Full Circle

It's funny how God has a plan for you. You may not realize or know it right away, but in time you will find it . . . and you will end up right where you need to be.

For a long time I was sure that I wanted to get out of this town. When I graduated from high school I wanted to go to a college in a different city. I told myself that I would get a better education there and would experience all that college life had to offer. So I stayed put my first year with the intentions of transferring the next . . . I graduated from UWSP three years later.

Shortly after that I was married and then it was time to start "real" life. Time to find a permanent job and start acting like a grown up. Here's my chance . . . I thought . . . my chance to move away and start my life as a wife and career woman in a new place . . .

Brian and I packed up our apartment and headed 25 miles away to the nice quiet village of Iola. Life was good . . . it was nice to have distance yet be close enough that we could easily make the trip home and back in one day. But, the rolling country hills of Iola just never felt like home. Home was always somewhere else . . . but where?

So, we decided toying with the idea of moving . . . let's just pick a place . . . we could finally move to a bigger city . . . more job opportunities for me, more diversity for our children. Yet when the time came to make that decision . . . I couldn't make it. In my head I was longing to leave . . . yet in my heart I knew where "home" to me really was.

Brian finally approached me one day and said . . . "you can't move away can you?" He was right. I knew he could move and it wouldn't bother him at all, but me . . . I couldn't do it. For a long time I felt disgusted with myself. Why did I need my family so much? What was my attachment to this stinking city?

I finally realized that it had nothing to do with me needing anything . . . it was about wanting something. I wanted to be near my family, because that is where home was - wherever they were.

So, here we are . . . I am a townie . . . and I couldn't be happier. I love looking out my window and seeing my parents' car pull into the driveway, I love playing in the yard and seeing my grandparents drive by as they go on their daily ride, I love being able to walk to my parents house on a whim . . . this is home . . . it always will be.

Last week we took Kadin to his official kindergarten orientation. He will be attending the very school I did when I was his age. As I went on a tour of the school I saw all the things I remembered from when I was little . . . it was awesome to think that Kadin will be experiencing those same things in a few short months.

Twenty-six years ago my mom dropped off a sniffly, terrified little girl through the doors of that school. Twenty-six years later that terrified little girl will be dropping off her son through those same doors.

It's astounding how life comes full circle . . .

Public Toilets - Part 2

Since my ordeal in the Menard's restroom I have a serious issue with public bathrooms and how often we seem to frequent them. I think that experience has scarred me in some way . . .

So my mom and I took the kids to Applebee's for supper the other night. I have been consciously trying to make the kids go to the bathroom before we go places so hopefully I can stay out of the public toilets as much as humanly possible.

So we get our table and immediately after we sit down Kadin has to go potty. Seriously!!!!! What is going on here . . . honestly . . . I know there has to be someone who reads this that has a toddler . . . does your toddler do this??? Is this behavior normal??? At this point I'm thinking Kadin has a bladder infection or something because he just went pee 10 minutes ago . . .

During dinner . . . Kadin went to the bathroom one more time and Bella had to go once. So . . . if you're keeping track that is three trips to the public toilets during ONE meal. Thankfully my mom was kind enough to take Kadin so I really only visited the toilet once, but seriously?? Why . . . why?

We are about to leave the restaurant when Kadin announces that he has to use the bathroom yet again! My mom takes him and a little while later she emerges from the restroom without Kadin in toe and proceeds to tell me that he is pooping . . . you should probably go in there she tells me. What . . . me??? Heck no! At this point I am starting to sweat just thinking about what is going on in there . . . it was like boarding a plane when you just lived through a plane crash . . . don't make me go back in there!!!

We all pile into the bathroom and there behind the stall I see two little sock covered feet dangling from the toilet seat and all of Kadin's clothes on the floor. Ugghh . . . here we go again. So we wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . . I thought perhaps Applebee's would close before we would emerge from that bathroom. Luckily my mom and a full length mirror kept Bella entertained while I once again spit on pieces of toilet paper to try and clean my child's bottom - don't even ask.

