The Discovering

Discovering the Wife & Mom in Me

[thediscovering]

Keeping up with the Joneses

Or in today's world should it be the Kardashians? I would like to think I have matured enough to not envy others and not want the Michael Kors bag I saw in the window or that swank mommy swagger wagon. Let me be honest, I still find myself comparing and making marks when it comes to others. Now it isn't always material items, it is skills or hobbies. Looks and hair. So maybe I am craving that steak I saw someone eating. If I ganked it would they care? Seriously man, I want that steak. I have learned to be content and more than that, to be happy with where I am financially, socially and in the area of self esteem. And yet there are times that little envy fly zips by my ear and buzzes the newest and latest hit stuff on the market. (No I don't mean drugs, focus people) Oh and Pinterest doesn't help. KnowwhatI'msayin'? How I love me recipes from that website but the houses and clothes?! Make me want to sell my right foot to purchase them. Do you find yourself craving what others have? Maybe it is the opportunity that seemed to fall in their laps from the sky. Maybe that was your dream job. We aren't always trying to keep up with material items so much as just trying to keep in step with others. Today I am happy. Today I don't want. Today I enjoy my children's laughter. Today I catch my husband's eye as we give each other knowing glances while watching our family. Today...today I am grateful.

[thediscovering]

To be known...

My person begs to be known. My being to be recognized. For someone to see into the depths of who I am and understand the waters that run deep.

[thediscovering]

Sleep. I can't get enough.

Sleep. I can't get enough when I can't have it. And when I could possibly squeeze in some extra hours what is going in? It's almost 4:30am and I am completely awake. I have been since 2 when I was awakened by a fussing baby girl. I fed said baby and went back to bed. Sleep did not come. So I social media'd and did some Pinterest'ing and by this time I hear a baby boy begin to stir. I had tried to nod off but to no avail. I suppose it was for the better at the point to be awake since baby b wanted to be fed. The boy is back in his crib and I am contemplating what to do next. Could I sleep better on the couch? Should the fan be on? Maybe if I cover my head with a pillow I can block out noise and random light. Oh great. Now my stomach is growling. Good night nurse. Now all I can think about is food. Maybe I should look at recipes on Pinterest it will simulate eating. See that? Bad, BAD cycle that I go through. Well morning comes soon...maybe 3 hours more I can get from that baby girl and boy. Possibly I can catch some shut eye too. Happy Saturday world! Enjoy your freakin' weekend.

[thediscovering]

You might be a stay at home mom if...

You think about placing a “want” ad on Criagslist for a “friend” who isn’t married and has no kids who can come “hang out” (aka watch my kids while I shower and listen to me complain about whatever.)

You start referring to the bathroom as the “potty” or asking your significant other if they need to go “potty” before you leave the house.

You think HGTV is perfectly acceptable show for all members of the household.

You change pajamas three times a day because you have been spit up in at least six times.

You long for adult conversation on a minutely basis.

Following the last one, you text every person you know to make that happen. They all respond after nap time has come and gone. Therefore you don’t respond for five days until the next time you’re frantically searching for friendship confirmation.

You have pondered buying infant size sleeping masks to see if the babies will fall asleep faster during nap time.

Begin searching for the cost of a maid. Shoot, your too busy to clean this hizzy, these dang babies need all your time!

Try to remember what it was like to be respected by “big people” while “little people” scream or tell you no or they say I don’t want to.

Find a piece of poop randomly sitting off to the side of the changing table. I mean come on now, seriously, how did you get there turd?!

Wonder what the point in vacuuming is when the next meal time means half the food ends up on the floor anyway. (Insert probably need a dog to just eat off the floor)

Your hand is a teething ring, your clothes a burp cloth, and your shoes a toddlers dream dress up item.

Your words become a jumbled mess and if they were visible they would be spilling out of your mouth scattered across the floor. Everyone else is thinking “what the heck is she talking about?”

Laundry is piled high on every piece of furniture…EVERYWHERE.

