How it goes all day on my own with three

Last week I took Sam to the doctor for his check up. (My big guy is two now, you know.) It is raining, so imagine me, wearing Lucy in the baby carrier, wearing a raincoat over that, holding an umbrella in one hand and Sam's hand in the other, while Zora holds Sam's other hand. I feel like a mama duck with her string of ducklings. I am awfully proud of how well they seem to go with it.

I have started this "team" concept with Zora, which seems to be a good one for us both. When I can tell we're heading for a power struggle or when we're starting to rub each other the wrong way, I'll say, "Hey- let's remember that we are on the same team. Let's work together so we can have some fun." Tonight I used it when she was insisting that she did NOT want a bath, and explained to her that if she plays on our team and tries to help our family, then she gets to have the "big girl" privileges that go with that. (At the moment, the privilege she really cares about is "gummy gum," which she can have occasionally after nap- but just half a piece.) It works! This idea helps me remember that what I want is for all of us to trust each other, teach each other and be happy playing together. That is like a team, right? We all have different strengths and positions, but we need each other to be whole.

Anyhow, today was my true test. Usually David has a lot of flexibility with his job. It is rare for him to miss bedtime. Tonight he did. That means that I was on my own with the kiddos from 7:30 this morning until 7 tonight. No one was hurt and I didn't cry, so that feels like a pretty successful day! (Notice I don't claim that there weren't any tears- no way! But we did manage to keep to my two-person crying rule, where only two children can cry at a time.) It does make me feel fairly competent (enough to keep pretending to be the adult in charge).