So what have I learned from these experiences? Always take my mother everywhere . . . only use bathrooms with full length mirrors . . . and buy some damn wet wipes would ya???!!!

We Should Be Ashamed

I admit that I do things as a parent I am not always proud of . . . let me rephrase that . . . we do things as parents that we are not always proud of. I think it just goes with the territory . . . sometimes you just do what you have to to get by.

Kadin got an injury at the YMCA last week. A little girl accidentally struck him in the face with a cash register. When Brian and I returned to the daycare to pick up the kids, we found Kadin in the hall holding a paper towel to his face. Oh great . . . just what we need . . . an injury.

Well it really was nothing more than a little cut on his lip . . . no big deal . . . well no big deal for most kids. BUT Kadin is not like most kids . . . he is unique . . . special . . . so to him, a cut lip was like partially losing a limb. He whimpered most of the way home and thankfully it wasn't until the evening when he was tired and cranky that the cut on the lip became a huge deal . . . again.

What do you do??? I was perplexed . . . I didn't know what to do with this cut. Previously I had been fairly successful in convincing Kadin that band aids miraculously made boo-boo's feel better. It wasn't until Brian began telling him that all band aids do is cover your boo-boo so it doesn't get dirty - after Kadin went through three boxes of band aids in what seemed like a week . . . he is officially a non-believer in the miracle of band aids.

So, I put some Neosporin on the cut and covered it with - yes a band aid . . . and sent him off to bed. You can imagine how goofy my son looked with a giant Dora bandaid across his lip like a Charlie Chaplin mustache . . . so I was hoping that the cut would heal enough overnight that tomorrow would be a new day . . .

Early morning the next day . . . Kadin picked up right where he left off the night before. He was crying over this cut on his lip and his band aid had disappeared. OMG . . . did he eat it in his sleep??? Out of nowhere, Brian comes up with this elaborate lie about how he had some "special ointment for lip cuts" that he would find later and put it on his cut. What are you talking about??? So I'm thinking that Brian has lost his mind . . . or is talking in his sleep.

As we're getting ready I asked Brian where this miracle ointment was . . . he proceeded to take a Visine bottle, emptied it's contents and refilled it with tap water. Then, he called Kadin over, put a couple drops on his lip - now Kadin . . . make sure you don't get this in your mouth . . . it's medicine - and sent him on his way.

A couple more doses of that "special lip cut ointment" and that cut was healed! Kadin could not believe how great this stuff was . . . in fact I think it almost made him want to get another cut just so he could use it . . .

Aaahhh . . . it feels good when you can pull a fast one and get away with it . . . even if it is on a five-year old!

The Mystery Of Public Toilets

I am confident that any parent of a toddler will relate to this story.

It never fails that when we visit any public place - be it a grocery store or department store, we will visit the public toilet multiple times. I swear my children grow bladders the size of kidney beans whenever we are out.

So, needless to say it was not a shock when Kadin informed me that he had to go poop while we were in Menard's over the weekend. Before I continue, let me preface this story by telling you that my son is the s l o w e s t pooper I have ever seen. I'm not completely sure what he does while he's in there, but I definitely know it's not just doing his "business".

I'm already dreading this scenario that I'm facing, so I try to slyly sneak away with Kadin to the restroom because I know if Bella catches wind of this she will miraculously have to potty as well. So I tell Kadin to run toward the bathroom and as we are almost out of sight . . . there comes Bella . . . and yup you guessed it . . . she has to pee! Great!

Two kids . . . public restroom . . . one adult. I'm not liking my odds here. So I get Kadin situated in his stall, then steer Bella into another stall. Keep in mind I am holding my purse, Kadin's jacket, Bella's jacket and Bella's purse all while trying to get her pants down and get her on the toilet while maneuvering in a tiny stall that I can hardly fit in when I'm alone much less carrying all that crap and having another human being in there.

