Redeeming Herself

I know it has been a while, and for those who know me IRL, or follow me on Twitter, know that it is for a really good reason. I promise a longer post with a full update soon.

But I just couldn't pass this up.

During carpool this morning, we had the following conversation:

Me: (In response to another random piece of information about our family happenings that A shared with the entire carpool.) Thank you for the update. What would I do without my little news reporter?

A: I am NOT going to be a news reporter.

Me: Then stop practicing.

A: I am going to be a Vet!

B: I am also going to be a Vet.

Me: Wow, we are going to be a family full of Vets.

B: C is not going to be a Vet.

Me: Right, he is going to be a DaddyRacecarDriverPoliceMan

A: That's too many things.

Me: Why? I am a MommyWifeLibrarianMuseumPerson, or was...

B: I am going to be a LIBRARIAN! (Said with appropriate breathless admiration.)

Me: Really? That makes me really happy. Money isn't great though.

B: But first you have to teach me how to read.

Me: Deal!

Considering what happened a few months ago, I think she has redeemed herself.

(BTW - I am choosing to overlook the the part where she said "Morah Laurie is a Librarian!)

Tiny Dancers

Though you would never know it by looking at me now, I once was a dancer.

From the age of 2 1/2 to about 12 I took Ballet classes once a week at the local Y-JCC.  I had the same teacher for all those years and her ability to teach little girls to express themselves through music and movement was extraordinary. I loved her, and she used to say that I danced "with my mind." I would visualize my movements and become very wrapped up in the music. The "free dance" part of the class was my favorite.  She gave out light and floaty chiffon scarves and we used these as extensions of ourselves, twirling and flitting around the room.

I even danced in the summers after 4th - 6th grade.  I was lucky enough to attend Usdan  a creative and performing arts camp on Long Island.  There I took Modern Dance, Jazz and Tap, Folk Dance, and more Ballet.  I also explored my interest in singing and musical theater in the Junior Chorus.  I loved it at Usdan, being surrounded by talented kids and artsy teachers. 

For me, tomorrow is going to be a monumental day in the Trip'n household.  You

see, I have two little girls in my house who seem to have inherited their mom's ability to get lost in the music and express themselves through movement. Ever since they "met" June on Little Einsteins we have been witness to Arabesques, Pliés, Grand jetés, and B's famous Reverence (or curtsy) which she offers after accomplishing any feat from putting away her Wormy to saying a word correctly. 

I have been harboring a (not-so) secret desire that my daughters get the chance to try some formal dance classes so they can learn more about rhythm and movement. As a working mom this seemed impossible.  I could barely get it together to get transportation to and from school covered! I certainly wasn't going to add after-school activities into the mix.  

Then we got a notice that the girls' school's parent organization was putting together Friday afternoon classes at our local JCC. A bus would take the girls from school to the JCC and pick up is an hour and a half later. Included in the choices was Ballet and Tap. Now this was possible! I was home on Friday!! I think my girls may have been the first ones registered for the class. Now, the Friday thing is moot, because I am not working, but, what-ev-er!

 My girls are taking dance lessons!! I am so excited!

They have their little bags packed with pink leotards and Ballet slippers, little black dance skirts, and those shiny little Tap shoes with the ribbon ties. (I never had those).  They have been talking about it for weeks and can't wait to start.  I hope they love it.

Ballerina, you must have seen her

 dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, 

tiny dancer in my hand

Bodily Fluid Fiesta!

****GROSSNESS ALERT****

Just a snapshot of how crazy life with 5 year old triplets and a dog can get.

One of the reason Trouble has earned this nickname is due to a weak bladder. She has been known to pee in fear, anger, happiness, change in weather, just because. Lucky for us, she is a small dog, so the puddles tend to be small. Along with this, she occasionally gets minor bladder infections where she looses control more often. Thank G-d these tend to be few and far between, but they happen.

Over the past few days, Trouble has had some tinkles that indicate to me she may have something going on. Tonight I am sure.

B came into our room a little while ago and just sat on H's lap. When pressed, she said she couldn't sleep. After sitting there quietly for about 15 minutes, H asked her if she was feeling okay. She responded, "No, my tummy hurts and I think I am going to throw up." At least she gave us warning! H grabbed the garbage pail and a second later, she did in fact vomit. Trouble had been asleep at the foot of H's bed. When the commotion started she jumped up and moved to the foot of my bed.

