Testy times three

All three of my boys are going through a testy stage at the same time! Yeah me....

Examples;

Exhibit A- A few days ago Atty scaled our 5 foot fence that is surrounding the pond in 2.2 seconds...After I ran around the house to get to the gate (barefoot on gravel with my heart pounding, screaming at him like a mad women) he needless to say got in big trouble. Which apparently didn't faze him, because he tried it again the very same day! He has been determined to scale that fence since the day he saw it.

Exhibit B- Bubu has picked up the word Damn it...again (from his father) and has been slipping it in to his vocabulary randomly and in increasing dosages during this pass week. Just last night he said "Move it Damn it" to his brother. I feel like the best mom in the world.

Exhibit C- Spike is starting to throw the most horrendous fits I have ever witnessed, worse then the ones Atty throws that I thought were going to drive me bonkers. I've never seen anything like it. And it's over random little things, that I would never dream would bring on an hour long scream fest. We are talking screaming, crying, shaking, no reasoning, nothing I can do but put him in his room (over and over again) kind of fits.

Let me continue...

Exhibit D- I am making another diaper cake for someone who is having a baby shower soon. I was working on it the other night and had placed three bottles down on the table, one lotion, one bubble bath, and one oil. I made a point of telling the boys to leave the stuff on the table alone and go play. I walked away for one second assuming that my husband was watching the boys like he said he would, and the babies got into the lotion and bubble bath got the lids off and spilt them on the table in the blink of an eye. I scrapped up the contents (you do what you need to do to get the job done) and finished the majority of the cake and then very responsibly put the diaper cake safety in my room. Last night I got to take a bath for the first time in a long time. While I was in there Atty got into my room (Again while my husband was suppose to be watching him, see a pattern anyone?) got his hands on the bottle of oil that was perched on the top of the cake and spilt the WHOLE contents onto my carpet. Oil...on my carpet. The only bottle they didn't get there hands on the first time. Can't scrap that up, can't even get it out of the carpet with my carpet cleaner. So after taking a relaxing bath I went into a screaming tizzy and then got to clean my carpets before bed.

Exhibit E- I planted a bunch of tomato plants in containers on the porch, right now the boys love tomatoes to I thought it would be nice to grow some for them to eat. Plus I love fresh straight from the garden cherry tomatoes, yummy yum. After I got them all planted Atty pulled up over half of them before I had any idea what was going on. I'm serious people he is that quick.

Need I go on, or do you get the idea? On top of the big stuff, there has been a none stop flow of talking back, from all of them. Fighting with each other on a way bigger scale now. Screaming and squawking and climbing all over everything and trashing the house. Play fighting and turning everything into a gun, which I don't permit in this family, and don't allow in the daycare. I don't even know where Bubu picked it up from but he's got his brothers copying him now and they run around the house Pish, Pishing each other using anything from a toy drill to a tinker toy as a weapon. When I tell him to stop he says, we're just Pish, Pishing mom. What?

I haven't the energy for it right now. I was managing when the boys were taking turns testing me, but now they have ganged up on me and are coming at me from all angles and I totally can't handle it. Bubu was my big helper, always has been, but now he is going through some late terrible two phase (the one he skipped that I was so thankful for) and he is almost four. I thought I was in the clear, boy was I wrong. Atty and Spike have definitely decided not to skip the terrible two's phase and are diving right in.