Lunch is now at 2pm and consists of coffee and frozen cheesecake.

You have been tortured by little people for five hours, so of course you “deserve” a large Chickfila sweet tea.

Oh and while on sweet tea, it’s made with water, so you MAY count it as one of your glasses of water for the day.

Breakfast for dinner…again. Uh yes sir.

When anyone says “mommy” you respond with a resounding “yes?!”

I am sure my list could go on and trying to thinking of all of them now is hurting my poor tired mom brain. See that could be one. Oh the life of mothers. We are the bomb. Do you have any you know you’re a mom if…?

[thediscovering]

Paper Cuts

Do I compare paper cut pain to labor pain? Why yes I do. I know what you're thinking and let me tell you that you're dead wrong. Washing bottle after bottle, reopen that tiny wound...paper cuts win on the pain scale. Today...they win.

[thediscovering]

"Momma I'm fwee and I'm gwoing up. Gwoing up! So up!" (Insert mom tears here) My sweet baby turned "fwee" today. #maylenerae

[thediscovering]

My baby girl #nofilter #maylenerae #tears

[thediscovering]

The Staging Room

Lights! Diapers! Action! This is the movie of my life...the staging room. Since having twins, I decided that a "staging" room is needed. Well I suppose it could be called the nursery and then another room for sleeping. So a nursery and a sleeping room. Trying to change a baby and put then down for a nap or bedtime isn't easy when the other is still awake or is already sleeping. I find myself changing diapers and onesies on the couch as to not disturb the sleeping twin in the bedroom. The more I thought about it I realized. If I could have a room that only held cribs my life would almost be dream. The nursery could then become the "staging" room. The room where diapers are changed, onesies are swapped for sleepers, and babies are rocked to sleep. I would then carry sleeping baby to the "sleeping" room and walk away. Right now, I try to feed babies together in their bouncers in the living room whilst also trying to calm down a tot with a show or a book. We have dimmed the lights and started a rain noise to help babies fall asleep. Last night, I did this in the nursery instead if the living room. It worked fine but this involves carrying bouncers from room to room as we may need them in the middle of the night for a feeding of one.... Oh to have a staging room. Happy Friday!

[thediscovering]

Sneeze

Sneezes. If you say the word enough it becomes not real. I mean who chose a word that actually sounds like, eeerrr well, resembles the action. Amazing. Anyway, do you or have you ever had an infant? You know that moment in the middle of the night, mid feeding where your nose starts to tickle. Your mind starts racing, aw man come on! Baby eat so I can put you down and sneeze without waking you up! Or in my case laying one baby in the crib and leaning over another to check on the other baby. Let's just say I ran out of that room like a bat out of hell trying to get to a "sneezable" area of the house away from sleeping children. Yes, a sneeze has caused me to blog about it at four in the morning. I'm going back to sleep. Good night.

[thediscovering]

Oh what fun it is to...

It's late. I am drinking caffeinated coffee. Caffeine does not usually keep me awake as I have three littles and they wear me out no matter. BUT it shall be my luck that when I am through with this post and with my cup o joe...sleep will be far from my sight. Right now I hear the wonderful sounds of a video monitor, non video monitor, house hunters international and hubs playing slap bass in our room. Oh and I am writing this post. It's almost like the ultimate multi tasking for the senses? I am writing to write. So much has gone on over the past few weeks that my mind is blown. I have thought of so many posts to write and yet when I had a spare moment to lay it all out...I didn't have it in me. A few weeks ago I was hit with a surprise, a week later the surprise basically fell through. Then vacation, but with twin infants, not as relaxing as I had hoped. And den, my husband and I decided FOR REAL to start getting our home ready to put on the market. Five years of junk accumulates quickly. It accelerates with each child. So yeah, it's been busy and eventful and sad and happy. Amazing how a few weeks can turn you upside down and spit you out. I am coming out on the other side and feeling good about it. ALL of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, you know how it goes. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. Happy Birthday 'Merica!