We quickly mobilized getting B cleaned up, throwing out the garbage bag, and giving her a little water to wash out her mouth. Then we all went to settle back into bed when H noticed a dark stain at the foot of his bed. We looked at Trouble who was guiltily cleaning her little rump.

Bodily fluids all over the place. Yuck!!!

This is my life. And I love it. And I laugh A LOT.

Winter Wonderland Workshop

This morning the girls had a Mommy &  Me workshop in their class.  Each child was able to bring a parent to school to see the class in action, do some projects, and schmooze with other mothers. The instructions we received were to bring your daughter(s) to school at 9:30.  We were a bit late (shocking!) due to the snow on the van, parking, and us just being the Trip'n Family. 

First on the agenda was davening, which was very cute. Each girl had a little siddur that they made with the different tefillot and songs that they sing each day.  The girls sat on the shatiach (carpet) where they have ma'agal (circle) time.  The parents formed a circle around the girls and had the choice to sit on the tiny little kindergarten chairs, kneel, or stand. Thank G-d we were late! Those chairs are awful and I was just as happy to stand. 

The girls' Morah is a wonderful, dynamic, and engaging teacher.  Even though she has years of experience, you can tell that having all these adults in the room throws her off her game just a bit.  My heart went out to her as she tried to get through the morning routine and keep the girls focused on impressing us. 

After that there were four stations set up for us to do projects with the girls.  

1. Snowman Station: Each girl got a little bag of Crayola Model Magic  to mold into a snowman.   This stuff has a really interesting texture.  It is not sticky and kind of spongy. Then there were all types of trimmings to decorate and dress him up. Beads, felt hats, mittens, scarves, little sticks for arms, red macaroni for mouths.  B put her macaroni in upside down, because her snowman was sad, and dressed him all in purple. 

2. Cookie Station: Pretty similar to the Snowman Station but with cookie dough and edible fixings.  Instructions were for the girls to do some sort of winter themed creation.  A made a butterfly, carefully considering the placement of each piece of candy and licorice rope.  B made an abstract piece with candy mashed into it.  When I asked her what it was, she said "A smiley face, Mommy. With a  lot of candy." I am sure that is why he was smiling. 

3. Snowflake Station: This one was a parent favorite (right!). On the table were a handful of dice and 9x13 tins of flour with foamie snowflakes hidden in them.  The instructions were for the girls to roll the dice, count the dots, and then sift through the flour to find that many snowflakes in the tin.  Let me tell you, I was REALLY happy that I didn't have to go to work after that!  (You could tell which mommies had to go straight to work, they stood a few feet back from the table.)  My girls really couldn't care about counting, they just wanted their hands in the flour.  

4. Matching Mittens: Each girl got a sheet of card stock with eight mittens on them.  Each mitten had a little snowflake type icon on it, make 4 pairs. The girls were supposed to cut out the mittens, match them, and color them.  Then they would have a cute little memory game to take home.  What was really interesting with my girls was the different ways they tackled this project.  A was more interested in cutting out the mittens and writing her initials on the back of each one. She didn't care about matching them or coloring them. B cut them out in pairs and then colored them so that the mittens matched EXACTLY. She has 4 perfect pairs. 

The there was what A called the 5th station: Refreshments! Chips, pretzels, corn pops, fruit, rugelach...quite the spread. 

I really do love the chance to see the girls in their classroom environment, schmooze with the teachers and other mothers. I can't wait to go back next week for their in class birthday party.

False Alarm

My kids don't get out much.

I think it is mother of triplets thing for me.  Taking out all three kids at once can be overwhelming. At first, it was just a physical impossibility.  I mean, how is one person supposed to take three infants/toddlers shopping?  Where are you supposed to put them?  Even if they all fit in a cart, nothing else will! So I got into the habit of going without them. In the rare circumstance that I HAD to take them, I took another adult.

Since they have gotten bigger, I have been more willing to take them into stores with me.  It is still a challenge, with a constant chorus full of "Mommy, I want...," "Mommy, can we...?, "Mommy, look at that!" I feel like I need a few extra set of eyes, ears, and hands. 