As I said, Yeah Me!

face as red as his hair

So I have come to the point in time with my boys were it is sometimes necessary to correct their behavior in public. Especially with Atty who seems to think that public embarrassment by way of tantrum is awesome. I being the mean mom I am do not give in to public displays of nastiness, and instead react the same way I would at home and follow through with what ever discipline is necessary. I'm fully aware that if I give in and allow them to act up in public, they will capitalize on this, and being as I am out numbered, the idea strikes terror to my core. That being said, there is something so awkward about correcting your child's behavior in public. The stares, and whispers. The murmured comments, I've even seen people pointing. We were at a home improvement store last weekend and right when we walked in and started putting the little boys in carts, Atty freaked out and decided he wasn't riding in a cart. Being as he is heavy carrying him wasn't an option for me. Letting him walk is a disaster with him at this point. So I needed him to sit in the cart. I tried to reason with him a couple times and then told him if he didn't sit in the cart he would get a time out. He didn't care, so I gave him a time out right then and there, and sent my hubby and the other boys to start there shopping. Now I know it's not pleasant to listen to a child throw a tantrum, and I myself defiantly wasn't enjoying it, as evident by the darkening red shade of my face, but I seriously don't need to be stared at during it all. It's so irritating. I looked up and the closest clerk was just full on staring at us, disapproving look and all, didn't even bother to look away when I glanced over at her. Atty continued to throw his fit for a moment then stopped and I asked him if he was ready to get in the cart, were as he said yes. The whole time this lady and anyone who happens to pass by is getting an eye full. So I attempt to put him back in the cart, and sure enough he starts pitching a fit again. So I tell him he will take a time out in the van if he doesn't stop (mostly because I want to run away and hide at this point) and he could care less. So then I have to carry him kicking and screaming, red faced to match his hair through the store, because the exit is located conveniently on the other side of the store. With everyone staring at me, and making comments. I truly know why people just give in, because it's absolutely humiliating to deal with the aftermath when requesting appropriate behavior. We made it out to the van, away from prying eyes, I buckled him into his car seat, shut the door and stood outside for a few minutes. He got the point, I got him into a cart out in the parking lot away from the audience, gave him a snack, went back in and all was good. He ended up falling asleep in the cart, which was probably half of the reason why he threw a fit in the first place being as he was tired. Although he has always caused problems when in a cart, he just hates being strapped in because he is such an active explorer.

The point of this post, if there is a point, is why do people feel the need to stare and criticize when a parent is only trying to get there child to behave. Obviously if a person is beating their child, or screaming degrading remarks at their child they should be stared at and hopefully someone would intervene for the sake of the child. I've overheard situations were I felt the parent wasn't dealing with things appropriately. I still don't make comments though, nor do I stare, in fact when I notice a parent reprimanding a child I look the other way. I give them as much privacy as being in a public place can afford. Nobody likes a wild undisciplined child running free in a store, so why stare and make the parent uncomfortable when they end up being in the position of having to enforce rules in public. Give the parent a break for trying to do there part. For trying to raise a well behaved child. Stop staring, and making mumbled comments, even if you think you can do it better.

Have any of you been in this situation, and what do you do to deal with it? Does it get to you, or do you let it roll off your back, and let it go unnoticed?

An attempt at shopping for costumes with the boys.