[thediscovering]

Five Months & One Day #elizabethapple #emersondanger

[thediscovering]

If I didn't have a toddler...

How often have I thought that as the first portion of a sentence. I would not keep my beautiful iPhone in an almost indestructible otterbox case. I would not have outlet covers to remember to put in after vacuuming. One of my DVDs would not be broken in half. I might have a spare room to make an office. I wouldn't wipe water off the bathroom floor after bath time. I would have one less person saying "don't talk to me" when placed in time out. (You know because I'm always putting people in time out.) And if I didn't have a toddler, I also would not get hugs from tiny arms. Devious looks when trying to be sneaky. An unexpected laugh while listening to her over the baby monitor singing to herself. A lot less joy...I would have a TON less joy without that little stinker of a daughter. She is a mess! She cracks me up. She makes me agitated. She melts my heart like butter in the microwave. She is my one and only first born. Maylene Rae. Toddlers. They change your life.

[thediscovering]

The week of crazy...

Do you ever feel like you wake up and a week has gone by? You can’t pin point much that happened and yet your exhausted, at some point a child size hurricane swept through the living room ripping out all the things and lets not forget the load of laundry you found in the dryer. Yes, that was found. Wondered where all the towels went didn’t ya?

This has been my week. I still need to take a day and keep track of what I do in a day. A “normal” day has yet to come and I don’t see one besides tomorrow for awhile! So let me try and analyze my life tomorrow. Ha. I’ll be in touch on that subject.

So after having a blurry week, the day has been crazy off. The twins naps were weird and now both of them are still awake at this moment. Sadly, I can’t remember if this is normal for them or not. Like I said, blurry week. There is a silver lining. We vacation soon and I can’t wait. It will truly be an adventure since this will be the first since being a stay at home mom and having twins. Go us!

On that note, any traveling tips with infants? Our first was a big car sleeper and I am not sure how the twins are long distance since this upcoming trip shall be our first!

Hope everyone is having a great start to their week. It is Monday right?

[thediscovering]

Happy Father's Day to this guy. Couldn't ask for a better dad. Love you @dougapple

[thediscovering]

Summer Stir Crazy

Is it possible for me to be stir crazy like I was right before school let out for summer? Remember when all the kids start acting cray cray because everyone feels the underlying longing of sun, water, and fun. This is the exact feeling I have had the past few weeks. Gotta get out of the house! Laundry has slipped. Floors have gone unswept. Shelves need a dusting and yet, I find myself day dreaming of leaving the house to have fun. Then I actually do leave the house for exhausting hours at a time. I wonder, "why on earth did I think this would be super easy fun?! I have three kids!" But at the same time, I feel we need this time out. I will never be caught up on chores but I could miss an opportunity watch MayRae play in puddles or scribble chalk on her toenails as if she were painting them. These are the moments I truly care about. So when you come over and see my stack of clean clothes that need hanging or the dusty baseboards or the groceries not put away completely, just know my child made another memory. (While the babies slept through it.) So let's raise our sweet teas on National Iced Tea Day to making memories and having fun in the hot Florida sun!

[thediscovering]

A Book

I've been engulfed in a book this evening. I promise to come up with a brilliant post tomorrow. Two late nights in a row. Come on mama!

[thediscovering]

The Sun, Oh the Fun

Today I had some fun in the sun. It has been over two years since I spent more than an hour in the sun by the pool. Foolishly, I did not cover my Irish porcelain skin and I dare say that I am paying for it. I have at least 100 new shoulder freckles than I started this day with. I also have raccoon eyes and a strange red line following my hairline. Almost as if the sun was playing connect the dots on my forehead. Then to top it off, the sun must favor a good left arm as I am burned all the way down to my hand. Poor righty shall stay whitey. It was glorious. I'm burnt. My skin is tight with the burn and my sheets feel oh so cool under my hot skin. Find this strange? It sounds weird, but I love it all! I'm hoping as a stay at home mom I will experience more pool days and strengthen the muscles that my body has forgotten how to use over the years. Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!