Savta and I took the kids to Michael's today.  Nothing is more exciting to my kids then arts and crafts, so they were in heaven.  The chorus was louder with stickers, markers, paint, foamies, and flowers enticing them.  We had a mild bumper cart session, 3 trips to the bathroom, and a stroll down the cake decorating aisle for birthday inspiration (no good ideas yet.)  

Finally, it was time to checkout.  I went to one checkout, Savta went to the one across from me. A was hanging out with me, B and C with Savta.  For the record, Savta had a clear view of the exit, but lacks the experience (or belief) that the Trips can get themselves into loads of trouble.   Anyway, as I am joking with the cashier about how the kids gang up on me to get in trouble, you know, one distracts me while the other two make mischief, the fire alarm goes off. 

I hear Savta exclaim "Did you touch that?" and turn to see B and C standing near the exit, next to the fire pull-box.  B is already in full "shut down" mode.  This happens when she does something wrong, someone insults her, or she gets hurt. She pouts, goes silent, and refuses to look at the offender or reprimander. 

Yes, it is true, B pulled the fire alarm. 

While the Michael's management tries to figure out how to turn it off, A is asking why no one is leaving.  After all, "in my school, when the alarm goes off, we all have to leave, so why is no one leaving Mommy?" Savta and I are apologizing to everyone, C is strangely silent, and B is indulging in lip-quivering, sulking embarrassment.  (I did try to get her to apologize, but she wouldn't talk to me, no way she was talking to anyone else!)

Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there immediately.  Driving out of the parking lot the chorus became "Look Mommy, a fireman!," "Hey, a police car," and "See the flashing lights!"

Like I said, we don't get out much. 

Knife in my Heart

This morning B was in a particularly b**chy mood

Yes, I know that's a terrible thing to say, but the kid is 4 going 14 lately! Permanent PMS, beyond cranky, it is really the only way to describe it. I know there are mothers out there who get what I am saying! Even Savta used the word to describe her lately!

Anyway, so this morning was really rough. 2 time outs and other assorted threats weren't getting through. Since mornings are pretty crazy in general, I was swallowing it the best I could and working on getting all the Trips out the door.

Everyone was ready, and I asked the girls how Show and Tell went this week (see above). B started complaining that she was the only one who brought a book and "I HATE BOOKS!"

Kid, your mother is a full fledged, Master's Degree toting Librarian!! Ouch!

The Report

Okay, so the Parent Teacher Conference wasn't ALL that surprising. Here is the summary:

1. My girls really look alike and sometimes the Morahs call them by the wrong name.

Our reaction: NO, they don't! We also call them by the wrong name all the time. At least she never calls them by the dog's name (we do!)

2. They are VERY close and loving, and the Morah has to make an effort to make sure they go to different work centers and sit separate at Ma'agal (circle time.)

Our reaction: Awww. We didn't realize they love each other so much. It makes us feel so good as parents. Thank G-d she separates them!

3. When one is absent, the other really shines. She recommends splitting them up next year.

Our reaction: Damn! It makes it MUCH harder on us, but if it is best for the girls....

4. A is very verbal.

Our reaction: Really?!

5. B is very, umm, determined, opinionated (insert any nice word for stubborn and bossy)

Our reaction: You don't say?! Actually, we see her as a bit Type A... But how is it affecting her socially?

Morah's answer: B is doing fine socially. She is not so bossy that the other girls don't want to play with her. She is also open to mediation when then Morahs step in.

Our reaction: Baruch Hashem!

6. A is more easy going, has a generous nature (will give things up if someone else wants it)

Our reaction: We see this at home (have for some time) and are trying to teach her siblings not to take advantage.

7. B needs practice writing her name, and give positive encouragement and don't let her become frustrated.

Our reaction: Oh, is she easily frustrated?! No problem, we will work on this.

8. The Morah sees no issues for them academically.

Our reaction: Baruch Hashem!!

We also heard how well-adjusted and sweet they are from the Preschool Director.

The entire experience was humbling, encouraging, and generally painless.

We really do thank Hashem everyday for the multitudes of blessings that he has bestowed on our family. We pray for his goodness and blessing to continue and our children continue to grow and flourish and follow in His ways and the ways of Torah.