Bella finally gets on the toilet and then she tells me that she needs privacy. Umm yeah . . . there is seriously no way I am squeezing out of that stall, so I am forced to face the door while she tries to squeeze out one tiny drop of pee since I know damn well she didn't really need to go in the first place.

So . . . pee drop out . . . now I am trying to help her wipe and put her pants back on while I'm still holding two purses and two jackets. We somehow manage to emerge from the stall like clowns filing out of a tiny car and now it's time to wash our hands. Oh yeah - and I did have another kid in here . . . . . . . "Kadin you still good bud?" yup he's still pooping.

We head over to the sink which I can see is not kid friendly and is covered in grimy water from the last people that washed their hands. Bella is trying to stand on her toes to reach - what I'm not sure since she is easily two feet too short to even reach the sink . . . she manages so soak her entire sleeve with the grimy water that is pooling on the counter. So now she is crying about her wet sleeve and as I'm trying to coral her over to the dryer I hear Kadin starting to cry.

GREAT!!!

"Kadin, what's the matter?"

"My poop is dry or something!! I can't wipe!!"

Seriously . . . now I have to wipe his butt too??? This is just too good to be true. I get Bella's sleeve somewhat dried and put her coat back on and give her back her purse. I head over to Kadin's stall and I find him completely naked from the waste down . . . no pants, no underwear, no shoes . . . and as if that didn't disturb me enough . . . his clothes were balled up under the toilet and he was stepping on them.

Thoughts are now racing through my mind of all the things that could possibly be around the bottom of a public toilet . . . and now all those things are nestled up against my child's clothes. I was frozen . . . I seriously couldn't bring myself to touch those clothes, much less put them back on him!!!

"Kadin, bend over so Mommy can help you wipe." OMG!!! There is poop smeared all over his butt cheeks!!!! AND because he takes F O R E V E R to crap it has now dried on there. This is why every smart mother keeps wet wipes in her purse . . . unfortunately I am not a smart mother so I have to improvise. As I'm spitting on pieces of toilet paper, trying to rub the poop off my son's buttocks . . . I look over to find Isabella crawling around on the floor like a dog and peeking under the stall doors.

"BELLA!!! What are you doing!!! Get up off that dirty floor and quit looking under those doors . . . that's naughty!!"

At this point any ounce of composure I may have had disappeared with thoughts of my daughter's hands touching places that were possibly covered in . . . well you can use your imaginations.

Back to the spitting and the wiping . . . all the while thinking - "just get me out of here, just get me out of here."

"Kadin, stop moving around . . . I'm almost done. Bella - don't put your purse on the floor! Get out of the garbage!!!!"

My lost composure has now given way to just completely giving up. My kids have touched so many parts of this disgusting bathroom that we may as well have had a picnic in there - heck just eaten right off the damn floor. I try and push the thoughts of vomiting to the back of my mind as I try to get myself out of this god-for-saken bathroom that it feels we have now been in for the entire evening!! And all I wanted to do was look at swings . . .

With Kadin's clothes back on he finally heads toward the sink. Yup . . . entire sleeve in grimy water. You knew that was going to happen didn't you??

Brian finally calls my cell phone to see what was taking us so long . . . I think he regretted making that call . . . HA!

Food, Friends & Hidden Eggs

Last weekend was the West's Annual Easter Egg Extravaganza! Ok - so maybe they don't really call it that, but it's definitely something I look forward to every year. My friend Laura and I have been getting together for this event every year since Kadin was old enough to walk. It has evolved a bit over the last 4 years, but it seems like each year is better than the last and this year there were some new faces and more children in the mix.

This year there were six kids and the festivities included an egg hunt outside as well as one inside in the dark with reflective eggs - the kids thought this was particularly cool.

Add some great food, egg coloring and searching for presents inside the house . . . and you have one great afternoon. The adults went home tired and stressed and the kids went home full of sugar and excitement.

Here are some pictures . . .