So I decided to take the boys shopping for Halloween costumes, by myself, I knew my dear lovely husband didn't want to go, or was it because he didn't have time, or maybe because he is against all holidays (and I am only kind of kidding). What ever the reason, I was convince that it had to be done that very minute so I pack up the boys and away we went to Target. Now when shopping with three little boys, three and under, you must have a way to keep them confided. I mean there is no humanly possible way to chase three little boys in three different directions. They are pretty good at listening when not distracted by all the various enticing things there are to get into at a store. Who can blame them, it's paradise for a curious mind. So on this particular trip I put the babies in the double stroller and had Bubu walk, because he listen well for the most part. I hate having to search for the double carts, which by the way people with out a lot of kids should not be allowed to use! Everything went alright, but we couldn't find Bubu the Spider man outfit he craves, so I promised him we would check at Party City. I did find the cutest Pug dog outfit that Juicy just loved so we got the biggest size in that one. Then off we went to Party City which was in the same parking lot so we just walked on over. Okay so I should have known when the stroller wouldn't fit comfortably through the isles that I should have booked it out of there, but Bubu so wanted the outfit and I so wanted to be done with the costume shopping well ahead of Halloween, so we crammed our way down the isle and found the one we were looking for on the back wall, but, it's just a picture of the outfit, you have to take a number and then wait for someone to get it out of the back and the line was LONG! So I attempt to wait with the boys, but the babies start to get restless and I soon ran out of interesting things to show them. Then Atty enters, center stage, temper time! He starts throwing the biggest fit, and his are something to see. His face scrunches up, gets bright red, he arches his back and flails around and hollers as loud as he can, screaming and yelling, it's really dramatic. He is a red head after all and doesn't want to disappoint. Totally embarrassing. There is obviously no reasoning with him, and he wasn't quiting anytime soon, so after wasting 15 minute (which may not sound like a long time to you, but is an eternity when you are trying to keep things under control with three active little boys in a store full of goodies) we had to turn around and try to fight our way back down the isle to leave. Mind you I get lots of unwanted stares, and annoying comments, already for having three (cute) little boys so close in age, but this time everyone, and I am not kidding, everyone was staring at us, mortifying! By the time we got back out onto the sidewalk I was sweating, and burnt out and we still didn't have a Spider man costume. Bubu was being sweet about it, which just made it worse, because then I really wanted to get it for him instead of going home (which is what I should have done). So off to Walmart we go. Why Walmart? I have no idea. This time I had enough of the double stroller, so I decided to give in and use one of those big carts that you can fit a couple kids in. Since there just happened to be one right next to were we parked I figured it was meant to be (boy did I figure wrong!). I get the babies buckled in, put Bubu in the basket part and in we go. We find the Spider man costume right away, and I was thinking things were looking up, but it was in the wrong size. So I look and look for a bigger size, going as fast as I can to try to avoid another melt down, and there just isn't a bigger size. So then I decide that I can't bare another wasted trip and I go to look for some shoes for Atty, being as he needed a pair that fit, but along the way Atty decided enough was enough and started to pitch again. He starts arching his back, and the buckles that are suppose to keep them safe and in the cart just pop open (I am at Walmart after all)! So I stop and try to cram him back in while he flailing around, and I get it buckled again. Which works for about a second. So it's time to go, wasted trip and all. Problem is now I am at the back of the store and I need to get to the front with out Atty launching his way out of the cart and he is determined at this point to do just that, he is in the middle of one of his best performance to date. I can't pick him up and carry him out while still pushing this huge cart with the other two whom I consider angel in comparison at this point. I know you're not suppose to compare, but can you blame me at that very moment! So I try to block him with my body and hustle out of there. I thought it was horrible the stares at the other store, now multiply that, and in retrospect it was nothing to the eyes on us as we exit our last and final stop. Of course as soon as we enter the fresh air of the outdoors, performance over. That is almost more frustrating then him screaming all the way home. So home we go, pull into the driveway and a sense of relief washes over me, home at last. It's been all of about 2 1/2 hours, and I am drained! So I am thinking, well at least we got one outfit, not a totally wasted trip. Go to try it on him, and you guessed it, doesn't fit! Frustrating! But what can you do, I know what I did, I poured my self a glass of wine, because I deserved it, and called my best friend so we could have a laugh about it. I mean when you've got 3 boys to raise there is no since getting bitter about these things (although I have to admit I was saying some choice words in my head on the way home). In the big picture though, it's just one of many adventures to come, and it's certainly not the worse 2 1/2 hours I have had with the boys (yes I have had worse). I did end up relying on another good friend who just happens to be a thrift store wonder, to find me some adorable outfits for the boys, and she never disappoints. Bubu got his Spider man outfit after all, Juicy got the cutest dog costume and Atty got a tiger outfit (getting it on him is another story!). So the message in this story for me is, don't forget to rely on your best of friends, cause you can't always be Superwomen. It takes some good girlfriend to keep my sanity and I am lucky I've got a few!