Back to “normal”

I finished working part-time (covering for a former co-worker while she was on maternity leave) a week or so ago.  While I enjoyed the opportunity to use my brain in a more clinical way again and serve at the Yahweh Center Children’s Village, I am very happy to be able to give 100% of my attention back to my kids again during the day.  My time back at work really reassured me of God’s calling to be a stay-at-home-mom and refreshed my perspective in regard to what a blessing it is that we have been able to make it work!  Not to mention that trying to make phone calls and sound professional with your 2 year old and 3 year old yelling in the background is quite a challenge and one that I was tiring of quickly!  It’s bad when you have to bring out the M&Ms to buy a few seconds of silence.

So now life is back to whatever the Adair normal is.  Which means I am diving back (well, some days it’s more like wading) into focusing on homeschooling, potty-training Asher, reading and the occasional blogging.  And pinterest.  Which leads to other favorite  things such as baking, cooking, and decorating/DIY projects around the house.  Eila’s birthday is coming up next month (hello almost 4-year-old!) and Will’s birthday is 10 days after Eila’s.  I will be starting a MOPS group in the next few months and will be holding my first Veggietales event as a Veggietales Ambassador (more on those things later).

Add to that a new debate raging (in my mind) over the timeline on trying for a third child and perhaps life isn’t going to slow back down now that I’m back at home full-time.         And I’m okay with that.

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May the thief be constantly surrounded by fruit flies…

What I’ve been up to…

1)  trying to fill my mind with songs other than those designed for those age 5 and under.  And I thought the Sleep-Deprivation Ipod was bad…with a toddler and a preschooler, I am inundated with children’s music to the point that I found myself singing Barbara Manatee in the shower the other day.  Yes, Veggietales.  Still.  At least Veggietales is entertaining for adults too!

2) due to aforementioned constant of kiddie music, it took me a couple of weeks to realize that the reason I am no longer able to pick up my favorite radio stations in the van is because someone stole our antenna.  Seriously.  Unscrewed it and took off.  It is a conspiracy to prevent me from ever listening to adult music ever again.

3)  I. Despise. Fruit. Flies.  Like others that I have noted airing their frustrations via social media, I am currently waging an all-out war on these horrible creatures.  After trying the paper in a cup of vinegar and juice trick (fail), I now have cut-up apple slices in a slightly open ziploc bag.  We’ll see how this goes.  I need to kill them all before the maniacal laugh that exudes from my lips whenever I kill one scares my children.  What?  It is satisfying.

4)  I am within two weeks of THE VACATION.  The one that consists of just me and my husband.  By ourselves.  For two nights.  Our first true vacation since we have had children, and our first time leaving our children overnight.  We scheduled this trip after seeing a Living Social deal back in April and decided to do something entirely out of our characters at this point in our lives (read=due to living blessed but frugal lifestyles) and bought the deal. I am super excited about it (especially after getting the final confirmation today from the bed and breakfast we will be staying in), but am definitely feeling a bit anxious about leaving the kids.  They will be in great hands (yay Mom and Dad!) and I know my oldest will be fine, but it is the youngest I am unsure about.  Mainly in regard to sleeping somewhere besides his crib.  Oh, but to have this time just with Will.  It will be close to heaven.  No kids busting in our bedroom in the middle of the night with “I NEED WATER!”.  Not having to stop what we are doing to get back for naps.  I may end up slightly disoriented.  I do know, however, that I am going to miss them like crazy!

5) Castle is about to come on.  I hope our antenna still picks up the signal after Eila decided to experiment and make it look like modern art.  I’m off to find out!

Sleep Deprivation iPod

Now that I have had two children, I have realized something about sleep deprivation.  1) It stinks. 2) It results in an automatic iPod that plays in my head at all hours of the night when I am awake with the baby.  This iPod cannot be controlled, it cannot be programmed, and it is driving me crazy.

I LOVE music, so you’d think some of the many excellent songs I listen to throughout a day would be added to the playlist.  But no, instead, I get many of the annoying songs that I may hear, or, in most cases, that are a result of having a toddler that likes Elmo.  Blech.

So here is a playlist of past and current songs that get stuck on repeat in my head at night:

1. The Elmo Song.  Oh, how I cannot STAND Elmo.  I want to banish him from my house, but considering Eila has some affection for the furry red creature, this is a slow process.  Thankfully, this song hasn’t been stuck in my head for the past couple of weeks, but now that I have written about it, I am somewhat fearful it is going to return.  Elmo is a true member of the axis of evil.

2. Donuts for Benny.  Normally, I love Veggietales, and one of their newer videos, St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving, is one of my favorites.  However, the silly song included in this movie, Donuts for Benny, about a dog who is given donuts and begins singing and dancing, is not one of my favorites.  I have heard it way too many times in my head at 1am, and even worse, it is the song the dog sings within the song that gets stuck in play, not the actual song itself.

3. There are some songs I like that I hear over and over during the night, like Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “Heaven is the Face” (you can hear it here http://www.stevencurtischapman.com.  It’s a gorgeous song written about the recent death of one of his little girls and tragedy in general  I highly recommend it.

4. Forever by Chris Brown.  Okay, I’m not a fan of Chris Brown the person, and I haven’t heard any of his other songs that I am aware of, but 1) this song is very catchy and YES I like it, but 2) Eila LOVES watching the wedding entrance video on YouTube that was parodied on The Office.  Jill and Kevin, I still love your originality as well as your dance moves and those of your wedding party, but oh how I wish I could get Forever out of my head.  (By the way, a parody video on a divorce court entrance for this couple on YouTube is hysterical and meant in fun (I hope).

5. Another Veggietales silly song…Bellybutton.  I actually like this one as opposed to Donuts for Benny, but you can only hear “I need to tell you somethin’…I don’t got a bellybutton” so many times while stumbling through a 4am diaper change and feeding before being driven a little loopy.

6. Okay, one more Veggietales song (ummm…this is getting embarrassing)- “I Can Love”- also from the Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Living movie.  Good song, very sweet lyrics, but too catchy and therefore stuck on the sleep deprivation iPod.

7. David Crowder Band- How He Loves Us.  At least this one I like and it reminds me of God’s love for me, even when I am frustrated and grumbling because Asher has ignored his ability to go five hours between feedings so that he can eat more frequently, say, every three.  Darn growth spurts.

8. Home by Daughtry.  Love the lyrics, love his voice.  Don’t mind this one so much. That’s all I can say or my husband may not like it…

9. Let the Waters Rise by MikesChair.  Also one I don’t mind.

10. And for the sake of ending with the predictable and neat listing of 10, let’s throw in a little Baby Got Back.  It’s been awhile, but this has been known to slip into rotation from time to time.  Don’t ask.

Yeah, that’s probably enough for now.

What songs get stuck in your head?