Since I know it’s not realistic to think I’ll get an iPad … I’ve been trying to think of something else.

I’ve got nothing.

Orange winter clothes since all my orange shirts are short-sleeved?  Orange running shoes from Famous Footwear? (I got a pair from Kohl’s but they are too small … boo!)  A website class?  I’ve been interested in learning more since we only touched on web design in college.

Here’s what I came up with … for my birthday will you vote for my blog on parents.com?  There is a pink badge in the right hand column o click.  Then click the purple “vote” button.  The leading blog has 441 votes … this blog has 130.  It would make my DECADE for me if we win.

Call me greedy … call me selfish or competitive … but I really want to win :)  I can bear my sorrow of loosing Owen … is it ok to say how competitive I can be?

So … if you feel moved, vote for this blog … please?

Ok enough with the begging … let’s get to celebrating one more year under my belt.

Love, Mel

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August 25, 2011 · 8:20 pm

Owl Barn

In the name of all things owl … I found a new blog to follow!  She’s got things to buy in owl print, how to make your own owl things … She’s almost a bigger owl freak than I am!

Here’s the link:  http://www.myowlbarn.com/

Enjoy my owl loving friends!

Love, Mel

 

 

 

 

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